Part 14

Since the expulsion of the English, the French have remained in undisturbed possession of Corsica. The English occupation lasted from 1794 to 1796.

The Corsicans look to the Government for the improvement of their island far more than to their own efforts, for they themselves are neither industrious nor enterprising. The roads, railways, bridges and other public works are constructed chiefly by Italian labourers. The women do the drudgery both in their homes and on the fields, carrying great loads on their heads, as the mules do on their backs; but bestow little labour on the cleanliness of their children and dwellings, and do not make good domestic servants. In many small towns women are the bread bakers and assistant butchers. The villages, excepting in Cape Corse, are untidy. The use of the bath is almost unknown to young and old, rich and poor.

The tendency to take summary vengeance, called vendetta, still exists in the villages; where the people having no social amusements, nothing to read, nor any other resource than cards during the winter nights, are apt to quarrel over trifles; which, fanned by their local petty jealousies, assisted often by the generous nature of their wine, ripen into deadly feuds.

The staple food of the majority of the inhabitants, as well as of the horses and mules, during a great part of the year, is the chestnut. For domestic purposes it is mostly ground, when it costs only about half the price of wheat flour, which is procured chiefly from Marseilles, Corsica itself producing very little. The ease with which the harvest of chestnuts is annually obtained tends to foster indolence and deaden enterprise among the peasantry. The one great danger to which the generous chestnut trees are exposed is a conflagration. Besides olives, pines, beeches and chestnuts, there are also important forests of evergreen oaks, the Quercus Ilex, called also the holm oak. It has abundance of dark-green ovate leaves, mostly prickly at the margin; the acorns are oblong on short stalks; the stem grows to the height of 80 ft.; the wood is dark-brown and hard, weighing 70 lbs. the cubic foot, while the same of the Quercus ruber or British oak weighs only 55 lbs., and the tree attains a vast age. The cork oak, Quercus suber, grows either singly among other trees or in groups, principally in the southern parts of the island. The bark is of little commercial importance.

The inhabitants do not assist nature. Their seed potatoes are of an inferior class, their fruit trees receive little attention, very few of the vineyards are carefully cultivated, and their sheep, goats and pigs are of poor breeds. Of late years many have taken to the growing of lemons and citrons; which in a good year yield a very handsome profit; but the harvest, through untimely frosts, is precarious. The headquarters of this culture is Cape Corse. The olive trees yield a more secure though less remunerative harvest. That terrible scourge the phylloxera has got among the vineyards, where it is committing its usual havoc.

The drives and pedestrian excursions about Corsica are superb, especially along the east side and up the centre by Sartene, Zicavo and Ghisoni (p. 27), and the road between Calvi and Ponte alla Leccia (p. 20). There are inns in all the large villages, though the only good and comfortable hotels are in Ajaccio.

Enterprising tourists wishing to explore the great forests and to scale the mountains should endeavour to procure letters of introduction from the chief forestal authorities at Ajaccio, Corte, Bastia or Calvi to the occupants of the Maisons Forestieres in the forests to be visited. Although the gardes forestieres are generally hospitable, they are afraid to follow their inclination without orders from their superiors. For each day in these houses 7 to 8 frs. should be given.

INDEX.

AGRICULTURE 41 Aitone forest 18, 23 Ajaccio 3 Bankers 3 Cab tariff 3 Cathedral 5 Climate 6 Curiosities 6 Drives 3 Episcopal chapel 3 Excursions 5 Fountains 6 Hotels 3 Library 5 Memorial chapel 5 Mission 3 Napoleon 4 Picture gallery 5 Pozzo di Borgo 4 St. Pancras 6 Sepulchral chapels 6 Steamers 2 Water-carriers 6 Ajaccio to Bastia 7 ---- to Corte 7 ---- to Sartene 23 ---- to Vico and Evisa 22 Albertacce 19 Albuccia point 28 Aleria 32 ---- to Corte 33 ---- to Puzzichello 33 Alesani 33, 35 Algajola 15 Amphibole 27 Apa 24 ---- to Zicavo 24 Appietto 22 Arcarotta col 33, 35 Asco 19, 20 Aullene 27

BALAGNA VALLEY 20 Balogna 23 Baracci baths 26 Barcaggio 14 Bastelica 24 Bastia 10 ---- to Calvi 14 ---- to Cap Corse 11 ---- rail to Aleria 34 Baths of Baracci 26 ---- of Caldaniccia 6 ---- of Guagno 23 ---- of Guitera 25 ---- of Orezza 34 ---- of Pietrapola 28, 32 ---- of Puzzichello 33 Bavella col 26, 31, 36 Belgodere 21 ---- to Olmi-Capella 21 ---- to Tartagine forest 21 Bettianella lake 9 Bevinco 10 Bianca bocca 22 Bicchisano 26 Biguglia lake 10 Bocca Melza 16 Bocognano 7 Bonifacio 30 Caves 31 Charles V. 30 Napoleon 30 Bonifacio to Bastia 31 Borgo 10 Botticella 14 Brando cave 10, 12 Brustico 35

