, 1874-02-01
III Climate, Topography, and Vege-
table Productions.
Careful Manner in Which the Country
Is Cultivated.
aheonce of Fences and Farm
Houscs.--The Rural Village.
Progress in Observation-Disclosures
Of the Cities---General Prosperity.
The Immensely Beneficial Results OF the
Revolution Of 1889.

The Immensely Beneficial Results OF the
Revolution Of 1883.
sn<c;ai Correspondence cf The Chicago Tribune.
NICE, France, Jan. II, 1874.
Frenchnen are in the habit Of speaking Of
.ha;r country as La Belle France; and some
trarelera. especially English, say that it is an
ernrcssion of vanity, and that the country is not
,ntitlcd to be called beautiful But, SO far
~ am competent to Judge, it is an
Exou1sr71Ly-BEAcT1FUL COUNTRY.
II ia all anticipated, and more. That any one
~, nass through this chnrn1ing land, Will, his
rae omen. and look at the endless variety OF hill
,nd dale. mountain and meadow, with Impid
-vers and streams winding through broad
valleys OF dashing in cata.acts down
n,opntain-eorges, and count the varietios
of forest and fruit-trecs and shrubs,
and behold every production found in
temperate and scnai-tropical climates, and OBJ
so7ye tho caro- and taste exhibited in the agra-
culture of the country, and enjoy tho bright
Sunshine, even in mid-winter, and still deny THAT
It is beautiful 1aud, can only be accounted for
m tho ground that he las erected standard OF
beauty not found in this world, is incapable of
approaching lovely country when lie sees it.
If France is not beautiful country, where is
ono to be found? II it is not finely cultivated,
4bcrc is its superior in that regard? II it has
not great variety Of natural productions, what
country excels it, What nation, Of it's range OF
climate, produces greater variety Of useful and
beautiful vegetation? What nation, largo or
small. in the Old or New World, e1cels France in
variety Of trees, fruits, flowers, vines, shrubs,
rrasses, grains, roots, yegetables,-egerything
n short to sustain life or please the eyer
FRANCE POSSESSES cL1MATE
not unlike that of the Virginias, Cnrolinas. Ken
tucky, and Tennessee; and contains just nbout
that area But it is not as cold in winter In
Northern Franco as in Kentucky, while South
ern Franco is milder than South Carolina in
summer. Here, in Nice, in the middle OF January,
the sardens are full Of flowers, and oranges, and
lemons, and the hills arc covered with the ever
green oli:o tree, whose fruit has only just been
nicsed: while, as far north as Paris, water had
rcarccly copgcalcd mp to New Years day. In the
greater part Of Trance, there are really but
three seasons: summer, autumn, and spring.
Think Of that, ye dwel1ers on the shores OF the
lakes and on the great praires OF the West, whose
blood is chilled by The piercing blasts Of win
ter's winds, and who hurry over tho snow-clad,
frosted earth, shirering beneath wrapping Of
Eoolens and fura!
The whole eastern side Of France, from Prus-
sis to the Mediterranean, distance OF SUI miles,
Ia broken up by mountains and precipitous hills
for 100 to $50 miles in width. The south OF
Franch, from Baronne, on the Bay OF Blscay, to
Nice, among the Maritime Alps. near Italy, Is
tidgcd with mountains for an average width OF
100 N lies; while the peninsula Of the Province
Of Bretagne is also mountainous. hat among
,hosa mountains there are thousands OF
BEAUTIFUL Bunny VALLEYS,
e1ceedingly fertile and rich IN productive,
ness: while the mountain-slopes and
steep hin-sidcs, which, in appearance, &C.
are poor, barren: or Wnste ianas, are
Be- Jed derived m I from the level lands Of Western
France On tho mountains in Northeastern
France are grown immense quantities OF chest-
nuts, which constitute quite An article OF food:
and are caten By nearly every one. Millions OF
:nd mountain-sldes; and other millions OF hi1 and
vale are devoted to the growth OF the mulberry
tree, the olive, date, fig, almond, orange. peach,
and other fr1litB. saw, between Toulon and
:llce, in district Of 100 miles, at least half.a-
million Of acres that were mainly devoted to the
I,rovth Of tho olive-t-ee. Tho mountain sides
Sore clothed with these evergrcens to their
very tops. wherever there was earth enough IN
which the roots could hide or hold.
FRANCE IS DRAINED BY FIVE RIVERS.
whose watersheds carry of tho ra1ns Of nine
tanths Of the country: Fi,st-Tho Northeast
e1n provinces, INCLUDING Aaacc and Lorraine,
train into the Rhine and it's branches. Second-
!he whole Southeast drains into the Rhone ;
thus district Of perhaps 80, square miles,
embraces the best and chief wine and silk,pro'
lrains Ill Northwestern France, OF which Paris
il the centre, being m aren Of something hke
3j,OOO square mica. and constituting the bes'
sheat-raising part Of the nation. Fourar, Is tne
valley of the Loire, which extends acroHa me
ts.1t Of France, from the outlying spurs of the 1
Alps, on the east, to the Bay OF DiscaY, on the
vast, draining space Of not much less than the
t7ea Of the whole State OF Illinois. the old Cisy
Of Tours is the centre OF this district: 1he
fin drainage district is thatof the Glronde
b: Garonne River, which carries OF the water o.
tic Pyrcpees and all Southwestern France Ih1s
il also great grape and nulbeEry-gr growing por.
ii, OF the country,-Bordeaux being ita cllef
F;ance.
The portions watercd by tho Seine, Loire, and
pains,-not as level as Illinois or Michigan, but
mare like Ohio and Indiana in surface; while
lie other two districts. and especially thatof the
Ehone, aro % hilly and pree.pltous 81
ponnSylyania. Tho Mosclo sna .pa SINE .ne
teuse, which run northTard the eelnS h:nl
f1ns to TIC west; and the Rhone, which dis
e,srges it's waters duo south,-al take tneH Iase e
in tha vicinity Of Diion. which is within lol
miles OF Switzerland. The country ecems :
fall of in every direction from the tapie-lane1'
Of the Province OF Bourgogne. aronnd D1]on.
Tie traveller in passing through France Ii any
direction, cannot help observing the
A.sEScK OF FENCES AND FARH-HousES.
Inthe level portions the whole country 1s an un.
broken cxpanse Of hilage without lneiosofe; n'1 .,
r1.AA {retA