THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BEQUEST OF ANITA D. S. BLAKE & "~~^ '^"^ ""T LA MORTOLA Printed by R. & R. CLARK, Edinburgh. '4 (/'/ LA MORTOLA A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE GARDEN OF THOMAS HANBURY, ESQ. KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF ST. MAURICE AND ST. LAZARUS, AND OF THE CROSS OF THE CROWN OF ITALY BY FRIEDRICH A. FLUCKIGER I) PHIL. DR. ; PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF STRASSBURG TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY MISS HELEN P. SHARPE PRIVATELY PRINTED 1885 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE GIFT Fs LANDSCAPE ARCH. LIBRARY LA MORTOLA. STARTING from Caravan, that part of the Bay of Mentone which is so well protected by the red rocks of the " Berceau or Longuira," a mountain rising to 3600 feet above the sea, one reaches, after a short half-hour's walk, the Gorge of the Pont St. Louis, which since 1806 has been bridged over by the famous Corniche road. At this point, as at many others, the picturesque road does full justice to its name, " La Cornice " — the cornice. On the left the road skirts the limestone rocks which there stretch forward to the coast, while on the right it is protected by supporting walls. The stone upon the bridge bears on the west side the inscription " France," and on the opposite side " Italia," for French territory has extended to this point since the campaign of 1859. From the frontier the road mounts abruptly to a promontory whose steep sides have been metamorphosed into charming gardens by Dr. Bennett, a physician residing in Mentone, who has bestowed years of labour upon this task. These gardens surround an old Saracen watch-tower, and look down upon the far too splendidly -situated Italian custom-house. In this picturesque garden the fruit of the date-palm ripens, although it never attains much sweetness. Higher up the mountain peeps out the little church of Grimaldi, the first village on Italian soil, nestling among its olive-trees, which we soon leave behind as we proceed eastwards. For a long distance only a few meagre specimens of Pinus halepensis clothe the highest points of these dry and sterile limestone rocks. All the more charming seems the view, looking back over the double bay of Mentone, and the beautiful harbour of Villafranca ; while eastwards the eye rests with delight on the green-clothed shore of Bordighera, sharply contrasting with the white cliffs above Venti- miglia. " La Croce della Mortola," and the charming national schoolhouse opposite, mark one of the many turnings in the road B 027 4 LA MORTOLA, which — here 531 feet above the sea -level — turns round a well- wooded ledge of rocks and leads into a narrow chasm in the nummulitic limestone, rising on the other side to the village of Mortola. Below, on the coast-line, the nummulitic rock stretches forward as a sharp-jagged ridge into the sea, and forms the farther side of the east bay of Mentone. The valley above the bridge cuts through the property of Mr. Thomas H anbury, who has built the schoolhouse mentioned above for the villages of Mortola, Ciotti, and Grimaldi. The road passes by the entrance -gate of this gentleman's property just below the graceful little church of La Mortola, whose campanile may be seen from a great distance. From the entrance-gate — 338 feet above the level of the sea — the gardens lead down an incline of about 193 feet to the Palazzo Orengo, and then again in a gentle slope to the sea. Along the coast there are few practicable paths, and these are frequented only by smugglers and coast-guardsmen. This property be- longed in former times to the noble family Orengo of Venti- miglia, the palazzo being then a modest edifice built on stony ground and surrounded by a thin growth of olives ; the position, however, being always a splendid one. The present owner has made it his study since the year 1867 to collect an endless number of plants, and without changing the former characteristics of the landscape he has made for himself an original and unique garden. He who looks for fountains, curiously-cut hedges, kiosques, art- fully-formed paths, grottoes, and gay ribbon gardening, will be dis- appointed ; but the garden is rich in stately groups of trees, and in wonderful and lovely flowers and foliage. It is a peculiarly interesting study to find out which plants will flourish best in this dry climate, and in a soil which is anything but fertile. Mr. Han- bury and his clever gardeners have managed, by means of their widespread connections, to carry on a series of experiments with plants from all parts of the world. The surface of the garden covers about forty-nine acres. From the Cross of La Mortola on the Corniche road down to the rocks on the sea-coast, and from the old Roman road (Via Julia Augusta)1 up to the eastern slopes of the property, the ground is so diverse in character that a total description of the whole can hardly be given. On coming into the garden through the main entrance -gate 1 Made in the year 13 B.C. in order to establish good communication between Albingaunum (Albenga) and Nicaa (Nice). LA MORTOLA. 