305 ACCOUNT OP THE CITY OF HIERES, 



the yellow jafmine, the honey- fuckle, various kinds of 

 ever-green rofe bullies, and many others. But the greater! 

 pleafure in thefe walks is the fmell of the bloffbms of a 

 fhrub that grows in amazing plenty in all the hedges 

 [fmilax afpera fructu rubente, c. b.] with which in 

 autumn the whole atmofphere around is perfumed. 

 Not lefs delightful to the eye is the rufcus, growing 

 among other thick bullies in dampiih places. It is a 

 fmall fhrub, with fmooth leaves as tough as parch- 

 ment, of an excellent green, which fhews more deep 

 in contrafr. with the ftrong red of a large round berry 

 that grows out of the middle of the leaf. 



On the upper and lefs cultivated part of the moun- 

 tain, grows the above-mentioned pinafter, the holly, 

 and the cork oak, the outer bark whereof is the com- 

 mon cork ; but which here is not very large. Among 

 the fmaller bufhes, the ftrawberry tree [arbutus renedo] 

 is particularly agreeable. Late in the autumn are feen 

 blofloms, and fruit at various degrees of maturity, 

 all at the fame time, and producing a fine effect. 

 The ripe fruit has the appearance of a large fcrawberry, 

 with nearly the fame tafre, though lefs delicate and 

 fomewhat acid. They hang on long ftalks, like cher- 

 ries. The full-grown but yet unripe fruit are of a 

 beautiful yellow colour. The juniper fhrub thrives 

 alfo here, and bears line large berries of a lively 

 , brown. 



I mentioned above the great falt-work which lies at 

 the d i Iran ce of feven or eieht miles from Hieres, at 

 the fouth-eaft extremity of this plain, and will here 

 give a defcription of it. It coniifts, in the main, of 

 feveral refervoirs dug in the earth, not far from the 

 i fea, 



