The lighter
particles, which formed the richest portion of their soil, blow off,
and leave only the heavy arenaceous portion; and hence, perhaps,
those sandy deserts in which are often to be found the signs of a
population once very dense.
In the Mauritius, the rivers were found to be diminishing under the
rapid disappearance of the woods in the interior, when Government had
recourse to the measure of preventing further depredations, and they
soon recovered their size.
The clouds brought up from the southern ocean by the south-east trade
wind are attracted, as they pass over the island, by the forests in
the interior, and made to drop their stores in daily refreshing
showers. In many other parts of the world governments have now become
aware of this mysterious provision of nature; and have adopted
measures to take advantage of it for the benefit of the people; and
the dreadful sufferings to which the people of those of our
districts, which have been the most denuded of their trees, have been
of late years exposed from the want of rain in due season, may,
perhaps, induce our Indian Government to turn its thoughts to the
subject.
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