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 1 
 
 
 IMPRESSIONS DE VOYAGE, 
 
 Or 
 
 A TOUR 
 
 THEOUGH THE COITBEIT 
 
 OF EUROPE 
 
 B"5r 7X1 E IiA.TB 
 
 WM. H. MEHBITT, JR. 
 
 ST. CATHAK'NES: 
 PRINTED BY E. 8. LEAVENWORTH. 
 
 1860. 
 
# 
 
 .^ 
 
 * I 
 
 ■, I 
 
 / , 
 
 1 
 
 
 :-!-:.!■- j,_. 
 
IMPRESSIONS DE VOYAGE, 
 
 O R 
 
 A TOUR 
 
 *■••! 
 
 THROUGH THE COITIMIT 
 
 OF EUROPE 
 
 W I. 
 
 aTT TKH XiA.XB 
 
 WM. H. MEHRITT, JB. 
 
 ST. CATHARINES! 
 PRINTED BV E. S. LEAVENWORTH. 
 
 18S0. 
 
i«a 
 
 l>\ 
 
(«) 
 
 'i» 
 
 I^^I>K,ESSI01>TS 
 
 FROM A 
 
 JOURNEY THROUGH THE CONTINENT OE EUROPE. 
 
 
 <•» 
 
 JOURNET TO SWITZERLAND. 
 
 There are few circumitanccs in the 
 course uf n journey iiioie perplexing than 
 iiimply ihe choositig a dnijfor a departure, 
 ufler making every other necessary prepa- 
 ration, for instunco, having determined the 
 number of cletui shirts and pairs of bnols 
 that may be found useful in foreign lands, 
 some of them, perhaps, uninhabited for all 
 you know, there arr still a great inaiiy 
 questions to ask of old traveller?; and guide 
 books to be consulted, for fear that one 
 false step nn'ght just throw you out of the 
 way of seeing all the lino things. Howev- 
 er, the mode and manner a voyage for the 
 for the i^'yi days determined, you have 
 nothing to do but to place yournelf like a 
 parcel booked and directed under the care 
 of the conductor, who delivers you side 
 and sound, saving the Avant of sleep for 
 two niglits, to their agents in Lyons, where, 
 after a g(K)d lebation and breakfast at your 
 ease, you may Iwjgin to examine the lirst 
 station on the great road. I might well 
 pass over all this first part of our journey 
 with no other comment, for it is less in- 
 teresting aud duller. 
 
 My companion began to be pleased with 
 Paris', which, with an early walk to Luxim- 
 burg, visiting the galleries aad musees, and 
 *venings under tlie trees at the Palais 
 lioyid, he found himself quite at ease, and 
 I had some difficulty in convincing him that 
 we must tjike advantage of the summer 
 months for visiting Switzerland. The day 
 at length settled upon when we were to 
 quit No. 5 Rue Neuve Des Poires for more 
 varied and intererting scenes, another cir- 
 cutnstance delayed the imp^trtant event a 
 couple of days longer. Mr. Peterson and 
 >lull<^ri v}ipm I Uad known in Borne, ar- 
 
 rived in Paris, and called upon me; so I 
 thought it no more than courteous to re- 
 turn their civility. Muller knew Paris 
 very will; but Peterson just came from 
 the dull German town, was quite unac- 
 customed to ihe bustle and glitter of tho 
 French capital. 
 
 It is quite amusing to witness the effect 
 it protliices on such persons. Some stag- 
 gered by th(5 variety of objects presenting 
 themselves every moment, cannot appreci- 
 ate their value, and therefore review goth- 
 ics, churt-hes, columns, ttc, with equal in- 
 difference, as was the case with my friend. 
 It ati'ordc'd me very little i^atisfaction point- 
 ing him out what all the world considered 
 benuiifid. The Madelaine, a perfect model 
 of Urecian architecture, he thought wanted 
 windows. It's a wonder puch people do 
 not think the same of the Obelisque. 
 
 Muller, the other German, met his bro- 
 ther in Paris, who was just returned from 
 a year's travelling through the Uniled 
 States and Canada. I was glad to hoar 
 he had found the St. Lawrence, this 
 Thousand Isles, and Nia<rara, the most in- 
 teresting parts of our continent. 
 
 PARIS BY MOOSUGIIT. 
 
 Tlie night before we left, I never saw 
 the old Quartier Latin wear so pleasing 
 a garb. The sky was perfectly clea'*, with 
 a bright moon. The old crooked street 
 looked sJrainht, and the old-fashioned 
 houses appeixr to one perfect models of 
 beauty. The moon's rays, they say, do 
 soften angles into beauty, and so it was this 
 evening in tiie Quartier Lati't. 
 
