The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-05-24

scenes and Memories of the corsic, NJ To-
Day-Thc short-Iived Bona,a,,..

vived at the Iyceum by Irving. or throuoh
the mealum OF merimees picturesque 10
lomba. therefore we associate the wild Moi
iterranean island with vendettas. SAVAGE mas
sions and more savage loves. ess terrifying
bat not less picturesque are the desctjnti ons
given 10y Alphonso Daudet in the 'Iettres
de mon Moulin written after SPENDING
several weeks in the lighthouse of Mezzo
Mare with no other companion than the AGED
custodian of the isolated building, and the 40
ductvc pictures of landscapes and yerdure of
Guy de Maupassant in "Une Vie" But it is
we'll known that both dram atist and novelist
are gifted with a gloritied vision which the
ordinary tourist does not possess. and the lack
oi which possibly accounts for the divergence
of impressions; the former are more vivid and
poet cal, the latter perhapg the more TO be de-
pended upon.
1t Is not without regret that the traveller Of
to-day has 10 rclinQulsh certain preconceived
ideas and 20 reuounce his faith in the legend
airy Corsican vendetta; he bushes when he
finds the native smiling somewhat ironically
at any illusions 10 their hereditary and san
culinary family feuds and. if the truth must be
told IN all its unromantlc badness. he finds
that the conflicts which most engross the in
habltants are the establishment of battle of
flowers latter the Nice and Monte Carlo style.
while their Jealous emulation Is centered on
pacific exhibition where besides the rural and
agricultural products of the island. are TO be
seen specimens of rough or manufactured
marble. granite and porphyry old pieces Of
furniture, carved woods curious gOurds and
richly chased weapons.
The climate of Corsica is simply perfect:
the soft air IS laden with spicy aromatic
odOrs and made vivifying by the iodine ex-
halatiOns Of a rich marine fora: the long
stretches of sandy beach are stepped in warm
sunshine the background of mountains has
the luminous green tints of the
in
seagirt ATTITUDES sinks 20 a blissful indo-
lence strife, bloodshed, fiery passions.
and wild revenge are absolutely incompatible
with this dreamy langOur. and the chief inter-
est OF the lazy hours becomes the recurrence
OF meals. The epicure reyels in the varied and
dainty fish, the most delicate ever cooked,
plnks like the rocks and blue like the skies.
The game Is no less exquisite notably the
famous COrscan blackbirds so highly praised
by Cambaceres, and which are only at their
best during the short span between the lst
and 3Oth OF January, when they are gorged
with the luscious myrtle berries. Honey
brown IN color and retaining the slight bitter
ness mentioned by Virgil, minghng with the
delicious perfume of wild flowers: the brOcciO,
the national white cheese. of a sweet, peculiar
flavor; huge hines. preserved in sugar, and
variety of excellent wines constitute bill Of
fare 10 satisfy the most fastdiOus gourmet.
The brand of Santa Lucia OF 1allane was such
leon l., that she would drink no other wine
and had some sent to her TO Paris.
One cannot fail to be struck by the fact that
the influence / might almost say the pres
ence, of the BOnaparte family Is everywhere
apparent in the Green Island" At AjacciO
on the market place, the women curtsy before
the statue of the First Consul on another
square he towers amid his brothers in the
garb of a Roman Emperor Behind the citadel
IN the cathedral they show the basin that held
the water for his baptism. and in the old house
the hard sofa on which he was born, and the
trap-door leading to the subterranean passage
10y which he escaped TO the harDOr one night
when he discovered that he was tracked by
spies. Where he himself is not the members
OF his family are. Their portraits are IN the
museums, their works IN the Libraries. HIS
mother is buried in the BOnaparte chapel with
the simple epitaph, Mater Regum. His father
stands erect at the Hotel de Vile IN red
gold-laced coat There also are his brothers
Joseph in a royal mantle. Louis in gray uni
form. Jerome on a ship, Lucien abstractedly
dreaming under a tree. BY tragical anti
thesis the bust of the King Of Rome faces the
mask of Napoleon dead. and the contrast be-
tween these silent witnesses of a distant past
is painfully accented by the busy. cheerful
hum of the bright adjoining thOrOughfare.
As long as the traveller remains IN the cities
-AiacciO. the capital: Bastia, the chief sea-
port: NizZavOue and COrte-he finds
vague resemblance with all Italian towns ana
flavor of "a comparatively modern and general
civilization with nearly the same customs and
forms of commerce and life, but u IS when he
penetrates into the heart of the country that
he becomes haunted by the memories OF old
tradltiOns-the legends of the Evil Eye, OF
the Devil, and supernatural phantOms which
seem TO have left their impression on the
rugged. distorted trees, the mlsshapen
rocks the tortuOus, rushing streams
and the sOmber mountain detlles.
The western coast, Jagged, serTated and wild,
is the most pictures and at the same time Tar
the healthest Every village and hamlet has
q history or link with dead past: Bardellca,
with its statue OF Sampiero Calyl, the ancient
GenOese city: Cargese. once a Greek colony
and retaining the bastard dialect and reh-
giOus rites of Greece Alerla, destroyed by
SciDDiO. rebuilt by Scylla and recalling
its Phocean or gin. Every civilization has
marked with It's passage this curious lttle
island: It's soil has been trOdden successfully
by the Nandas. the Byzantines. the Lom-
bards the Saracens and the Genoese. and not
the least singular characteristic of the small
nation is that it has gradually assimilated IT'S
conquerers without losing the distinctive trails
or its race not satisfied with having gives
birth to Napoleon, it claims as Its child Chris
topher Columbus.
How is it, then. that the Bonapartes born
and bred in this magnifcently saubrious
island of Corsica have all carried the germs OF
fatal aud incurable disease Why did they
die comparatively young and all affected by
mysterious ailmentsy Charles. the father of
the Emperor died at the age of thirty-elght
Napoleon at fifty-tWO: his three sisters were
under sixty, and one Of them much younger
at the time of their death. The next genera
lions are not even so long-lived. The Due de
Reichstadt disappeared at twenty-one; the
children Of Louise respectively at eight.
twentv-seven and thirty-three: none reached
a hale old age. The specialists have
explained this by declaring that the
Bonapartes had hereditary ten
dency to cancer, a consequence of their lynn
phatic temperament, and that il is well known
that the dread evil takes its full development
about the fiftieth year. Napoleon, who had
long been troubled with scrofulOus eruptOns,
felt the first attacks of the cancer in the stom-
ach at ST. Helena in 1918, and enduredintoler-
able pain till his death. Lucien succumbed TO
the same disease so did the beautiful Pauline
and the Queen of Naples, Caro-
line Those members of the imperial family
who escaped the worst evil were victims OF
gout. stone. gravel and diabetes, called the
eout of the blood. which carried off alike
Jerome in 1860 and his son, Prince Napoleon.
last month: he was the last surviving nephew
of the great Emperor. =,
Ii has been alleged by some that the old
house at AiacciO was unhealthy; that the sub
terranean communication with the stagnant
harbor permitted miasmas 10 filter INTO the