look beyond the near future, and what has | curiosity and suggest to the imagination gone by concerns them not at all. Thrones that greater beauty and fairer pictures lie may totter and dynasties may fall, but beyond. On a very fine day, however – only the faint echo of such catastrophies and nature does really understand the art reaches them; and with the vast political of making an ideal afternoon at Grasse — and social upheaving that has rent society perhaps one of the pleasantest excursions in France they have nothing whatever to is a sail to the islands of St. Honorat and do. In this way their surface-existence, St. Marguerite. At the former the points at least, appears to be quite idyllic. But of attraction are the ruins of the ancient though their mode of life is perfectly castle, the monastery of Les Périns - and modern in most respects, they still retain the magnificent forest of pines by which some very ancient customs which give an it is clothed. Indeed, an al-fresco meal old-world flavor to it. For instance, the partaken of beneath the friendly shade of largest of their church bells still rings to those stately trees, which stretch away on curfew; a merry peal from the smaller all sides into endless avenues of green ones in all probability denotes the funeral loneliness and fragrant gloom, is a thing of an infant-thus recalling the Scythians to be long remembered. And while it of old, of whom it is recorded that they lasts, as you inhale the subtle aroma difused to weep at a birth and rejoice at a fused through the air, within sound of the death; at Christmastide, when the scat- chiming sea, and within view of the lovely tered members of a family are gathered purple shadows which lie dreaming on its together, they pour wine over their Yule surface, every sense is gratified and each log in true Anglo-Saxon fashion; and when one seems to become a minister of enjoyyou see young men and maidens going to ment. At the neighboring island of St. a wedding supper at midnight, carrying Marguerite the objective point of interest lanterns and torches, you feel as if the is the Fort Royal-celebrated as having tide of time had suddenly rolled back to been for so many years the living tomb of the first century, and that a chapter of the that most mysterious person, the man with New Testament was being enacted before the iron mask*-and in later days as you.* Thus these people are really very being the prison of Marshal Bazaine, from interesting in many respects, although so which he effected his escape in August, little (comparatively speaking) is still 1874. known about them, because the town has Another pleasant excursion is to Pégo not yet become a fashionable resort. mas on the banks of the Siagne; which Moreover, the care with which they cher- with its tall poplars, its silver olive woods, ish their pictures and ornaments seems and its happy fields, flushed with the like a survival of inherited traditions."burning stars" of the scarlet anemone, For though these little towns of the Alpes Maritimes cannot vie with the famous republics of Italy in regard of works of art and other splendid monuments of a great and brilliant past Grasse, Vence, Le Bar, etc., had their own painters and sculptors in other days, and still exhibit | traces of that refining intercourse with Italy which arose from the war of Charles | VIII.

There is such an endless variety of excursions to be made from Grasse, by boat, rail, and carriage, that one might spend many weeks there without exhausting them. In the immediate neighborhood, too, the walks and rides are legion; and, owing to the overlapping hills, there are a number of those delightful lateral vistas which add such a charm to a scene, because they only reveal enough to stimulate

There is a magic source at a place called Gariboudy in this neighborhood which recalls the famous mill of nursery classics in which the old were ground young; and there is a valley of stones near Courmes, the genius of which must be propitiated by a stony offering by all visitors who wish to live long and die happy.

presents a most alluring picture to mind and eye. The Siagne, it is true, is not a broad or stately river by any means. But then it is pretty and lovable, and makes a most engaging companion as it sings its " song without words" on a golden afternoon in spring, when the trees on its banks whisper soft secrets to the breeze, or else bend down over it to watch their own fair reflection in the water. In some parts, too, they grow so close together and so near the water's edge that their branches touch the wave; and these delightful little nooks form a series of pictures (on a very small scale), which are so delicately touched and so carefully finished in every detail that they look like so many vignettes of Birket Foster's.

