•?73- country defcribed as an elyfium by M. de Bougainville, (fee
A u g u s t . ' -
the Englilh edition, p. 2 a 8.) We entered a grove of bread-
trees, on moft of which we faw no fruit at this feafon of
winter, and followed a neat but narrow path, which led to
different habitations, half hid under various bulhes. Tall
coco-palms nodded to each other, and -rofe over the reft
of the trees; the bananas difplayed their beautiful large
leaves, and now and then one of them ftill appeared loaded
with its cluttering fruit. A fort of lhady trees, covered
with .a dark-green foliage, bore golden apples, which re-
fembled the anana in juicinefs and flavour. Betwixt thefe
the intermediate fpace was filled with young mulberry-
trees (morus papyrifera.J of which the bark is employed by
the natives in the manufacture of their cloth'; with feveral
ffpecies of arum or eddies, with yams, fugar-eanes, and
other ufeful plants.
We found the cottages of the natives fcattered at fliort
diftances, in the Ihade of fruit-trees, and furrounded by
various odoriferous fhrubs, fuch as the gardenia, guettarda,
and calophyllum. The neat flmplicity of their ftrudture
gave us no lefs pleafure than the artlefs beauty of the
grove which encompafled them. The pandang * or palm-
nut tree had given its long prickly leaves to thatch the
* AthrdaCtylis. Char. Gen. Novor. Forfter. London 1776. Bromcha fy l-
v tjlris. Linn. Flor, Z e y l. Ktura.. Forikal. Flora Arab. Pattdtmm. Rumph.
Amftoin.
roofs
roofs of the buildings, and thefe were fupported by a few aB I p
pillars made of the bread-tree,, which is thus ' ufeful in
more refpefts than one. As a roof is fufEcient to fhelter
the natives from rains and nightly dews, and as the climate
of this ifland is perhaps one of the happieft in the
world, the houfes feldom have any walls, but are open on
all fides. We faw, however, a few dwellings conftrudted
for greater privacy, which were entirely enclofed in walls
of reeds, connected together by tranfverfe pieces of wood,
fo as to give us the idea of large bird-cages. In thefe
there was commonly a hole left for the entrance, which
could be clofed up with a board. Before. every hut, on
the green turf or on dry grafs, we obferved groups of inhabitants
lying down or fitting in the eafiern ftile, and
palling their happy hours away in converfation or repofe.
Some of them got up at our approach, and joined • the
croud that followed us ; but great numbers, efpeeially
thofe of a mature age, remained in their attitude, and only
pronounced a kind tayo as we paffed by them. Our attendant
croud feeing us gather plants, were very ready to-
pluck and offer the fame forts to us, which they found'
attracted our notice. Indeed a variety of wild fpecies
fprung up amidft the plantations, in that beautiful diforder
of nature, which is fç truly admirable when checked by
the hand of induftry, and infinitely furpaffes the trimnefs
of regular gardens. Among them we found feveral fpecies
o f