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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
It was in the summer of the past year that I went over to the island of Corsica. Its unknown solitudes, and the strange stories I had heard of the country and its inhabitants, tempted me to make the excursion. But I had no intention of entangling myself so deeply in its impracticable labyrinths as I actually did. I fared like the heroes of the fairy-tales, who are allured by a wondrous bird into some mysterious forest, and follow it ever farther and farther into the beautiful wilderness. At last
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CHAP. I.—EARLIEST ACCOUNTS.
CHAP. I.—EARLIEST ACCOUNTS.
The oldest notices of Corsica we have, are to be found in the Greek and Roman historians and geographers. They do not furnish us with any precise information as to what races originally colonized the island, whether Phœnicians, Etruscans, or Ligurians. All these ancient races had been occupants of Corsica before the Carthaginians, the Phocæan Greeks, and the Romans planted their colonies upon it. The position of the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, in the great western basin of the Mediterranean
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CHAPTER II. THE GREEKS, ETRUSCANS, CARTHAGINIANS, AND ROMANS IN CORSICA.
CHAPTER II. THE GREEKS, ETRUSCANS, CARTHAGINIANS, AND ROMANS IN CORSICA.
The first historically accredited event in relation to Corsica, is that immigration of the fugitive Phocæans definitely mentioned by Herodotus. We know that these Asiatic Greeks had resolved rather to quit their native country, than submit to inevitable slavery under Cyrus, and that, after a solemn oath to the gods, they carried everything they possessed on board ship, and put out to sea. They first negotiated with the Chians for the cession of the Œnusian Islands, but without success; they then
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CHAPTER III. STATE OF THE ISLAND DURING THE ROMAN PERIOD.
CHAPTER III. STATE OF THE ISLAND DURING THE ROMAN PERIOD.
The nature of its interior prevents us from believing that the condition of the island was by any means so flourishing during the long periods of its subjection to the Romans, as some writers are disposed to assume. They contented themselves, as it appears, with the two colonies mentioned, and the establishment of some ports. The beautiful coast opposite Italy was the region mainly cultivated. They had only made a single road in Corsica. According to the Itinerary of Antonine, this Roman road le
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CHAPTER IV. COMMENCEMENT OF THE MEDIÆVAL PERIOD.
CHAPTER IV. COMMENCEMENT OF THE MEDIÆVAL PERIOD.
Corsica remained in the possession of the Romans, from whom in later times it received the Christian religion, till the fall of Rome made it once more a prey to the rovers by land and sea. Here, again, we have new inundations of various tribes, and a motley mixture of nations, languages, and customs, as in the earliest period. Germans, Byzantine Greeks, Moors, Romanized races appear successively in Corsica. But the Romanic stamp, impressed by the Romans and strengthened by bands of fugitive Ital
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CHAPTER V. FEUDALISM IN CORSICA—THE LEGISLATOR SAMBUCUCCIO.
CHAPTER V. FEUDALISM IN CORSICA—THE LEGISLATOR SAMBUCUCCIO.
For a long period the history of the Corsicans presents nothing but a bloody picture of the tyranny of the barons over the lower orders, and the quarrels of these nobles with each other. The coasts became desolate, the old cities of Aleria and Mariana were gradually forsaken; the inhabitants of the maritime districts fled from the Saracens higher up into the hills, where they built villages, strengthened by nature and art so as to resist the corsairs and the barons. In few countries can the feud
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CHAPTER VI. THE PISANS IN CORSICA.
CHAPTER VI. THE PISANS IN CORSICA.
The legislator Sambucuccio fared as many other legislators have done. His death was a sudden and severe blow to his enactments. The seigniors immediately issued from their castles, and spread war and discord over the land. The people, looking round for help, besought the Tuscan margrave Malaspina to rescue them, and placed themselves under his protection. Malaspina landed on the island with a body of troops, defeated the barons, and restored peace. This happened about the year 1020, and the Mala
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CHAPTER VII. PISA OR GENOA?—GIUDICE DELLA ROCCA.
CHAPTER VII. PISA OR GENOA?—GIUDICE DELLA ROCCA.
Corsica was now rent into factions. One section of the inhabitants inclined to Pisa, another to Genoa, many of the seigniors maintained an independent position, and the Terra del Commune kept itself apart. The Pisans, though hard pressed by their powerful foes in Italy, were still unwilling to give up Corsica. They made an islander of the old family of Cinarca, their Lieutenant and Giudice, and committed to him the defence of his country against Genoa. This man's name was Sinucello, and he becam
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CHAPTER VIII. COMMENCEMENT OF GENOESE SUPREMACY—CORSICAN COMMUNISTS.
CHAPTER VIII. COMMENCEMENT OF GENOESE SUPREMACY—CORSICAN COMMUNISTS.
Pisa made a formal surrender of the island to Genoa, and thirty years after the death of Giudice, the Terra del Commune, and the greater number of the seigniors submitted to the Genoese supremacy. The Terra sent four messengers to the Genoese Senate, and tendered its submission under the condition, that the Corsicans should pay no further tax than twenty soldi for each hearth. The Senate accepted the condition, and in 1348 the first Genoese governor landed in the island. It was Boccaneria, a man
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CHAPTER IX. STRUGGLES WITH GENOA—ARRIGO DELLA ROCCA.
CHAPTER IX. STRUGGLES WITH GENOA—ARRIGO DELLA ROCCA.
The people themselves, driven to desperation after the departure of Boccaneria, begged the assistance of Genoa. The republic accordingly sent Tridano della Torre to the island. He mastered the barons, and ruled seven full years vigorously and in peace. The second man of mark from the family of Cinarca or Rocca, now appears upon the stage, Arrigo della Rocca—young, energetic, impetuous, born to rule, as stubborn as Giudice, equally inexhaustible in resource and powerful in fight. His father, Gugl
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CHAPTER X. VINCENTELLO D'ISTRIA.
CHAPTER X. VINCENTELLO D'ISTRIA.
A man of a similar order began now to take the place of Arrigo della Rocca. Making their appearance constantly at similar political junctures, these bold Corsicans bear an astonishing resemblance to each other; they form an unbroken series of undaunted, indefatigable, even tragic heroes, from Giudice della Rocca, to Pasquale Paoli and Napoleon, and their history—if we except the last notable name—is identical in its general character and final issue, as the struggle of the island against the Gen
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CHAPTER XI. THE BANK OF ST. GEORGE OF GENOA.
CHAPTER XI. THE BANK OF ST. GEORGE OF GENOA.
After the death of Vincentello, the seigniors contended with each other for the title of Count of Corsica; Simon da Mare, Giudice d'Istria, Renuccio da Leca, Paolo della Rocca, were the chief competitors; now one, now another, assuming the designation. In Genoa, the Fregosi and Adorni had split the Republic into two factions; and both families were endeavouring to secure the possession of Corsica. This occasioned new wars and new miseries. No respite, no year of jubilee, ever came for this unhap
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CHAPTER XII. PATRIOTIC STRUGGLES—GIAMPOLO DA LECA—RENUCCIO DELLA ROCCA.
CHAPTER XII. PATRIOTIC STRUGGLES—GIAMPOLO DA LECA—RENUCCIO DELLA ROCCA.