5 the Palazzo Orengo is seen forming a centre to the surrounding grounds, not that the path leading to it has been drawn with ruler and compass, but, on the contrary, following many windings, and through a manifold variety of plants. Everywhere the graceful golden flowers of the Acacia are seen ; these plants are Australian, and there are about seventy species in the garden, displaying a very different appearance within the sharply-defined general char- acteristics of the tribe of the numerous Acaciae. There are the graceful pinnate leaves of Acacia dealbata, the short phyllodes (reminding one of willows) of the Acacia cyanophylla, A. nemo- pkylla, and A. retinoides, or the linear leaves of A. calamifolia. Acacia Kangaroo (A. armatd) forms a contrast to these with its small curled phyllodes vertically inserted and soon falling off. The stipules are here represented by spines. Still more threatening are the shining ivory spines of A. horrida, Willdenow (A. Karroo, Hayne ; A. eburnea, Hort. Paris), and not less surprising the broad, thick leathery leaves of A. excelsa, having also their blades vertically placed. These stiff and thorny Acacias are, however, far surpassed by Colletia horrida and other menacing Rhamnaceae from Chili, Peru, and Mexico. Among the native bushes Caly- cotome spinosa, Link (Spartium, L. ; Cytisus, Lamarck), most resemble the above-mentioned shrubs. Among the flowering shrubs the great Polygala bushes are especially conspicuous — P. Dalmaisiana ; Diosma alba ; and Solanum Warszewiezii with its tree-like spreading branches ; the great-leaved Wigandia cara- casana ; a number of Salvias, among others, Salvia nigrescens ; S. camphorata, which has the smell of the camphor from Borneo rather than that of common camphor ; and 6". albo-cczrulea, with its scent of ripe fruit ; also Medicago arborea, L., a native of Tuscany and Naples ; Genista fer ox ; the white-blossomed Cytisus palmensis, from the Balearic Isles; Veronica salicifolia ; Teu- crium fruticans, L. Most noticeable, too, are the huge flower- heads of the Mexican Echium frutescens, like a gigantic specimen of our Echium vulgare, itself by no means a delicate plant. The gray densely -pubescent composite Pteronia incana (Asteroideae) unites the elegance of its yellow flower -heads with the most delicious scent of apricots. Here and there are slender blossom- ing sprays of the Buddleia species, of which we know nothing pre- judicial, though they belong to the poisonous natural order of the Loganiacecz, which yields the deadly strychnine. Walls and rocks 6 LA MORTOLA. are reddened by the showy three-leaved bracts of the Bougain- villea ; the flowers, however, are comparatively insignificant. The above-mentioned names can give but a faint idea of such surround- ings, among which rise countless groups, remarkable for their stately height, the curious formation of their abundant foliage, their thick fleshy leaves, or their green leafless stalks. At first sight the slender date-palms take precedence, but the proprietor has no particular predilection for palms, which, however, are further represented here by the short-stemmed Phoenix tennis, by Pritchardiafilifera, Cocos australis, C. botryophora, and C. flexuosa, Livistona, Chamczrops, etc. Phoenix dactylifera is to be met with in great numbers in the neighbourhood of Bordighera, while there is a choice collection of the most splendid palms in the garden of Monsieur Dognin at Cannes. The Coniferae in the garden of the Palazzo Orengo are also remarkable. The original specimens of Pinus halepensis, Miller, around the property have been carefully preserved, and the forest growth enriched by the planting of the stately Pinus Pinaster, Sol- ander, by P. canariensis, P. insignis, and others of the very long- leafed kinds. Among these are the stately forms of the Cupressiis sempervirens, L. The religious respect with which the ancient Persian regarded this tree in its Asiatic home accompanied the cypress to Italy. In the time of Aiigustus it was considered the tree of mourning, as it is still. (Compare Lajard, " Recherches sur le culte du Cypres pyramidal chez les peuples civilises de 1'anti- quite," 2 parts, et supplement. Paris, 1854. 