 Even the gas-liglit't and shop windows 
 appeared brushed up for ihe occasion, and 
 all the pa.''<sers-by, students, workmen and 
 grissettes, were as happy as though they 
 were ail on the eve of a journey to fair 
 
 
(O 
 
 i* 
 
 h 
 
 Italy, like ourselves. Returned to my 
 room, I threw open the window to eiijny 
 the delit;htful eveniny;, when u student bc- 
 ^an playing a beaiiliful but pltiinlivu nir on 
 the flute; and I thought how fond you 
 were, my dear mother, oCrucIi music; when 
 Bteulini; throu';!) tlio deiieious solitude of 
 night, it acts like a spell upon every huniun 
 heart, and awakens recollections alike 
 pleasing and painful; especially scenes of 
 departure from homo on many difl'erent 
 occasions, and a lingering wish that the 
 next meeting with those whom we have 
 left may not be the least joyful. Thiuking 
 thus I fell asleep. 
 
 My companion de vo'/ope and I ought ti> 
 chronicle the IHth July as a memorable 
 dav, beini; that on which we date the iiiust 
 important journey we ever made. We 
 liave all received early iinpressionsof Swit- 
 zerland and Italy. The glorious dcserip 
 tions of their beauty, repealed almost word 
 for word by every sueceeding traveller, 
 have at length fatigued but not salislied, 
 and we long for personal observation to 
 know their reality, and enjoy the sight of 
 snow-capped mountains, and orange groves. 
 Our ideas of these tilings were as yet un- 
 settled; and I fancy, notwiilistandiiig all 
 these fine descript' ins, vague and incorrect. 
 
 My companion's mind did not seem 
 brought up to the san)e pitch of curiosity 
 as mine, for all my elForts to get him start- 
 ed for the first train to Orleans were inef- 
 fectual; so, wailing the second, I drove 
 down to the Rue St. llonori, to examine 
 some books of en<rravini's of Swilzerlaiui 
 and Italy, in order to ascertain whether 
 they would be cheaper here or in Geneva. 
 In e.\amining the large collection of Mr. 
 Disher, I observed how much superior 
 English engravings were to French or 
 Italian. The French are cheaper, to be 
 sure, but in the execution there is no com- 
 parison. Returned and sent all our bag- 
 gage down. 
 
 At 11 the conductor, gave the signal, 
 the engine gave a shrill whistle with its 
 iron lips, and the whole great length of 
 train was suddenly jerked forward and be- 
 gan its journey, slow at first, but before we 
 were well out of the labyrinth of rails, the 
 bridges, houses and walls appeared to dash 
 pjist with frightful rapidity; and soon came 
 the green fields, country parks, and the 
 noble Seine — a transition delightful to 
 
 every one who has been confined for CYcn 
 a few weeks to ihe narrow streets of a 
 capital. A^it six milrs abiivo Paris the 
 Seine is H^nnd the riiilwiiy strikes across 
 a level and unnilerestiiii; country, which 
 never once inspires interest till you arrive 
 at Orleatis. 
 
 OIII.EAX-I. 
 
 Arrived just in liino for a good dinner 
 at the llot'.'l de Loriet, after despatching 
 which wo walked out to take a survey of 
 the town. It is is situated in a level coun- 
 try, on the north bank of the Loire, a 
 broad and rapid stream. The Quni is 
 coniposed of wellbuilt houses, and iherc 
 are two <jj" three other street* of city-liko 
 a|)pearance. The Cathedral is a rennirka- 
 bly tine building, one I should rank in the 
 tliird class of -those I have seen. Tlie de- 
 tails of the inlciriorare beautifully wrought 
 out in the gothic stylo, and the exterior 
 has an imposing ell'ect. Hut for all such 
 descriptions I prefer beinjjr no archil ct. 
 referring you to IMurruy's Hook of France, 
 niy task is merely to impart my own im- 
 pression of tilings. 
 
 Orleans is not wanting in the general 
 characteristics of French Provincial towns. 
 On old tower or two on the walls, anli- 
 quated houses and narrow intricate streets 
 traversing it in all directions; and nothing 
 to see but a church. Coming directly 
 from Paris, where so great a portion of the 
 wealth of Franco has been expended upon 
 its monuments and palaces, one tinds the 
 Vi/le lie y-'roi'/«c<! extremely dull, aiul they 
 appear to care but litilc ulxiut it, if the 
 metropolis be beautiful, what matters it for 
 the rest of the country. 
 
