, 1889-02-08
CORSICA'S CAPITAL.
THE STRANGE AND INTERESTING
OLD CITY OF AJAccIo.

for Man and Beast.
The island of Corsica is most striking
and imposing in its nature and scenery.
A compact cluster OF mountains, rising
from the blue depths of the Mediter.
ranea and uniting in a small space all
he characteristics of mountainous re,
gions. it may be considered as their epit-
ome-a pocket edition OF Switzerland or
Norway. Only 100 miles from one slen-
der tip TO the other, and about half as
wide. it contains n magnificent chain of
snowclad heights, browning n lofty
plateau that embraces nearly the
whole island. Monte Rotondo is 0.053
feet high, Monte d'Oro $780,, while Monte
Cinto and others almostequal these. In,
deed, some calculations have made
Monte Cinto the highest. Beside those
have named l have just counted on the
map seven peaks Of about 7 900 feet each.
Following the general plan OF the earth's
arrangement, as e~xemplified in Italy.
Norway and our own country, the
mountain chain runs nearly north and
south, nearer TO the western than to the
eastern coast. To the west the declivity
is more steep and abrupt, to the east
more gentle, sloping out into ~alluvial
plains; to the west the deep harbors and
lofty ~promontories, to the east the more
fertile and thickly inhabited regions.
WHAT THE TREEs ARR
Not moro than one-tenth of the soil Is
cultivated, but there are no deserts and
but q small proportion of barren heights;
tho mild climate and humid air have
wrapped the island in n robe of luxuriant
forests. These forests are the pride and
glory OF Corsica and are quite unequnlcd
In Europe. Chestnut trees grow in such
abundance that their fruit forms the
staple food Of the inhabitants, eaten
roasted or boiled during tho season and
ground into flour for preservation. chest
nut flour costing In tho market only
about half as much us wheat flour, and
being used chiefly in the form of polcntn,
or porridge. though tho natives boast Of
twenty-five different ways of cooking
chestnuts. The nuts also serve ms food
for the horses and mules, and their
cheapness and case Of production have
done much to keep the native population
in an indolcnt and degraded state. an eff
feet similar TO that Of the bananas and
yams of the West Indies upon the people
Of those countries. The finest timber
trees also abound-thoy supply most OF
the French and Italian navy yards and
nave becn renowned from tho most an
cient times, beach. pine. cork. larch and
oak. One species of oak (Qucrcus ilex)
which bears n small leaf like n holly.
prickly at the edges, is especially valu-
able. The wood Is very dark, and 40
heavy that n cubic foot of it will weigh
seventy pounds; the famous oak OF
Great Britain only weighing ffty-five
pounds to the foot, There IL one species
of pine that formerly grew here so luxu-
riantly that 1t was known MS the tree of
Corsica, and attained an enormous
size, but unfortunately 1t is now almost
extinct, in consequence of Ores and care
less treatment. This wonderful forest
region we ave not yet seen, as 1t exists
chiefly in the interior of the island,
there there are counted forty-four
forests belonging to private domains and
1877 belonging 10 the community. Near
the shore the hills arc almost entirely
covered with olive groves, the valleys
between them being laid out in fields
and gardens, but everywhere, by the
shore and inland, where there is nothing
else, thero-is ''mncchie." This macChiu.
otherwise spelt 'makis" and . called
scrub by tho English. is really more like
q jungle; n thick interviewer growth of
bush and tree, myrtle, arbutus, heath,
%oleander, scrub oak, prickly pear and n
thousand other shrubs, forming an al
most impenetrable wilderness, which
has played an important part in Corsi-
can history and manners
OF RESPECTABLE ANTIQUITY.
Ajaccio lies curving along the edge Of
the bay of the same name, in the form
Of n horseshoe, the hills rising close be-
hind it, 1t has but three OF four good
streets; sufficiently wide. but bordcrcd
with huge parallelograms of houses, all
of the same pattern, like immense bricks
or magniAed dominoes, standing in rows,
from six to ninc stories high, fiat toppcd
and dotted with small windows. Not
Joined in n continuous line, like the
houses of New York or Philadelphia.
but distinct, and about twice as long rs
they are wide. These houses are let out
in flats, each flat being complete in it
self. The effect is very singular. and it
is evident that the whole town was built
at one time, otherwise some variety must
have been inevitable. Such indeed was
the fact, for although the city Is said by
its inhabitants to ave been founded by
Ajax, who gave 1t his name, and there.
fore must be Of n very respectable anti.
guilty, yet it has not always stood in this
spot. At first it was built upon the hill;
afterward farther along the shore, and it
was only in the Sixteenth century that
the Genoese, then masters of the coun.
try, decided that it should stand here,
and built its houses in the present pom,
derous style, | suppose that it might
never move again.-Cor. San Francisco
Chronicle.
Effects Of Massage
An anonymous writer in n medical
journal gives the following dissertation