Auribau likewise deserves a word of praise. It is a beautifully situated little village, built on the summit of a bill which rises in the centre of a valley as fair and

• Voltaire mentions (Siécle de Louis XIV.) that he was subsequently removed to Paris and died there in

1703.

smiling as the Vale of Tempe itself, and
the drive to which is very enjoyable also.
Then there are the ruins of Calian and
Montcaroux to be seen; the village of St.
Vallier in a most picturesque part of the
country; Pennafort on the Loup; the for-
est of Beauregard; and Gourdon, perched
on its crag, which in the distance looks
uncommonly like Eza, as the latter appears
when seen from Monaco. The château of
Gourdon dates from the sixteenth century
and occupies a very imposing position on
the edge of a plateau about three thousand
feet above sea level. The castle of Bar,
which was the cradle of the Comtes de
Grasse, is also an imposing mass of ma-
sonry and can claim some historic interest,
as Francis I. once spent three days there.
But alas for fame and the dignity of his-
toric personages the rooms he occu-
pied, instead of being regarded as sacred
ground, are now turned into an undignified
café! At Vence, where the best violets
grow, there is another old castle - full of
the fragrance of the past, and containing
some valuable frescoes and other ancient
things which are well worth seeing; and
the memorable Fréjus, which can boast
of more Roman remains than any other
place hereabouts, derives additional inter-
est from having been the birthplace of
Agricola, to whom north Britain owes the
blessings of Roman civilization.

which was formerly used to signal the approach of enemies; and you will find yourself in a deep ravine whose steep sides and fantastic rocks and foliage present a most impressive appearance; while the soft light, the green gloom, which pervades it is peculiar to itself and could only be depicted by Turner with his trick of aërial glamour and wonderful power of reproducing the most subtle atmospheric effects.

Strange to say, though the other hills at Grasse are clothed with pines as well as the Rocavignon Mountain, none of them give the idea of being richly or thickly covered. On the contrary, owing to the undergrowth of Mediterranean heath and cistus being very thin, the rocky soil obtrudes in so many places that they look, on the whole, rather sparsely and scantily clad. But whatever their shortcomings in this respect may be, it is certain that the views they command leave nothing to be desired as the blue smoke arising from the various factories rests on them like a veil, and thus conceals the tall, unsightly chimneys which would otherwise strike a discordant note in the fair scene. Hence, taking your stand on one of those lofty eminences-say on the plateau near the Grand Hotel where the queen is now staying *. you see before you an enchanting picture, set in a blue mystery of sky and mountain, which it would be difficult if not impossible to surpass. In front there is the glorious expanse of shimmer

The drive to Monans-Sartoux cannot be omitted from the list either. For, added to the Roman tombs, wells, and inscrip-ing sea-serene and rippleless and blue tions to be found there, the château of Monans is shaded by those pleasant umbrella pines which, being of a bright green, form a prominent feature in the scene and contrast very agreeably with the ubiquitous olive.

as a sapphire, but with silver gleams, like bright thoughts, flitting over it from time to time; on the shore there is the bloom of fair gardens and flower-enamelled fields, the gold of orange and lemon groves, and the darker shade lent by pine forests and But the prettiest excursion of all is to olive woods; and in the distance there are the Gorges du Loup- the latter being a the purple Esterels and snowy Alpine small river with richly wooded banks, peaks, which in their stainless drapery of which in some of its green, sequestered white, bring into such fine relief the soft reaches recalls the Thames at its best. gradations of tone and coloring on the Everybody goes to see the pont and Saut nearer hills and the rich hues of the red du Loup; the one spanning the river at and grey porphyry cliffs; while over and its brightest passage and in the midst of above all there is the radiant amber glow a charming bit of woodland-and the of the afternoon sunshine, which is differother being a waterfall, which in spite of ent from everything else in the world and its want of height and volume is very ef- which literally lights up the whole land fective and forms a striking incident in the like a smile. But while the scene is thus scene. Moreover, the drive to these attractive, with its sunny fountains and beauty spots abounds with interest and gardens gay, its fairy dells and soaring scenery of the most varied character. If heights, its wayside shrines and chapels, you pass the village of La Colle and thence and its many ruined castles those on through Rouret and the picturesque broken letters whereby we read the faded defile indicated, you will see the medieval story of the past—it must be admitted castle belonging to the Count de Panisse, and the old tower on the mountain-top