 My companion and I were hunting two 
 or three hours along the Loire to find the 
 trouelles which belonged to the ancient 
 bridge, memorable in the days of Joan de 
 Arc. I was never more completely 
 "bothered." One poison directed us to the 
 new r.iilroad bridge, another to the modern 
 tow^ of the present bridge. Then we got 
 looking into yards and wells till one kind 
 gvjntleman explained that nothing of tlio 
 trouelles were left but part of the wall, 
 and if we were very anxious he wouM get 
 a candle and o-o down with us into the eel- 
 lar of Cabaret, where thos:^ lelics were to 
 be seen. We i.!id not go, however. Mur- 
 ray's book led us into this error. He says, 
 tht;re arc still the chains and enibrazuri.8 
 
 
 K 
 
(•'-) 
 
 wlipre tho En'j;li'<l> plmin; tlicir cmnon, nii'l 
 Bcvcral otlic. ciiiioiis tilings. 
 
 llacl Orleans no ollvr itcnrmiieiuls, its 
 nnint! woiiM still hi' ^i^'at it> tlu; iiiMials nf 
 h story, fruin iti assirciati'Mi with the lunu'. 
 Joan (1^ An*. Wlio ilucs not, ailniirc llitj 
 intPfpid and noble character of the niiiden 
 warrior who, thinking; hcrscll' iii>|'iriil, 
 leaves (he [teat'el'iil cot of lur fatlier, and 
 bears arms in tiji;htWith rnen.and it It iii^'ih 
 leads a despairin^j; army on to victory; 
 'raises the ^'inking■ liojics ol' a whole iialion, 
 Hiul alu^r all, to peiish miserably as a c<im- 
 mon S(M'''eress? Her history is a nidin- 
 choly one, forsln' appears in a'l hi r virtue 
 mid wonianly beauty liku a meteor beluru 
 the world, and u as soon eNiin;4ni>he(l. 
 She Hrst joined the Krencli army litre.jiiid 
 saved them by her pre-iviice aloiio tVoni 
 BJL^nal det'tiat. 
 
 ri' TlIK I.OIIIK. 
 
 Took our plaees in the D Tej^enei! Ladtte 
 Oarlland tor Lyons and traversed llie same 
 sort of level nn nterestiiiu; country, ulon'j: 
 the river Loire as tiiat of yesterday. 
 
 Thouirh it rained . iMio^t constantly, we 
 found the weather much plea^anter than 
 what, wc experienced on the railway; and 
 uith an occasional nap, raltlinn- i^tw and 
 tlien over ihti rou<;h pavemtMit of some 
 couiMry town, and the lillle variety of 
 turninjf out to bolt a dinner or breakf.ist, 
 the time of our temporary imjirisonmcnt 
 passed off very quickly. 
 
 1 regretted somewhat not liavinc; time 
 to make an excursion iitto Auvero-ne, that 
 Mountainous country lyinj; to (ho west of 
 tho Loire is the most InterestinLf part of 
 France, both from its physical a-d moral 
 features. I remember siill, from Lyell's 
 works the curious natural pheiiomonH and 
 wonderful volcanic remains of its vicinity. 
 Here it is, too, that the descendants of the 
 Waldeuses live almost separated fnnn the 
 rest of the world. Cherishinii; their an- 
 cient cusloms, and still practising that sim- 
 ple and primitive manner of living which 
 so distinguished their ancestors. 
 
 LYONS. 
 
 Arriving at Roanne, Thursday evening, 
 20lh, my companion found himself too 
 fatigued to proceed lurlher, and remained 
 at the inn, to com»; on next day by (iie rail- 
 way of St. Etienne. At this pomt I left 
 the Loire and crossed the hijih land whieh 
 separates that stream from the Rhone, at 
 
 Lanesp, wo ronel,od the summit, wliirh 
 rnii-t bo between t-ii (>r iwi'lve hniulred 
 tret ab'jve the s -a luvid, and hiid a lino 
 view of l,lie I'o'ii.try on boili fides — tho . 
 mountains of (Jeiieva and tho-e abn'nt (Jrc- 
 nobli'. I'Vom liCiC tiie (le>ce;il eiial'led mo 
 to go [\n\\\] at a bii>k rate, and in a couple 
 of li'Mirs I cro>Ned one of the bridges of 
 the \l >aiu', and entered I^yons 
 