Two bold men now again rise in succession to oppose Genoa. Giampolo da Leca had, as we have seen, become connected with the Fregosi. Although these nobles had resigned their title in favour of the Bank, they were exceedingly uneasy under the loss of influence they had sustained. Janus, accordingly, without leaving Genoa, incited his relative to revolt against the governor, Matias Fiesco. Giampolo rose. But beaten and hard pressed by the troops of the Bank, he saw himself compelled, after a vain
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CHAPTER XIII. STATE OF CORSICA UNDER THE BANK OF ST. GEORGE.
CHAPTER XIII. STATE OF CORSICA UNDER THE BANK OF ST. GEORGE.
With Giampolo and Renuccio ended the resistance of the Corsican seigniors. The noble families of the island decayed, their strong keeps fell into ruin, and at present we hardly distinguish here and there upon the rocks of Corsica the blackened walls of the castles of Cinarca, Istria, Leca, and Ornano. But Genoa, in crushing one dreaded foe, had raised against herself another far more formidable—the Corsican people. During this era of the iron rule of the Genoese Bank, many able men emigrated, an
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CHAPTER XIV. THE PATRIOT SAMPIERO.
CHAPTER XIV. THE PATRIOT SAMPIERO.
Sampiero was born in Bastelica, a spot lying above Ajaccio, in one of the wildest regions of the Corsican mountains, not of an ancient family, but of unknown parents. Guglielmo, grandson of Vinciguerra, has been named as his father; others say he was of the family of the Porri. Like other Corsican youths, Sampiero had betaken himself to the Continent, and foreign service, at an early age. We find him in the service of the Cardinal Hippolyto de Medici, among the Black Bands at Florence; and he wa
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CHAPTER XV. SAMPIERO—FRANCE AND CORSICA.
CHAPTER XV. SAMPIERO—FRANCE AND CORSICA.
Meanwhile the Turk was besieging Bonifazio with furious vigour, ravaging at the same time the entire surrounding country. Dragut was provoked by the heroic resistance of the inhabitants, who showed themselves worthy descendants of those earlier Bonifazians that so bravely held the town against Alfonso of Arragon. Night and day, despite of hunger and weariness, they manned the walls, successfully repelling all attacks, the women showing equal courage with the men. Sampiero came to the assistance
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CHAPTER XVI. SAMPIERO IN EXILE—HIS WIFE VANNINA.
CHAPTER XVI. SAMPIERO IN EXILE—HIS WIFE VANNINA.
It was now that Sampiero began to show himself in all his greatness; for the man must be admitted to be really great whom adversity does not bend, but who gathers double strength from misfortune. He had quitted Corsica as an outlaw. The peace had taken the sword out of his hand; the island, ravaged and desolate from end to end, could not venture a new struggle on its own resources—a new war needed fresh support from a foreign power. For four years Sampiero wandered over Europe seeking help at it
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CHAPTER XVII. RETURN OF SAMPIERO—STEPHEN DORIA.
CHAPTER XVII. RETURN OF SAMPIERO—STEPHEN DORIA.
Sampiero was coldly received at the French court; the courtiers whispered, avoided him, sneered at him from behind their virtuous mask. Sampiero was not the man to be dismayed by courtiers, nor was the court of Catherine de Medici a tribunal before which the fearful deed of one of the most remarkable men of his time could be tried. Catherine and Henry II. forgot that Sampiero had murdered his wife, but they would do no more for Corsica than willingly look on while it was freed by the exertions o
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CHAPTER XVIII. THE DEATH OF SAMPIERO.
CHAPTER XVIII. THE DEATH OF SAMPIERO.
Once more ambassadors set out for France, five in number; but the Genoese intercepted them off the coast. Three leapt into the sea to save themselves by swimming, one of whom was drowned; the two who were captured were first put to the torture, and then executed. The war assumed the frightful character of a merciless Vendetta on both sides. Doria, however, effected nothing. Sampiero defeated him again and again; and at last, in the passes of Luminanda, almost annihilated the Genoese forces. It r
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CHAPTER XIX. SAMPIERO'S SON, ALFONSO—TREATY WITH GENOA.
CHAPTER XIX. SAMPIERO'S SON, ALFONSO—TREATY WITH GENOA.
At the news of Sampiero's fall, the bells were rung in Genoa, and the city was illuminated. The murderers quarrelled disgracefully over their Judas-hire; that of Vittolo amounted to one hundred and fifty gold scudi. Sorrow and dismay fell upon the Corsican nation; its father was slain. The people assembled in Orezza; three thousand armed men, many weeping, all profoundly sad, filled the square before the church. Leonardo of Casanova, Sampiero's friend and fellow-soldier, broke the silence. He wa
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CHAPTER I. STATE OF CORSICA IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY—A GREEK COLONY ESTABLISHED ON THE ISLAND.
CHAPTER I. STATE OF CORSICA IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY—A GREEK COLONY ESTABLISHED ON THE ISLAND.
It was not till the close of the war of Sampiero that the wretched condition of the island became fully apparent. It had become a mere desert, and the people, decimated by the war, and by voluntary or compulsory emigration, were plunged in utter destitution and savagery. To make the cup of their sorrows full, the plague several times visited the country, and famine compelled the inhabitants to live on acorns and roots. Besides all this, the corsairs roved along the coasts, plundered the villages
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CHAPTER II. INSURRECTION AGAINST GENOA.
CHAPTER II. INSURRECTION AGAINST GENOA.
For half a century the island lay in a state of exhaustion—the hatred of Genoa continuing to be fostered by general and individual distress, and at length absorbing into itself every other sentiment. The people lived upon their hatred; their hatred alone prevented their utter ruin. Many circumstances had been meanwhile combining to bring the profound discontent to open revolt. It appeared to the sagacious Dodici—for this body still existed, at least in form—that a main source of the miseries of
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CHAPTER III. SUCCESSES AGAINST GENOA, AND GERMAN MERCENARIES—PEACE CONCLUDED.
CHAPTER III. SUCCESSES AGAINST GENOA, AND GERMAN MERCENARIES—PEACE CONCLUDED.
The canon Orticoni had been sent to the Continent to seek the protection of the foreign powers, and Giafferi to Tuscany to procure arms and ammunition, which were much needed; and meanwhile the truce had expired. Genoa, refusing all concessions, demanded unconditional submission, and the persons of the two leaders of the revolt; but when the war was found to break out simultaneously all over the island, and the Corsicans had taken numbers of strong places, and formed the sieges of Bastia, of Aja
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CHAPTER IV. RECOMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES—DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE—DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTION OF COSTA.
CHAPTER IV. RECOMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES—DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE—DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTION OF COSTA.
The imperial ratification was daily expected; but before it arrived, the Genoese Senate allowed the exasperation of defeat and the desire of revenge to hurry it into an action which could not fail to provoke the Corsican people to new revolt. Ceccaldi, Giafferi, the Abbé Aitelli, and Rafaelli, the leaders of the Corsicans who had signed the treaty in the name of their nation, were suddenly seized, and dragged off to Genoa, under the pretext of their entertaining treasonable designs against the s
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CHAPTER V. BARON THEODORE VON NEUHOFF.
CHAPTER V. BARON THEODORE VON NEUHOFF.
Early in the morning of the 12th of March 1736, a vessel under British colours was seen steering towards Aleria. The people who crowded to the shore greeted it with shouts of joy; they supposed it was laden with arms and ammunition. The vessel cast anchor; and soon afterwards, some of the principal men of the island went on board, to wait on a certain mysterious stranger whom she had brought. This stranger was of kingly appearance, of stately and commanding demeanour, and theatrically dressed. H
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CHAPTER VI. THEODORE I., KING OF CORSICA.
