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Show See Colony as Great Asset. Of late years France has begun to evince an interest in the Kergueleu islands, discovered by the French navigator, navi-gator, Kergueleu Tremarec, in 1772. According to Henry Boissiere, who, with his brother, has devoted himself to the development of these islands,-they islands,-they will soon become -a prosperous colony. They contain no trees, but an immense quantity of a fodder plant, a species of cabbage, which is eagerly eaten by horses, sheep, pigs and rabbits. rab-bits. Rabbits, rats and mice are the only indigenous animals. There 'is also al-so a single bird, the sheathbill, which lives in company with the sea birds. The sea elephants, which had been practically exterminated by 1840, are now again very numerous. The waters round the islands also abound in whales, and it is upon the whale and sea elephant fishery that the hopes of developing a useful colony rest. |