4° avec2i planches.) Here also the cypresses remind us of a long-forgotten cemetery, and in the opinion of the inhabitants the name of the village, Mortola, means a place of burial. The Cupressus macrocarpa differs exceedingly in its manner of growth from the obelisk-like form of the oriental cypress ; the former spreads out its branches in a straight line far and wide over the low bushes of the Juniperus Oxycedrus, a small tree, however, nearly related to it. To the native specimens of this latter species there have been added a few specimens of the Syrian fanzfierus drupacea, Labillardiere. Cal- litris quadrivalvis, Ventenat (or Thuja articulata) thrives well here. It was familiar to the Romans by the name Citrus.^ On its scaly 1 Boxes made of its wood were used for preserving woollen clothes against moths, the wood possessing a well-marked aromatic scent. Hence the Romans applied in later times the same name of Citrus to the fruit of the modern Citrus Medica, on account of its smell resembling that of the said wood. THE CYPRESS AVENUE. LA MORTOLA. 7 bark may be found an abundance of pure white hardened tears of gum Sandarac, which flows freely as soon as an incision is made in a branch. There are also specimens of Araucaria Bidwillii, A. Cunninghamii, A. excelsa, and Cedrus Deodar a, Loudon, Taxodium sempervirens. The curious gray Casuarina would appear to be- long to this group, judging only by its outward appearance. There are several beautiful examples of this tree close by the entrance- gate. The newest intruders in this land, which has been cultivated for so many centuries, are the Eucalyptus trees ; of these there are many kinds in the garden. Naudin has lately given an account of the different species of Eucalyptus in the " Annales des Sciences naturelles," vol. xvi., Dec. 1883. Paris. — In 1869 Eucalyptus globidus, Labillardiere, was planted in this garden : it has now attained the height of 1 18 feet, and is 8 feet in girth at the height of about 1 8 inches from the ground. The different species of the genus Eucalyptus offer a great variety of scents. Eucalyptus pendula is most remarkable for its, according to the writer's opinion, extremely disagreeable odour ; the chemical nature of the essential oil which may be distilled from the leaves of this kind is at pre- sent unknown. Let us glance at the olive-trees still extant here and there ; at the groups of Bambusa, with their smooth shining stems, black or greenish white ; at the less ambitious Erianthus (or Saccharum) Ravenna, Saccharum Maddeni, Gynerium argenteum, Arundo Do- nax ; at the Cyperus Papyrus, L., — and we find we have named nearly all those plants which strike the beholder at first sight. Such groups presuppose damp ground, which is, however, achieved here only in certain parts of the garden, and by dint of much trouble. The large cisterns in the garden secure a little necessary supply of water for the summer months, which are often quite rainless. The yearly average of cloudless days is 214, with 40 rainy days between October and April. Of aquatic plants growing well in the ponds are the Azolla caroliniana, allied to the Salvinia, the Aponogeton distachyon (Naiadacese), the Calla (or Richardia) cethiopica, but still more thriving is the countless army of green frogs, Hyla arborea. Far more shrubs and trees than the above- mentioned, however, form the soft wave-like curves of the rich foli- age which, seen from the entrance-gate, mitigate the naturally rugged outlines of the landscape. It is hardly necessary to state LA MORTOLA. that the " Agrumi" are represented in the garden. In the part specially devoted to them there is a large yield of the most beautiful lemons. Besides the Bergamots and the Pomi d'Adamo there is the Citrus myrtifolia in full bloom (figured in Et. Michel, " Trait£ du Citronier," vii., Paris, 1816, tab. 4, Citrus Bigaradia sinensis). It is remarkable for its small sharp-edged leaves with numberless oil cells, which are particularly large towards the edge, for its large, pure white, sweet-scented blossoms, and especially for its fruit, only an inch and a half in diameter, called Chinotto. It is preserved by the Paris confectioners, and goes by the name of " Chinois." There is quite an array of