CHAPTER VI. THEODORE I., KING OF CORSICA.
Now in possession of the kingly title, Theodore wished to see himself surrounded by a kingly court, and was, therefore, not sparing in his distribution of dignities. He named Don Luis Giafferi and Hyacinth Paoli his prime ministers, and invested them with the title of Count. Xaverius Matra became a marquis, and grand-marshal of the palace; Giacomo Castagnetta, count and commandant of Rostino; Arrighi, count and inspector-general of the troops. He gave others the titles of barons, margraves, lieu
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CHAPTER VII. GENOA IN DIFFICULTIES—AIDED BY FRANCE—THEODORE EXPELLED HIS KINGDOM.
CHAPTER VII. GENOA IN DIFFICULTIES—AIDED BY FRANCE—THEODORE EXPELLED HIS KINGDOM.
The Corsicans did not believe in the return of their king, nor in the help he promised to send them. Under the pressure of severe necessity, the poor people, intoxicated with their passion for liberty, had gone so far as even to expose themselves to the ridicule which could not fail to attach to the kingship of an adventurer. In their despair they had caught at a phantom, at a straw, for rescue; what would they not have done out of hatred to Genoa, and love of freedom? Now, however, they saw the
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CHAPTER VIII. THE FRENCH REDUCE CORSICA—NEW INSURRECTION—THE PATRIOT GAFFORI.
CHAPTER VIII. THE FRENCH REDUCE CORSICA—NEW INSURRECTION—THE PATRIOT GAFFORI.
In the end of October, the expected decisive document arrived from Versailles in the form of an edict issued by the Doge and Senate of Genoa, and signed by the Emperor and the French king. The edict contained a few concessions, and the express command to lay down arms and submit to Genoa. Boissieux gave the Corsicans fifteen days to comply with this. They immediately assembled in the convent of Orezza to deliberate, and to rouse the nation; and they declared in a manifesto—"We shall not lose cou
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CHAPTER IX. PASQUALE PAOLI.
CHAPTER IX. PASQUALE PAOLI.
Pasquale Paoli was the youngest son of Hyacinth. His father had taken him at the age of fourteen to Naples, when he went there to live in exile. The unusual abilities of the boy already promised a man likely to be of service to his country. His highly cultivated father had him educated with great care, and procured him the instructions of the most celebrated men of the city. Naples was at that time, and throughout the whole of the eighteenth century, in a remarkable degree, the focus of that gre
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CHAPTER X. PAOLI'S LEGISLATION.
CHAPTER X. PAOLI'S LEGISLATION.
Pasquale Paoli, in giving form to the Corsican Republic, proceeded on the simple principle that the people are the alone source of authority and law, and that the whole design of the latter is to effect and preserve the people's welfare. His idea as to the government was that it should form a kind of national jury, subdivided into as many branches as there were branches of the administration, and that the entire system ought to resemble an edifice of crystal, in which all could see what was goin
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CHAPTER XI. CORSICA UNDER PAOLI—TRAFFIC IN NATIONS—VICTORIES OVER THE FRENCH.
CHAPTER XI. CORSICA UNDER PAOLI—TRAFFIC IN NATIONS—VICTORIES OVER THE FRENCH.
All the thoughts and wishes of the Corsican people were thus directed towards a common aim. The spirit of the nation was vigorous and buoyant; ennobled by the purest love of country, by a bravery that had become hereditary, by the sound simplicity of the constitution, which was no artificial product of foreign and borrowed theorizings, but the fruit of sacred, native tradition. The great citizen, Pasquale Paoli, was the father of his country. Wherever he showed himself, he was met by the love an
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CHAPTER XII. THE DYING STRUGGLE.
CHAPTER XII. THE DYING STRUGGLE.
The sympathy for the Corsicans had now become livelier than ever. In England especially, public opinion spoke loudly for the oppressed nation, and called upon the Government to interfere against such shameless and despotic exercise of power on the part of France. It was said Lord Chatham really entertained the idea of intimating England's decided disapproval of the French policy. Certainly the eyes of the Corsicans turned anxiously towards the free and constitutional Great Britain; they hoped th
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CHAPTER I.—ARRIVAL IN CORSICA.
CHAPTER I.—ARRIVAL IN CORSICA.
Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch' entrate. — Dante. The voyage across to Corsica from Leghorn is very beautiful, and more interesting than that from Leghorn to Genoa. We have the picturesque islands of the Tuscan Channel constantly in view. Behind us lies the Continent, Leghorn with its forest of masts at the foot of Monte Nero; before us the lonely ruined tower of Meloria, the little island-cliff, near which the Pisans under Ugolino suffered that defeat from the Genoese, which annihilated them as
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CHAPTER II. THE CITY OF BASTIA.
CHAPTER II. THE CITY OF BASTIA.
The situation of Bastia, though not one of the very finest, takes one by surprise. The town lies like an amphitheatre round the little harbour; the sea here does not form a gulf, but only a landing-place—a cala . A huge black rock bars the right side of the harbour, called by the people Leone, from its resemblance to a lion. Above it stands the gloomy Genoese fort, called the Donjon. To the left, the quay runs out in a mole, at the extremity of which is a little lighthouse. The town ascends in t
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CHAPTER III. ENVIRONS OF BASTIA.
CHAPTER III. ENVIRONS OF BASTIA.
How beautiful the walks are here in the morning, or at moon-rise! A few steps and you are by the sea, or among the hills, and there or here, you are rid of the world, and deep in the refreshing solitude of nature. Dense olive-groves fringe some parts of the shore. I often lay among these, beside a little retired tomb, with a Moorish cupola, the burial-vault of some family, and looked out upon the sea, and the three islands on its farthest verge. It was a spot of delicious calm; the air was so su
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CHAPTER IV. FRANCESCO MARMOCCHI OF FLORENCE—THE GEOLOGY OF CORSICA.
CHAPTER IV. FRANCESCO MARMOCCHI OF FLORENCE—THE GEOLOGY OF CORSICA.
Hic sola hæc duo sunt, exul, et exilium .— Seneca in Corsica . Προσκυνοῦντες τὴν εἱμαρμένην σοφοὶ .— Æschyl. Prom. I was told in a bookseller's shop into which I had gone in search of a Geography of the island, that there was one then in the press, and that its author was Francesco Marmocchi, a banished Florentine. I immediately sought this gentleman out, and made in him one of the most valuable of all my Italian acquaintances. I found a man of prepossessing exterior, considerably above thirty,
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CHAPTER V. A SECOND LESSON, THE VEGETATION OF CORSICA.
CHAPTER V. A SECOND LESSON, THE VEGETATION OF CORSICA.
It was an instructive lesson that Francesco Marmocchi, quondam professor of natural history, quondam minister of Tuscany, now Fuoruscito, and poor solitary student, gave me, that rosiest of all morning hours as we stood high up on the green Mount Cardo, the fair Mediterranean extended at our feet, exactly of such a colour as Dante has described: color del Oriental zaffiro . "See," said Marmocchi, "where the blue outline shows itself, yonder is the beautiful Toscana." Ah, I see Toscana well; plai
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CHAPTER VI. LEARNED MEN.
CHAPTER VI. LEARNED MEN.
