streets are written up both in French and Italian; but the dialect of the Nizzari differs considerably from either of these languages, and possesses much interest on account of its alleged antiquity, and also as being the dialect of the Troubadours, whose minstrelsy gave the first impulse to poetry in modern Italy. The King of Sardinia was anxious to restore its Italian nationality to Nice; but owing to its position with respect to France, and even more, perhaps, to its mixed population, there is a strange jumble of language, appearance, and manners.

Nice does not contain any public buildings worthy of particular regard. The cathedral of Santa Reparata, built in 1650, is in the ordinary Italian style of architecture, and presents little to attract attention. The pictorial decorations, which form so prominent a feature in the churches generally, render no aid to this edifice, the few which it contains being equally mediocre with the structure itself. In one respect, this cathedral stands on equality with all the churches of Italy-in the number of lazzaroni who carry on their mendicant profession within its sanctuary. "The Sunday after we arrived," observes a recent writer, "we were driven from the cathedral by the importunity and disgusting appearance of the beggars, who, at Nice, as in all Italian cities, pursue their occupation with the same industry and pertinacity in the church as on the street."

The Croce di Marmo, or Marble Cross, commemorates the conference between Francis I. and Charles V., in which Pope Paul III. endeavoured to adjust the differences between these rival monarchs, and effect a reconciliation. In this the pontiff only partially succeeded: the sovereigns regarded each other with such deep animosity, that at this conference, so named, they could never be persuaded to meet together; and Paul, with much difficulty, procured their joint agreement to a ten years' truce, during which period each was to confine himself within the territory presently in his possession. The Croce di Marmo gives name to the faubourg in its vicinity, which is also called the Citta degli Inglesi, from its being that part of the city in which the English principally reside. It stands apart from the rest of the town, and contains some good houses, with pleasant gardens attached. In the neighbourhood is a chapel of the English Church, erected in 1821, by permission of Vittorio Emanuel. It stands in the midst of an English burial-ground, which has become a place of deep interest from the numerous records scattered over it of the young and beautiful who came hither-to die.

In the city of Nice itself, there is as little to interest the antiquary as the lover of art; but in the environs some remarkable remains are still existing. A pleasant drive leads to the modern village of Cimella, occupying the site of the ancient Civitas Cemeliensis, once a place of considerable importance. In this neighbourhood are the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, named by the peasants the Bath of the Fairies. Other remains are discovered in the contiguous farms and vineyards, presenting less obvious traces of Roman structure. In the church of the Franciscan Monastery, which occupies a delightful position in this vicinity, is a very good painting by Ludovico Brea, the only artist of eminence whose name is associated with Nice. Other excursions, presenting great variety of scenery, may be made through the environs of Nice. Amongst the objects of interest may be mentioned the Convent of San Bartolomeo, in which is an altar piece of considerable merit; the Il Vallone Oscuro, a fine mountain gorge, worthy the pencil of Salvator Rosa; and the La Fontana del Tempio, a valley not less remarkable for its beautiful repose than is the Vallone Oscuro for its wild and savage grandeur.

The picturesque features of Nice and the surrounding country, and the salubrity of the climate, were too highly rated by early visitants, and there is now a tendency to undervalue the natural features and qualities of this locality. When it first became a place of resort, it

was recommended as a suitable residence for persons suffering from pulmonary complaints; for this class of invalids, however, experience has shown that it is not well adapted. The cloudless sky common to Italy is almost always visible, but the air is very piercing and highly unfavourable to disease of the lungs. The invalid is, moreover, much, exposed to the two winds named the bise and the marin, the former bringing cold, and the latter damp. The comforts so amply found in the houses and hôtels, counteract, to a great extent, the inconveniences resulting from climate; but the medical testimony of the present day does not recommend a lengthened stay at Nice to those who exhibit consumptive tendencies, or in whom, at least, these tendencies have made any decided advance. To other classes of invalids, this locality offers renovation of health, resulting, perhaps, less from peculiarity of climate than from the exciting and sublime scenery by which it is environed. To the tourist, Nice is an interesting and pleasant place of sojourn before crossing the Alpine barrier of Italy.

VINTIMIGLIA.

BOUT six miles from Mentone, in the route from Nice to Vintimiglia, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the latter place, stands the Bridge of St. Louis, built across a ravine, on rocks whose height is from three hundred to four hundred feet. An aqueduct is also thrown over the ravine, which adds considerably to the beautiful effect of the bridge, beneath which the water falls in a succession of cascades. Both the bridge and the aqueduct were constructed by the command of Napoleon, and they serve alike as monuments of his enterprise, and grateful recollections of a man more remembered for his unrelenting ambition than for beneficence to his species.