 As every liiiio inridenlis worth rempm- 
 beiing to the writer, I am iifniid 1 shall 
 pitch lip my dial} with too nuiiv for itjy 
 reailei>; but 1 know they are not over- 
 particiil ir, and wi;I be kind enou;;h to re- 
 (•ii\(; almost an_\ thing. Upon |)a\ iiig lor 
 my place in the dil gence, i lound there 
 remained ten snus in my pnekt't. An old 
 travell 'r wuiikl not have licen troubled at 
 this ill the least, but not so with m". 1 
 fi'll it oxlrciiiely uwkwai'd; and as soon an 
 I was rel'iohed with two or three hours 
 sleep, posted oil" to the railwMy to meet iiiv 
 <'otnpaiiion de voyage, bat to no jiuipose ; 
 the convoy was not to arr;ve until evening. 
 Ui'connoiirt d till dinner time, met an Kiig- 
 li>hinan at the hottl who proposed a walk; 
 Init I was glad to get rid of him, so afraid 
 was I tile genileinan wouM a^k me to go 
 to a cafe; and I was trying all the lime to 
 reeullcet some one article that came under 
 the limit of my means; but he lounged oil" 
 to a bath, as it was extremely warm, and I 
 went again to ih'C railway throe mil>'s olf, 
 and wulki'd about looking at the coal 
 \va4gon>. and imo tho barges for marly 
 two hours. It seemed the train from Ro- 
 anne would never come, but it did at last; 
 and I looked into every coach, but he was 
 not there. Disappointed and vexed, I fol- 
 lowed the omnibus with my hands in my 
 pocket, and mu>ed — he had only ;.{0 francs 
 ha^ misi>e 1 the train, and will not have • 
 enough to pay his locfi^ing at the hotel, nor 
 his fare uj) here. 1 have the letter of 
 credit, but it's in his name qui fori! Why, 
 I'll just take my new waistcoat to some 
 pawnbroker's, and get enough money for 
 it to run down to Roanne and bring up the 
 lo-vt jiassenger; and in future I think wa 
 had better tramp together. But all my 
 fears wire in vain; he had merely eluded 
 my diligent seaich in the coaches, and was 
 sae in the hotel when 1 arrived. 
 
 M\D UACIIAEL. 
 
 Tn tlio evening s iw Madom Radial, in 
 Polyenete. She is undoubtedly the tirbt 
 
 « 
 
(6) 
 
 ID 
 
 I 
 
 trApfodinn of tho day, but did not plcnsnma 
 BO imicli iiH wlii'n I 8HW her llic lii>t tii'io 
 At till' Tli»'!itn> Krftiicais in I'rtris. In n 
 Krt'iicli (rair«.'dy il ri'ipiiivs tin; most |it'r- 
 feit nclinu- tn oxiitr inicri'st, for llfv ap- 
 jie.'tr li> me tuitliin^ but a unlliuilioii nt' well 
 written s[iC('clu'H, hoiiietinies bicakinij; 
 tliniuij[li iiilo tlie t'xprcssion i>t' strorii;' pas- 
 Dion, but >\ill) i^o liltle aciion nnd such 
 deuilli lit' iiK'idi'iil lli.-il tlli'V scetu linl even 
 to attempt npiv'sent'.ny; iiatiiie. The llu a- 
 tre is '>urr>U!i(led I y well built OMlunatles, 
 liner tlian iln'su of IJrury Lane; itjinleiiur 
 is small and neat. 
 
 I,V()N^. 
 
 Saturday, 22d, we deoted to invcstii^n- 
 tiny the town, the fiecond in iinporlance, 
 Hii'i ilio rM>l in manufuelurcs of Fran'^e. 
 Its situaljon is peeuluir. The main portion 
 is built upon the loii^ue u1' land that sepa- 
 rates the lUinnu from the 8oane; alonu; 
 both these rivers the line of beautilul 
 buildings is uiiinterrt:p'ed; und in front, 
 rows of frees separate tho Boulevard from 
 the walk. But mo»i of th<! sircits trnvern- 
 iniif the city are narrow and moie or less 
 liltiiy. There are two good squares, o;!e 
 oppo5ito the Hotel de Ville, the other 
 formed by the destrueliou of buildiiirs in 
 the Revolution. When the Jacobins took 
 ihe city fiom the UoyaliNts, they intended 
 t«) annihilate it, and plant a monument up- 
 on its site with this msrripii m: " Lyon tit 
 lu guerre a la liberte.Lyon nVst plus," how- 
 ever what they really did cost, 70(),0U0 
 francs, merely expenses of tearing down 
 and destroying. 
 
 At the north rises between tbe rivers a 
 l)ii>li hill covered with t'ilk factories which 
 extend to its summit, and are evmy day 
 reachini; farther back On the right bank 
 of the Soane we remarked the i-'alluis de 
 Justice, a line modern building ornamented 
 with Coiinthian columns; and the venerable 
 Cathedral, smaller than even that at Or- 
 leans, though more beautiful than any 
 modern church 1 know, except the Made- 
 laine at Paris. 
 
