This page has already been transcribed. You can find new pages to transcribe here.

Transcription

[Page 104]

and which is called "Palus".  It has been gradually reclaimed from the River, the last having been gained 28 years ago.  It is of enormous fertility but looks wet and imperfectly drained.  The part nearest the River is as yet far beneath high water mark gradually rising as you approach the abrupt line of "Cote" or hill which bounds the alluvial plain.  This plain seemed to me to be from ½ a mile to 1½ miles broad, how long I have no means of judging.  The portions round the hill were reclaimed centuries ago.  The [indecipherable] portion is covered with vines & fruit trees intermingled (?) with crops growing between the rows of vines!!! such as beans &c.  Mr. Guestiers apricots & fruit alone returned 7000 fr. last year.  The rows of vines are very wide, the plants lofty, pruned very long and growing with excessive luxuriance.  My informants speak of the produce in rather deprecating terms, but such is not their character and this particular part of the Palus is described by the local authorities as producing wines of high color great body, great durability and of great value for mixing with feeble wines.  It was nearly sun set when we turned in off the high road into Mr. Guestiers grounds.  The first portion he considered too recently reclaimed & wet for vines although other proprietors had planted such land.  It had had from 40 to 60 feet of water upon it at high tides when drained off from the rain.  We soon got to older reclaimed land covered with vines & fruit trees and to the "Chard" where they were crushing out the last grapes for the day.  I was sorry to find that the gathering was nearly over, and I failed amongst two or three sorts provided at to me to recognise either of the 3 sorts sent out to New South Wales by Mr. Barton when Mr. Joubert first went out  The grapes were all something of the same character but longer in the bunch & being more agreeable to the taste but with a thickish rough tasted skin.  Although sweeter to the palate [than?] with us, the juice was only 1076° or of the strength of inferior Graves in a bad year and from 12° to 20° lower than the juice of the Bordeaux grapes with [indecipherable] although as I have said naturally sweeter to the palate.  They all tell me they are unusually large in the berry and firm this year, as well as riper & sweeter

Current Status: 
Completed