Chap. XVII. 



m THE COUNTRY. 



359 



the day, and here and there on a solitary bush 

 or in a grove of trees the songsters of the woods 

 were singing their last and evening song of praise. 

 Mulberry-trees, with their large rich green leaves, 

 were observed in all directions, and the plantations 

 extended all over the low country and up to 

 the foot of the hills. The hills here were low 

 and isolated, and appeared as if they had been 

 thrown out as guards between the vast plain, 

 which extends eastwards to the sea, and the moun- 

 tains of the west. For the most part they were 

 covered with natural forests and brushwood, and 

 did not appear to have ever been under cultiva- 

 tion. In some parts their sides were steep — almost 

 perpendicular — while in others the slope was 

 gentle from their base to the summit. Here and 

 there some rugged -looking granite rocks reared 

 their heads above the trees, and were particularly 

 striking. 



Looking to the hills, there all was nature pure 

 and unadorned, just as it had come from the hands 

 of the Creator ; but when the eye rested on the 

 cultivated plain, on the rich mulberry-plantations, 

 on the clear and beautiful canals studded with 

 white sails, the contrast was equally striking, and 

 told a tale of a teeming population, of wealth and 

 industry. 



I remained for three days amongst these hills, 

 and employed myself in examining their natural 

 productions, and in making entomological collec- 

 tions. In some grassy glades in the woods I fre- 



