any soil, it is covered
with olives. Among these are corn, vines, some lucerne, mulberry, some
almonds, and willow. Neither enclosures, nor forest. A very few sheep.

On the road I saw one of those little whirlwinds which we have in
Virginia, also some gullied hill-sides. The people are in separate
establishments. Ten morning observations of the thermometer, from the
20th to the 31st of March inclusive, made at Nismes, St. Remy, Aix,
and Marseilles, give me an average of 52 1/2 deg., and 46 deg. and 61 deg., for the
greatest and least morning heats. Nine afternoon observations, yield an
average of 62 2/3 deg., and 57 deg. and 66 deg., the greatest and least. The longest
day here, from sunrise to sunset, is fifteen hours and fourteen minutes;
the shortest is eight hours and forty-six minutes; the latitude being
---------.

There are no tides in the Mediterranean. It is observed to me, that the
olive tree grows nowhere more than thirty leagues distant from that sea.
I suppose, however, that both Spain and Portugal furnish proofs to the
contrary, and doubt its truth as to Asia, Africa, and America. They are
six or eight months at a time, here, without rain. The most delicate
figs known in Europe, are those growing about this place, called _figues
Marseilloises_, or _les veritables Marseilloises_, to distinguish them
from others of inferior quality growing here. These keep any length of
time. All others exude a sugar in the spring of the year, and become
sour. The only process for preserving them, is drying them in the sun,
without putting any thing to them whatever. They sell at fifteen sous
the pound, while there are others as cheap as five sous the pound. I
meet here a small dried grape from Smyrna, without a seed. There are few
of the plants growing in this neighborhood. The best grape for drying,
known here, is called _des Panses_. They are very large, with a thick
skin and much juice. They are best against a wall of southern aspect, as
their abundance of juice requires a great deal of sun to dry it. Pretty
good fig trees are about the size of the apricot tree, and yield about
twenty pounds of figs when dry, each. But the largest will yield the
value of a louis. They are sometimes fifteen inches in diameter. It is
said that the Marseilles fig degenerates when transported into any other
part of the country. The leaves of the mulberry tree will sell for about
three livres, the purchaser gathering them. The caper is a cr