 From this, ten minute's walk brouglit 
 us to tbe top of the hill, w hen we ascended 
 a Belvedire and had a fine view of the city 
 and environs. When the weather is clear. 
 Mount Blanc an the mounUiins of Savoy 
 are quite distiriiruishable. 
 
 Monday, 24th — At 7 o'clock in the even- 
 ing, full of expectations, we climbed into 
 
 tho botiquotte of the OcneTA diligence. In 
 Ascending the Cote du I'upe, n high bank 
 of ilm Itlione, we look a lattt look of tho 
 splendid (juiiis o| Lyons and its amphithe- 
 atre of hills studded with villas. This vi(!W 
 is the finest on tho whole route. Itttmbra- 
 ces part of the Jara, besides the mountains 
 which sejiarate tin; Rhone from the Loire, 
 'i'he town and a great e.\t->nl of the Rlkone 
 valley is as ft'rlilo as a garden, and covered 
 with eounlry heats and villages. There 
 iIk! Riion:! spreads it-elf out like A lake, 
 and is eovend with islands. 'J'hu night 
 was so cold 1 Could not manage to sleep, 
 and was very happy when at <) in the 
 morning we came lothe foot of a long hill, 
 when 1 could walk. The road lies up 
 through a picliiri xjue gorge, into which n 
 coiisideralrli cascade tails from the cliir 
 opposite the road. Wu soon ruached Man- 
 lua, situated on a small lake, surrounded by 
 lol'ty precipices covered with pine and fur. 
 From lu-re all tho way to Belgrade i was 
 lo.st in admiration, and en(|uii'ed constantly 
 the height of the cliiVs and mountains, and 
 received lor answer from our surly con- 
 ductor, " Ji n'eii siiis lien." "You are not 
 in Swii.'.erlaiul yet. Monsieur;" but at 
 that moment 1 felt perfectly satisfied with 
 tile Jura. At Belgiade there is to be seen 
 the place where the Rhone formerly disap- 
 peared under the rocks; but lately they 
 liave blown this natural covering oft", to 
 allow the timber tu ]iass ; and as some 
 Frenchman observes, •• La purte du Rhone 
 est pedue pour Its voyageurs." The forts 
 of the Recluse are on tho boundary be- 
 tween the two countries. • The Rhone 
 precipitates itself between Mount Credo, of 
 the Jura, and the mountains of Savoy; and 
 so steep are the sides, that there is merely 
 room for the road, five or six hundred feet 
 above the river. It even passes through 
 01)0 of the forts, while the other is perched 
 midway up the mountain side, on a sort of 
 sh<:If. Nothing can be more picturesque. 
 Ceasar mentions this passage in his Com- 
 mentaries. 
 
 Th« vallies of Switzerland, bounded on 
 one side by the Jura, ar \ on the other by 
 the Alps, presented itself to view; and as 
 we rattled on over a fine country towards 
 Geneva, my first feeling was that of disap- 
 pointment. I had an idea that the moun- 
 tains rose immediately from the plain into 
 the highest peaks, and that the panorama 
 
(7) 
 
 of •now-coverf'd monnttiiiis would be inng- 
 nificent; but till you apitroacli Geneva, tlic 
 first ntcpt of the ^lout cnnin^hich itnult' i:i 
 about 20 miles distant, hidrs.in completcly 
 from view. In an hour or two we cauglit 
 A glimpse of pait of Mount BlnnTVhroui,'h 
 the vAJiies in the fore chnin ; but it wan so 
 much covered uiih clouds that one could 
 not distinguish any outline. 
 
 OENKVA. 
 
 There is no town more beautiful than 
 Geneva on the water sido. The outlet of 
 the lake forms two sides of a triangle, 
 walled in with cut stone quais, which nre 
 the most delightful promenades imaginable. 
 A bridge crosses it, and in the centre has 
 communication with u fniry-like island, 
 containing the statue of J. J. Russeau, 
 The principal hotels are all on the quais, 
 and the otlier buildings which adorn them 
 nre all equally elegant. The waters of the 
 Rhone are as clear as those of the Niagara 
 or St. Lawrcncf. » 
 
 This being a point of union for most 
 travellers on the continent, the hotels are 
 perfect in every respect, but expensive. 
 The morning after our arrival, the cloudy 
 njists cleared away from the summit of 
 Mount Blanc, and afforded us a fine op- 
 portunity of seeing the snow covered mon- 
 arch of mountains — clear and bright his 
 various peaks seemed to cut the blue ether. 
 The truest conception of his height in 
 formed from comparison. Yesterday, when 
 the clouds covered the sky pretty gene- 
 rally ,one may suppose they were all eciually 
 elevated; the line seemed to rest quite at 
 the base of the mountain,while they were at 
 least 2,000 feet above the summit of Moimt 
 Nolo, a conspicuouj peak 16 miles from Ge- 
 neva, on the way to Chamouny. 
 
