The Portland daily press., 1892-02-15

| cidentally left space or perhaps that a
detached and wandering luxuriant comet
had fallen on the surface OF the water
here.
/ Borromeo arched these rocks under
meath into picturesque courts through
which the waters dance. He had ten
terraces of earth piled upon it which he
called "The Island of Isola Bella" He
stocked it with every luxuriant product
of the South, and today it is a grove of
oleanders, magnolia, laurel and lemon
trees and the eucaliptii. In the evening
Isola Bella is an enchanted garden with
shell grottoes, fountains and statuary
among the trees lighted by an artificial
light which rivals the moon and in the
day time, it is scarcely less lovely. A
large chateau occupies nearly a third OF
this tiny bit of won derland, which in
summer is still the home of the BorrO-
mean family and with the other two
islands belongs to them. Isola Bella is
simply an artistic work of man, but like
| spiritual growth it is dependent for life
| giving elements on the Divine bounty.
Paul indeed may plant and Apollos
water, God can only furnish increasing
growth. The island suggests recent
| humorous picture where Dame Nature
1
piers study waiting for admittance. On
his walls are buttons marked train, light
motion, heat, sound, &c. The old AL
chemist looking man at the half open
door says 'sDame Nature" we have no
| need of you.
Rousseau haunted this coast, and at
one time selected Isola Bella at the scene
of his 'sNouvelle Heloise'' but finding it
too artificial, he chose Clarens instead.
THE OUTLET AND INLET OF THE EUROPE
AN LAKES.
These italian as well as Swiss lakes are
formed by the drainage from the glaciers,
watersheds and Alpine mountain chains.
Nearly every one of them is simply the
enlarging of some important river. which
enters it at one end and forms it's outlet
at the other. Thus the Reuss forms the
Lake of Lucerne, also being it's outlet,
| the Limmat the Lake of Zurich, the
Rhine the Lake of Constance, the Rhone
the Lake of Geneva, and the Ticino the
Lake of Maggiore. AS one approaches
| the end of Lake Maggiore it's waters be-
come of a deep blue color, and the boat
soon lands you at Aroma, a place verita-
bly, on italian soil. Multitudes of people
are here en- route for Milan, which is a
beautiful city all the year round, al
though it's aristocratic inhabitants are
away at their villas on the italian lakes
| in summer.
The scene on leaving the station at Mi
Ian before fairly entering the city is like
passing the custom-house in some large
| port. To stand on a viaduct not far
from the station and watch proceedings
| is most edifying. 1t is the city octroi
and ther are hunting for spirits, not for
| the purpose of suppressing their sale, by
any means, but to gather the tax imposed
| upon them. The cabs and horse cars
| are stopped outside the bed gates of the
city and all packages and bags are
punched from the outside to see if any
hard substance like bottle or flask can
be found Generally the search is fruit
less and the procession moves on, but oc-
casionally there is longer detention
than usual, when perhaps another official
is called and sundry old peasant women
with various parcels enter a miniature.
custom house opposite, and then the
blockaded line of traffic resumes its ac-
oustomed activity.
This octroi in all the cities of France
and Italy, is as though each had a s'Mc-
Kinley bill'' directed against every other
for the purpose of tariff on goods, es-
pecially wines etc., brought in from
outlying districts.
THE SIGHTS IN MILAN.
The horse cars going to the Duomo
cathedral, pass through some massive
and seulptored marble gates at Piazza
Cavour, where there is statue of the
italian patriot, General Cavour, and a
fine hotel by the same name, and near by
is the entrance to the beautiful public
gardens, which overlook the fashion
able drive of Milan, where one sees in
fine weather an example of what italian
wealth and aristocracy mean in the finest
city of northern Italy. For Milan stands
out clear and distinct among the city of
Italy supassing all in morale and being
the finest of all in the northern part.
Ithas not to be sure the prehistoric
record of Rome and Naples, and contains
but it has almost the loftiest cathedral
and the largest opera house in the world.
THE CATHEDRAL
is never ending source of delight To
worship in it's aisles on Sabbath morn
ing may be the true worship of the soul,
in spite of the pageantry and humbug
going on about you. To mount it's five
hundred steps to it loftiest dome, is to
see far and wide over Italy, and in
clear day the Alps and the Mediterrane-
an. To gaze up at it's three hundred
spires and study its two thousand figures
of saints and angels and Bible men of
old, is liberal education.
THE SCALA.
When one goes to this Opera House at
half-past eight in the evening and sees
operas, ballets and dramas until two or
three o'clock in the morning, he feels
that this is world by itself. Thousands
of people occupy the inferior places, and
fill the boxes, which are arranged in ten
tiers one above the other, until the last
tier seems nearer heaven than earth so
uncnviably high above the ordinary
world is it situated.
The women setting there look haggard
and worn, at the end of the season.