CALACUCCIA 19 Calasima 19 Calcatoggio 17 Caldanella 17 Caldaniccia 6 Calenzana 22 Calenzana 15 Calvi 15 ---- to Ajaccio 16 ---- to Bastia 20 Campo 25 Cap Corse 11 Capella mount 27 Capronale col 16 Cargese 17 Cargiaca 27 Carrosaccia 6 Casabianca 34 Casabianda 32 Casamaccioli 19 Casamozza 34 Cassalabriva 26 Castagneto 33, 35 Castagniccia 35 Castellaccio col 16 Castello punta 24 Castiglione 20 Cauro 23 ---- to Bastelica 24 Celaccia col 26 Cervione 33, 35 Character 40 Chestnut trees 1, 41 Chidazzo 18 Cineraggia mount 21 bocca 22 Cinto mount 1, 19, 20 Climate 2 Coast lakes 10, 31, 32 Corona mount 19, 21 Corsican arms 38 ---- character 40 ---- dimensions 1 ---- patroness 38 Corscia 19 Corte 8 ---- to Aleria 8 ---- to Mt. Rotondo 8 Coscione mount 25 Cotone 33, 35 Cozzano 27 Cristinacce 17 Cuculla mount 18

DENTE CAPO 21 Diana lake 32 Dominicacci 24 Don Giovanni mount 27

ELSE VALLEY 24 Erbajo col 8, 16 Erbalunga 12 Ersa 14 Escutcheon 38 Evergreen oaks 41 Evisa 18, 23 ---- to Albertacce 18

FELCE 35 Feliceto 21, 22 Fium Orbo source 28 Folelli 33 ---- to Piedicroce 33 Francardo bridge 9, 20 Frasseto 24, 25

GALERIA 16 ---- to forests of Filosorma 16 Ghisonaccia 32 ---- to Ghisoni 29 Ghisoni 29 ---- to Ghisonaccia 29 Giraglia island 14 Golo source 19 Gozzi mount 22 Granace col 25 Grosso mount 21 Guagno baths 23 Guitera baths 25

HISTORY 37 Houses of shelter 41. See also under "Maison."

ILE ROUSSE 15 Incudine mount 25 Inzecca 29 Isolaccio 28

KYRIE ELEISON 28

LACCIOLA COL 17 La Piana 17 Larone col 26, 36 Lavatoggio 21 Leone coronato 30 Levie 26, 32, 37 Lonca valley 16 Lozzi 19 Lugo 8 Lugo di Nazza 32 Lumio 15 Luri 12

MACINAGGIO 13, 39 Maddalena isle 25 Maison Aitone 18 ---- Alza 36 ---- Arghiavara 36 ---- Ballatojo 36 ---- Bavella 36 ---- Canareccia 28 ---- Castellaccio 18 ---- Castelluccio 36 ---- Ghiraldino 28 ---- Marmano 28 ---- Ometa 16 ---- Popaja 19 ---- Rocchio-Pinzuto 36 ---- S. Antoine 28 ---- Sciattarina 18 ---- Scrivano 28 ---- Tagnone 18 ---- Zipitoli 24 Manganella col 9 Mariana 34 Marmano forest 28 Menta col 24 Moltifao 20 Moor's head 38 Morosaglia 35 Morsaglia 14 Mouflon 2 Muchieto 33, 35

NAPOLEON 4, 26, 30 Nelson 26 Nino lake 19 Niolo 19 Nonza 12, 14

OLIVESE 27 Olive trees 20 Olmeto 26 Olmi-Capella 21 Ometa ilex forest 16 Oninanda col 20 Orezza spa 34 Oro mount 1 Ortale 33, 35

PADRO MOUNT 1, 21 Padulella 33 Pagliorba mount 1 Palasca 22 Palneca 28 Pancheraccia 33 Paoli 39 Patron Saint 38 Pecorile 14 Perticato forest 16 Pertusato mount 31 Petrella col 19 Piano 34 Piedicroce 34, 9, 35 ---- to Prunete 35 Pietrapola baths 28, 32 Pines 7 Pino 12, 14 Pinus Laricio 7 Pinus Pinaster 7 Poggio di Nazza 32 Pont Diable 20 Pont du Golo 34 Ponte alla Leccia 9, 22 ---- to Calvi 20 ---- to Piedicroce 34 Ponteniello forest 24 Ponte Novo 9, 22 Popolasca 20 Porri 34 Porta 34 Porto 16 ---- to Evisa 18 ---- to Ponte Francardo 18 Portopollo 32 Porto-Vecchio 31 Prato col 35 Propriano 26 ---- to Solenzara 26 Prunelli source 28 Prunete 33, 35 ---- to Alesani 33

QUERCUS ILEX 41

RAPARA COL 28 Renoso mount 7, 24 Retto mount 19 Rogliano 13 Rotondo mount 1, 8

SAGONA 17, 23 ---- to Aitone forest 17 ---- to Vico 23 St. Antoine col 23 ---- Bernardino col 14 ---- Colombano col 22 ---- Devota 38 ---- Florent 14 ---- Georges col 24 ---- Gavino di Carbini 37 ---- Lucia di Tallano 26, 27, 32, 37 ---- Lucie col 12 ---- Maria Siche 24 ---- Nicolao 33 ---- Pietro mount 35 ---- Sebastien col 22 ---- Severa 12 Salario fountain 6 Sampiero 24, 38 Sartene 27 ---- to Bonifacio 30 ---- to Vivario 27 Scala di Santa Regina 10 Scozzolatojo col 29 Scrivano col 28 Sea-urchins 22 Sebastien col 17 Seneca's tower 12 Serra col 14 Serraggio 8, 33 Sevi col 17 Silvareccio 34 Solenzara 31 ---- to Sartene 36 ---- to Zonza 31 Sollacaro 26 Sorba col 29 Speloncato 21 Spelunca 18 Sposata 25 Stazzona 34 Steamers 2, 10, 11 Stretta 35

TACA FOREST 27 Tafonato mount 16, 18 Taravo source 28 Tartagine forest 21 Teghime col 14 Theodore Neuhoff 32 Torre all'Osse 12 Traunato mount 20 Treccio ilex forest 16

UCCIANI BRIDGE 7 Uomo di Cagna 30