The Republican journal., 1901-04-18
Pharmacists of Belfas'

river of consequence in Corsica-which
enters the Mediterranean on the eastern
side. through the large saltwater lake,
Blgulia. Deep i'll the summit of Rodondo
the ragged ampitheatre of peaks encloses
a little dark lake, surrounded by grassy
slopes. Above and below are fields of
eternal SnOW-an unaccOuntable cOmbi-
nation in the hottest season of the year.
and i'll the forty second degree of lati-
tude. An ice-crust covers the snow,
which the foot of man has seldom brok-
en-: but the atmosphere is not uncom-
fortably cold-merely cool and bracing
Viewed from the border of the mvSteri-
Gus lake, the topmost peak looks easy
OF ascent; but Alpine climbers who
have scaled it say that it takes two hours
of the hardest and most dangerous work
they ever experienced-part of the way
on ''all fourS, over scattered fragments
of ice-coated rock and up perpendicular
inclines of snow, into which each step
must first be hammered out for the feet.
There are many points of vantage ON
this highland journey from which, with
a glass, you may have a panoramic
view Of the whole island OF Corsica,
and near by Sardinia, and away over
the glittering Mediterranean to the Tus
can cities on the edge of Italy-the
white peaks bordering the northern
lakes, and the entire coast from Nice
to Rome. And then the lovely valleys
of Corsica set like little pockets in the
hills, fertilized by short but rapid noun
tain torrents and blooming as the rosel
There are plantations of olives and
almonds, figs, grapes, lemons oranges
and fields of wheat. corn and barley,
which are said to yield forty per cent.
Yet agriculture is in woefully back
ward state-as much because of the
shiftless habits of the people, as on ac-
count of that ancient grievance, the
minute subdivision of land. All the
lower hill-slopes are carpeted with
myrtle and arbutus; while thorn and
laurel, springing in dense thickets, can
only be subdued by repeated burnings.
Poor, old broken-down Corsica. Even
the landscape looks sullen and hopeless
except when stirred to fierce storms by
some vendetta of the demonstration
rains come crashing down with such
force as to send the branches from the
trees, killing birds by thousands and
scattering wreck and desolation. Then
suddenly the sun shines out; the forests
steam with moisture and birds chant as
merrily in the denuded trees as if their
tiny relatives were not lying dead in
the jungle with broken wings and legs.
The mountains are said to be rich in
iron, lead, copper, black manganese,
etc; but if SO, the minerals are wasted
here, being all unworked. One can see
for himself that the quarries of porph-
cry, Serpentine and red granite are ex
haustless. There are no manufactures
of account in Corsica. A little coarse
woolen cloth is made, rough glass, bricks
and leather. Olive oil is exported in
considerable amount, and some wine-of
poor quality, and, mostly in it's raw state,
sent to France to be used in the manu-
ture of liquors. Cattle raising is car
ried on to some extent, and every family
numbers goat or two and litter of
black pigs among its intimate members.
There is strange species of mountain
sheep, called mufflons, found-I believe
nowhere but in Corsica. They are