If we reflect on the number of great men that Corsica has produced within the space of scarcely a hundred years, we cannot but be astonished that an island so small, and so thinly populated, is yet so rich in extraordinary minds. Its statesmen and generals are of European note; and if it has not been so fruitful in scientific talent, this is a consequence of its nature as an island, and of its iron history. But even scientific talent of no mean grade has of late years been active in Corsica, and
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CHAPTER VII. CORSICAN STATISTICS—RELATION OF CORSICA TO FRANCE.
CHAPTER VII. CORSICAN STATISTICS—RELATION OF CORSICA TO FRANCE.
In the Bastian Journal for July 16, 1852, I found the statistics of Corsica according to calculations made in 1851, and shall here communicate them. Inhabitants The population of the several arrondissements, five in number, was as follows:—In the arrondissement of Ajaccio, 55,008; Bastia, 20,288; Calvi, 24,390; Corte, 56,830; Sartene, 29,735. [B] Corsica is divided into sixty-one cantons, 355 communes; contains 30,438 houses, and 50,985 households. 236,187 of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics,
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CHAPTER VIII. BRACCIAMOZZO, THE BANDIT.
CHAPTER VIII. BRACCIAMOZZO, THE BANDIT.
"Che bello onor s'acquista in far Vendetta." — Dante. The second day after my arrival in Bastia, I was awakened during the night by an appalling noise in my locanda, in the street of the Jesuits. It was as if the Lapithæ and Centaurs had got together by the ears. I spring to the door, and witness, in the salle-à-manger , the following scene:—Mine host infuriated and vociferating at the pitch of his voice—his firelock levelled at a man who lies before him on his knees, other people vociferating,
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CHAPTER IX. THE VENDETTA, OR REVENGE TO THE DEATH.
CHAPTER IX. THE VENDETTA, OR REVENGE TO THE DEATH.
"Eterna faremo Vendetta." — Corsican Ballad. The origin of the bandit life is to be sought almost exclusively in the ancient custom of the Vendetta, that is, of exacting blood for blood. Almost all writers on this subject, whom I have read, state that the Vendetta began to be practised in the times when Genoese justice was venal, or favoured murder. Without doubt, the constant wars, and defective administration of justice greatly contributed to the evil, and allowed the barbarous custom to becom
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CHAPTER X. BANDIT LIFE.
CHAPTER X. BANDIT LIFE.
"On! on! These are his footsteps plainly; Trust the dumb lead of the betraying track! For as the bloodhounds trace the wounded deer, So we, by his sweat and blood, do scent him out." Æschyl. Eumen. How the Corsican may be compelled to live as bandit, may be suddenly hurled from his peaceable home, and the quiet of civic life, into the mountain fastnesses, to wander henceforth with the ban of outlawry on him, will be clear from what we have seen of the Vendetta. The Corsican bandit is not, like t
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CHAPTER I. SOUTHERN PART OF CAPE CORSO.
CHAPTER I. SOUTHERN PART OF CAPE CORSO.
Cape Corso is the long narrow peninsula which Corsica throws out to the north. It is traversed by a rugged mountain range, called the Serra, the highest summits of which, Monte Alticcione and Monte Stello, reach an altitude of more than 5000 feet. Rich and beautiful valleys run down on both sides to the sea. I had heard a great deal of the beauty of the valleys of this region, of their fertility in wine and oranges, and of the gentle manners of their inhabitants, so that I began my wanderings in
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CHAPTER II. FROM BRANDO TO LURI.
CHAPTER II. FROM BRANDO TO LURI.
"Say, whither rov'st thou lonely through the hills, A stranger in the region?"— Odyssey. I now descended to Erba Lunga, an animated little coast village, which sends fishing-boats daily to Bastia. The oppressive heat compelled me to rest here for some hours. This was once the seat of the most powerful seigniors of Cape Corso, and above Erba Lunga stands the old castle of the Signori dei Gentili. The Gentili, with the Seigniors da Mare, were masters of the Cape. The neighbouring island of Capraja
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CHAPTER III. PINO.
CHAPTER III. PINO.
A good road leads upwards from the marina of Luri. You move in one continual garden—in an atmosphere of balsamic fragrance. Cottages approaching the elegant style of Italian villas indicate wealth. How happy must the people be here, if their own passions deal as gently with them as the elements. A man who was dressing his vineyard saw me passing along, and beckoned me to come in, and I needed no second bidding. Here is the place for swinging the thyrsus-staff; no grape disease here—everywhere lu
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CHAPTER IV. THE TOWER OF SENECA.
CHAPTER IV. THE TOWER OF SENECA.
"Melius latebam procul ab invidiæ malis Remotus inter Corsici rupes maris." Roman Tragedy of Octavia. The Tower of Seneca can be seen at sea, and from a distance of many miles. It stands on a gigantic, quite naked mass of granite, which rises isolated from the mountain-ridge, and bears on its summit the black weather-beaten pile. The ruin consists of a single round tower—lonely and melancholy it stands there, hung with hovering mists, all around bleak heath-covered hills, the sea on both sides d
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CHAPTER V. SENECA MORALE.
CHAPTER V. SENECA MORALE.
——"e vidi Orfeo Tullio, e Livio, e Seneca morale." — Dante. Fair fruits grew for Seneca in his exile; and perhaps he owed some of his exalted philosophy rather to his Corsican solitude than to the teachings of an Attalus or a Socio. In the Letter of Consolation to his mother, he writes thus at the close:—You must believe me happy and cheerful, as when in prosperity. That is true prosperity when the mind devotes itself to its pursuits without disturbing thoughts, and, now pleasing itself with lig
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CHAPTER VI. SENECA BIRBONE.
CHAPTER VI. SENECA BIRBONE.
"Magni pectoris est inter secunda moderatio." — Seneca. Here is a second Letter of Consolation, which Seneca wrote in the second or third year of his Corsican exile, to Polybius, the freedman of Claudius, a courtier of the ordinary stamp. Polybius served the over-learned Claudius as literary adviser, and tormented himself with a Latin translation of Homer and a Greek one of Virgil. The loss of his talented brother occasioned Seneca's consolatory epistle to the courtier. He wrote the treatise wit
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CHAPTER VII. SENECA EROE.
CHAPTER VII. SENECA EROE.
"Alto morire ogni misfatto amenda." — Alfieri. Pasquino Seneca now transforms himself in a twinkling into the dignified moralist; he writes his treatise "Concerning Clemency, to the Emperor Nero"—a pleasantly contradictory title, Nero and clemency. It is well enough known, however, that the young Emperor, like all his predecessors, governed without cruelty during the first years of his reign. This work of Seneca's is of high merit, wise, and full of noble sentiment. Nero loaded his teacher with
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CHAPTER VIII. THOUGHTS OF A BRIDE.
CHAPTER VIII. THOUGHTS OF A BRIDE.
"The wedding-day is near, when thou must wear Fair garments, and fair gifts present to all The youths that lead thee home; for of such things The rumour travels far, and brings us honour, Cheering thy father's heart, and loving mother's."— Odyssey. Every valley or pieve of Cape Corso has its marina, its little port, and anything more lonely and sequestered than these hamlets on the quiet shore, it would be difficult to find. It was sultry noon when I reached the strand of Luri, the hour when Pan
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CHAPTER IX. CORSICAN SUPERSTITIONS.
CHAPTER IX. CORSICAN SUPERSTITIONS.
