The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-04-11
TRAVELLING IN CORSICA.
ACROSS THE 1SEAND IN 4 CAR
 RI4GE

Corte, the Ancient Capital and the 1 Seat of PaoIis Govornment-The I Mountainous Int tericr.
 | Special Correspondence of the Journal and Courier)
 | Corte, Corsica, March 10-Within the l last quarter-century surprising change has occurred in Corsica in the matter of highways and railroads A few years ago, whoever journeyed into | the interior took his life in his hand, to- gether with all the sash, he could mus ter, and prepared to endure extraordi- nary hardship. Nowadays one meets with few difficulties in traversing the | island from end to end. Besides seve- ral short railway lines, 1t is better pro- vided with well-paved roads than any other equally mountainous country of Europe Though about as large as the l3tate of Massachusetts-(one hundred and fourteen miles long, with an aver age width of fifty niles), it has nearly two thousand kilometers of government highways, known as Routes Nationales and Routes Forestrec The former makes the circuit Of the island, near the coast and connects the principal cities
 while the latter criss-crosses the wild interior in all directions Tall stones
 set up at regular intervals, mark the kilometric distances of both; and while the coast-road is broad as any boule- yard and kept in excellent repair, there are few places along the Routes Pores tres, even in the heart of the hills
 which four-wheeled vehicles may not pass with tolerabla safety. So much
 at least, have the detested French ac- complished for ungrateful Corsica. Dfligencies make daily trips over most l of these roads, but by far the better way-for foreigners travelling in small parties-is to hire a private carriage. A two-seated vehicle, resembling an open phaeton, equipped with oil-cloth curtains to shut out the rain, with two sturdy ponies and a driver, may be ob- tained for fifteen to twenty francs a day, or an average of three American dollars. Not only is this considerably cheaper than the numbering diligence, with it's odoriferous cargo and mixed company, but infinitely pleasanter and safer. In this land of hatred and san- guinary feuds it would be hard to find stage-load of natives among whom was not one victim of the vendetta and flying bullets are no respecters Of persons, you know. Tn private vehicle besides the pleasure of choosing your own company-you can stop where you like and stay as long as you wish, and thus learn the country to the best ad- vantage. But, as in other wild and l thinly populated regions, you VIII De wise to go on all such excursions we'll | fortified with food supplies and small alcohol lamp, or some other modern contrivance for making tea and coffee. The hotels of Corsica--though leaving considerable to be desired-are by no means as bad as many In which we have paid higher prices, for they give you clean beds and kindly welcome
 As to the food that is altogether mat ter of taste If you are so addicted to certain little round of edibles that YOU cannot make out on something else. you would much better stay at home. Corsican cooking is not such as you would tolerate for minute in New York city, but there is always plenty of fruit vegetables, bread and native wine or chocolate; and if short on fish, flesh and fowl, it may do you good to turn vegetarian for time. But the great trouble in the interior is that ho- tels of any sort are like the visits of an gels few and far between. There are miles and miles where neither bite nor l IN1 n0ithnr lnUd nor money will get you so much as mug of goats milk or handful or chestnuts. The wretched little groups of stone cabins, called by courtesy vil- lages, furnish nothing for the suste- nance of man or beast, and the people are too poor, lazy and indifferent, or too enerossed in their own feuds, grievances and struggles to live, to care rap if you were starving.
 From A1accio to Bastia by way of Corte Is carriage trip of about one hundred and fifty kilometres, and occu- pies at least two days. You may make | if much quicker by rail or diligence, but take my advice and stick to your own good company. The journey over the
 mountains is a strange alternation of l savage QGSOldllpil anu CHNhe'heAi'o oHe'e' l ty. The lofty mountain masses, send- ing out spurs and off-shoots in all direc- tions. with beautiful little valleys be- tween them keep you constantly climb ing-sonetimes to snow-clad elevations; then down through deep ravines of widest aspect, and long, dark, narrow gorees shut in by inaccessible preci- pices. Anon, gloomy forests stretch for miles, their tall trunks in close ranks, 1 and interwoven foliage making parpet- ual twilight. The chestnut woods of Corsica are famous throughout the world, you know; and the pine trees, of ten growing to the height of one hun | dred and fifty feet. still furnish masts for the French navy, as they supplied the navies of antiquity. Such enor- nous chestnut trees are not to be found anywhere else in Europe, and their fruit is the mountaineer's staff of life, as well as an important article of export. The central and highest portion of the island, called Rctondo c'Round'D, be- cauen of staar and jagged cliffs ranged in a circle. Is extremely difficult of ac- cess but of course more tempting on that account. You must leave your carriage far behind, and even sure-foot- ed donkeys cannot ascend the weary trail known to the natives as "Scali." Colossal flights of steps of primeval reddish granite-partly the work of na- ture and partly dug out of the rock by | 11OIro rJ y,,ila of f+a,.