New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-20

4
appear amidst the dark gloss of the Older foliage
| Tn, young leaves of the olive are much Grecner
than the rest of that hoary tree but most beautiful
| of all perhaps is the spring fnery of the towering
| eucalyptus whose delicate fresh twigs. developing
! with almost inconceivabe rapidity, take variety
of elusive opalescent tints in which pink and biuc
are the most nearly delnable. This precious cXo'ic
| has been naturazed on many parts OF the Meulter-
| ranean shore of France with the happleSt RESULTS
| 1t grows fifteen twenty feet IN season au"
| though it is apt to turn out somewhat spihdlihs
and crooked 1t is always a picturesque oOJc'V III
the landscape and lends itself readily to ornamehta
| purposes. | am sometimes III doubt whether tho
finest trees OF this region arc the umOreila-pheS Oh
the olives There magnificent specimens oi 1he
former at AentOne, with stout clean trunks bearing
on high the beautifully rounded head OF rich green
as regular as if trimmed by art-from which the
tree derives its name But probably the olive is the
noblest as il is the most characteristic feature OF
| Mentone vegetation 1t is planted in large masses
! on almost all the hillsdes; it has fourshed here
for unnumbered generations, till the terraces which
support 1t are dropping to ruin, and the very groves
with their crumbling walls and moss grown canals
| have become symbols of antiquity. Yet the tree
itself is always young. The rotten branch is cut OH
/ and new grow in its place; the gnailed trunk
decays in the course of ages and fresh stems spring
| from the everlasting roots.
In the ncichborhood of Marseilles, where the
traveller first meets the olive the tree is small and
but for the grayish of the foliage the planta
! tons would look like young apple orchards. But
| here the oli7e assumes the size and dignity OF
forest tree. There is an ancient and mighty grove
close to the sea. on the western edge of the town,
| filling nearly level ground across which rams the
Roman road. Here the legons, as they marched
| bor I,,t ba rom victories
Gau may have rested under the shade Of these very
| trees, where the foreign visitors now bring their
books and sketchng boards for the grove is not in
! cosed), and children frolc in many languages
| among the prmroscS. 1t is the Gaul who is master
| here now and he gets even with his Italian con-
| querors by keeping hotel for them. Alas, the
| grove one of Mentone's greatest beauties, is
! doomed 1t has been laid out in building lots, and
| already the destruction has begun. The palms on
the Riviera cannot love. They seem ont of place
| and unhappy, like lion in a menagerie.
! N climate where many of the choicest flow
ering plants-the rose the geranum. the hclOtrope,
and other fragrant favOrites-bossom all winter IN
| the open air. the pleasure gardens might he among
! the richest in the world; and some of them are in
| fact perpetual delight to the beholdcr But gar
dcning at Mcntone is an expensive amusement
partly Oh account of the necessity of elaborate rri
| CATION, and partly because nearly all the land must
| be terracel. Hence there few really remark
| able flower gardens, although nearly every villa
has at least it's little display of bloom Italian taste
has regulated the laying ont of the grounds; for
Mentone IS still Italian in spite of It's governments
and if it is fast learning to talk French it parts but
slowly with old fashions When an italian builds
| a villa he loves to decorate it with theatrical
effects He is happy if he can provide for fires.
coed loggia. though it lead to the kitchen. If
| he have not TO open vista among the trees,
| lie will paint one on IA dead wall. There is n house
in town whose small yard contains painted fOun-
tain pouring the blucst of water out of the whtest
of marble under bower of real vines; and from
the window at which | am writing see a
wasI-h house the whole side of which is fIescOed in
trclses with distant mountains through them.
Ii the arrangement of house permit OF row OF
six windows the owner is not satisfied until he can
paint n seventh by the side Of them; and if he
wonld be very fine he will probably add imitation
balconies all over the facade. The same fOndncss
for arifce is seen in the establishment of the
grounds There must be terraced promenades. trim
walks, balustrades and terra-cOtta vases. But if
there is suggestion of exaggerated gentility in the
STYLE how elegant nevertheless that gcntiliy some
times is. From the of pottery on the gatc-post
droOps tange of tea-rOses which have grown to a
size and splendor unknown by Us, since here they
grow all the year round Over the steps of cream
white limestone stretches n bower of hcllotrope
seeming the air. From the creyices in The stone
wall tumble flaming lunches of nasturtium; and
between the pillars of the cc-baluSrdde giant
pelargoniumS thrust their prOfusc and glowing
flowers There are scores of obscure little roads
and passages in and about McntOnc which lead the
tourist to unexpected scenes Of llowery fantasy
There are rot few villas on the hillsides whose
approach is of the nature Of geographical problem
They are only t. be reached by donkey paths wind
ing through the hOllows and climbing the steep
stones by paved way, which seems undecided
whether to he a road n flight OF stairs. And
there is an uncertainty about the course of these
paths which adds the zest Of doubt to the pleasure
of exploration. For after walking awhile between
high walls, ovcllung by ripe lemons, and turning
and doubling till you have lost your bearings, yOu
may come out very near where you went in. Or
Won may find Yourself in an upland grove where the
men with bamboo poles are knocking the olives
from the trees, and the women are picking them
ont of the grass and hcaping them squares Of
canvas. Or you may chance upon still more at
tractivc picture the harve, Of oranges which now,
however. is about over Or finally you may come
TO the door OF house and find little conventional
paradise looAing so pretty in the midst Of its trim
strawberries and sham sculptures that you will have
no heart to quarrel with anything about it.
Ease B1LL NEJTS.