CONCLUSION. 361 



longest ivalh I Lave yet taken, and was not the worse for it. 

 Every one says I am much better, and what " on dit " must be 

 true. I think so myself, particularly the last week. 



May 16th. For the last fortnight we have had rain and cool, 

 but not cold weather, which I have enjoyed more than the 

 drought and heat that preceded it, my cough being always 

 worse of a dry than of a damp day. Few English now remain, 

 and I hope we shall not stay much longer, for we are^. heartily 

 tired of the place, and should the heat return, shall go to 

 Biarritz, which, though farther south, is more bracing — always a 

 fresh sea-breeze, being, like Miltown, on the open Atlantic. 

 The cliffs are not high, but are, like Ballybunion, full of caves 

 and crannies and shady nooks, and there are seats and walks 

 cut in the rocks for faint and weary people. I wish we were 

 fairly settled there. The distance is only four hours by rail. 

 It grieved me to read in the " Times" of the death of good, kind, 

 large-hearted Henry Christy, of whose illness I had not heard. 

 Only a few days before, we had read the account of his presents 

 to the E. I. Academy, and only a month ago he was chosen a 

 F.E.S. Poor fellow ! A very wide circle of friends, scientific 

 and otherwise, will mourn his loss. His elder brother William 

 was my first intimate friend of the family, and when he died, 

 Henry took me up, and we have been friends for more than 

 twenty years. I was seven weeks here before I smelled the 

 pines, and then in a few days I smelled them no more. I think 

 the whole pine theory humbug and bosh, and so I find most 

 people here do. I believe that our grandmothers who went to 

 Mallow and Cove were quite as well off, and far more comfort- 

 able than those who come hither. 



June 5th. The summer seems passing very slowly. I can 

 hardly think it is only the beginning of June, for we have the 

 white jasmine in full flower, and French beans at dinner. We 

 have had green peas since the beginning of May, and new 

 potatoes for some weeks. Strawberries are very abundant and 

 fine. I had rather be turning my head homewards than going 

 southward, but I don't think we shall stay more than a month 

 at Biarritz, and then I hope to move northward again, and 

 perhaps visit St. Servan. It is over 500 miles from Biarritz, 

 but there is rail the whole way. 



I have been drinking the " Seve du Pin " for the last fort- 