In the meantime, voices from the shore had announced the arrival of the boatmen; I therefore took my leave of the pretty Benvenuta, wished her all sorts of pleasant things, and stepped into the boat. We kept always as close as possible in shore. At Porticcioli, a little town with a Dogana, we ran in to have the names of our four passengers registered. A few sailing vessels were anchored here. The ripe figs on the trees, and the beautiful grapes in the gardens, tempted us; we had half a vineyard
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CHAPTER I. VESCOVATO AND THE CORSICAN HISTORIANS.
CHAPTER I. VESCOVATO AND THE CORSICAN HISTORIANS.
Some miles to the southwards of Bastia, on the heights of the east coast, lies Vescovato, a spot celebrated in Corsican history. Leaving the coast-road at the tower of Buttafuoco, you turn upwards into the hills, the way leading through magnificent forests of chestnuts, which cover the heights on every side. The general name for this beautiful little district is Casinca; and the region round Vescovato is honoured with the special appellation of Castagniccia, or the land of chestnuts. I was curio
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CHAPTER II. ROUSSEAU AND THE CORSICANS.
CHAPTER II. ROUSSEAU AND THE CORSICANS.
I did not neglect to visit the house of Count Matteo Buttafuoco, which was at one time to have been the domicile of Rousseau. It is a structure of considerable pretensions, the stateliest in Vescovato. Part of it is at present occupied by Marshal Sebastiani, whose family belongs to the neighbouring village of Porta. This Count Buttafuoco is the same man against whom Napoleon wrote an energetic pamphlet, when a fiery young democrat in Ajaccio. The Count was an officer in the French army when he i
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CHAPTER III. THE MORESCA—ARMED DANCE OF THE CORSICANS.
CHAPTER III. THE MORESCA—ARMED DANCE OF THE CORSICANS.
The Corsicans, like other brave peoples of fiery and imaginative temperament, have a war-dance, called the Moresca. Its origin is matter of dispute—some asserting it to be Moorish and others Greek. The Greeks called these dances of warlike youths, armed with sword and shield, Pyrrhic dances; and ascribed their invention to Minerva, and Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles. It is uncertain how they spread themselves over the more western countries; but, ever since the struggles of the Christians and Moor
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CHAPTER IV. JOACHIM MURAT.
CHAPTER IV. JOACHIM MURAT.
"Espada nunca vencida! Esfuerço de esfuerço estava." — Romanza Durandarte. There is still a third very remarkable house in Vescovato—the house of the Ceccaldi family, from which two illustrious Corsicans have sprung; the historian already mentioned, and the brave General Andrew Colonna Ceccaldi, in his day one of the leading patriots of Corsica, and Triumvir along with Giafferi and Hyacinth Paoli. But the house has other associations of still greater interest. It is the house of General Francesc
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CHAPTER V. VENZOLASCA—CASABIANCA—THE OLD CLOISTER.
CHAPTER V. VENZOLASCA—CASABIANCA—THE OLD CLOISTER.
"Que todo se passa en flores Mis amores, Que todo se passa en flores." — Spanish Song. Near Vescovato lies the little hamlet of Venzolasca. It is a walk as if through paradise, over the hills to it through the chestnut-groves. On my way I passed the forsaken Capuchin convent of Vescovato. Lying on a beautifully-wooded height, built of brown granite, and roofed with black slate, it looked as grave and austere as Corsican history itself, and had a singularly quaint and picturesque effect amid the
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CHAPTER VI. HOSPITALITY AND FAMILY LIFE IN ORETO—THE CORSICAN ANTIGONE.
CHAPTER VI. HOSPITALITY AND FAMILY LIFE IN ORETO—THE CORSICAN ANTIGONE.
"To Jove belong the stranger and the hungry, And though the gift be small, it cheers the heart."— Odyssey. An up-hill walk of two hours between fruit-gardens, the walls of which the beautiful wreaths of the clematis garlanded all the way along, and then through groves of chestnuts, brought me to Oreto. The name is derived from the Greek oros, which means mountain ; the place lies high and picturesque, on the summit of a green hill. A huge block of granite rears its gray head from the very centre
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THE CORSICAN ANTIGONE.
THE CORSICAN ANTIGONE.
It was about the end of the year 1768. The French had occupied Oletta, a considerable village in the district of Nebbio. As from the nature of its situation it was a post of the highest importance, Paoli put himself in secret communication with the inhabitants, and formed a plan for surprising the French garrison and making them prisoners. They were fifteen hundred in number, and commanded by the Marquis of Arcambal. But the French were upon their guard; they proclaimed martial law in Oletta, an
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CHAPTER VII. A RIDE THROUGH THE DISTRICT OF OREZZA TO MOROSAGLIA.
CHAPTER VII. A RIDE THROUGH THE DISTRICT OF OREZZA TO MOROSAGLIA.
I wished to go from Oreto to Morosaglia, Paoli's native place, through Orezza. Marcantonio had promised to accompany me, and to provide good horses. He accordingly awoke me early in the morning, and made ready to go. He had put on his best clothes, wore a velvet jacket, and had shaved himself very smoothly. The women fortified us for the journey with a good breakfast, and we mounted our little Corsican horses, and rode proudly forth. It makes my heart glad yet to think of that Sunday morning, an
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CHAPTER VIII. PASQUALE PAOLI.
CHAPTER VIII. PASQUALE PAOLI.
"Il cittadin non la città son io." — Alfieri's Timoleon . After Pasquale Paoli and his brother Clemens, with their companions, had left Corsica, the French easily made themselves masters of the whole island. Only a few straggling guerilla bands protracted the struggle a while longer among the mountains. Among these, one noble patriot especially deserves the love and admiration of future times—the poor parish priest of Guagno—Domenico Leca, of the old family of Giampolo. He had sworn upon the Gos
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CHAPTER IX. PAOLI'S BIRTHPLACE.
CHAPTER IX. PAOLI'S BIRTHPLACE.
It was late when I reached Rostino, or Morosaglia. Under this name is understood, not a single paese, but a number of villages scattered among the rude, stern hills. I found my way with difficulty through these little neighbour hamlets to the convent of Morosaglia, climbing rough paths over rocks, and again descending under gigantic chestnuts. A locanda stands opposite the convent, a rare phenomenon in the country districts of Corsica. I found there a lively and intelligent young man, who inform
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CHAPTER X. CLEMENS PAOLI.
CHAPTER X. CLEMENS PAOLI.
"Blessed be the Lord my strength, who teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight."—Psalm cxliv. The convent of Morosaglia is perhaps the most venerable monument of Corsican history. The hoary structure as it stands there, brown and gloomy, with the tall, frowning pile of its campanile by its side, seems itself a tradition in stone. It was formerly a Franciscan cloister. Here, frequently, the Corsican parliaments were held. Here Pasquale had his rooms, his bureaus, and often, during the su
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CHAPTER XI. THE OLD HERMIT.
CHAPTER XI. THE OLD HERMIT.
I had heard in Stretta that a countryman of mine was living there, a Prussian—a strange old man, lame, and obliged to use crutches. The townspeople had also informed him of my arrival. Just as I was leaving the chamber in which Clemens Paoli had died, lost in meditation on the character of this God-fearing old hero, my lame countryman came hopping up to me, and shook hands with me in the honest and hearty German style. I had breakfast set for us; we sat down, and I listened for several hours to
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CHAPTER XII. THE BATTLE-FIELD OF PONTE NUOVO.
CHAPTER XII. THE BATTLE-FIELD OF PONTE NUOVO.