 The watch-makers are pretty numerous, 
 but prices seem as high as in Paris. My 
 companion bought one for 325 franks, and 
 ft music box. In buying the latter, we 
 heard every variety of instrument of the 
 ki.id, some for 100 franks, play six airs, and 
 are beautifully toned. 
 
 SAvor. 
 
 The road from Geneva leads you thrnufjh 
 « beautiful valley, at first below the Mont 
 Mole, and then through a succession 
 abounding in precipitous frightful towering 
 heights, covered with dark pine ; and on 
 every habitable spot a Hitle farm and Sw'ss 
 cottage. In any other part of Europe it 
 
 would he conf«idered magnificent, but here 
 it i» only the high road to Mount nini.c. 
 
 St. Martin's, I'J miles. This is the lirst 
 spot he is seen in all his graiuleur. But 
 when we arrived it was nlnto'st dark, so we 
 put up with our disappuintmeiitand looked 
 altei supper. 
 
 Early next morning the little yard of our 
 inn presented quite a hustling scene. Four 
 or live sniall carriages, "char a hauc," 
 were being charged with a lot of luggage, 
 and the owners busied thenmilv»8 seeing 
 that all was right, and enquiring after the 
 weather, a subject of firhl importance in 
 these countries. All ready we got, for the 
 first time into this curious sort of vehicle. 
 The pretty landlady wished the whole 
 party " hon voyage," and of!" « e were, over 
 the St. Martin's bridge, towiinls the baths 
 of Orcvais. ll appears Uuit the chara- 
 hanes have very low w heels ; one scat 
 placed lengthwise for three persons, with a 
 door in the sidc-s that you may step out 
 without speaking to the driver; four little 
 iron posU* support the covering, from which 
 hung leather curtains rolling up and down. 
 You may have it quite open or closed down, 
 according to the weather. St. Martins i.'* 
 seated in a kind of amphitheatre among 
 the mountains; and from the bridge, say 
 they, there is one of the finest views of 
 Mount Blanc ; but we were not favored with 
 the weather, aiid consequently did not en- 
 joy its sight 
 
 Visiting St. Oervnis, it is necessary to 
 cross the valley and return into the main 
 road ajrain, alMHit eight miles further up; 
 but St. Gervais is worth the det«tur. The 
 situation of the baths in a ravine walled up 
 by rocks 500 feet high, terminating in n 
 gorge and prater-fall; together with the 
 beautiful fol! re. of the trees and pretty 
 gardens belo..ging to the establishment, 
 forms a picture of beauty. However, we 
 gave it but a few moments of our time. 
 
 Where the valley of St Martin draws in, 
 we began to ascend It rained, and heavy 
 and vaporous clouds floated acrcss the 
 high precipices, and breaking here and 
 there, showed us a high i>eak or patch of 
 pines, on the stt^ep side of the mountain. 
 It was a scene of silent grandeur such as 
 I had never conceived. 
 
 About 1 1 we stopped to dire at a vii- 
 lace in a valley surrounded by mountains 
 of tremendous' height. Ferhapa they ajp- 
 
 11 
 
 1, 
 
(8) 
 
 pcnved more impo<inji; to tis fi:om tlic state 
 ot tlio wouIIut; siiil, iluy \vt>re all real 
 Hiounlains; i-.tid I who had wom'-'-vd at 
 the Ca'.skills, and UraehoDfehis here in per- 
 fi'cl t'cstacv. 
 
 What iiuigtiificant fibjects bnildiiip;s and 
 ovi-n vi;iag<?s arc, comjjaK'd with tlie imjio- 
 ^illL( mass of a nioimtain 8,000 feet high. 
 From this last station into the valU-y of 
 Chaiiiouny the road goes through a narrow- 
 gorge hy the side of a lornnt 'M)0 fct hv- 
 Ion-. Th'j ascent if very steep for three 
 Ijoiirs, when yon arrive in the 
 
 VALLEV OK ClIAMOrNY, 
 
 wit'iin lialf a niilu of the f >ot of Mount 
 lihinc; but if the weather is cloudy, you 
 might as well be in Quebec for all yf)u can 
 see of the peaks or height. We turned up 
 the v,"!ley. crossing several rapid torrents 
 without bridges, and near a sea of ice, ex- 
 tending from the snows above, down into 
 the valley, which the driver told us was 
 the Glacier des boison, and arrived at the 
 Village of Chamouny or the Prirry about 
 four o'clock. 
 
