﻿q8 REMARKS ON THE ISLAND 



We descended into a cool valley, through which 

 ran a rivulet of perfectly clear water ; and there, find- 

 ing my vehicle uneasy, though from the laughter and 

 merriment of my bearers I concluded them to be 

 quite at their ease, I bade them set me down, and 

 walked before them all the rest of the way. Moun- 

 tains, clothed with fine trees and flowering fhrubs, 

 presented themselves on our ascent from the vale ; and 

 we proceeded for half an hour through pleasant wood- 

 walks, where 1 regretted the impossibility of loi- 

 tering a while to examine the variety of new blossoms, 

 which succeeded one another at every step, and the 

 virtues, as well as names, of which seemed familiar 

 to Tumuni. At length we descended into a valley 

 of greater extent than the former : a river or large 

 wintery torrent ran through it, and fell down a steep 

 declivity at the end of it, where it seemed to be lost 

 among rocks. Cattle were grazing on the banks of 

 the river, and the huts of their owners appeared on 

 the hills : a more agreeable spot I had not before 

 seen even in Swisserland or Merionethshire ; but it was 

 followed by an assemblage of natural beauties, which I 

 hardly expected to find in a little island twelve de- 

 grees to the south of the Line. I was not sufficiently 

 pleased with my solitary journey to discover charms 

 which had no actual existence, and the first effect of 

 the contrast between St. Jago and Hinzuan had 

 ceased ; but, without any disposition to give the 

 landscape a high colouring, I may truly say, what I 

 thought at the time, that the whole country which 

 next presented itself, as far surpassed ErmenorroiUe, or 

 Blenheim, or any other imitations of nature, which I 

 had seen in trance or England, as the finest bay sur- 

 passes an artificial piece of water. Two very high 

 mountains, covered to the summit with the richest 

 verdure, were at some distance on my right hand, 

 and separated from me by meadows diversified with 

 cottages and herds, or by vallies resounding with tor- 