"Gallia vicisti! profuso turpiter auro Armis pauca, dolo plurima, jure nihil!" — The Corsicans. I left Morosaglia before Ave Maria, to descend the hills to Ponte Nuovo. Near the battle-field is the post-house of Ponte alla Leccia, where the Diligence from Bastia arrives after midnight, and with it I intended to return to Bastia. The evening was beautiful and clear—the stillness of the mountain solitude stimulated thought. The twilight is here very short. Hardly is Ave Maria over when the night c
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CONSTABLE'S MISCELLANY OF FOREIGN LITERATURE.
CONSTABLE'S MISCELLANY OF FOREIGN LITERATURE.
For our supply of the comforts and luxuries of life, we lay the world under contribution: fresh from every quarter of the globe we draw a portion of its yearly produce. The field of literature is well-nigh as broad as that of commerce; as rich and varied in its annual fruits; and, if gleaned carefully, might furnish to our higher tastes as large an annual ministry of enjoyment. Believing that a sufficient demand exists to warrant the enterprise, Thomas Constable & Co. propose to present
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Constable's Miscellany of Foreign Literature.
Constable's Miscellany of Foreign Literature.
Already published, Vol. I., price 3s. 6d., HUNGARIAN SKETCHES IN PEACE AND WAR. By Moritz Jokai . "Jokai is a highly popular Hungarian author, and this is the finest specimen of his works that has appeared in English."— Athenæum. "Most vivid and truthful descriptions of Hungarian life."— Leader. "The Chef d'œuvre of one of the most popular writers of fiction in Hungary. The volume contains delineations of Hungarian life among the middle class, nobility, and even the Hungarian peasant, who is no
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CHAPTER I.—TO ISOLA ROSSA THROUGH NEBBIO.
CHAPTER I.—TO ISOLA ROSSA THROUGH NEBBIO.
Crossing from Bastia the hills which form the continuation of the Serra of Cape Corso, you reach the district of Nebbio, on the other side of the island. The excellent road first ascends Monte Bello for about a league. To the left, you look down upon the plain of Biguglia and Furiani, and the large inlet into which the river Bevinco flows. On gaining the ridge, the sea becomes visible on both sides. The road now descends towards the western shore—the eastern has vanished, and the enchanting pano
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CHAPTER II. STRAND-IDYL OF ISOLA ROSSA.
CHAPTER II. STRAND-IDYL OF ISOLA ROSSA.
I found some children playing round the fountain; among them, a beautiful boy of six, with the darkest curling hair, and large, dark, impressive eyes. The child was lovely as an angel. "Do you know, children," I asked, "who that man is there on the fountain?" "Yes, we know," said they, "it is Pasquale Paoli." The children asked me what country I came from; and when I told them to guess, they guessed all the countries, and at last Egypt, but they knew nothing of Germany. Since then, they follow m
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CHAPTER III. VITTORIA MALASPINA.
CHAPTER III. VITTORIA MALASPINA.
I put no questions. But the little Felicina asked me of her own accord to come and see her mother's room, and in her innocence said a great deal more than enough. The old Marcantonia sat down beside me, and told me the story; and what she related I shall faithfully repeat, withholding only the unhappy man's surname, and the name of his native city. "In the summer of 1849, a great many Italians fled their country, and came over to Corsica. There was one among them whom the authorities were going
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CHAPTER IV. FROM ISOLA ROSSA TO CALVI.
CHAPTER IV. FROM ISOLA ROSSA TO CALVI.
Lumio has many orange-orchards, and such an astonishing quantity of cactus-hedges as I found nowhere else, except at Calvi. The cactus has here the size and stem of a tree. The view of the valley and gulf of Calvi from the mountains of Lumio is very beautiful. Calvi lies on a tongue of land at the foot of the hills of Calenzana. With its dark flat houses, two cupolas rising high above them, and the walls of the fort, which stands at the extreme end of the little peninsula, it has a striking rese
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CHAPTER V. CALVI AND ITS MEN.
CHAPTER V. CALVI AND ITS MEN.
Piero Libertà died not many years after the deliverance of Marseilles. The town buried him in state, and placed his statue in the City Hall. These words were engraven on the pedestal of the statue: Petro Libertæ Libertatis assertori, heroi, malorum averrunco, pacis civiumque restauratori, &c. The reproductive power that characterizes the Corsican families is truly remarkable. Any one who has directed attention to the history of this nation will have found, that almost universally the abi
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CHAPTER VI. A MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
CHAPTER VI. A MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
I have already mentioned the name of Salvatore Viale. This author, a native of Bastia, is the most productive poet the island can yet boast of. One of his works is a comic poem called La Dinomachia , in the vein of the Secchia Rapita of Tassoni; and he has translated Anacreon, and part of Byron. Byron in Corsica, therefore!—Viale has earned the gratitude of his country by an unwearied scientific activity, and his illustrations of the manners and customs of the Corsicans are highly meritorious. C
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CHAPTER VII. THE CORSICAN DIRGES.
CHAPTER VII. THE CORSICAN DIRGES.
This pantomime is not the same in all parts of the country. In some places it has become altogether obsolete, in others it has a milder form; among the mountains, far in the interior, particularly in Niolo, such usages exist in all their old pagan force, and resemble the death-dances of Sardinia. Their dramatic animation and ecstatic fury shock and horrify the spectator. They are all women who dance, wail, and sing. Like Mænads, the hair dishevelled and flying about the breast, eyes darting fire
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CHAPTER I. TO CORTE THROUGH BALAGNA.
CHAPTER I. TO CORTE THROUGH BALAGNA.
I gave up the thought of a journey which I had at one time intended to make along the coast from Calvi to Sagone, where the large gulfs of Porto and Sagone, and those of Galeria and Girolata run into the country. The region is for the most part uncultivated, and the roads are frightful. I travelled through the glorious valley of Balagna by the Diligenza which runs between Calvi and Corte. As I have already mentioned, this large, beautiful, and well-cultivated district receives the name of the Ga
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CHAPTER II. THE CITY OF CORTE.
CHAPTER II. THE CITY OF CORTE.
Many memories of Paoli are connected with a house which bears the name of the Palazzo de Corte, and was the seat of Paoli's government, and his residence. Here is the room in which he worked, a mean-looking little place enough, as beseemed the legislator of the Corsicans. They tell that the great man, who was not safe from the balls of the assassin, kept the windows of this room always barricaded; and in fact, the window-shutters are still to be seen lined with cork, as they were in his time. Th
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CHAPTER III. AMONG THE GOAT-HERDS OF MONTE ROTONDO.
CHAPTER III. AMONG THE GOAT-HERDS OF MONTE ROTONDO.
The herdsmen live in caverns or in huts, on the declivities of Monte Rotondo, to the topmost ridge of which their flocks clamber. The highest community of shepherds is to be found at an altitude of 5000 feet above the level of the sea. After three hours' ride I reached the first of these singular stations—the Rota del Dragone. Descending from the edge of the ravine towards the water, I saw a black, sooty cave before me, running, like a vault, into the cliff, below enormous blocks of granite—a fe
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CHAPTER IV. THE MOUNTAIN-TOP.
CHAPTER IV. THE MOUNTAIN-TOP.
Southwards the broad-breasted Monte d'Oro shuts out the view of the island. A great many peaks, little lower than Rotondo, and, like it, crowned with glittering snow, were visible on every hand, as the finely-formed Cinto, and Cape Bianco towards the north—the highest summits of the district of Niolo. From such a comprehensive point of view the island itself shows like an enormous skeleton of rocks. Monte Rotondo does not lie within the main mountain-chain which traverses the island from north t
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CHAPTER V. VENDETTA OR NOT?