 Nothino; could be done for the rest of 
 the diiy, on account of the rain, but set by 
 the life in the dining-room, hear K'counts 
 of excursions from a couple of Englishmen 
 who were there, and look over the travel- 
 ler'-^ b^ok, replete with wit and humor— in- 
 tini ; -uperior to those at Niagara. 
 
 After dinner, before we had left the 
 table, two men entered, and walking round 
 .the end, seated iheiiiselves near us; one 
 looked very attentively at my companion,- 
 when both appearing to recognise, I heard 
 the e.xclamation, "why Merritt, how do you 
 do," and " E. A., you here i well, I declare!" 
 and no othet but our friend Allen, from To- 
 ronto, just returned from tiavelling in the 
 East, so grown and sun-burnt that 1 should 
 not have known him. 
 
 29th. — Saturday, at an early hour, I 
 sprang out of bed and ran to the window; 
 to my great delight the sky was clear, 
 without a t.ingle cloud, and the whole sub- 
 lime range of peaks f(»rming the chain of 
 Mount Blanc, with the monarch himself 
 raising his snow-covered srmmit to an im- 
 mense height in the air, ajip.-ared all in one 
 view — the most sublime and soul-tirrinsf 
 spectacle a mortal can witness. What are 
 all the monuments and works of men com- 
 pared with this stupendous reality in na- 
 ture ? Que is glad to forget all be baa 
 
 ever Jiecn before, and exalt hi« r.ind to a 
 conception of this one of the most sublime 
 works of (lie Almighty. 
 
 After breakfast wc got rer.dy for an ex- 
 cursion ;und at halt-past 8 started, four in 
 C'jmpan'^^j'nd two guides for the mountain 
 verle. The valley of Chamouny is t^n miles 
 in length, and about one and i quartwr 
 broad, sunk as it were between the chain 
 of i\!ount Blanc and the Brevent. The 
 lirst composed of stupendous peaks of gra- 
 nite, something resembling the spirer, of a 
 Cathedral, from 8,0UU to 10,000 feet high. 
 'J'lie ether is a pretty uniform range of 
 cliti's, in no place more than 8,000 feet high, 
 always reckoning from the sea. The region 
 of the pine e.\tends up 5,000 feet, and snow 
 generally coinrn'-nces at 7,00r. The gla- 
 ciers are vallius running up into the heart 
 of the mountains, which secure the snow 
 as it falls from the peaks in avalanches ; 
 and thus becoming ice, moves itself slotvly 
 on, breaking up into chasms and blocks, 
 nntil it reaches the valley, and gradually 
 melts. Botli ends of the valley are closed 
 in ; to the rigiu by the Col de Baume, and 
 at the opposite e.vtremity by the Col de 
 Vosa. The elevation is something like 
 .'3,500 feet. Traversing the fields of the 
 valley, we ascended by a zigzag path 
 through the region of pines, here and 
 there ; we passed the couloir or troughs of 
 an avalanche extendinjj from the rettion of 
 snow often down to the valley. Not a sin- 
 gle tree is left in the track, and even the 
 largest rocks are brought down with it 
 What a sublime sight it must be to see one 
 of these devastalino; torrents of snow. 
 Perhaps we shall have that pleasure. 
 
 From Chamouny, it appears but a short 
 walk through the pine forest; but -e found 
 two good hours necessary. The Montan- 
 vert is the best point for seeing the Mere 
 de Glace. The Hospice stands a couj)le of 
 hundred feet above it, ali'ording a beautiful 
 view of a sea of ice broken into chasms, 
 like the rind of a piece of roast pork, many 
 miles in length and half a mile broad. 
 After a slight repast we proceeded on our 
 way along the side of the glaciers, in some 
 places along steep niches where there was 
 but an inch of foothohl. 
 
 Paike, Allen, and ray companion de 
 Voyage left us soon after we crossed th« 
 
 MEK DE OLACE, 
 
 diagonally, keeping a sbaip look-out for 
 
{'-') 
 
