HOMEWARD BOUND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8239, 11 August 1888, Page 2

HOMEWARD BOUND.

JOTTINGS BY THE WAY BY J.K.

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*3e.iutiw ha lately sighted as he passed I Beam all oraated sines he trarellel last, I BEAUTIFUL ITALY. VI RW ALONG THB COABT. Bbautifol Itily hns hitherto veprepeated to me sunshine aad fertility. As at first presented from the deck of a steamer passing along its coast from south to north it was the exnet oppoßiio. The small islands were rocky and bare, showing but little greenness indicative of either pasture or forest or cultivated plantations. Elba, the nearest large island passed in the daytime, was scarcely any exception. There were nicely cultivated enclosures around the larger residences, in valhys, nearer some of the towns tad villages, and high up on the hill sides in the more sheltered situations cottages and gardeji olots werj perched one above the otlnr. The general appearance wns that of bareness, want of pasture and trees, with plenty of indications of reddish brown sandstone. It may have been ironstone, as that is enumerated among the products of Elba. Mountainous ranges, snow-capped, and with streaks of snow in gullies running low down towards the general level of the coast line, as seen above tbe haze, was the prominent feature of the main land almost continuously. GDLV 07 GENOA. As the Qulf of Genoa was approached these snowy mountainous ranges could be seen in the far away distanoe on both bides, and finally formed a half circle at the head of the bay. This was continued to the anchorage, and without any greatly improved appearance as regards fertility, even on the lower ranges. I longed for such a view as is so often obtainable from New Plymouth, in its exquisitely dear atmosphere, of Mount Egmont, or from elevations such as Paritutu, of the surrounding country and the other far away mountains. I do not donbt but under similar conditions the scenery of Italy would have been as much grander as it is vaster in range. The general haziness along tbe coast line completely spoiled the view. Yet it waa beuutifully clear an<i sunshiny at sea, and appeared equally so j ashore, notwithstanding the clouds in which the mountains were partly enveloped. TOWN OF (JENOA. Nor was the appearance of Genoa at first inviting. It looked like huge blocks of masonry spreading like a broad band along several miles of shore, with other smallsr lots like concrete blocks, plentifully scattered above the town, and reaching far away up and aloag the mountain sides, among scrub or cultivations, now for the first time clearly observable. Still nearer, this masß of town resolved itself into linea of edifices, six to ten storeys high, detached buildings similar io character, but of hugo proportions, and overtopping the general mass were the upper portions and domes of churches, and numerous other publio buildings. Very little green anywhere within the preoincts of the town. Here and there a large church or publio building had a show oE shrubbery or cultivated ground. Mostly, it was, however, a case of pile — a crowding together in the most outrageously ridiculous and fantastic fashion of tall buildings, generally light in color as if built in concrete or stone, intermixed among which were various tints in brown to led, and with everywhere, line upon line, and tier upon tier of green Venetian shutters, with the lower half projecting slantwise, so as to admit light yet secure shade, while at the same time giving an uninterrupted out Bide vi3w. Lines of clothes hung from window to window was common. Some of the detached building*, erected on the outmost ride of a bill top, would have as foundation on the exposed side, a rounded mass of masonary, in appearance like a fort, and of a hsight almost equal to the building itself, yet the stonework was but formation, carried high enough to secure surfaoe on which .to perch a four or bix story dwelling. These were special oases to command uninterruptedly extensive views. I had no chance to fol low tbe line of road to these perched up dwellinge, and oan only suppose there mußt have been roads thereto. Many buildings were ornamentally frescoed. Every hill and mountain top, for come within near reach oE the city must have ran considerably over the thousand feet which count as a hill, was capped by a building, probably a port o* tourist station. These could be seen in cases extending very far back and hi^b up. There is one —and I fancy two — line of wall enclosing the town, the city proper being guarded by a wide, and when filled { what would form a deep moat. Tins wall after zigzaging the elevated portions of the city follows the line of hills, ~on which at commanding points forts are erected, lar 6 e or small, according to the area of the hill top or position. THB POPULATION. The population of the city within the walls is 180,000, and does not appear to oocupy a spaco more than the beach line at Now Plymouth from Tisch's Beach House to Te Henui, and from Leachstreet near the Cemetery to the road entrance to the hospital. The hills rise too abruptly about that distanoo to allow of closely packed buildings. The municipalities running still along tho shore vary from 5000 to 12,000 each. THB HARBOR. The harbor is spacious, tbe inner portion forming a half circle — with its protective nails nearly a full circle. The whtrves extend about a couple of miles, and are well lined with shipping, moored end on to savo space. There are in tho inner harbor five large and six small projecting wharvos, somo very wMe, others rather narrow. Stone, concrete, and brick have all been used in this work. Nowhere wooden wharves. A second harbor, enclosing a nearly similar area, but not muoh wharfage at present, ha? been finished. There is also a third or outer harbor in course of construction. This is an immense undertaking, judging by the great strength of its exposed side, and the very wide space left for berthage, and is undoubtedly intended as a big ship wharf: to be worked in connection with the railway. The position in this latter rcspeot is admirable Our Bteamer, drawing 23 feet of water, was moored stern on, and within twenty feet of the cn'i oE one of the smaller projecting pars of the innar harbor. Neither in going or leaving was there any show of mud, although tho disturbance of. water when the screw is revolving is very gieat. Nor was there any Btink from tilt. This absence of mud and stink struck mo as indicating plenty of depth. In fact, five to six hundred ton etoamers were, discharging direct into drays on the roadway, which runs round that portion of the harbor where tbe watetmen chiefly ply. OBSTRUCTION TO LANDING AT GfBNOA. No sooner was the vessel moored than the inconvenience and annoyance of tho scrutiny system common to continental ports presented itßelf. At all other places, shortly after anchorhg, passengers could take the first available boat or launch for going ashore. It took two hours at Genoa to raußter up, inspect, and count passengers and the hands, lrotn captain to dishwasher, before any person was allowed to enter or leave the Bhip — bar, of course, the doctor and his aeeistunt. Such passengers as were leaving the ship for good were still further delayed iv or kr that their luggage might be inipeottd, j do not