shrubs, with stiff shining leaves, such as the Pittosporum eugenioides, P. Tobira, and other nearly allied species, Pimelea decussata, Coprosma Bauerianum (one of the New Zealand Rubiacae), Laurocerasus, Camellia sou- langiana, Osmanthus (Olea) fragrans, Buxus Balearica, Pistacia, Laurus nobilis, and Oreodaphne californica, the latter, termed Laurus regalis in Italian gardens, contains an oil, the effect of which upon the eyes and nose may be compared to that of an onion.1 New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania have contributed the curious groups of Proteacese, viz., Dryandra floribunda, Banksia marcescens, and other kinds : there are flourishing speci- mens of Grevillea, and of Hakea, and of the New Zealand flax Phormium tenax, all thriving well in the Antipodes of their native land. There, too, we are delighted with the soft green of the Aralia dactylifera, Strelitzia, and Musa, the rich leaves of the Acanthus, and the fresh green of the Styrax officinalis, with its pretty white blossoms shining out against the dark background of the Cupressus macrocarpa ; while everywhere we are charmed with the dainty forms and gay colours of the Cheiranthus mutabilis, a woody cru- cifera from the Canary Islands, of Diplopappus filifera, D.filifor- mis, Senecio prcecox, Cassine aculeata from Tasmania, and Shawia paniculata from New Zealand. The five last are hard woody composites, and present as curious an appearance to northern eyes as do the beautiful sturdy bushes of Malva capensis, or the yellow 1 " This fine evergreen and hardy tree is described by David Douglas as forming the greater part of the forests of California, where it marks the transition between the gloomy pine forests of North- West America and the tropical-like verdure of Cali- fornia. He further states that it is a tree 30 to 100 feet high, with a trunk 2 to 17 feet in circumference, smooth bark and spreading branches, and that the whole plant is so strongly aromatic that even during violent hurricanes he has been obliged to remove from under its shade, the odour, a most powerful camphor-like smell, being so pungent as to produce violent sneezing." — Bot. Mag.^ vol. Ixxxviii. pi. 5320. LA MORTOLA. 9 blossoms of the slender Nicotiana glaucay Graham, not inappropri- ately put among the genus Nicotidendron by Grisebach. Here and there appears the graceful little Erica barbata, while walls, rocks, and woodwork of all kinds are glorified with the light gold flowers of the lovely fragrant Rosa Banksia ; in some places too the walls are clothed with the thick foliage of the Ficus repens, bearing beautiful but uneatable fruit. Perhaps the most effective groups are those standing some- what aside from the direct path down to the Palazzo ; they have been arranged with great judgment, and it would be difficult to find such an array of curious and interesting species in any other place. Even in the distance we are attracted by the stately candelabra-like flowers of the Agaves, whose gigantic leaves take up the most room in these huge groups. Besides those generally grown we may mention especially A. ferox, A. Rumphii, A. Salmiana, A. yuccaefolia, and many others of massive size. Great numbers of the Aloe species strive with the Agaves for supremacy, and show even a much greater form of variety and colour, the strong stems of the Aloe arborescens, of A. Africana, and of A. ferox, contrasting with lower more graceful plants of Aloe Han- buryana, Baker, with its lovely coral-like blossoms ; several of the sorts cultivated here, as also the two first mentioned, furnish the drug Aloes. On making an incision in the leaves the bitter purplish yellow juice flows out pretty freely. The flourishing of Aloes speaks volumes for the climatic peculiarities of the Riviera, for most of them come from the steppes and savannahs of South and East Africa, where snow and ice are unknown things. The mighty leaves of the Agaves and Aloes leave room between for many varieties of curious Cacti, and for the still more wonderful Stapelias, whose remarkably regular flowers generally grow singly, in marked contrast to the Mesembryanthemumsy many branched and gay coloured, and covered with a charming number of flowers and leaves. Among the freely -growing Mesembryanthemums, which make such a beautiful covering for the shadeless rockwork, is seen emerging in contrast the cork -clothed rhizome of the Testudinaria (Tamus) elephantipes, a plant which may be found in most European greenhouses ; it comes from the Cape, as do also most of the kinds of