HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
217 
us with such excellent meat, begins to be less common than formerly in the forests: 
nor do the goats increase, whom I sometimes follow into their most difficult recesses. 
We must, however, be content to stay at home for the present, as the few handi¬ 
craftsmen we had, are departed for the war in India, &c. 
Grant. 
LETTER VI. 
Isle of France, 20th of December, 1745. 
In this letter I shall change my former subject, and pass from the history of agricul¬ 
ture and the employments of a country life, to consider the occupations of the town. 
My uncle* has an house there, which we sometimes visit, particularly to enjoy the 
society of M. de Grenville and his interesting family. He has long been my uncle’s 
intimate friend, and is become mine. It is from him and M. de la Bourdonnais, 
that I receive every information necessary for me to possess in this country. 
her cables, to throw herself upon the beach, from which she was separated by sand- banks, 
mingled with breakers. Every billow which broke upon the coast advanced roaring to the 
bottom of the bay, and threw planks to the distance of fifty feet upon the land ; then, rushing 
back, laid bare its sandy bed, from which it rolled immense stones with an hoarse and dismal 
noise. The sea, swelled by the violence of the wind, rose higher every moment; and the channel 
between this island and the Isle d’Ambre, was one vast sheet of white foam, with yawning chasms 
of black, deep billows. The foam boiling in the gulph was more than six feet in height, and the 
winds which swept its surface, bore it over the steep coast more than half a league upon the land. 
The innumerable white flakes, driven horizontally as far as the foot of the mountain, appeared like 
snow issuing from the ocean, which was now confounded with the sky. Thick clouds of an 
horrible form, swept along the zenith with the swiftness of birds, while others appeared motionless 
as rocks. Not a spot of azure could be discerned in the firmament; only a pale yellow gleam 
• displayed the view of earth, sea, and skies. From the violent efforts.of the ship, what we dreaded, 
happened. The cables at the head of the vessel were torn away; it was then held only by one 
anchor, and was instantly dashed upon the rocks at the distance of half a cable’s length from the 
shore. A general cry of horror issued from the spectators. Sometimes the sea, in its irregular 
movements, had left the vessel almost dry, so that any one might have walked around it; but 
suddenly the waves advancing, with renovated fury, shrowded it beneath mountains of water, 
which, then lifted it upright on its keel. At last every part of it yawned asunder, from the violent 
Stroke? of the billows; and the crew in despair threw themselves into the sea: of these, seven alone 
escaped; and the unfortunate Virginia was one of the victims. Such was this scene of horror.” 
* Mr. Grant d’Anelle, mentioned in the Introduction. 
Ff 