• Written in March.

that the paramount charm of the place lies | he had been changed at nurse, or died in in its balmy air, whose tonic properties his cradle, or something else equally seem to infuse new life and vigor into dreadful before long the spell begins to wearied brain and jaded nerve at once, work; and ere many days have passed he and which exercises its spell most po- feels so much better that he is quite pretently during the Dark Ages of the year. pared to admit that things are not so bad The truth is, winter here seems a laughing as they might be, and that existence has defiance of established facts and the usual some pleasures after all. order of things. It is a sort of pantomime of nature and so independent of seasonal fluctuations that though winter and early spring may be marked in the calendar, at Grasse the time of singing-birds has come, the violet skies are perfectly clear and cloudless, the loveliest flowers are blooming out of doors, and the thermometer often registers sixty degrees! Thus, when the dyspeptic, discontented Briton arrives here surcharged with that deep and abiding gloom which is begotten of the foggy atmosphere and lowering skies of his native land—although at first he rails at life, and declares he wishes

Taking all these things into considera. tion, therefore, it would be difficult to find a more agreeable place in which to spend February and March than Grasse. For during those months the voice of spring seems to sing softly to itself as it passes through opening leaves and blossoming flowers; the air is fresh as well as fragrant, and the sun's rays being not too fervent, one is able to indulge in those delightful little explorations which constitute the chief enjoyment of a sojourn in a strange region - especially when that region happens to be as beautiful and replete with interest as Grasse.

THE PROPERTIES AND EFFECTS OF FOG. The fog, it is said, is about to undergo at the hands of certain scientific observers the ordeal of scientific investigation. The inquiry will not be the first of its kind. Though perhaps never before the subject of a collective examination, the characters of this familiar pall which from time to time wraps our streets in dangerous uncertainty have already given rise to much original thought, observation, and suggestion. To assign to it any constant composition is indeed impossible, since, besides its fundamental basis of water vapor, it must carry in a condensed form the mixed impurities of city air. In considering the gloomy winter clouds one primary idea which commonly presents itself is that of smoke. Our tingling eyes and our offended sense of smell alike protest against this contact of carbonaceous matter out of place. Analysis confirms the sensible fact. Other matters, however, claim their place as components. The various refuse gases of manufactures, the miasmata of a river overwrought by commerce, the emanations from innumerable human homes, and the additions furnished by sewage add each its contribution to the dense and semi-liquid atmosphere. Happily no process of accumulation can under ordinary circumstances abolish the inherent vitalizing purity of the now overburdened air. There is, too, the saving influence of the suspended carbon. With all such qualifying conditions, however, the fog atmosphere continues a direct cause of much discomfort and ill-health. Acting though it must largely by its irritant properties, it bears about also at all times more distinctly morbific ingredients. The chilly oppression settles down, and straightway those more sus

ceptible to its action - the youngest, the aged, and the feebly respiring from whatever cause become ill. Is the supervening chest trouble a mere mechanical process? Is there not in it also a germ-borne contagion? Surely among so much that is foul, though greatly diluted, there is also this means of mischief. Whatever its precise nature, however, there is no question as to the injury to health, fatal too often, which the fog assuredly brings. Clearly, then, it is our natural business, as mere intelligent beings, to guard our most truly vital interests as far as we can by means, at least, of one rational precaution, and to refrain from adding to an atmosphere originally pure any avoidable impurity. How the black smoke shall be restored to the furnace, how the sewer air shall be dissipated or absorbed more safely we shall not now discuss. The group of scientific inquiries above mentioned should not fail to examine this practical matter.

Lancet.

POTATO ALCOHOL. A French chemist, M. Aimé Girard, has shown that the potato called "Richter Imperator" is well fitted for the production of alcohol by distillation on a commercial scale. At one operation seventyeight thousand kilogrammes of potatoes were treated, and ten litres of alcohol absolutely pure, were obtained from every one hundred kilogrammes of the tuber. Another distillation gave fourteen litres for the same quantity of roots. The "draff" which resulted was readily eaten by cattle.

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