Mesembryanthemum. Flourishing examples of Cycas, Yucca, Zamia, and Draccena appear in such groups, towered over by the stately Bonapartea juncea, a relation io LA MORTOLA. of the Ananas. There are the charming blossoms of the Amaryllidacea, Beschorneria yuccoides from Mexico, and of the Calendulaceae, belonging to the genus Othonna, all from the Cape except Othonna cheirifolia. From the Canary Isles there is the Kleinia neriifolia, with its strong growth and fresh green. Other South African kinds of these splendid Senecionidse — for instance Kleinia anteiiphorbia, with its cylindrical fleshy stems devoid of foliage — nearly agree in external appearance with those species of Euphorbia which have the leaves and stipules reduced to a pair of spines or scales. Thus with Kleinia anteiiphorbia there is to be classed Euphorbia rhipsaloides, whose cylindrical leafless stems differ more than the angular kinds from the herbaceous Euphorbias of Central Europe ; the widely-differing types of Euphorbise are consequently remarkably well represented in the garden of the Palazzo Orengo. Near the low -growing cactus -like Euphorbia caput Medusa rise vigorously two woody species which are provided with leafy blades — viz. Euphorbia mellifera and E. neriifolia, L. The latter is sacred in India to the serpent goddess Mansa. It is frequently planted by Hindoos, who still pray to the goddess and offer sacrifices under this tree for protection from serpents (Dymockt "The Vegetable Materia Medica of Western India," Bombay, 1884, p. 567). Both these kinds are surpassed in elegance by the native-growing E. dendroides, L., which, with its forked branches, presents the appearance of a beautifully arched umbel. This is one of the most remarkable plants on the west coast of Italy ; it grows to the height of 6^ feet, with a diameter near the ground of 2 inches. Euphorbia dendroides is not met with along the Adriatic, with the exception of Monte Gargano ; it makes its appearance, however, again in Greece. This charming plant was noticed by the ancients. Dioscorides distinguished it by the appellation SevSpoiSij? (" Materia Medica," ed. Ktihn, iv. 162), and Pliny called the foliage of the " Tithymalus dendroides," by far the richest of all the Euphorbias " comosissimum ex omnibus maxime" (" Naturalis Historia," xxvi. 45). All along the sunny coasts numberless bushes of E. dendroides, with their rich display of bright yellow blossoms, calling to mind the Sarothamnus, the common Broom, which blooms in early summer in Central Europe and in England. The deliciously honey-scented and low-growing E. spinosa also covers the rocks with its thick cushions ; it might be mistaken for a graceful small specimen of the E. dendroides, LA MORTOLA. n but the branching of the thin stems of E. spinosa is totally different. Altogether both these Euphorbias take a considerable share in clothing the dry hillsides and rocks of this part of the Italian coast. Near the Palazzo Orengo and on the Punta della Mortola the E. biglandulosa, Desfontaines, from South Italy and Sicily, grows in great profusion ; the seed of it was brought by Daniel Hanbiiry from Calabria in May 1872. This plant, like so many others in his brother's garden, is a continual reminder of that excellent man, whose early death is still so deeply lamented. But in order to complete the picture of those strange groups, formed with such unwearied care and labour, it is necessary to recollect the olive-trees, the various Acacias, Eucalyptus, the Casuarinas, picturesquely associated here with the numerous Cactus, Agaves, and Aloes. Otherwise, with regard to these latter kinds, the spectator would be transported in imagination to New Mexico, or to the parched Cape. A few steps farther we are led into a still grotto of considerable size, whose dripping water favours the growth of Cryptogams like Selaginellae, Jungermanniaceae, mosses, and ferns ; the greatest adornment of these unpretentious grottoes is perhaps the lovely maidenhair Adiantum Capillus Veneris. The foregoing paragraphs will show that the leading feature in the gardens of the Palazzo Orengo is not the cultivation of economic plants, although some of the lemon-trees and olives of an earlier period are still extant ; vineyard and vegetable garden have also a place apart for themselves. Nevertheless among the great variety of plants just mentioned a good sprinkling of remarkable economic plants may be found. Argania Sideroxylon, Romer et Schultes, the oil-tree of Morocco, has made but little progress here during