First, in that they are perfectly bare of forests. In a
distance of sixty miles, scarcely a single clump of trees
of original growth is to be seen in the higher ranges, that
would cover ai*. acre of ground. Secondly, in that the
valleys, and every inch of arable soil up the mountain- N
sides, is under high cultivation: vineyards in the
deeper valleys, and olive orchards on the lower moun-
tain ranges, and wheat and other crops of grain from
base to summit, wherever a seed can take root. Third-
ly, in the peculiarity, before alluded to, namely, that
the mountains are not in long, continuous ranges, pre-
senting an evenness of outline in the more elevated sum-
mits, but broken into an endless number of separate
mountains, all forming one great mountain chain ; and
finally, in that the roads are far superior to anything to
be found, for the same distance in America. The en*



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230 RANDOM SKETCHES AND

gineering is not so good as that between Rome and Nar
pies, but the road is splendid.
