118 REPORT— 1867. 



the furthest west, and it is at them that the rainfall is least, the mean annual 

 amount for five years being 28-03 inches at the former, and 30-24 inches at 

 the latter station. Mont Choisy is also on the west coast near the northern 

 extremity of the island, but further east than Gros Cailloux and Port Louis, 

 and at it the mean annual fall for the same period was 51-54 inches. Some 

 miles south-eastward of Mont Choisy, further from the coast, and at elevations 

 of 200 to 600 feet, are four other stations, namely, Les Eochers, Labourdon- 

 nais, the Botanical Gardens, and Lucia; and, with the exception of Les 

 Rochers, where the mean annual fall was 50-10 inches, the rainfall at each 

 of these stations was considerably greater than at Mont Choisy, having been 

 63-62 inches at Laboiirdonnais, and 67-98 inches at Lucia; while at the 

 Botanical Gardens, in 1864 and 1865, it was also greater than at Mont Choisy. 

 It should here be remarked that Lucia, the station at which the greatest 

 rainfall occurs in that part of the island, lies south-eastward of the other 

 stations, and at a higher elevation. About fourteen miles due north of Lucia 

 is a small island, called Flat Island, about five miles from the mainland. 

 Observations on the rainfall were taken there in 1862 and 1863, and it wiU 

 be seen that the amounts for those years were 28-02 and 36-54 inches, re- 

 spectively, or nearly the same as at Port Louis. About seven miles S.S.W. 

 of Lucia, and at the same distance E.S.E. of Port Louis, is Esperance, on the 

 central tableland, at an elevation of about 1400 feet. Here, in 1865, the 

 rainfall was 147-74 inches against 101-56 at Lucia, 44-73 at Port Louis, 

 and 36-57 at Gros Cailloux. Westward and south-westward of Esperance, at 

 distances of five to eleven miles, and at elevations of 900 to 1300 feet, are five 

 stations more, namely, Croft-an-Eigh, Beau Sejour, Trianon, the Braes, and 

 Mesnil, at each of which the rainfall, though more than double what it is at 

 Port Louis, is considerably less than at Esperance. At a distance of about 

 eight miles east of Esperance, and about four miles from the east coast, is 

 La Gaite. Here the rainfall is also less than at Esperance, but greater than 

 at the stations westward and south-westward of it (except Mesnil, the highest 

 of them), although these are more elevated than La Gaite. But the rainiest 

 station of all is Cluny, which lies about eleven miles south of Esperance, and 

 sixteen miles S.E. of Port Louis, at a height of about 900 feet above the sea, 

 and nearly surrounded by mountains and forests. At this station, in 1865, 

 the rainfall was 192-45 inches, and the mean fall for five years was 142-80 

 inches. Southward and south-eastward of Cluny, nearer the coast, and at 

 lower elevations, are three more stations, namely, Gros Bois, Beau Vallon, and 

 St. Aubin, at each of which the rainfall is also very considerable, having, in 

 1865, been 135-21, 100-85, and 115-61 inches, respectively. 



These observations illustrate the influence of local circumstances, as eleva- 

 tion, direction of wiud, mountain, and forest on the rainfall of a place. Thus, 

 at La Gaite, near the east coast, the rainfall (in 1865) was 97-55 inches ; at 

 Esperance, nearly due west, but at a much higher elevation, it was 147*74 

 inches ; at Croft-au-Eigh, westward of Esperance, and at a lower level 

 than it, but at a considerably higher level than La Gaite, the rainfall was 

 79-44 inches ; and at Gros Cailloux, west of Croft-an-Eigh, on the west coast, 

 it was only 36-57 inches, or not much more than one-third the rainfall at 

 La Gaite on the east coast. These stations arc situated nearly in a line and 

 in the dii'ection of the prevaihng wind ; and the greater fall at Espe'rance 

 than at La Gaite is probably due to the higher elevation and lower tempera- 

 ture of the former ; while the greater faU at La Gaite than at Croft-an-Eigh, 

 though the latter stands at a higher level, seems to be due to the situation 

 of La Gaite on that side of the island on which the vaporu" first impinges 



