JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER’S JOURNAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 931, 1 May 1883, Page 2

JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER’S JOURNAL.

[written specially fob the “ashbueton GUARDIAN ”].

No. XVl.—(Continued.)

Avignon—Ribnzi’s Prison—A Bad Climate —Taeascon—Nimbs—A Roman Amphitheatre—Arles—Marseilles— A Grand View —Toulon—Cannes—

The G. O. M. —Off to the Carnival.

After leaving Orange, the increasing plantations of olive trees reminds the traveller that he is progressing towards the sunny south, and shortly after passing Sorgues, anus important station, Avignon is reached. A Roman colony! called Avenis was established there as early a* forty-eight years B. O. Between thd years 1309 and 1377, the Popes resided and held their Courts at Avignon. The Papal palace still rises its lofty gloomy walls — but shorn of all its former grandeur, for it now serves the ignoble purpose of a barrack. The Cathedral is close by ; and behind it a tower that was one of the prisons of the Inquisition, and during the reign of terror a place of execution. The Palace, too, had its prison towers. In one of them, the Tour des Oabliettes, Rienzi, the hero of one of Lytton Bulwer’s fascinating romances, was incarcerated in 1351, at the same time that the poet Petrarch was being feasted and flattered as a guest in the Palace. From a rocky eminence near the Cathedral a fine prospect is obtained—the river Rhone, Villeneuve with its frowning citadel and crumbling towers form the foreground of the picture; in the distance, the Cevennea, Mont Ventox and the peaks of the alps are seen, while immediately beneftth, are the labyrinthlike streets of the ancient town. It is a view that well repays the exertion necessary to gain the height that commands it. The mistral frequently sweeps the vicinity with violence, bring - ing catarrhs and rheumatism and manifold maladies on its wings. The climatic drawback has given rise to the local proverb:— “ Avenio ventosa, Sine rento vendrosa,

Cum vento faatidiosa.” Soon after leaving Avignon, the line crossed the river called bj the Romans Druentea, but modernised in Durance. It was but a paltry stream at the time ; but at seasons, I was told, it is an impetuous torrent. The next place, Tarascon, is of little interest, beyond the fact that it was once the residence of King Rend of Anjou, the patron of the minstrely of the middle ages. The remains of the castle in which he lived nay still be seen. There is a branch line from Tarascon to St. Rhmy. I was told that two interesting Roman monuments are to be seen there, a triumphal arch, adorned with sculptures, and a mausoleum, erected by three brothers, to the memory of their parents. But 1 cannot spare time to visit them. Nimes, theancient Nemausus, especially interested me, as the dwelling placo of a large body of Protestants, numbering, it is said, one fourth of the population, estimated at 63,000. During the reign of Louis XVI., Nimes was the scene of a fierce and cruel religious persecution. Pleasant boulevards surround the town leading to an esplanade, where there is a fine fountain of modern construction, with emblematic figures representing river deities. Not far from this are the remains of the Roman amphitheatre. It has two stories each with sixty arcades. The interior contains thirty-two tiers of seats. The vast space is capable of accommodating twenty thousand persons.

It is supposed to have been erected by the .Emperor Antonius Pius, as his ancestors were natives of Neraausus. During the. troubles of the early middle ages, the Visigoths converted the amphitheatre into a fortress, and after them the Saracens occupied it in the same manner* and jn more recent times the populace took possession of the place and erected there., wretched hovels within the walls. But eighty years ago all their incumbrances were cleared away ; and it now stands in comparatively good preservation, an' interesting monument of the days of Roman supremacy. In the Jardinde la Fontaineis the Nymph&eum, supposed to have been a temple of Diana. Statues and busts andr architectural fragments have been excavated ; but no one can precisely’tell the origin and design of the adjacent ruins. There are also Reman biths, that were, brought to light in the i.oign of Louis XIV., and on a neighboring hill a Roman structure called Tounnagne—or, as the ancients would have said, Turris Magna : conjectured to have been a beacon, or, as some think, a monumental tribute to some illustrious man of those days. I had not time to extend my researches to the Pont du Gard ; but I was told that some of the grandest remains of Roman industry and skill are still to be seen—an aqueduct that bridges the rocky valley, archee piled os arches for the purpose of supplying the ancient settlement with water. This great work has been attributed to Agrippa, one of the generals of Augustus. From Niraes to Arles the country is level and thickly planted with olives and vines. The principal object of interest at Arles is the cathedral of St Trophime, named after Trophimus, the disciple and companion whom St Paul left sick at Miletum. There is also a museum, containing antiquities found in the neighborhood, and the remains of an amphitheatre that must have been larger in its original proportions than that at Nimes.

