INTRODUCTION, KXV 



Mud of grafs, which fprings up from the 

 earth about the begiamng of the rainy 

 feafon, and which comes to full perfedion 

 in the fpace of three months* The inha- 

 bitants take advantage of that time topafture 

 their cattle and flocks j but when vegeta- 

 tion has ceafed, nothing remains on the 

 ground except fome ftraw too hard for the 

 noprilhpient of animals. This ftraw is fo 

 dry that the leaft fpark f^ts it on fire^ and 

 the wind fpreads the flames with fo much 

 rapidity^ that there are no phyfical means 

 of checking its progrefs. When fuch an 

 accident take^ place, the cattle quit the fa- 

 vannas, and go to feed in the woods. 



When the Portugueze difcoverpd the Iljc 

 of France, the land was covered with wood 

 to the very fummits of the mountains- 

 The whole illand was one vaft fore ft com- 

 pofed of beautiful trees. Of thefe the moft 

 ^erp^irkable were fevcral kinds of the palm- 

 tree, 



