ROUTE DE EA CORNICHE. 115 



of commerce, 'i'he ginger which comes from China and 

 is boiled in sugar, is made of tender and carefulh' peel- 

 ed ■•root-stock". Preserved (jinger was imported to 

 Italy in earthenware jars as earh" as the first centurv 

 of our era : but the first Ein'opean to see the plant was 

 Marco Polo when on his travels in China and India. This 

 iustl}- famous traveller won great distinction by his dis- 

 cover\" of China. On this account the owner ol Ea 

 Mortola, wlio has himself spent man\- ^-ears in the 

 "Middle Kingdom", has phiccd a portrait of Marco 

 Polo in the porch of his viUa. It is a glass mosaic on 

 a gold background b^' Salviati of \"enice. As there is 

 no authentic likeness of this great traveller, the artist 

 was left to draw upon his imagination. 



CHAPTER IX. 



The \iew of the snow-capped Maritime Alps from 

 the famous "Route de la Corniclie", which joins Mentone 

 and Nice, is mcjst impressix'e. In spring, however, tlie 

 high mountains are freijuenth \eiled in cloud. A clear 

 da\- should therefore be cliosen for this excursion. Then 

 the scene is of unriv'alled beautw The road begins to 

 rise near Roccabruna and follows the mountain-side in 

 innumerable v\'indings. Occasionally it bends inwarcl 

 abruptlv' as if about to enter the cliff: then suddenh' it 

 re\'erscs its direction as though to di\'e into the sea. 

 There is a continual succession of changing scenes. 

 Peneath are green vallews and the ever-var\ing outline 

 of the coast ; above the summits of the range. Wherever 

 these divide the snow\ heights of the Alariliuie Alps 