The little town of Vintimiglia, seated on a high rock above the Mediterranean, and commanded by its still more lofty castle, is situated on the right bank of the Roya, close to its junction with the sea, and presents a most picturesque appearance from every point of approach. From the side towards Nice, where the road is level with the town, and elevated far above the sea, the wild masses of overhanging cliffs are speckled with the aloe, the prickly pear, and even the palm tree, which last vegetates thus far from the north in some deep recesses of the coast, and gives it almost an Eastern character. Beyond this grand foreground, the eye gathers up the white and shingled line of coast to Bordighera, and the headlands which mingle in the haze with the horizon. The approach from the Genoese side is strikingly different. Vintimiglia, surmounted by its castle, is seen perched on a precipice, the access to which is by a bridge, crossing the broad winter's bed of the Roya, whence by a steep, abrupt, and winding ascent, we approach the town. The view chosen for this work shows the junction of the Roya with the Mediterranean, and presents in picturesque combination the bridge and castle already mentioned.

Vintimiglia is a place of great antiquity, the Albium Intemelium of the Romans, and the capital of the Ligures Intemelii: it is mentioned by several classical historians, and more particularly by Tacitus, who calls it a municipium, and relates, concerning it, the anecdote of the

Ligurian mother, who, when the town was taken by Otho, died by torture rather than divulge the place of her son's concealment. In the middle ages, Vintimiglia repeatedly changed masters, the possession of it being obstinately contested by the Genoese, the Dukes of Savoy, and the Counts of Provence. Previous to the invasion by the French, it was the frontier town between the States of Sardinia and Genoa. It is now an episcopal see, founded, according to tradition, by St. Barnabas, the apostle, who is stated to have first preached the gospel here.

The Duomo, or cathedral, an ancient structure, now considerably modernized, is supposed to have been a temple of Juno. Some portions still exhibit a rude and singular Gothic style of architecture, peculiar to the Riviera, and at present unnoticed by writers on this subject. Various inscriptions, attesting the antiquity of the town, are inserted in this building, and are also to be found in other parts of the city. The church of St. Michael, another ecclesiastical structure, was anciently a heathen temple, dedicated to Castor and Pollux. It is the custom, throughout the Continent, to leave the churches open during the day and evening. This privilege of free access to a place of worship takes its value from the estimation in which the building is held, not merely as a gathering place for worshippers, but as a spot holy and apart, a hallowed retreat from all that is secular and profane. On entering a church in the gloom of evening, the mind can scarcely resist the touching sentiments of the scene, as the eye wanders round the aged structure, dimly revealed by the light of a single lamp, and discovers a groupe of women kneeling in deep abstraction, and making silence more impressive by the low and whispered murmurs of sighs and prayers. It is, however, only the poetry of religion that the spectator feels.

Vintimiglia has been strongly fortified, as being the spot where the defence of the Sardinian territory against any aggression on the part of the French must necessarily begin. This city divides with San Remo, a wealthy town, about sixteen miles to the eastward, the advantage of supplying palm leaves to Rome for the ceremonies of Palm Sunday. A vessel, with a cargo of these sacred branches, has regularly sailed every year since 1587; and the privilege of sending them is still retained in the Bresca family, by whom it was obtained in a remarkable way from Pope Sixtus V. Thousands had assembled to witness the raising of the obelisk in the centre of the colonnade of St. Peter's. The multitude were enjoined to observe strict silence, that the orders of Fontana, the engineer, might be heard by the workmen employed in the operation; and a violation of this order was to be punished with immediate death by hanging, a gallows for that purpose having been erected on the spot. The obelisk had nearly reached its destined position, when Fontana noticed, with deep anxiety, that the ropes had stretched to the utmost, and that there was danger of their breaking from extreme tension. At this moment, a shout was heard from the crowd, "Bagnate le corde" (wet the rope). This was instantly done: the wetted cords contracted, and the obelisk was raised to and rested in its place. A man now stepped forward, and surrendered himself to the punishment he had incurred by breaking silence it was the Capitano Bresca, the master of a merchant vessel of San Remo. Fontana embraced him amidst the cheers of the multitude, introduced him to Sixtus, and obtained his immediate pardon; and the Pope, besides rewarding him with a considerable pension, gave him the hereditary privilege of supplying the holy see with palm branches for the service of the Church of Rome.

In the neighbourhood of Vintimiglia is Monte Appio, a shoulder of the Alps, or perhaps of the Appenines, it being difficult to decide with certainty where the one ends and the other begins. A castle, consisting of two stone towers, and said to be of Roman structure, is still existing on this mountain, together with other fortifications, supposed to be of Genoese origin.