eight years, although it attains to a great age in its native country. Its importance as an oil-yielding tree is not great ; a very small amount of oil is obtainable from the small kernel, and it is practically of no value to more civilised nations ; even its excellent wood is eclipsed by that of more rapidly-growing trees. (Figure of Argania, by Sir W. Hooker, in the " Journal of Botany and Kew Gardens Miscellany," vi., 1854, p. 97. For further particulars of this remarkable tree see Just's " Botanical Annual Report," Jahresbericht in German, 1879, p. 331, and 1880, p. 751.) The Brazil wood tree, Ccesalpinia echinata, Lamarck, is also represented here, but the few specimens have made inconsider- able progress during about eight years. Catha ed^ll^s, Forskal, 12 LA MORTOLA. belonging to the Celastraceae, has, on the contrary, flourished well ; the leaves of this bush are used in South Arabia and in Abyssinia instead of tea ; on gathering fresh leaves the writer was enabled to recognise and demonstrate the absence of caffeine, and the pre- sence of a minute quantity of some alkaloid. Carica Papaya, L., cultivated in tropical countries under the name "melon -tree," needs only to be mentioned to remind one of the property of its milky juice in making tough meat tender : it possesses also valuable medicinal qualities. The discussions concerning the native country of this " melon-tree" may be considered settled by the results of A. de Candolles learned investigation, " Origine des Plantes Cultivees," 1883, P- 234- According to this author, Carica Papaya is indigenous to the lands and islands of the Gulf of Mexico. Cinnamomum Camphor a, the camphor-tree of Japan and Formosa, was just beginning to open its insignificant blossoms in the end of April ; the strong smell of the leaves when rubbed proved the production of camphor even in this climate ; this plant is, however, no rarity in gardens throughout Italy. Cydonia sinensis, Thouin, was introduced into the south of Europe more than fifty years ago with great success : those in this garden pro- duce fruit of astonishing size. Drimys Winteri, Forster, of the natural order Magnoliacese, grows all over the greater part of South America, from the Straits of Magellan as far as Mexico ; this tree furnishes the bark known as Winter's bark, but it is now only of secondary pharmaceutical interest ; it was described by Clusius as early as 1582. Three plants (Myrtacese) much culti- vated in the tropics have just ripened their fruits — Jambosa vulgaris, De C. (Eugenia Jambosa, L.), Psidium Cattleyanum, and Psidium pomiferum. Although not of great size, about an inch and a quarter in diameter, these "guavas"have a very pleasant taste, free from the volatile oil in which other Myrtaceae so abound. Their taste is far more delicate than that of the " Japanese medlar," the yellow plum-like fruit of the Eriobotrya (Photinid) Japonica, Lindley. (Compare "Osterferien in Ligurien," Buchner's " Repertorium fiir Pharmacie," Miinchen, xxv. 1876, p. 24. English translation : " An Easter Holiday in Liguria," by Professor Fluckiger, privately printed, 1877. This fruit does not ripen even on the Riviera until after the end of April. The fruit dealers of North Italy send for the first " Nespole di Giap- pone " from Palermo — too great an honour for this very ordinary LA MORTOLA. 13 fruit. There are also some small plants of Fraxinus Ornus, the Manna-ash, reminding one of the interesting article written by Daniel H anbury ("Science Papers," London, 1876, p. 355) con- cerning the Manna of Sicily. Near the Illicium anisatum, the Star anise-tree of the Chinese, stands its Japanese relation, Illicium religiosum, Siebold ; the latter is just now in blossom ; both plants bear large thick leathery leaves of a light green colour, and very brittle ; those of Illicium anisatum, when held up to the light, show numerous oil cells, exhaling when bruised an aromatic taste and smell ; this is not the case with /. religiosum. The poisonous fruits of the latter made some sensation in London and elsewhere in Europe in 1880, when they were found mixed by chance with some of the true Star anise. The stiff small leaves of the Chilian Monimiacea, Boldoa fragrant. Gay (Illustration in Bentley and Trimen, " Medicinal Plants," iii., London, 1880, p. 2 1 7), also contain an abundance of oil cells filled with a strong- smelling volatile oil, to which the " Folia Boldo " have owed during the past twelve years their presumably ephemeral position among medicinal plants. There is at present