CHAPTER V. VENDETTA OR NOT?
The following evening I took a walk in the company of a Corsican officer whose acquaintance I had made. Outside the gate I witnessed a slight specimen of Corsican temperament. A youth of about fifteen had tied a horse to a fence, and was throwing stones at it, quite beside himself with rage, and howling out his fury like some maddened beast. The poor animal had probably offended him by a fit of obstinacy. I stood looking at him, and provoked at such malignant brutality, at last called to him to
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CHAPTER VI. FROM CORTE TO AJACCIO.
CHAPTER VI. FROM CORTE TO AJACCIO.
The road passes between the two mountains, through the glorious forest of Vizzavona. It consists mainly of larches, which are frequently 120 feet in height, and twenty-one in thickness. Of all the fir species this mighty, broad-branched, fragrant larch is probably the finest, next to the cedar; and as I have no acquaintance with the cedars of Asia I may say that the Corsican larch is the most imposing tree I ever beheld. To see it in its silent, gloomy majesty on the mighty granite rocks of thes
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CHAPTER I. AJACCIO.
CHAPTER I. AJACCIO.
Ajaccio lies at the northern end of one of the most magnificent gulfs in the world. The lines of its two opposite coasts are of unequal length. The northern is the shorter; it runs out in a westerly direction to the Punta della Parata, off which lie the Isole Sanguinarie , or Bloody Islands. The southern side of the gulf stretches from north to south in a long and very irregular line to Cape Muro, on rounding which you enter the Bay of Valinco. No villages are seen on the northern shore; on the
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CHAPTER II. THE CASA BONAPARTE.
CHAPTER II. THE CASA BONAPARTE.
And lo! these same children one day put forth their hands, one after another, and grasp the mightiest crowns of the earth, tear them from the heads of the most unapproachable majesties of Europe, wear them before all the world, are embraced as brothers and brothers-in-law by emperors and kings, while great nations fall submissive at their feet, and abandon to the sons of the notary of Ajaccio their country, their wealth, and their blood. Napoleon is European Emperor, Joseph king of Spain, Louis
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CHAPTER III. THE BONAPARTE FAMILY.
CHAPTER III. THE BONAPARTE FAMILY.
The coat of arms above the inscription bears two stars, one in its upper and one in its lower division, significantly enough—for the star has twice ascended over the house of Bonaparte. Members of his family were still living in San Miniato in the time of Napoleon. After his expedition from Leghorn, he found in the little town the last of that branch of the Bonapartes, in the person of an old canon, Filippo Bonaparte, who made the young hero his heir, and died in the year 1799. As regards the Bo
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CHAPTER IV. THE BOY NAPOLEON.
CHAPTER IV. THE BOY NAPOLEON.
Little is known of Napoleon's infancy. His mother Letitia was in church at the festival of the Assunta of the Virgin when she felt the first pangs of approaching labour. She immediately hastened home; but had not time to gain her own room, and gave birth to her child in a small cabinet, on a temporary couch of tapestry representing scenes from the Iliad. Gertrude, her sister-in-law, attended her. It was eleven o'clock in the forenoon when Napoleon came to the world. He was not baptized till the
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CHAPTER V. NAPOLEON AS ZEALOUS DEMOCRAT.
CHAPTER V. NAPOLEON AS ZEALOUS DEMOCRAT.
It had in the meantime been proposed in Corsica to recall the exiles; and by the exertions of the two brothers Bonaparte and the Abbot Coti, the Corsican General Assembly was induced to name four deputies, who were to meet Paoli in France, and conduct him to the island. Among these was Marius Peraldi, and both Napoleon and Joseph accompanied the deputation. When Paoli arrived in Paris, the Constituent Assembly had already (1st December 1789) incorporated Corsica with France, by a decree which fo
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CHAPTER VI. NAPOLEON'S LATEST ACTIVITY IN CORSICA.
CHAPTER VI. NAPOLEON'S LATEST ACTIVITY IN CORSICA.
In May of the same year, he made a journey to Paris to bring his sister Eliza from St. Cyr. The changes in the political world took him here by surprise, and shattered all the hopes of military promotion which he had thought to realize in Paris. This is said to have produced so powerful an effect on the passionate nature of the young Corsican, as to make him entertain thoughts of suicide. He freed himself from them in a dialogue on self-murder. Napoleon left Paris soon after the frightful 2d of
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CHAPTER VII. TWO COFFINS.
CHAPTER VII. TWO COFFINS.
As I called up before my mind the history of Napoleon, his splendid empire, the peoples and princes that this headlong comet had drawn onward in his train, the flood of events he had thrown upon the world, the influence he had exercised over unnumbered human destinies—there came over me, in his now desolate and silent house, at once a sadness and its consolation. All those boundless passions that devoured half the world and were not satisfied, where are they, and what power have they now? They a
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CHAPTER VIII. POZZO DI BORGO.
CHAPTER VIII. POZZO DI BORGO.
Two grenadiers belonging to a French regiment, forming, as Genoese auxiliaries, the garrison of Ajaccio, one day deserted. They fled to the hills of Alata, and kept themselves concealed there in the wild fastnesses, subsisting on the hospitality of the poor but kind-hearted shepherds. Sacred are the laws of hospitality; he who breaks them is before God and man like Cain. When the next spring came, it chanced that some officers from the garrison went a-hunting to the hills of Alata. They came nea
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CHAPTER IX. ENVIRONS OF AJACCIO.
CHAPTER IX. ENVIRONS OF AJACCIO.
The sight of this beautiful garden transports the mind to tropical regions; and, when standing among these wondrous, foreign trees, with our eyes fixed on the deep blue waters of the gulf, upon which the warm summer air broods, it is difficult not to imagine ourselves on the shores of some Mexican bay. The garden lies near the road to Bastia—the most frequented of all the highroads from Ajaccio. This is especially the case in the evening, when the townspeople return from their occupations in the
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CHAPTER I. FROM AJACCIO TO THE VALLEY OF ORNANO.
CHAPTER I. FROM AJACCIO TO THE VALLEY OF ORNANO.
The road from Ajaccio to Sartene is rich in remarkable scenery and peculiar landscape. It runs for a time along the Gulf of Ajaccio, crosses the river Gravone, which falls into the gulf, and winds through the valley of the Prunelli. From all sides the view of the gulf is magnificent, at times unseen, at other times reappearing, as the road pursues its spiral windings among the mountains. At the mouth of the Prunelli stands the solitary tower of Capitello, with which the history of Napoleon has m
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CHAPTER II. FROM ORNANO TO SARTENE.
CHAPTER II. FROM ORNANO TO SARTENE.
Cierra! cierra! cierra! Que el enemigo viene a darnos guerra. Dragut, chief of all corsairs, Fired with haste a signal-gun— A signal to the pirate crew, Who were for wood and water gone. Then the Christians gave reply From the galleys and the shore, And in the haven every bell Quick took up the 'larum-cry— Al arma! al arma! al arma! Cierra! cierra! cierra! Que el enemigo viene a darnos guerra. Cierra! cierra! cierra! Que el enemigo viene a darnos guerra. And the Christian captive, who Despairing
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CHAPTER III. THE TOWN OF SARTENE.
