94 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. 
CHAP. IV. 
place, in Indian costume, met us as we approached, and gave 
us a cordial welcome, which was repeated by his wife, a Mau¬ 
ritian lady of French parentage; and after our walk we were 
glad to rest ourselves in some large cane arm-chairs, standing 
about under the trees in front of the house. While seated 
here refreshing ourselves with a cup of tea and its accom¬ 
paniments, which Mrs. Kelsey’s forethought had provided, a 
servant brought us a large basket full of pine-apples, and 
soon afterwards quite a hamper full of ripe peaches, which 
made an agreeable addition to our breakfast. I then ex¬ 
plored the garden in front of the house, which was almost 
enclosed on three sides with roses in full bloom. The pretty 
little noisette rose, felicite joerpetuelle , was conspicuous 
amongst them, as was another, like Devoniensis, only paler. 
In this mountain garden I found the Clerodendron falcaium 
in splendid bloom, with blue hydrangeas, China asters, agera- 
tum, Calliopsis, Lilum longiflorum , Brompton stocks, ver¬ 
benas, heliotropes, and many other familiar plants. 
Beyond the garden to the west was a terrace, also bordered 
with roses, which commanded a fine view of the valley along 
which we had travelled, with the stream winding its way to 
the sea, the woods, plantations, and dwellings spread over the 
plain, and the wide ocean beyond. Our host next led us 
through his plantation of fruits and spices. The latter con¬ 
sisted chiefly of cloves. During the early part of the French 
occupation of Mauritius great attention was given to the 
introduction and culture of spices; and though the changes 
that have since taken place in the commercial intercourse 
with the spice-growing islands of the East have rendered their 
production in Mauritius less important and profitable, a few 
plantations are still to be seen. The trees, about twenty feet 
high, were many of them in full blossom. The epiphyte vanilla 
was here cultivated as an article of commerce, for the sake of 
the perfume it supplies. Passing down the mountain side 