growing here only a small specimen of Pilocarpus pennatifolius, Lemaire, one of the Brazilian Rutacese, which furnishes a really valuable remedy in its alkaloid " Pilocarpine ;" the plant seems to thrive so well, however, that it is to be hoped that it will make a permanent settlement here. (Illus- tration, Bentley and Trimen, " Medicinal Plants," i. p. 48 ; com- pare further, Flilckiger and H anbury, " Pharmacographia," 1879, p. 113.) Some few examples of the Cork Oak, Quercus Suber, are still too small to give one a proper conception of this important tree, but there are some promising specimens of the Ceratonia Siliqua, the St. John's bread-tree, of which magnificent specimens occur at Alassio and Monaco, and also of Quillaja Saponaria, Molina, whose bark is exported from Chili to Europe under the name of Panama wood, on account of its soap-like properties. It is used for washing stuffs ; with its small hard leaves, its five nearly free carpels, and its woody boat-shaped follicles, it presents an exceptional appear- ance among the Rosaceae. The Japanese wax -tree, Rhus sue- cedanea, L., develops a more delicate foliage than the kinds grown in Central Europe. Under this favourable sky the plant begins to bloom in the beginning of May, while some bunches of fruit still remain to show that the tree is undoubtedly the right one, being exactly like the fruit exhibited by the Japanese in the Paris 14 LA MORTOLA. Exhibition of 1878 as the material out of which their wax is made. (Compare Dupont, " Les essences forestieres du Japon," Paris, 1880, p. 90.) Schinopsis Lorentzii, Engler (Loxopterygium Lorentzii, Grisebach), belonging to the family of the Anacardiaceae, known in the Argentine Republic as the " Quebracho Colorado," reminds one of the Quebracho bianco, one of the Apocynacese, called Aspidosperma Quebracho, Schlechtendal, which is also a native of the Argentine Republic. This latter kind of " Que- bracho " excited some interest in medical circles, but the interest was shortlived, and the Quebracho wood represented in this garden by a young specimen of Schinopsis will owe its importance in the future probably more to its tannic matter than to any medicinal properties. The Mexican Solanum betaceum offers us quite an agreeable fruit ; the berries are large and yellow. The fruits of Visnea Mocanera, L., fil., from Teneriffe, have quite a reputa- tion among the aborigines in their own country ; the plant is other- wise interesting, from the fact that it is the only species of its genus and grows exclusively in the Canary Isles. It is for the moment impossible to demonstrate further that the Mocanera tree belongs to the Ternstromiaceee, as flowers and fruit are not yet forthcoming. There has already been noticed the gorgeous magnificence of the flowers, which reaches its culminating point at this time of the year in the thousands and thousands of roses. The dainty sprays of the Rosa Banksia cover the stonework of an ancient arch close to the Palazzo Orengo; its slender shoots and delicate wreaths hardly seem to rest on the masonry, but climb up and wave over it. Thus this exquisitely graceful arch leads into an open winding walk, originally arched over by vines, which stretches in a level line along the eastern side of the hill and finishes abruptly at a point where the rocks slope down from the village of Mortola into the bay beneath. The end of this walk forms a sort of terrace in the limestone rock, which is here somewhat less friable, and is adorned by the elegant bushes of Euphorbia dendroides. On the left the eye roams over the olive-trees of the Valle di Latte, rises to the wild rocks (" Karrenfelder ") of the Castello d'Appio, is at- tracted for a moment by the fortress of Ventimiglia, which is just now being gradually blown up by the orders of the Italian military authorities, who are anxious to preserve peace, and finds at last a resting-place in the level country around Bordighera. The latter terminates in the Capo Sant Ampeglio, an unspeakably-neglected LA MORTOLA. 