The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-04
The CITY OF MARsElLLEs
Attractions Of One Of the Notable
Ports Of France.
IT HAS MAGNIFICENT CAFES
Settled BY Greek COl0nists. Whose llandi-
work Is Siill visible--Palace do
Lon:champs, Church Of Notre
Daino and Chateau d. IT,
Special Correspondence to The Tribune.

| Datno and Chateau d. II.
Special Correspondence to The Tribune.
Marseilles, Jan. 25.-Marseilles is one
OF the European cities which the trav-
eler, always in search of things antique
or artistic, is likely to pass over rather
hurriedly, or perhaps not stop at it at
| all. Italy, with its pictures and pal
aces being so near, the attractions of
Marseilles are rather lost sight of. and
the average traveller who stops there Is
| likely to remember Marseilles only as
possessing more cafes In proportion tn
Its size than any other city in Europe.
! This impression Is certainly the first
! one that the town gives. The broad
Cannebicre, the principal street of the
town. seems to be lined with nothing
but magnificent cafes. fully as fine as
those Of Paris. and the same thing is
true or Its continuation, the Rue No
| villes. and the Allees de Meilham. If the
traveller is an American the wonderful
likeness of the city and its principal
streets to those oi his own country will
also strike him forcib!y. 1t Is the prin-
clpal seaport and the busiest town of
France. and trading as 1t does with
nearly all the world. there Is Il stir and
| hustle about the life of the streets
quite American.
ONE OF THE CHIEF PORTS.
1t is, and has been for two thousand
years and more one of the chief ports
through which the products of the east
have found their way into Europe.
This trade gives to the port very or
iental look. and on the streets. es-
pecally those down near the docks. the
crowds are u queer mixture of Asian.
African and European. The signs on
the shop windows in that section are In
many strange tongues, and one coming
from the north seems to get the first
Whit of the east.
The city, although very modern look
ing in it's principal buildings, Is in re-
ality very old Nearly twenty-five
hundred years have passed since the
first colony of Greeks from Phocaea
made their way to these then unknown
shores and founded the colony which
they called Massalia. This first land
ing of the Greeks is the subject of one
of Puvis de Chavanne' magnificent
frescoes in the staircase of the Palais
de Longchamp.
SETTLED BY GREEKS.
The colonists throve, way Greek
colonies seemed to have in those old
times. and were. soon able to defeat the
Carthagenians I'm a naval battle and ts
form friendly alliance with Rome.
Until the time of julius Caesar the
city maintained its independence, but
| was conquered by him and annexed to
the Roman empire. it's citizens. how
ever, maintaining many of their an
cient privileges
The city had all these years remained
thoroughly Greek and under the en-
pire rivalled Athens as an educational
center for the Roman youths.
After the fall of Rome Marseilles
shared the fate of the rest of southern
Europe and was possessed in turn by
the Visigoths. the Franks and the Au-
lesians. In the tenth century that
scOurge of Europe, the Saracens, de-
strOyed the city. but it recovered from
the blow and during the middle ages
seems to have regained somewhat of it's
old Importance as a trading center.
IN OLD MARSEILLES.
Most of the city is new, but to the
north of the old port rise the precipi-
tOus, narrow, winding streets of the old
town. fully as picturesque and fully
as dirty as the old streets of most Eu-
ropean cities. Their only redeeming
feature. from sanitary point of view,
Is the stream of water which courses
down the middle Of each street and al
leyway. Since Marseilles suffered so
fearfully from the cholera the authori-
ties have taken some precautions
against it's return, and this Is one of
them.
The very interesting old port. crowd
ed with shipping from all quarters of
the globe. is defended by forts at its en-
trance, one of which is the old Chateau
Babondor, built by the knights of
Malta.
The cathedral, instead of being up in
the modern center of the town, is down
near the new harbor 1t Is fine build
ing in the Byzantine style.
THE CITY'S CHIEF PRIDE.
But the chief pride Of modern Mar
seilles is the Palais de Longchamps.
standing at the head of the boulevard
of that name. and containing the pic
ture gallery and the museum of natural
history. The two wings are connected
by fine cOlOnnadc and triumphal arch,
below which Is u magnificent fountain.
one of the finest in Europe. Back OF
the palace is situated the small but
good geological garden. which is Il
branch of the one at Paris.
TO the south of the town stretches the
long PradO drive bordered with fine
villas extending to the sea. From the
point where IL reaches the sea the
beautiful Comche road. u triumph of
engineering. runs along the rocky
coast back to the harbor. The views
from this road are uneXcelled, espe-
cially at sunset.
THE CHATEAU DIFF.
But the two chief sights of Marseilles
aside from it's harbor are the church of
Notre Dame de la Garde and the Cha
teau ar. The church stands on 81
steep hill south OF the town and is a
very prominent object in the view 1t
is reached by an inclined railway. or
rather elevator, for 1t runs UP nearly
perpendicular. at an angle. think. of
Obout 60 degrees The view from the
porch of the church is claimed by the
and while that estimate of 1t is perhaDs
a trife enthusiastic. for the world Is a
large place. still there is no doubt
that 1t is very beautiful, and once seen
Is not soon forgotten. At One's feet is
the busy city of MarselleS with it's
harbor filled with ships, ara outside in
the Mediterranean several rocky is
lands, on one of which stands the Cha
teau d'lf. Behind are the foot hills of
the Alps. and to right and left stretches
the southern shore of France.
1t is rather curious thing that in so
old city. as Marseilles the place which
interests the average tourist most of all
takes that interest from a character in
modern fiction. About two miles from
the harbOr. on a rocky island, is situat-
ed the Chateau diff, where the hero of
Dumas novel. the Count of Monte