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 MAURITIUS 291 anchorage within. The rivers are of little im- portance ; in the rainy season they are swollen into torrents, while in the dry they are little more than brooks. There are several lakes, which are called either bassins or mares. The largest is the Grand Bassin in the moun- tains of Savane. The Mare aux Vakois, named from the vakoi or screw pine (pandanus uti- lis), which abounds in the district, and with which it is encircled, covers about two square miles in rainy weather. Many streams flow into it; it is in some places 25 fathoms deep, and is well stocked with crawfish, prawns, eels of enormous size, and a small red fish original- ly brought from China. Mauritius is exceed- ingly picturesque, having lofty ranges of hills, with bold and grand outlines. It is intersect- ed by three principal chains of mountains, with spurs radiating to the coast, which vary from 1,800 to 2,800 ft. above the sea, and many of a 3 4 6 10 Mi _ DISTRICTS 1 Tort Louis 2 Pampleuioussea 3 Riviere du Rempart 4PlainesTTilhelms them are of very singular form. The most re- markable is Pieter Booth or Peterbote, 2,874 ft. high, terminated by a spire of naked rock, on the top of which rests an immense mass of stone, larger than the point on which it is balanced. The highest peak is the Piton of the Riviere Noire, which is 2,902 ft. above the sea. Another, called Le Pouce from its re- semblance to the human thumb, is 2,707 ft. high. There are many curious caverns, of considerable extent, in some of the ranges. In the centre of the island, on an elevated pla- teau, there is a mountain of a sugar-loaf form called Piton du Milieu de 1'Ile. The land rises gradually from the shore to the interior, and the N. end is more elevated than the S. The island presents numerous indications of vol- canic origin. The rocks rise in strata from the shore to the centre of the island, upon which there are many mountains composed of ferruginous rocks and grayish lava. Iron ore is very abundant, but the iron is of inferior quality. The heat, which is greatest from No- vember to April, is tempered on the coasts by sea breezes, and in the interior by the elevation of the surface ; and the climate is so salubrious, that Europeans whose health is impaired in India come here to restore it. The mean an- nual temperature at Port Louis is about 74 F., and somewhat less on the opposite side of the island. The average annual fall of rain at Port Louis is 39-25 inches. The rainy season is from January to April, but showers are fre- quent at all times, particularly in the interior. Between December and May the island is sub- ject to hurricanes, for which its neighborhood is famous. In 1773 the church and about 300 houses were destroyed at Port Louis by a hur- ricane ; and on the opposite side of the island the sea rose 45 ft. In March, 1818, and Febru- ary, 1824, great hurricanes did immense damage to the plantations and shipping, and caused the loss of many lives. During a terrible cyclone on March 10-12, 1868, nearly 3,000 valuable buildings were destroyed, including some of stone and iron, and more than 20,000 huts of the laboring population ; the number of per- sons killed was 89 ; and a vast amount of prop- erty of all kinds was destroyed. The mor- tality among the troops is very little greater than in Europe, and does not much exceed 3 per cent, per annum. But of late years mala- rious fevers have prevailed, and in 1872 had become endemic and were likely to occur with more or less severity in every hot season. In 1867 the number of deaths in the island was 40,114, or 12 per cent, of the population; but no such terrible mortality has occurred in any other year. The number of deaths in 1868 was 18,403, and it continued to decrease till 1871, in which year and 1872 there was again a slight increase. In 1871 the mortality from fever was nearly 45 per cent, of that from all causes; and in 1872 it was 43 percent. The chief production is sugar ; coffee is grown, and rice in small quantities; but the production of all articles of food is far inferior to the con- sumption. The vegetation in general resembles that of the Cape of Good Hope. Indigo, cot- ton, and spices have been successfully culti- vated. The native timber is of excellent qual- ity and considerable variety, including ebony (the finest in the world), oak, ironwood, and a kind of pine. The vacona or screw pine (pan- danus utilis) is not only a very common wild plant, but is largely cultivated for the sake of its leaves, extensively used in the manufacture of the sacks in which the sugar is exported. Nearly every beautiful tree of the tropics flour- ishes here. The indigenous fruits are of little value, and are chiefly those of the ebony and pahmste; but guavas, 13 kinds of bananas, peaches, pineapples, mulberries, and straw- berries are raised on most of the plantations. The government botanic gardens at Painple- mousses, .established by M. Poivre, the gover-