New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-20
A WINTER JOURNEY.
V l..
HERALDS OF SPRING.
,rcoy . T,rp COKRFsPCNDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.
'' MrNrg,NE EehrIarX u, lNSX,

"h'" MrNTGNE February 81. 1889.
Several tons of finely powdered plaster spreau
over the principal street and glaring IN the or'sh.
sun give the town this morning the appearance VI
having been visited by snow storm IL Is Tue
remnant of the Carnival, which came to an end
las, night in n blaze of rockets and bOnhreS' one
aov before the date appointed in the ecclesiastical
coie,1ar Whether the celebration was more or
less successful than usual must leave to be deter
mined by those who have standard OF
comparison which lies not within my eN-
nerience The throwing OF coftfh, thoSe
xretched and destructive little pellets vt lime to
which the license Of Carnival gives the name OF
bon bons. was certainly vigorous enough to make
walking a penauce for the first days OF Lent; ana
ms for the fun. ideas of fun vary so much that
foreign observer may well hesitate to pronounce an
on,uion There was much better display than one
might have looked for in such small town as this;
bnt perhaps il is significant of the Mentonese Judg-
nent upon the affair that, now it is all over, the
stranger is assured. Oh If you wanted TO see tue
Carnival YOU should have gone to Nice"
TWAS on Saturday that the pranks began The
morning was spent ty belatcd observers thronglng
the place where dominoes and masks were sold' IN
search of the disguise-or rather the defensive
armor- without which no one might venture
abroad after King Carnival began his rounds; and
meanwhile the shop-fronts on the line Of march
only were shutters put MP, but the signs the var
nished doors and in some cases the whole lower
mart of the facade. were covered with old canvas,
or sheets of stout wrapping paper; for the plaster
missiles leave n mark which Is not always easily
removed About noon the jewellers began 10
s.ragge forth. The first was an extremely serions'
white whskercd Englishman of perhaps sixty
wears who having purchaseda mask and an OK
travagant striped hat Of blue and white walked
III, l. s,t .-,1n1
Corso Enthusiastically placid, with the hat ON his
head and the mask in his hand. Then public car
riace. with driver in white pierrot and gauhe
mask. whose rosy cheeks. delicate mOustache and
nne doll-ke features were in absurd contrast with
his rough voice and objurgatory speech. hurried
after customers girl all yellow IN cap. jacket
and tight brecches issued into the sunlight with an
air of embarrassment-whch she sooD got rid of.
Two or three varcgated persons of dubious sex
Joined her. So by degrees the street filled up;
masked spectators came out upon the balconies;
decorated iiacIes bearing festive parties. dashed
blther and thither; the battle of the false sugar
plums began: the band struck mp in one of the
publie souares; and as fortune would have II, in
the very nick of time a railway train discharged
number of tourists who. being quite unprepared for
the unroar aud evidently taken aback, were UNI
mercfully peted before they could find refuge IN
the hotels The procession deiiling several times
before the grand stand. lasted nearly all the after
noon 1t had amusing features notably
company of twelve realistic frogs on horseback,
and troops of devils. afo0t and on donkeys. Per
hans the effect of the mounted devils would have
been better if it had not been Thought necessary
that the donkeys should be followed and from
time 10 time flstigated, by tho peasant women
who owned Them but then again, maybe the spec
tacle of the devil urged on by woman was a part
OF the show.
We rested on Sunday. On Monday the parade of
the first day was repeated. and the merry-making
rose to its height The demons and the yonng
women in short skirts capered more nimbly; the
maskels joined hands and danced around the
square: the hurling of coyci if less general, was
more animated; the dresses were it seemed to me-
more varied On the other hand, large part of the
throng this time wore neither masks nor costumes
and looked upon the fOolery with chill Indifference
and there was great falling of in the number of
the spectators in the balconies ! suspect that the
better classes, who mingled timidly III the u2roar
at first grew tired and withdrew before the Car
nval entered upon its second stage At night
Goodman Carnival sat in his high CHAIR on the
beach the ha.nmes were put to him and before the
last of the blazing ,tufng had fallen ont of his
belly and been blown ont to sea. the crowd broke
up quietly and began TO % home.
And now Mcntone is getting ready for greater
excitement. Queen Victoria is coming here in two
or three weeks to occupy villa on the East Day,
and the Queen of SaXOny Is coming to one OF the
hotels. IL Is hardly necessary to say that Queen
Victoria is much The gre attraction OF the two
and some of the local journals making amusing |
and ingenious calculations OF tho value of her |
Majesty as an advertisement That can hardly |
fail to be considerable, in a town which depends 50
much upon English customers. strolled on sun |
day to look at the outside of the villa which has
1T he "a Al iSD the |
English residents 1t is in the least fragrant part
of the town but it is set so far back from the |
beach that her Maipsty's noStrils will not be |
offended, except when she goes oat. A. for the |
worst part of the street through which she must |
rrive-the Quai Bonaparte wnrre the odor OF |
stables mingled with the emauations from the
mouth of sewer, painfully impres,es the pas,er-
by" as a newspaper of MeHtOne Observes-the nope |
is expressed that the town authorities VIII make
tie toilette of this thorOughtarc before the Queen
sees it. The approach TO the villa is by narrow
md ill-nade lane next to n large hotel 1t passes
under the rail way serves two or three private
houses and comes to full stop after a few rods IN
the midst of heaps of stone and mortar where
workIncn have been busy for some weeks with
sundry improvements about the gardens and repairs
to the retaining wall Oh the side of the lane.
gate and lodge with a stcep gravel road, mark
the entrance to the villa. The house is a Swiss
chalet-the Chalet DIES Roses it is calieG-neither
exactly pretty, nor indeed exactly Swiss-standing
On the slope OF a hill with beautiful outlook
southwark over the sea. and thick olive groves and
other shade around.
sign at the gate warns strangers not TO enter,
but il had no effect upon party OF ladies who wan
dered up the lane just ahead of me- and whom there
was no difficulty in identifying British tourists.
saw them come away presently, looking as if they
had been turned out. Meanwhile | became con-