The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1889-02-07
CORSICA'S CAPITAL.
THE STRANGE AND INTERESTING
OLD CITY OF AJACClO.

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-
ranean and uniting in a small space all
the 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 magnificent chain of
snowclad heights, browning lofty
plateau that embraces nearly the
whole island. Monte Rotondo is 9,053
feet high, Monte d'Oro s, $3.50, while Monte
Cinto and others almost equal these. In
deed, some calculations have made
Monte Cinto the highest Beside those
have named have just counted on the
map seven peaks of about 1000 feet each
Following the general plan of the earth's
arrangement, as exemplitied 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 cast
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 TIE TREES ARE.
Not more than one-tenth Of the soil is
cultivated, but there are 10 deserts and
bat small proportion Of barren heights;
. the mild climate and humid air have
wrapped the island in a robe of luXuriant
forests. These forests are the pride and
glory of Corsica and are quite unequaled
in Europe. Chestnut trees grow in such
abundance that their fruit forms the
staple food of the inhabitants, eaten
roasted or boiled during the season and
ground into flour for preservation, chest
nut -four costing in the market only
about half as much as wheat flour, and
being used chiefly in the form of polenta,
Or porridge, though the natives boast of
twenty-five different ways of cooking
chestnuts. The nuts also serve as food
, for the horses and mules, and their
cheapness and ease of production have
done much to keep the native population
in an indolent and degraded state, an eff
feet similar to that of the bananas and
vans of the West Indies upon the people
Of those countries. The finest timber
trees also abound-they supply most Of
the French and Italian navy yards and
have been renowned from the most an
cient times, beach, pine, cork, larch and
oak. One species of oak (QuercUs ilex)
which bears small leaf like holly,
prickly at the edges, is especially valu
able. The wood is very dark, and SO
heavy that q cubic foot of it will weigh
seventy pounds; the famous oak Of
Great Britain only weighing ffty-tive
pounds to the foot. There is one species
OF pine that formerly grew here SO luxu-
y.ant,y that it was known as the tree of
C0ra.l... and attained an enormous
sic, but unfortunately it is now almost
extinct, in consequence Of fires and care
less treatment. This wonderful forest
region we have not yet seen, as it exists
chiefly in the interior of the island,
rhe~A there are counted forty-four
forests beio~~"ing to private domains and
1G1 belonging to tn community Near
the shore the hills are a..''oS1 ehtiIely
covered with olive groves, the Is"'''eyS
between them being laid out in fields
and gardens, but everywhere, by the
shore and inland, where there is nothing
else, there is ''macchie." This macchie,
otherwise spelt "makis" and called
scrub by the English, is really more like
q Jungle; thick interviewer growth of
bush and tree, myrtle, arbutus, heath,
oleander, scrub oak, prickly pear and a
thousand other shrubs, forming an al
most impenetrable wilderness, which
has played an important part in Corsi-
can history and manners.
CT RESPECTABLE ANTIQUITY.
Aiaccio lies curving along the edge Of
the lay Of the same name, in the form
Of q horseshoe, the hills rising close be-
hind it. 1t has but three OIL four good
streets: sufficiently wide, but b0rdered
with image r1r:..."loSram5 OF houses, al
O. Ike sane pattern. Ike immense bricks,
cr:,,@.rIilvJ lUn:noy5, standing in rows,
Er,,.. ~, 10 mine atu:lv, ..- i, IL, lop, lrt:
ana ...teQ with small Windows. ->ut
:l.-Ii,NI ~ q COLtliIEOUS i.t-S- liAe tLl>
houses q New Ioc.z or Philadelphia,
BIS distinct, and about twice as long as
they are WIDE These houses ere let OF
in Euts. each Ia, 4:Ciny ccnlI!etc III il
sell. lac eject IS very singular, and j,
is evident th>! 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 have been founded by
Ajax, who gave it his name. and there
fore must be of a very respectable anti
guilty. yet it has not always stood in thi;
spot. At first it was built upon the hill
afterward farther along the shore, and ii
was only in the Sixteenth century thai
the Genoese, then masters of the coun
try, decided that it should stand here
and built its houses in the present pom
derous style, l suppose that it Nigh
never move again.-Cor. San Francisco
Chronicle.