ITS ENVIRONS. 77 



large portion, Mr. Mas thinks from a third to a half of 

 its own bulk, of brandy. The brandy prevents the fer- 

 mentation, the liquor retains the sweetness and flavour 

 of the fruit, and this is the Vin de Liqiieur of Cosperon, 

 which has acquired a great name in the south of France. 



Monday^ 9,\st November . — Having returned early yes- 

 terday morning from Collioure to Perpignan, I found 

 the Messrs. Durand had sent to my hotel 9 bundles, con- 

 taining 50 each, of nine distinct varieties of vines, and on 

 visiting them at their house, I was again pressed to dine 

 with them, but on this occasion excused myself. The 

 kindness and attention of these gentlemen to me, a perfect 

 stranger, without the slightest claim to their notice, is 

 worthy of remark. They are the sons of Mr. Durand, 

 the Deputy for the Province, and are now managing his 

 affairs in his absence. Their mercantile as well as their 

 agricultural concerns are of great magnitude. The latter 

 they informed me yielded only about 5 per cent, upon the 

 money invested, but they made no allowance for the value 

 of the improvements, which were very extensive. Besides 

 the properties I visited with them, the one consisting of 

 700, and the other of 560 acres, they had two other 

 estates in the neighbourhood of Perpignan, and all in 

 their own hands. The irrigated land is worth 1500 francs, 

 about 60/. per hectare, the vineyards not more in general 

 than one-third of that sum ; but that proportion was, I 

 believe, intended to represent the value of the land before 

 planting. On one of the estates there is a handsome 

 mansion, with extensive gardens, and a green-house. I 

 was happy to promise that I would, in return for their 

 attention to me, contribute to stock the latter by sending 

 a packet of Botany Bay seeds, a present which I was 



