90 



WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



tiful ; and its director, Monsieur Martin, a "botanist of 

 first-rate abilities. This indefatigable naturalist ranged 

 through, the East, under a royal commission, in quest of 

 botanical knowledge ; and during his stay in the western 

 regions, has sent over to Europe from twenty to twenty- 

 five thousand specimens, in botany and zoology. La 

 Gabrielle is on a far- extending range of woody hills. 

 Eigure to yourself a hill in the shape of a bowl reversed, 

 with the buildings on the top of it, and you will have 

 an idea of the appearance of La Gabrielle. You 

 approach the house through a noble avenue, five 

 hundred toises long, of the choicest tropical fruit-trees, 

 planted with the greatest care and judgment ; and 

 should you chance to stray through it, after sunset, 

 when the clove-trees are in blossom, you would fancy 

 yourself in the Idalian groves, or near the banks of 

 the Mle, where they were burning the finest incense, 

 as the Queen of Egypt passed. 



On La Gabrielle there are twenty-two thousand clove- 

 trees in full bearing. They are planted thirty feet 

 asunder. Their lower branches touch the ground. In 

 general the trees are topped at five-and-twenty feet 

 high j though you will see some here towering up above 

 sixty. The black pepper, the cinnamon, and nutmeg 

 are also in great abundance here, and very productive. 



While the stranger views the spicy groves of La 

 Gabrielle, and tastes the most delicious fruits which 

 have originally been imported hither from all parts of 

 the trojDical world, he will thank the government which 

 has supported, and admire the talents of the gentleman 

 w^ho has raised to its present grandeur, this noble 

 collection of useful fruits. There is a large nursery 

 attached to La Gabrielle, where plants of all the 



