the south, I could distinctly perceive the
coast of the kingdom of Tunis, which I
afterwards visited with so much pleasure. Close
to Cap Négre, at the foot of an enormous
rock, in the direction of Monte Rotondo, the
little island of Tabarka, also frequented by
the coral-fishers, was barely visible. And
lastly, the view was enlivened by those same
coral-boats dispersed over the sea between
La Calle and La Galite, by a few merchant
vessels coming from Smyrna, and by the
active steamers of the correspondance.

I cannot easily leave off talking about La
Galite; it retains all its attractions for me to
this very day. My excursion thither was the
realisation of a long-cherished dream. I felt
happy on that desert island, while beholding
Sardinia and Africa at a glance, and perched
aloft in the midst of the Mediterranean so as
to command the azure waste of waters by
which I was encircled in all directions. I
remained whole hours seated in the crevice of
a cliff, and indulging in a long train of
daydreams, whilst Pergaut was gratifying his
ardent desire to ascend the peak to its utmost
top.

The rocks of La Galite are composed of a
compact lava, which cuts with tolerable
facility, and furnishes excellent building
materials. Spongy lava is also found there,
though in only trifling quantity. On the lofty
rocks at the eastern part of the island, where
the mists constantly maintain a considerable
degree of moisture, the Scientific Commission
gathered a great quantity of beautiful lichens,
and amongst them the orchil which I have
mentioned. La Galite belongs to the Bey of
Tunis, who derives no advantage from it
whatever. It has often served as the retreat
of pirates, corsairs, and smugglers. During
the wars of the Empire, the English cruisers
kept up a look-out there. For a long while
also, it was the rendezvous and the starting-
place of the Italian smugglers, who supplied
the Arabs with arms and ammunition. And
the coral-boats, almost all of which used to
ply the same trade, touched here whenever
they were apprehensive of being searched by
our men-of-war.

At all times of the year, sufficient fresh
water to supply a vessel can be procured on
the island. The watering-place is situated on
the projecting rock, which forms the bottom
of the grotto, opposite to the landing-place,
to the east of the beach of shingle. There are
also three other springs on the northern
coast; but I believe that those are almost
entirely dried up in summer. For, I remember
that one day, when, exhausted with fatigue
and thirst, I begged Baussand to find us some
refreshment, he led us into a green ravine
which slopes down to the grotto of seals, and
there, at a spot where the grass looked a little
fresher and less parched up, we found a patch
of humid earth. Baussand dug a hole with
his knife, and it slowly became filled with
water, which we were very thankful for,
although it was not of first-rate quality. "We
ladled it out sparingly with our leathern
goblets, correcting it with a few drops ot
wormwood or eau-de-vie.

Some of the old inhabitants of La Calle
profess to know how the first goats reached
La Galite. They all agree that the present
wild race are descended from domestic animals
left there for that laudable purpose. We
formed the project of stocking the place
with partridges. I know not whether my
friends have put the scheme in execution, but
it certainly would have been well worth
while. Pergaut told me that when the quails
make their migratory passage, they may be
killed in abundance at La Galite. And,
lastly, Baussand asserted that there is a jackal
on the island, which had escaped from a
steamer, after it had become very nearly tame.

I have now only to relate the sad story of
M. Dupont.

M.Dupont, then, a native of Grenoble, where
he had been registrar of something or other,
came to Algiers to try his fortune. He had
a place in the Home Office there, at the same
time that he employed himself in the sale of
grants of land. He also possessed a small
estate near the Bouzareah, or watch-tower of
Algiers. But, in spite of those advantages,
things went badly with him. He lost his
situation, and suffered such an amount of
what he considered unjust treatment, that
he became a perfect misanthrope in
consequence. He was besides afflicted with a
dangerous disease, which had made considerable
inroads on his constitution, and caused
him much pain. To complete his misfortunes,
the woman whom he loved deceived him.

He came to Bône at the beginning of 1844,
got intimate with some freemasons of the
Hippone Lodge, and tried to persuade a few
adventurers to go and live with him at La
Galite, about which he had heard very favourable
reports, in respect to the solitary life a
man might lead there.

By and bye, M. Dupont came to reside at
La Calle, in order to be nearer his beloved
island. He was employed as clerk by M. Calmou,
a considerable merchant of the place; but he
was unable to prevail upon any one to join
him, although there was no scarcity of
unfortunate and discontented folk there. It was
at La Calle that I saw this singular man,
whom many people regarded as insane. He
seemed to me about five-and-thirty; he
was dark-complexioned, short in stature, with
a care-worn countenance, bearing the marks
of suffering, fatigue, and a broken spirit.

He had realised all his property, with the
resolution of undertaking the enterprise alone,
and of turning hermit at La Galite. He had
purchased a stock of biscuits sufficient for a
year, besides dried vegetables, preserves, and
so on. He had also procured a boat, some guns,
some sabres, ammunition, the articles requisite
for fishing and shooting, a small medicine
chest, a few romances and philosophical works