The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-05
SWINTON IN OLD NICE.
A REGION OF GENIAL WEATHER
IN DECEMBER

The Grandees OF Many Lands in Search
Of Health and PIsasure-The Enter
tainments Provided for Them-The
Easy-GoinR Nicoise.
Copyright. 1880
NICE. FRANCE, Dec. 1.-Here is an en-
chanting little city of republican France,
on the Mediterranean, In which, at this
season Of the year, you can find an un-
| parslleled swarm Of princes and princesses,
| grand dukes and dukes. marquises. lords
and lesser stumps of aristocracy, down to
| counts and barons. You can now find
here also a host Of other per-
sonages eminent in the public affairs
and in the society Of many countries; and
here too you can find a squad of rich
| Americans. The winter denizens Of Mics
are from the five continents Of the globe and
hundreds Of its islands, from Russia and
| Australia, from the British Isles and
Mexico from Egypt and the United States,
/ from Brazil and Algiers, from Guinea,
| Austria, Java, Canada, Norway. and many
other countries, far and near.
They come here because of the superb
climate which we enjoy during the winter
| months, and which has been renowned
( since the time of Nero, who, in the first
| century of the christian era, sent his wife
| Poppaea here to recruit. The weather here,
| at this time of December. is like that of the
| Indian summer in the United States. We
| have yet seen neither snow nor ice though
we hear of vigorous weather in many
regions not far off, but have enjoyed
| the bright blue sky, the balmy air, and
the genial sunshine almost every day since
l arrived here a month ago. We have
| semi-tropical trees growing, flowers bloom
| ing and fruits ripeniug in the many hun
| dreds of gardens of Paradise that beautify
the city, and the people enjoy life outdoors
| from morning till bedtime, but especially
in the afternoon. You can take your
choice OF climates between the mount
aims that tower in the rear and the
calm sea that sparkles in front. AT one
| place it is higher and drier than at an
other, or more soothing, or warmer, or
more shielded, or somehow more congenial
| or beneficial. At one quarter the atmos-
| phere or other conditions are more favor
able to your case, if you have a case. than
they are at another. Different localities are
favorite resorts for invalids or other people
| from various countries; and the doctors
here say that there are the best of reasons
why choice of locality should always be
made with knowledge.
| The two chief classes of winter visitors at
| Nice, as at other resorts along the Riviera,
are invalids and pleasure-seekers We have
| thousands of men, women, and children
| WIN hlu0o VI DOuLlY duu
mental, who have come here, or been
brought here, in hope Of relief, and there is
no doubt that large proportion of them
find it in course of time. You can see
many Of them daily basking in the sun
shine. sauntering along the promenades,
sitting near the palm trees in the gardens,
dawdling along the shore, driving through
che broad avenues, taking the air in the
parks, or climbing the hill-sides. Very
many of them are old people to whom this
| region is indeed the "last resort" and VIII
succeed in prolonging life or reducing suff-
ering or curing ailments by residence
here. Never till now have | been in any
part of the world showing such large pro-
portion of aged men and women as may be
seen here; and | am speaking not ouly Of
| invalids from other countries but also of
| the ancient native stock of this part OF the
Mediterranean coast. An hours tour upon
any of the promenades will bring you within
view of hundreds of septuagenarians and
octogenarians of both sexes, rich and poor.
The statistics of longevity here. are as far
as / can learn, unequaled in any other
region of civilization.
The pleasure-seekers who come here from
colder chimes, or hotter, are yet more nu-
merous than the invalids. Many of the
grandees among them live in very grand
style, in their palaces, mansions or -illas,
surrounded by grounds that could not be
surpassed in beauty; but some of them take
quarters in the imposing hotels that abound
here from the Mediterranean to the Alps.
Not few of them keep a large retinue of
liveried hirelings in their establishments,
and are occasionally to be seen out in
equipages worthy of their domains.
There are all sorts of amuSements pro-
vided for their enjoyment here at this sea
son. There isl an opera house and there is
a theater in which artistes of the first rank
1 L. Al Al
and the Casino, and the Athen@um, and
the clubs, and the cafes, and other places OF
the kind, in long array. There are sill varie-
ties of sports, including regattas that are
renowned; there are concerts and festivals
by day and by night, there are excursions
to Monte Carlo and other resorts, at which
gambling is not unknown. There are
superb drives in which snowy turn-outs are
displayed; there are grand hunting expedi-
tions to Algiers, and there are yet other
entertainments which must here remain
| undescribed.
1t is the English and the Russian visitors
here who live in the grandest style anc
make the most lavish display, and it is they
who are most numerous. Here they moi
only enjoy immunity from the wintry
: | rigors of their own 'untry, but they can
indulge in pleasures that are not according
, to the custom of their own homes. AS tC
, the few hundred Americans who are nov
! here, 1t is but fair to say that there is not
better behaved community to be found
from Maine to California, and nearly all Of
{ them appear to be of domestic habit anC
| solid movement
@ssThere is no obtrusive immortality of any
kind here, and the best of order is preserved
at all times. If the place looks like Para
disc, even in December, the general de
meanor of its denizens, native and foreign
is excellent. The wines of Southern France
which are very cheap, are largely
imbibed by the common people of bott
sexes and all ages; but I have not a
yet seen any sign of drunkenness il
any quarter of the city. There is littl
/ crime of any kind reported in the loca
: newspapers, and few criminals are brough
before the tribunals There is a small anC
Q vigiant police force, but the main duty O
, its sword-bearing members is to stall
around, day after day, and enjoy the har
> monies of the strolling musicians, from
3 whom they are never very far away. TIL,
Q courtesy of the native population of tn,
} city, workers, traders, and Others, is a
graceful as it is universal.
The old-timerS of Mica ara what vva Ao,ar