ST. LOUIS, MAURITIUS. 
CHAPTER XXI 
MAURITIUS TO ENGLAND 
Mauritius, beautiful appearance of—Great crateriform ring of mountains—Hindoos— 
St. Helena—History of the changes in the vegetation—Cause of the extinction of 
land-shells—Ascension—Variation in the imported rats—Volcanic bombs—Beds 
of infusoria—Bahia—Brazil—Splendour of tropical scenery—Pernambuco — 
Singular reef—Slavery—Return to England—Retrospect on our voyage. 
April 2 gth. —In the morning we passed round the northern 
end of Mauritius, or the Isle of France. From this point of 
view the aspect of the island equalled the expectations raised 
by the many well-known descriptions of its beautiful scenery. 
The sloping plain of the Pamplemousses, interspersed with 
houses, and coloured by the large fields of sugar-cane of a 
bright green, composed the foreground. The brilliancy of the 
green was the more remarkable, because it is a colour which 
generally is conspicuous only from a very short distance. 
Towards the centre of the island groups of wooded mountains 
rose out of this highly-cultivated plain ; their summits, as so 
commonly happens with ancient volcanic rocks, being jagged 
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