know whether it was holy water or disinfeptant, but tbe first uniformed offioxal carried a lar^e bottle of watery fluid, and with a small glass besprinkled ahead of himself immediately he touohed the deck, andso on wherever he made a stoppage during his parade fore and aft. I wasin the first boat for the shore, but the boatman had evidently had too rainy penny mugß of wine, holding nearly a pint, and although the money was collected and at his fnti -nation plaoed in a heap at fc'B side on the seat, still then he would not put us ashore, but kept touohin^ his hat and acting, as it appeared to us, very muoh the lunatic. We were just about takin? tbe matter into our own hands, but seeing a police boat, hailed it, and after some jabber the old fool took us near enough to allow a grab to be made at other boats, and we then got the assistance of tho police on shore to put us through. The difficulty was the English money, but after in one way and another making up the requisite number of fi vepences, the official counted the money carefully over to the waterman, and indicated we might clear. We went. ON SHORE AT LAST. On the boat pier, on the sea face of wbich are stone steps that run nearly the whole frontage from the water's edg«, there is a large, rather Deat, single story building for customs and police nses, and also for small store and drinking bar. Ia connection with the bar is a money changing department. As a trial I presented an Australian half sovereign. The lady presiding over this department carefully examined and tested it, and also got a couple ef tbe waiters to do the earn*, then handed over to me eleven lires, the value of eaoh in English money baing 9JI» This was perfectly satisfactory to me, 80 getting two of them obanged into smaller pieces of silver, I Bet sail without even tbe indulgence of a drink. This was too bad. Two newspapers wob ray first indnlgenoe, and in exchange for a «raall silver coin 1 got five or cix coppers as well tB the papers. It ia a great advantage even for a few honrs to run ashore to get current coin; it saves a lot of trouble. It it surprising what a lot these pennies, or rather the larger coppers, purchase, and the long tram or omnibus rides they give. ESPIONAGE DF OFF.CSRS. Every couple of piers or length of frontage has the one entrance and exit. On reaching the street, after passing a few 3oore feet from tho guarded prrlion, a uniformed officer, followed by two or three otherp, came hurrying up, and puinting to a bulky insi ie waistcoat pocket. 1 at once opened out, prepared to turn all out, and strip if indicated. Could not understand a word. This good humored roadineas on my part to turn pockets inside out or strip was quito enough, and after scrutinising the writing on one of my batches of correspondence, and seeing nothing else but paper he patted my trouser pookets, politely saluted me military fashion, aud off we three and hii three marched in opposite directions. I never saw suoh a paraderoE nnifornod officials before, and in such variety of costume. Soldiers, sailors, water polioo, land police, customs officials of every degree. Uniforms are prominent in every direction on first landing, and indeed oa first approaching tbe piers, for four boats crews were kept hovering near the steamer with another at the foot of tho gangway. TUB 6TRSETB. Narrow streets, with still narrower footpaths, and generally no footpath at all. After lenvinz tho railway crossing at tbe landing place I do not reoolleot Boeing anything in the shape of road metal anywhere within the city, and not indeed until the n9xt morning, when I found myself in among gardens and scattered Bubnrban residences far away from tho city gates. All the streets are paved with stone, solid looking blooks, whioh it will take ages to wear down. There is nowhere to harbor mud or dust. Where footways had been laid there was only room for two to wulk abreast, and these footways only ocourred where there waa heavy vehicle traffic and apparently with a view to protoot frontagos rather than* for tbe convenience of pedestrians. Ia regard to footpaths I only mot with one exception, and this was at another par! of the harbour, where one side was bonded and other warehouses or stores, and the other pide first class general business premises. The street here wai wide, and there was a wide covered footway— buildings, footpaths, and the massive pillars along the margin of the footway being stone. From the narrow street near the landing, here only built npon on one side, being immediately* in front of the piers and railways, narrower alleyways ran at alt sorts of angles to the higher ground. These, to us alleyways, afterwards turned out to be Btreete, and were the rule instead of, as we at first expected, the exoeption, all, however, stone paved. (To he continued.)