15 but charmingly -situated promontory. Pergola is the technical term for those covered walks so justly popular in Italy : the natives have a patois name for it, Topia, which is equally charming and antique.1 The pillars, rebuilt in their original simplicity, sustain a rustic lattice-work of wood overhead, wreathed and festooned with the most exquisite blossoms and foliage ; between the pillars the visitor catches the most charming glimpses of the sea, of the gardens, and of the Palazzo Orengo, which is especially pleasing seen from this side. Stone steps lead us either upwards or down- wards out of the Topia to the stately old cypress walk, or among the newly-laid-out Acacia and Eucalyptus plantations, which are separated from the coast-line by the ancient Via Julia Augusta. In the Topia itself bloom roses of all the largest, most beautiful, and fragrant species ; together with a numerous company of gay creepers, climbing plants, and bushes. The white fallen blossoms of the Spircza Reevesii form a snowy covering, lighted up by the fiery or yellow reds of the Bignonia venusta, B. grandiflora, B. rosea, Tacsonia mollissima (seen and already described by Hum- boldt in Bogota), Tacsonia ignea, T. splendens, and T. tubulosa. Every known land has sent her offering of flowers or creepers to beautify the Topia. The charming Akebi of the Japanese, Akebia quinata, found by the late diligent explorer, Mr. Fortune, growing wild in the island of Chusan, attracts us by the delicious fragrance of its scent, and by the curious structure of its monoecious flowers. It belongs to the order Lardizabalaceae, out of the group Polycarpieae. In respect of fragrance it is perhaps excelled by another plant of the same natural order, namely, the Stauntonia latifoliay but it is a critical matter to decide about scents ; at all events the Stauntonia smells like the finest Neroli oil. Billardiera cirrhosa (Pittosporaceae)^from Australia, Clematis cirrhosa, and other species of the same genus, the Australian Har- denbergia rosea (Leguminosae), and Milhlenbeckia mtmmularifolia (Polygonacese), form the blossoming foundation to the Topia, covered by its different creepers. It is not always advisable to venture too far among the undergrowth ; the curious nearly leafless but extremely thorny Rubus Australis sometimes bars the way, and the pretty blossoming Loasa Wallichii, of the family of the Loa- sacese, nearly allied to the Passiflorse, hides worse dangers than 1 Topta, in Vitrumu? book on architecture, shortly B.C., means landscape painting ; and the topiarius of Cicero and Pliny was a professed gardener. 1 6 LA MORTOLA. even the nettles, in its stiff hairs and glands, which secrete an acrid fluid. Further adornment is given to the Topia by the bell-flowers of the Peruvian Polemoniaceae, Cantua dependens, and C. penduliflora, by Celastrus stylosa, Ipomea Learii, Lonicera Ledebouriiy many kinds of Passiflora, Quisqualis Indica (Com- bretacese), a plant whose seeds are well known in India for their quality as a vermifuge. A chemical investigation would be well worth making. The rose-covered entrance to the Topia stands close to the Palazzo, before which is an open space 193 feet above the sea- level, from whence a charming view above the rich foliage of the garden is enjoyed of the villages of Ciotti and Mortola with their picturesque churches ; and of the olive and pine (Pinus halepensis) covered heights of Belinda — 1837 feet high, — from which the water, after heavy rains, rushes down the wild gorge close beside the Palazzo into the bay on the east side of the Punta della Mortola. The modest old Palazzo of the Orengo family has been gradually added to by the present proprietor. The tower has been raised, a wing on either side of the house has been built, and an elegant white marble terrace on the south front. From the outside the building presents a most pleasing appearance ; from whichever side the house is viewed a distinctly new im- pression of it is gained, — a diversity which accords well with the wonderful variety of views obtainable from the Palazzo.1 Over the arch of the entrance -porch terra -cotta medallions by Tin worth of 1 The visit of Queen Victoria in 1882 is commemorated on a marble slab let into the wall over the glass door leading from the salon into the garden : it bears the follow- ing inscription : — HAG IN AULA SEDEBAT VICTORIA REGINA NOSTRA SERENISSIMA NOBISCUM URBANITATE REGALI COLLOQUEBATUR MAGNAQUE CUM ADMIRATIONE CIRCUMSPECTIBUS OMNIBUS GLORIAM UNA VOCE INCESSABILI ENARRANTIBUS DOMINI DEI CREATORIS PROSPECTUM PULCHERRIMUM MANU SUA PROPRIA DELINEAVIT XXV DIE MENSIS MARTII MDCCCLXXXII There have been many other royal and distinguished visitors, as, for instance, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, the late Duke of Albany, the Princess Beatrice, the ex- Empress Eugenie, the King and Queen of Saxony, Prince Ernest of Saxe-Coburg, the young Prince of Naples, H. E. Kuo Sung Tao, the first Chinese Minister accredited to England and France. The Chinese character "/*