132 IIYEI^ES. 



the most famous health resort in the South of France. 

 In those da\'s it seemed hardlv possible to penetrate 

 further east on the Riviera; and not until fifty years ago, 

 when circumstances changed, did first Nice and then 

 Mentone and Cannes begiTi to flourish as health resorts. 

 In the competition which now arose Hyeres was bound 

 to succumb, for she is not so well sheltered against the 

 north wind and the Mistral as are her rivals. She is 

 inferior to them also in beaut'\' of situation and is too 

 lar Irom the sea. "The hills here are too low and too 

 near, the coast too level and the sea too far off" — 

 exclaimed Georges Sand when she visited liyeres. From 

 the hill on which the town lies the sea can onh' be seen 

 across a broad tract of low land. On this, angular 

 reddish-brown fields, unrelieved hv T,ello\\-s or greens, 

 stand out in glaring contrast. These fields are Rose 

 plantations; but even our prediliction for this fiower does 

 not blind us to the ^\-ant of harmony in the colouring 

 of the landscape. The tints of these Rose plantations 

 at this time of ^-ear are not due to the splendour of 

 the blossoms, but to the A'oung shoots which are ver\- 

 red. The red colouring matter absorbs the greatest 

 number of warm rays; this is an advantage in spring- 

 when evaporation is increased and the circulation of the 

 sap, which is necessar\- to the health\- development of 

 the plan,t, is promoted. 



In earlier da^s the outlook o\'er the plains of H^•eres 

 must have been pleasanter: at least Horace Benedict 

 de Saussure was greatly charmed when he saw it in 1787. 

 This eminent (Jeologist, father of the more famous Ph)-sio- 



