Floral processions

126.On occasions of public rejoicing, flowers are also much used in Italy. Favourite princes and generals are received into towns, and even villages, through triumphal arches decorated with flowers; and the ground is also sometimes strewed with them. The lives of Bonaparte, Murat, and Beauharnois afford many examples. At Milan, a very gay city, flowers are greatly prized; and in the winter season are procured from the peculiarly warm and ever verdant gardens between Genoa and Nervi. A louis-d'or, we were informed, is sometimes paid for a single nosegay. During the carnival the demand is great throughout Italy.