634 
FOREST AND STREAM DECEMBER, 1920 
DOCTOR HENSHALL ON THE RIVIERA 
WHICH RECORDS THE OBSERVATIONS OF THE FAMOUS ANGLER WHILE 
VISITING SCENES OF HISTORIC INTEREST ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN 
TWENTIETH PAPER 
T HAT portion of the Riviera extend- 
ing from Nice to Genoa, upward 
of a hundred miles, is unexcelled 
in the whole world for its scenic beau- 
ty. The Maritime Alps loom up in the 
background, with an occasional spur 
jutting out into the sea. Along its en- 
tire extent, including Nice, Monaco, 
Mentone and San Remo, are numerous 
villas, hotels and health resorts em- 
bowered in groves of orange, lemon, 
pomegranate and date palm, which 
with elaborate and ornamental land- 
scape effects form a sub-tropical pano- 
rama of exceeding beauty and never- 
ending delight. 
The Comiche, or cornice road, ex- 
tends the entire distance, skirting the 
sea on one side and fronting the villas, 
terraces and parterres on the other. 
Once in a while it passes through a 
tunnel in a narrow mountain spur, and 
is protected on the sea front by low 
stone walls. It was kept in fine condi- 
tion and furnished an admirable drive- 
way for the elaboi'ate equipage of the 
titled visitor and a smooth speedway 
for the humble bicyclist, who, as they 
wheeled along inhaled the salt tang 
of the sea air on one hand, and the 
fragrance of fruit and flower on the 
other. At the present day, however, it 
is doubtless given over to automobiles, 
and the pure and scented air is now 
redolent with the vile fumes of gasoline 
and petrol. 
The principal feature of Monaco is 
the world-famous gambling resort of 
Monte Carlo. Its hotels, theatres and 
Casino, with its magnificent terraces, 
gardens and promenades present a 
scene of enchanting loveliness that 
seems hardly real, but more like a 
painted scene in a theatre. Its Casino 
is filled day and night with men and 
women, old and young, tetting sums of 
money, large or small, at rouge et noir 
(red and black) or roulette. Crowded 
about the tables could be seen the grave 
and decrepit, the gay and thoughtless, 
of every degree and condition, royalty 
rubbing elbows with the parvenu, the 
ingenue with the passe, all eagerly and 
intently watching the progress of the 
game. 
Rouge et noir is a very fascinating 
but simple game, much more so than 
its predecessor, faro, once the most 
popular game in Europe. The meanest 
intellect can play it as successfully as 
the most intelligent, as it is all a mat- 
ter of chance or luck, notwithstanding 
that one may purchase for a franc one 
of the many scientific systems in print- 
ed form, guaranteed and warranted to 
break the bank at Monte Carlo. The 
game is played on an oblong, oval table 
covered with a green cloth, and is di- 
vided into four equal parts, the center 
of each being marked with the figure of 
a diamond, alternately colored red or 
black. The “chips” are gold sovereigns 
and Napoleons, which are placed on the 
red or black diamonds. When the 
dealer, or tailleur, deals a spade or club 
the black wins, and if a diamond or 
heart is dealt the red wins. At the 
roulette tables the bets are made with 
five franc pieces. The revolving wheel 
has thirty-eight holes, numbered and 
painted either red or black. A small 
ivory ball is spun in an opposite direc- 
tion to the revolving wheel; if it drops 
into a red hole the red bet wins and 
vice versa. Most of the bets, however, 
are made on the numbers. 
The most attractive feature at Monte 
Carlo to Longworth and me was the 
trap shooting at live birds, which took 
place on a beautiful terrace overlook- 
ing the sea, and just below the Casino. 
Some of the best and most noted shots 
The Casino at Monte Carlo on the Riviera 
of Europe were present and took part 
in the sport, which was well-contested, 
and the prizes were high. The best 
shots were French and Italian, and not 
English as we expected, though the lat- 
ter were not well represented. There 
was one American, and to our selfish 
delight he beat them all. 
N EXT to Marseilles Genoa is the 
largest and most important sea- 
port and commercial city on the 
Mediterranean. It is a city of great 
antiquity, and is delightfully situated. 
It presents a grand- and imposing ap- 
pearance from the sea front, and ex- 
tends upward to the slopes of the Apen- 
nines. Its style of architecture is mag- 
nificent. When viewed from the sea it 
is very picturesque in its tall, white 
buildings and steeples, amid terraced 
gardens, and groves of orange, lemon 
and pomegranate trees which rise grad- 
ually until the bare hills are reached, 
crowned with frowning fortresses. 
There are many fine public buildings 
and educational institutions, a good 
museum and a large library. There is 
a grand, old cathedral of the twelfth 
century, St. Lorenzo, and another is S f . 
Ambrogio, which contains some re- 
nowned paintings by Guido Reni and 
Rubens. 
The Genoese are efficient and indus- 
trious. The women are rather slight, 
but well-proportioned, with dark hair 
and eyes and expressive features. 
Most of them wear long, flowing white 
veils, fastened to their hair by -orna- 
mental pins or combs, which fall grace- 
fully about the head and shoulders, and 
through the filmy folds their bright 
eyes and smiling lips peer bewitchingly. 
The principal park or promenade is the 
Corso, where old and young, grave and 
gay, do their visiting and courting. 
Genoa, being the birthplace of Chris- 
topher Columbus, there is a fine monu- 
ment erected to his memory, and- to 
commemorate his exploits and discov- 
eries, though the city is entitled to no 
credit for any aid or encouragment 
offered him during his life. Young 
Christopher was imbued with the spirit 
of wanderlust quite early in life as he 
went to sea at the age of fourteen 
years. The love of quest and adventure 
by sea was born in his flesh and bred 
in his bones, and continued to compel 
and encourage him to renewed effort 
and endeavor, not only during his life, 
but after death, inasmuch as the isaid 
bones were destined and fated to con- 
tinue their voyages even after his brave 
spirit was at rest. 
His bones were exhumed from their 
place of burial in Valladolid, Spain, 
and re-interred at Seville. Afterward 
they were taken over seas to St. Do- 
mingo, in the West Indies, but were not 
permitted to rest there very long. 
Afterward they were sent again by sea 
