Chap. n. Mauritius. 



(Telle corame une ceinture d'immenses remparts, toutes 

 affectant une pente plus ou moins inclinee vers le rivage 

 de la nier ; tandis, au contraire, que vers le centre de 

 Tile elles presentent une coupe abrupte, et souvent 

 taillee a pic. Toutes ces raontagnes sont formees de 

 couches paralleles inclinees du centre de 1'ile vers la 

 mer." These statements have been disputed, though 

 not in detail, by M. Quoy, in the voyage of Freycinet. 

 As far as my limited means of observation went, I 

 found them perfectly correct. 1 The mountains on the 

 NW. side of the island, which I examined, namely, La 

 Pouce, Peter Botts, Corps de Garde, Les Mamelles, 

 and apparently another farther southward, have pre- 

 cisely the external shape and stratification described by 

 M- Bailly. They form about a quarter of his girdle of 

 ramparts. Although these mountains now stand quite 

 detached, being separated from each other by breaches, 

 even several miles in width, through which deluges of 

 lava have flowed from the interior of the island; never- 

 theless, seeing their close general similarity, one must 

 feel convinced that they originally formed parts of one 

 continuous mass. Judging from the beautiful map of 

 the Mauritius, published by the Admiralty from a 

 French MS., there is a range of mountains (M. Bamboo) 

 on the opposite side of the island, which correspond in 

 height, relative position, and external form, with those 

 just described. Whether the girdle was ever complete 

 may well be doubted ; but from M. Bailly 's statements, 

 and my own observations, it may be safely concluded that 

 mountains with precipitous inland flanks, and composed 

 of strata dipping outwards, once extended round a con- 

 siderable portion of the circumference of the island. 

 The ring appears to have been oval and of vast size ; its 



1 M. Lesson, in his account of the island, in the voyage of the 

 f Coquille,' seems to follow M. Bailly's views. 



3 