CHAPTER III. THE TOWN OF SARTENE.
It resembled the combat of the Greeks and Trojans for the dead body of Patroclus. The people of Borgo dragged the dead ass to the chapel of Lucciana, and flung it down at the door of the church; the Luccianese carried it off to Borgo, and after storming the village, fixed it on the church-tower. At last the Podestà seized the corpus delicti , already in a state of rapid decomposition, and none the better for its frequent travels, and the dead ass found a quiet resting-place in the grave. The poe
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CHAPTER IV. TWO STORIES OF THE VENDETTA.
CHAPTER IV. TWO STORIES OF THE VENDETTA.
The entire village of Olmo was one confused scene of flight and pursuit, re-echoing with yells of fury, and the reports of fire-arms. The cries of the Grimaldi were vows of death to Orso Paolo. Orso had made for the woods with the speed of a hunted deer. But his foes saw his aim; revenge gave them wings, and they succeeded in interposing themselves between him and the hoped-for shelter. He was surrounded. From every side he saw furious pursuers approaching; already their balls whizzed about his
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CHAPTER V. THE ENVIRONS OF SARTENE.
CHAPTER V. THE ENVIRONS OF SARTENE.
" To Signor Ferdinando. "If you should ever happen to be in danger or in difficulty during your stay in our island, do not forget that you have a friend in Sartene. Alessandro Casanova. " I preserve this note as a talisman, and at the same time as a testimony to the noble hospitality of Corsica. It was not sufficient for my Sartenese friend to assure me by hand and word that, as his guest, I was under his protection for the rest of my life, but he must needs add to his promise the additional gua
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CHAPTER VI. THE TOWN OF BONIFAZIO.
CHAPTER VI. THE TOWN OF BONIFAZIO.
The shore all round is stony and shrubby; but for half a league before reaching the town, the traveller passes through olive-groves and orchards, and is astonished to see the blessings which man, when compelled to exert all his industrial power, has been able to win from the limy soil. The little land of Bonifazio gives a full supply of olives which do not yield in quality to those of Balagna. Between chalk-cliffs we drive down to the Marina of Bonifazio, lying on the shore of the gulf. The town
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CHAPTER VII. THE SIEGE OF BONIFAZIO BY ALFONSO OF ARRAGON.
CHAPTER VII. THE SIEGE OF BONIFAZIO BY ALFONSO OF ARRAGON.
This day had been the most severe which the citizens had yet endured; but it had been a destructive one to the enemy. As the besieged became from day to day more hardly pressed, the more frequent became the letters despatched to the Doge and Senate of Genoa, begging them to come to the help of Bonifazio. The king, meanwhile, having been again reinforced, gave the signal to his men to renew the assault. By land and sea a fierce onset was then made in seven places at once; but into the city Alfons
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CHAPTER VIII. OTHER REMINISCENCES OF BONIFAZIO, AND A FESTIVAL.
CHAPTER VIII. OTHER REMINISCENCES OF BONIFAZIO, AND A FESTIVAL.
Looking past Charles V.'s house, the eye falls upon the island of Santa Maddalena, on the Sardinian coast. I distinctly perceive the tower, and see the young artillery officer, Napoleon, leap out of the ship to take it. Napoleon dwelt eight months in Bonifazio, opposite Charles V.'s house. The meeting of these two great imperial names on this spot is a remarkable coincidence, for it was Napoleon who overturned the old and far-famed imperial throne of Charles V. Bonifazio, in the days of its pros
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CHAPTER IX. THE STRAIT.
CHAPTER IX. THE STRAIT.
Red reefs and craggy islets round thee hanging, Rude capes that cleave the sea with zig-zag line, —Their crimson cliffs thou wearest in thy beauty, Like blood-red necklace of the coral fine. My friend Lorenzo, yonder purple mountains They beckon in their gracious calm to me— They stir my bosom with a fiery longing, And my heart leaps to cross that narrow sea. Whereto my good Lorenzo thus made answer, And spoke low to himself, with doubting air: "Ah! the fair mountains of Limbara yonder— The pict
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CHAPTER X. THE CAVES OF BONIFAZIO.
CHAPTER X. THE CAVES OF BONIFAZIO.
The coast from Cape Pertusato to Bonifazio is much broken by the sea, and torn up into singular shapes. Many organic remains may be found there; and, among other things, a remarkable species of architectural spider. This spider constructs for itself, in the sand of the coast, a complete little sand-house; and in the sand-house a little door, which it can open or shut at pleasure. If it wishes to be alone, it shuts the door; if it wishes to go abroad, it opens it and goes out, taking its daughter
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CHAPTER I. THE EAST COAST.
CHAPTER I. THE EAST COAST.
The localities from Bonifazio upwards, along the east coast, are lonely and desolate. The road runs past the beautiful Gulf of San Manza to Porto Vecchio, a distance of three leagues. By the way-side, at the little village of Sotta, there lie the ruins of the old baronial castle Campara, which tell a singular tale. In olden times dwelt here one who was known as Orso Alemanno, or the German Bear. He had compelled his vassals to yield him the horrible jus primæ noctis . When any one married a wife
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CHAPTER II. SULLA'S COLONY.
CHAPTER II. SULLA'S COLONY.
Not long after we had established ourselves here, the poor coast-guardsmen flung their fuciles over their shoulders, and took their way, accompanied by their dogs, to the pond of Diana, to lie in wait for smugglers. Their service is a dangerous one; were they not relieved every fifteen days, they would fall victims to the fever. I lay down on the floor of the room and attempted to sleep, but the stifling sultriness of the atmosphere was intolerable. I preferred returning to the vettura and breat
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CHAPTER III. THEODORE VON NEUHOFF.
CHAPTER III. THEODORE VON NEUHOFF.
It was at Aleria that, on the 12th of March 1736, Theodore von Neuhoff disembarked, who was the first of a succession of Corsican parvenus , who give a mediæval and romantic character to modern European history. That morning in Aleria, I had a vision of that strange knight-adventurer, as I had seen him represented in a still unedited Genoese manuscript of the year 1739: "Accinelli, Historico-geographico-political Memorials of the Kingdom of Corsica." This MS. is in the possession of Mr. Santelli
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CHAPTER IV. THEODORE THE FIRST, BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND THROUGH THE HOLY TRINITY, KING OF CORSICA BY ELECTION.
CHAPTER IV. THEODORE THE FIRST, BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND THROUGH THE HOLY TRINITY, KING OF CORSICA BY ELECTION.
"That such has been his habitual mode of life, is apparent from the fact that some years ago he borrowed five hundred and fifteen gold pieces from the banker Jaback in Leghorn, with a promise to repay them in Cologne. After the latter saw that he had been deceived, he had him arrested. In order to regain his liberty, he made use of the captain of a vessel whom he entrapped into being surety for him; and after his liberation through the deed drawn up at Leghorn by the notary Gumano, dated Sept. 6
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CHAPTER V. MARIANA, AND RETURN TO BASTIA.
CHAPTER V. MARIANA, AND RETURN TO BASTIA.
The paese of Cervione lies northward from Aleria, on the slope of the hill. I wish that I had visited it, and this desire is now my punishment for neglecting the opportunity of doing so when it was in my power; for although it contains nothing worth seeing, it was the royal residence of Theodore. It happens at times that one is afflicted with the travelling-sickness to such an extent, that with a sleepy eye he passes heedlessly over many interesting objects. I just got a glimpse of Cervione on t
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