ant heights
(when you were not near enough to see how tropical was the foliage)
reminded me vividly of Scotland. What a pleasure lovely scenery is!
and what a delight to be able to travel and see it! I do not think I
have ever forgotten or shall forget a single really beautiful view I
have ever seen and admired. Those scenes are all clear and distinct,
put away in little pigeon-holes of memory. If my brain were only a
photographic camera, I could print them off as clearly on paper to-day
as in the long bygone years when I first saw them. All the incidents
and circumstances are still fresh in my recollection.

For the last few days the scenery has been an especial pleasure to me,
laid up as I am in the deck-house, where a comfortable bed has been
arranged for me, so high that I can look out of the window and have my
eyes delighted and my nerves soothed. I am very thankful that I can
thus enjoy the lovely coast, though I should much prefer being able to
take a more active part in the sight-seeing, orchid- and
shell-collecting, and general scrambling which ensues every day when
the rest of the party go for their pleasant walks on shore along sandy
beaches shaded by graceful palms, with tree ferns growing almost to
the water's edge. It is fortunate, perhaps, that this constant
malarial fever has made me feel too weak to care much about anything,
so that I am not tempted to long to do imprudent things. I was indeed
sorry when the shades of evening began to fall and prevented my seeing
anything beyond the mere outlines of the coast.

The distance to Mourillyan is only forty miles, and the entrance to
the harbour is extremely fine, though it was so dark that we could
hardly distinguish anything. Soon after we entered the harbour and
dropped anchor, Mr. Levinge, the manager of three large sugar-estates
in the neighbourhood, came on board, full of plans of pleasure for the
morrow. Unfortunately the programme which had been arranged was rather
more than I could undertake. I may be able to manage the eight miles
in a steam-tram through the jungle, to see the sugar-plantation,
crushing-mills, and lunch with the manager and hospitable proprietor
of the plantation; but I fear I shall not have strength or time to go
on to the Gundy Plantation, some miles off, up a branch of the
Johnstone River, and see the scenery there, which is said to be very
fine. The original idea was to go on in boats to Geraldton, close to
the mouth of the Jo