1836.] APPEARANCE OF MAURITIUS, 483 
CHAPTER XXI. 
| MAURITIUS TO ENGLAND, 
. 
Mauritius, beautiful appearance of—Great crateriform ring of Mountains— 
Hindoos—St. Helena—History of the changes in the vegetation—Cause of 
the extinction of land-shells—Ascension—Variation in the imported rats 
—Volcanic Bombs—Beds of infusoria—Bahia—Brazil—Splendour of tro- 
pical scenery—Pernambuco—Singular Reef—Slavery—Return to Eng- 
land—Retrospect on our voyage. 
April 29th.—In the morning we passed round the northern end 
of Mauritius, or the Isle of France. From this point of view 
the aspect of the island equalled the expectations raised by the 
many well-known descriptions of its beautiful scenery. The 
sloping plain of the Pamplemousses, interspersed with houses, 
and coloured by the large fields of sugar-cane of a bright green, 
composed the foreground. The brilliancy of the green was the 
more remarkable, because it is a colour which generally is con- 
spicuous only from a very suort distance. Towards the centre 
of the island groups of wooded mountains rose out of this highly- 
cultivated plain ;-their summits, as so commonly happens with 
ancient voleanic rocks, being jagged into the sharpest points. 
Masses of white clouds were collected around these pinnacles, as 
if for the sake of pleasing the stranger’s eye. The whole island, 
with its sloping border and central mountains, was adorned with 
an air of perfect elegance: the scenery, if I may use such an 
expression, appeared to the sight harmonious. 
I spent the greater part of the next day in walking about the 
town, and visiting different people. The town is of considerable 
size, and is said to contain 20,000 inhabitants; the streets are 
very clean and regular. Although the island has been so many 
years under the English government, the general character of 
the place is quite French: Englishmen speak to their servants 
in French, and the shops are all French; indeed I should think 
that Calais or Boulogne was much more Anglified. There is a 
‘ 
