"JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER’S JOURNAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 957, 31 May 1883, Page 4

"JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER’S JOURNAL.

[WRITTEN SPECIALLYFOE-XHE “ASHBURTON GUAJUJIAN. ”J NO. IYII. (CONTINUED).

Roulette and Rouge et Noir—A Portico op Hell—The Prince’s Palace OPFICEEa AND THE ' “ BIG Battalion ” —Pleasent Associations §A Beautiful View—A Roman Fortress— Village Life—Ybstimiolia— Puzzling the Customs—Allowed to g Pass—The Maritime Alps—The Cape Cadama—Palm Trees. At the roulette tables a five franc piece Is the lowest stake remitted; and twelve hunched the highest. At the rouge et nntr tables the play is higher, twenty francs is the lowest stake, and thousands of pounds •re lost and won at,ca?h deaTof the cards. The games in both cases are purely games d(!2nm& *MudT v wias told thfeife is' ho possibility cf finesse or foul play on the part of the croupiers. But the cbances are so much in favor of the bank that the geneasfvissuO is agamat individukl players. The gains of the proprietors must be .very large, or they could not sustain the expenditure, whiph £he, subsidy. to the Prince, the maintenance of the pleasure grounds, reading free concerts, and other local allurements involve. A impute description of the tables, the vmjchthey, are marked, and modes of betting might" intoraliuapme who have never seen the take up much time and space, and be. .of no practical use. I would rather advise any of hvy readers who may hereafter visit Monte Carlo to be satisfied with the natural beauties of

the place, , and rausic they may h,oar free of ooatf, and to snub the • seduction of the gaming tables. Suicid s, the result ~“6f~despair sometimes occur. The week after 1 left, 1 heard that a man, in the frenzy caused by his losses, attempted to fire the place ; and that a woman, at the very table, placed a pistol to her temple and was only prevented from destroying herself by the timely interference of a ibystafider. -Maay'do deprive themselves of life ; but such instances are studiously concealed. The scenes that are enacted at the Casino from ten o’clock in the

morning until neap midpight, every day of the week — Subrday included—for

gamblers regard no day of rest, are a scandal and disgrace. They trkhaforma locality that might other vise be called an earthly paradise intd a portico of hell. While at Monte Carlo I drove to the Palace of the Prince. situated bn an eminence, commanding a view of Monaco and its environs. The immediate surroundings ■; qfi.thq i .fialape are:; a. broad and barren esplanade, terminating on

one side in houses, and the narrow laby.cafththitf/ Streets peculiar tb mbat French and Italian towns. But beyond these, and accessible from one other side of the Palace, are. pleasant gardes'-taste-fully laid out and adorned with a great variety of shrubs. When I arrived, the Princes’ army, consisting, I believe, of between two, and. thrse .hundred men, were exercising bn esplanade'. The officers seemed to assume as much importance as if they mapcavormg.pne-of Napoleon’s “big' battalions.” Passing through an arched gate-way I found myqelf spacious paved quadrangle, the ■'flails* of' which were ornamented J wxth frescoes, but more or less injured, by exposure to the weather. A noble flight of marble steps lead to the ‘ slate apartments sumptuously furnished and decorated. Bat remembering the main sourpe Of the owner’s wealth, the grandeur of his abode gave me no pleasure. I also made another excursion, the enjoyment of which was not marred by. unpleasant associations. I visited the huge remains of a Roman tower or .fortress, standing on the summit of a lofty mountain. It is now called Turbia (a corruption of Trossass Auguati). The Roman conqueror erected it to commemorate his victories and the subjugation of the Ligurian tribes. From the site of this^interesting ruin a panoramic view is obtamed of vast extent and varied beauty. On the east, mountainous ranges, as it •fjwere jostling each other in wild confusion, 1 and the indented cbast line from Yenti--migliabn the borders of Italy to Bordighera, washed by the blue waters of the

Medif£rrane§n. west, the broad expsitueioMM sealis before the distant Island of St Marguerite and the hills ,of Montagues de.l’Esterel on. the French v .‘«Joßkt s !iflb v tbw4rds'' Ariubes; With an

scarcely a.glpud, to:,be..seen, iitS aVa season s ‘of the year when the .qrSim’a say,s bright and warm, but not it is a glorious vision. But to reach thqAppt on whichthp ruin stands it is necessary to make a detour of several miles. is a shorter and direct road or pathway, suitable for goats or for bipeds (2) who are equally surefooted and who have similar diming proclivities. But not being an athlete I preferred the longer way, and as the road is good and affords charming views, the drive is very enjoyable. A village has sprung up on the heights round''Turbia, and I had an opportunity of seeing village life to advantage. It was'a festival day : the villagers were - assembled in an open place, the men .j|n.Y£iipjas !> picturesque costumes, and the women ‘ with, their dresses adorned with bits Of ribbon and Such finery as they possessed, dancing in joyous measure to the psusip of a small band com posed of a cor,net, . violin, and trombone. The elders ofthe village formed a circle round theclancers,' and Ibofced on with evident. and. then interchqjjgipg remarks—apparently critical—as ( ,the performances; of the rikmg“|bheraixoh with 'their own when fheywete ybimg;. ■ /. lingered Ibnger amid the natural beauties of Monte Carlo, but after -»fft £fojaiini of four days was constrained to resume ’ iay journey. At' Montonp .I did not stop., It is a growing settlement, and on account of the salu"BfitjrSf 'fne pllmate. a favorite resort of Invalicti/ Ventiihiglifi is 'fhe .boundary of .tbe> Italian hingdenii ah'd here travellers ■BtiMblifGbmit to have their luggage examined. The town is a kind of frontier iAtaongboi’d, . picturesquely 'situated on rising ground above a stream called Roja, (ptony.. channel/ but shallow depth of water. The Custom House officers werer tolerably civil*but ' at! the game time scrupulously minute!in their researches. I was amused at their perplexity over one article contained in my portmantegm j_ I had purchased a graphoscope at'Hans,'and it was carefully packed in a small wooden box. This they opened. Whether theja were ignorant of the nature the instrument, or debating the question of., its being.subject to duty, I sannot say/' 'But they jabbered and gesticulated with great animation, addressing questions to me which I could my shoulders aura smwbg innocently. At last they sent for a superior officer.,. He seemed to be a little more intelligent than his subordinates, and after -.glancing at; the. contents ‘if’the box'aaid a few words to them, and my i pap)(ageß..wete without further trouble. ’ ' •y sftar leaving Ventimiglia, I got a glimpse ! of the Maritime Alps, and a few miles further on-the train pulled up at Bordighirs. This is a town of some 3.oooinhabitants,who occupy!;what are <)Wled3fefeAips^'trtrd'lowei , qnartferß of the settlement.' A climb up the hills to the , terrace of the requires some muscular exertion, but the .vj.ew, obtained the ’filtration well repays the effort! Groves of palm in the foresVeOp lakes in the ya of Ventimiglia, Mentone, and Monte Oaifl&ttotoluDgaAray to tbaEskerels. Palm brgnofaes form a considerable article of - trade «t Bordighira. Immense quantities

are sent to Borne for the ceremonies connected with Palm Sunday. This must be a considerable reason why the growth bf this species of tree is so largely cultivated, for the fruit seldom ripens sufficiently tjo be'edible. In the neighborhood of Bordighira there is a chateau celebrated as the ancestral residence of the Douias, ja Genoese family of historic renown. | (To be continued.) , ;; j