NOTES  OF  TRAVEL  IN  EUROPE. 
23 
around  the  laboratory,  and  the  presses  employed  to  separate  the  fats  after 
they  become  sufficiently  imbued  with  the  perfume,  were  seen  and  ex- 
amined. 
In  proceeding  to  Genoa,  the  traveller  has  a  choice  of  routes — by 
•steamer  along  the  coast,  or  by  diligence  on  the  Corneche  road,  a  first  class 
work  of  great  excellence,  carried  along  the  base  of  the  maritime  Alps,  a 
distance  of  127  miles,  (time  23  hours}.  My  friends  having  chosen  the 
former,  I  entered  the  coupe  of  the  diligence  at  3  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and 
proceeded  by  the  latter  route  ;  the  road  ascends  the  east  side  of  the 
valley  of  the  Paillon  river  until  the  summit  of  the  ridge  is  reached  2100 
feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  view  of  Nice  and  its  environs  is  beautiful  in 
the  extreme,  and  a  near  approach  to  many  of  the  beautiful  villas  and 
gardens,  gave  an  earnest  of  what  might  be  seen  by  a  longer  opportunity. 
From  this  elevated  point  we  could  see  the  steamer,  nearly  opposite  us, 
beyond  the  light-house,  which  did  not  leave  its  moorings  for  an  hour 
after  we  started,  so  long  had  it  taken  to  overcome  this  great  ascent.  The 
town  of  Monaea  was  in  the  distance,  and  the  sea — quiet  as  a  lakelet- 
spread  out  before  us  until  it  washed  the  African  coast.  The  scenery  along 
the  road,  which  occupies  at  some  points  the  site  of  the  via  Aurelia,  has 
every  possible  variety,  and  the  necessity  of  winding  around  the  rocky  spurs 
of  the  mountains,  causes  its  course  to  vary  to  that  of  nearly  every  point 
of  the  compass.  Towns,  villages,  walled  cities,  isolated  castles,  ancient 
ruins,  together  with  a  wonderful  luxuriance  of  vegetation  in  many  posi- 
tions, keep  the  traveller  constantly  occupied.  Many  of  the  villages  seem 
almost  cut  off  from  land  communication,  whilst  a  few  have  mountain 
paths  to  the  interior  by  the  passes  above.  Few  are  the  acres  of  arable 
land,  but  the  centuries  of  human  industry  expended  along  these  rocky 
inlets,  have  carried  the  olive  and  the  grape  and  the  fig  into  every  available 
nook  and  ledge  where  a  little  earth  can  be  sustained  by  loose  stones,  until 
their  roots  bind  all  tightly  together  and  repay  the  labor  of  the  planter 
during  long  periods  of  growth  and  fruition  •  indeed,  the  olive  seems 
adapted  by  the  hand  of  Providence  as  the  poor  man's  friend  in  such  situa- 
tions, and  the  care  taken  of  the  tree  shows  that  the  gift  is  appreciated. 
At  Ventimiglia,  a  grove  of  lemon  trees  was  seen,  and  at  Brodighera  the 
date-palm  is  quite  abundant,  in  fact  the  Bresca  family  of  this  place  have 
long  enjoyed  the  priviledge  of  furnishing  the  palm  leaves  used  in  Rome  in 
the  holy  week  ceremonies,  owing  to  the  fact  that  one  of  their  ancestors, 
during  the*  raising  of  the  great  obelisk  in  front  of  St.  Peters  by  Fontana, 
made  the  timely  suggestion  to  wet  the  ropes  to  prevent  their  tension,  at  the 
risk  of  his  life,  as  during  the  critical  moments  all  the  men  were  ordered  to 
keep  silent  on  pain  of  death. 
The  figs  of  Onaglia  are  noted  for  their  excellence,  and  considerable 
olive  oil  of  good  quality  is  exported  from  here.  At  Albenga  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  hoary  head  of  Monte  Viso,  near  the  source  of  the  Po,  but 
sight-fall  coming  on  the  remainder  of  our  ride  was  unworthy  of  note, 
