1836.] ITS APPEARANCE. 487 
at the trifling elevation of 1500 feet, it is surprising to behold a 
vegetation possessing a character decidedly British. The hills 
are crowned with irregular plantations of Scotch firs; and the 
sloping banks are thickly scattered over with thickets of gorse, 
covered, with its bright yellow flowers. Weeping-willows are 
common on the banks of the rivulets, and the hedges are made 
of the blackberry, producing its well-known fruit. When we 
consider that the number of plants now found on the island is 
746, and that out of these fifty-two alone are indigenous species, 
the rest having been imported, and most of them from England, 
we see the reason of the British character of the vegetation. 
Many of these English plants appear to flourish better than in 
their native country; some also from the opposite quarter of 
Australia succeed remarkably well. The many imported species 
must have destroyed some of the native kinds; and it is only on 
the highest and steepest ridges, that the indigenous Flora is 
now predominant. 
The English, or rather Welsh character of. the scenery, is 
kept up by the numerous cottages and small white houses; 
some buried at the bottom of the deepest valleys, and others 
mounted on the crests of the lofty hills. Some of the views are 
striking, for instante that from near Sir W. Doveton’s house, 
where the bold peak called Lot is seen over a dark wood of firs, 
the whole being backed by the red water-worn mountains of the 
southern coast. On viewing the island from an eminence, the 
first circumstance which strikes one, is the number of the roads 
and forts: the labour bestowed on the public works, if one for- 
gets its character as a prison, seems out of all proportion to its 
extent or value. There is so little level or useful land, that it 
seems surprising how so many people, about 5000, can subsist 
here. The lower orders, or the emancipated slaves, are I be- 
lieve extremely poor: they complain of the want of work. From 
the reduction in the number of public servants, owing to the 
island having been given up by the East India Company, and 
the consequent emigration of many of the richer people, the po- 
verty probably will increase. The chief food of the working 
class is rice with a little salt meat; as neither of these articles 
are the products of the island, but must be purchased with 
money, the low wages tell heavily on the poor people. Now 
