35 



are filled with marine remains. The Phoenician settlement, the 

 Greek Acropolis, the Roman Castrum, and the fortress of the 

 Middle Ages, have all left their traces. 



The 25 miles of railway jom'ney horn Nice to Mentone is one 

 of the most interesting in the world,— tunnels being cut through 

 the sohd rock almost every few hundred yards. 



Mentone is remarkahle for its almost perpetual sunshine. _ The 

 air is pure and bright, and fog unknown. Statistics give an 

 average of 259 days in the year when the sun shines all day 

 long. ° Mentone is an admirable centre for the tourist and the 

 health seeker. The most interesting walk at Mentone is by the 

 celebrated Comiche road in the direction of the ItaUau frontier 

 across the gorge of St. Louis. At one point in this walk a dis- 

 tinct view of the Island of Corsica (120 miles away) was obtained. 

 A path through Dr. Bennett's garden leads to Grimaldis, the 

 original home of the princes of Monte Carlo. Here an olive oil 

 mill was visited, with its old stone rollers and water-wheel, re- 

 minding one of patriarchal times. The drive from Mentone to 

 Monte Carlo by the Comiche road is one of the finest possible. 

 The gardens, terraces, and Casino are famous the world over, 

 and are carried out in the highest skill and at the most lavish 

 expenditure. Monaco, close to Monte Carlo, is the smallest 

 kingdom in Europe, and is supported by the profits made at the 

 gaming tables at Monte Carlo. 



The journey was continued through Bordighera and San Remo 

 to Genoa. 



Lantern illustrations of the places of interest were given by 

 Mr. Butterworth, and a choice variety of fresh flowers from the 

 Riviera were placed upon the table by Miss Thompson of Oak 

 Bank. 



REMINISCENCES OF LOCAL FLORA. 



By HENRY HOULDING. March 1st, 1887. 



The Flora of the British Islands is almost identical with that 

 of Germany and the countries of Europe in latitudes parallel 

 to our own. Our common flowering plants, trees, grasses and 

 ferns came here, it is supposed, in some great vegetable migra- 

 tion, which covered this region at a time when England was 

 not entirely isolated by the sea from the adjacent continent, as 

 it is at present. Botanists tell us that there are traces" of at 

 least three older floras than this Germanic one. The earliest of 

 these is represented by certain species, found on the mountains 