From Arles io Salon the route lies across the stony plain of Grace, reputed to be the spot ■where Hercules encountered the Ligurea. \Ve ran past several unimportant stations and through a long tunnel that pierces the Pas des Lancires, and emerged into a rocky region of wild and' romantic features. Through occasional openings 1 got a glimpse of the Mediterranean and the sterile islet on yrhioh stands the Chateau dTf ; and ere long the train came to a stand at the station in the city of Marseilles. There I took up my quarters at the Hotel du Louvre et de la Pair, a sumptuous but very comfortable abode. 1 may mention here that the dining-saloen of this hotel is the grandest, apartment 1 have seen. Not even the* rooms of the palace at Versailles, exceed—nay, 1 almost question if, in all respects, they equal—the magnificent embellishments of the salle-d-manger of the hotel. My first point at Marseilles was the Post-office. There I got several letters, and was refreshed by good news from distant relatives and friends. Returning to the hots! I looked into a church where mass was being celebrated by a priest richly robed. He stood with his back to the people, occasionally turning round to say a word or two, I presume of direction, for thereupon the audience rose and stood or kneeled, this alteration of attitude being the only apparent part they took in the ceremony. The altar glittered with gold and ornaments, and was flanked by many large wax candles, all of < them lighted, I remained until I saw the' collection box. I then decorously withdrew, not being inclined to contribute to the support of rites I could neither appreciate nor understand.

The next day I hired a vehicle and drove to Notre Dame de la Garde. This church, or, shrine, for its situation almost precludes the idea of its being frequented as a place of worship, stands on a lofty eminence. The interior is highly ornate, and contains a large image of the Virgin. The walls are covered with innumerable votive tablets presented by devotees in gratitude for recovery from sickness or deliverance from shipwreck through the supposed intervention of the Virgin. The tower is crowned by a large gilt image of the Virgin, and in a chamber midway there hangs an enormous boll. The view from the summit of the tower is very ex-/ tensive. It takes in the whole of the city, the harbor and shipping, and surrounding country, dotted with many villas. (glancing white amongst the trees. In the distance is the sea and the rocky islets already mentioned as having been seen from a point on the road; with Chateau d’lf, celebrated by Dumas in his “ Monte Christo.” But apart from romance, the the ehateau is invested with historical interest as having been the prison of Mirabeau. The grand panoramic view well repaid me for the labor of ascending 154 steps to obtain it. Returning from Notre Dame I drove round by the sea, and the picturesque Ohemiu de la Corniche, and down the long Promenade du Prado. Marseilles claims to be the’ Liverpool of France, but it will not bear comparison, either in the extent of its trade or the number of its shipping, with the great seaport on the Mersey. Marseilles was founded by the Greeks as a colony six hundred years before the Christian era. Even in very early times it must have been a place of considerable note and culture, for it may be remembered that Gacilua speaks of his father-in-law completing his education at Massillia. A very handsome Cathedral is being, built near the harbor. It is constructed of black and white stone in alternate courses, and the towers are adorned with statues and surmounted by domes. At the end of the thoroughfare, called the Cours, there is a statue of Bishop Belzance, who was the only ecclesiastic bold enough to maintain his post and discharge the duties of his office daring the plague that visited the city in the year 1720, when 40,000 persons were carried off. One day was occupied by a visit to the Muada des Antiques, which stands in an extensive park. It contains Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek and Homan curiosities, some early Christian sarcophagi, and specimens of glass manufacture. Having satisfied my curiosity at Marseilles, I resumed my journey. The onward route lay through rocky defiles, at a little distance from the sea, and several tunnels io La Ciotat. The situation of this place, perched, as it were, on a promontory, is very charming, but I did not stop. Toulon was the next place of importance. It is the Portsmouth of France. Eleven forts crown the surreunding heights and defend the double harbor. Readers familiar with the history of .Napoleon Bonaparte I. will remember that his remarkable career may be said to have commenced at Toulon, for it was there he first displayed his military genius, when, as ensign of engineers, he conducted the siege in 1793. The small town of Hybres, beyond Toulon, is a snug, sheltered place, frequented by , invalids. From Toulon the line leaves the coast, and traverses the district of Montagnea des Maures. We ran past several settlements that I can but name—La Garde, La Pauline, Les Arcs, to Frejus. This last-mentioned town contains about 3,000 inhabitants, and was founded by Julius Csesar. The remains of an amphitheatre and aqueduct are to be seen here. St. Raphael was the next stage. It is picturesquely situated in a ravine. It was here that Bonaparte landed when he left his army in Egypt, and returned suddenly to Prance to carry out his ambitious designs. From this place he embarked for Elba, after his abdication.

Cannes came next. It is rapidly increasing and rising into note. The town itself is not very attractive, consisting principally of one long street that runs parallel with the coast; but the einvirons are very pretty, and numerous handsome villas adorn the hillsides. 1 was reminded

• ' I J of “ Sunny Australia ” by the munejrous guiq tree* that surround some of. the houses and 'Hue the .roadside. The Grand Old Man,” W. E. Gladstone, was slaying at Canties to recruit his health. I was strongly tempted to prolong my stay on the chance of seeing him, but the carnival at Nice was to commence next day, and I hurried on to witness the attractive novelty. Leaving Cannes, I passed Golfe Jpuan, where Bonaparte bivouacked on the night of the Ist March, 1815, when he escaped from'Elba. A column has been erected to commemorate the incident. Through Antibes, a busy little seaport, where I got a glimpse of theMaritima Alps, and shortly afterwards reached Nice, and was fortunate in finding quarters at the Grand Hotel, for every house of entertainment was crowded with gueafs. (To be continued.)