 the ctRvlccB, many «>f which are 150 feot 
 deep. Narrow places can bo sprung over, 
 but others inii.st be crossed on the natural 
 snow bridges. This is the n)ost da;ig(!rou9 
 part of the cxcurMon; the guides must 
 idwnys sound them with their poles to s'>e 
 if tlu-y will bear. My man fell in once up 
 to hirf arms; but »••». the hole was not very 
 broad he sprawled out manfully, and did 
 not go down. On the wav we saw several 
 smHll avalan(;hos fall down from the peaks 
 upon the glacii:r After crossing, we as- 
 cended a second glacier, which oomes 
 down from the left. The Mer de Glaco 
 extends five or six miles higher up, to the 
 Col de Geant. This second glacier divider 
 again into two sources: the one to '.lie 
 right, Li-ehand, the left Talcferc. The 
 Talefero is very wonderful; largo blocks 
 of ice as large as two store-houses, arc 
 heaped up in the mist fiightful disorder, 
 tr» a height of 600 cr 800 feet. To net to 
 the head of this glacier we had to regularly 
 scale a precij^ice. At the top an amplii 
 theatre of snow opens itself out between 
 the njost ragged and inaccessible peaks 
 tinaginablo. Wo still had an hour and a 
 half walking round the side of this basin 
 shaped hollow through snows up to our 
 knees. 'J'he garden at this season is no- 
 thing but a few moss covered rocks peering 
 above the snow, ay here one can sit and take 
 his lunch while be is enjoying the silent 
 grandeur of the scone. Late in the sum- 
 mer, the guides say, th6 snow melts away 
 in places, and there is sufficient grass for 
 the sheep. 9,000 feet is the highest pas» 
 turage in the Alps; but at this moment 
 there is not a sperr of grass, riot a tree nor 
 a single object we are accustomed to, to 
 disturb the charatter of the scen^. The 
 deep silence that reigns here cotjstantly is 
 almost painful. Near the top of the steep 
 pHth-iound the Talefre Glacier we saw 
 some beauiiful white sheep, so tame that 
 they followed us a long way down. Ar- 
 rived at our hotel at 8 o'clock. 
 
 Sunday, 30th. — F( aring to lose the fine 
 weather if I delayed till the niurrow, I set 
 out with a guide to ascend the Breveut ; 
 pretty fatigued and stitY from yesterday's 
 work, but persuaded that the excitement 
 of the thing would keep up my strength. 
 One who has never ascended higher than 
 1,500 or 2,000 feet finds these excursions 
 Extremely fatiguing and often feels sur- 
 
 prised at the little progress he appears to 
 make up the side of the high mountains. 
 After a couple of hours hard work up the 
 bed of a t(>rrent, and over loose stones 
 which twist your ancles in all manner of 
 shapes, I stopped to rest 
 
 " Well, (iuide, this Is hard work — we'll 
 sjon be at the top, I hope." 
 
 '• Not yet, lir; but we shall soon have 
 acoomplished one-third " 
 
 I found he was nearly correct, for the 
 efTcct ff distance is so deceptive that rocks 
 or declivities which from below appear 
 quite inconsiderable, prove upon near ap- 
 proach to be many hundred feet high, and 
 require a long and toilsome tnarch to sur- 
 mount.. Crossing the snows, we who arc 
 accustomed to that sort of walking have 
 considerable advantage over most Europe- 
 ans; still it is in many places difficult and 
 even dangc'ous For instance, whe.i you 
 are obliged to cross a very steep bed, al- 
 n;o«t at an angle of forty-five degrees; here 
 your safety depends on every foothold be- 
 ing made iirm; to slip and lose balance 
 would send you down perhaps on to rocks 
 or over precij)ices. At the summit we 
 reposed half an hour and enjoyed the finest 
 view of Mount Blanc imaginable. From 
 Chaniouny the angle of view causes the 
 dome of Mount Blanc and many of th6 
 peaks to appear nearly as high as the sum- 
 mit ; but from this point, as yoU arc scarce- 
 ly at half the elevation, the astonishing 
 height of the monarch of mountains pre- 
 sents itself perfectly to view. It is magni- 
 ficent ; but I am tired of dwelling Upon the 
 same expressions. Nothing can give a 
 clear idea of the reality. 1 liSUst leave it 
 for your invagination. The descent was as 
 fatiguing as the ascent, as we took a steeper 
 path, and Were oblige^^ to spring from rock 
 U) rock, with tho aid of your long sticks, at 
 the no small risk of breaking our ancles. 
 Arrived at the hotel five hours after start- 
 ing, including the hidf hour's rest 
 
 Near the bottom of the Glacier Dps Boi- 
 ons there is a most curious waterfall called 
 LaCascade dea Pelirines; the torrent fiiUs 
 over a bed of rocks, into which it has worn 
 a crevice so deep and straight that all its 
 waters fall in a column with great force 
 into a basin in the hard rock, and shoots 
 off in a parabolic manner to a distance of 
 30 or 100 feet, forming the most beautiful 
 natural fountdn. 
 
 I 
 
<10) 
 
 Another lion at Cliamouny is the so\iice 
 of Iho Arveiron, at the butum of tiie Mer 
 de Glace. The ice is here fifty or ^ixty 
 feet thick, and ihe river runs out fiuni a 
 cave formed in the great mass; where, by 
 approaching its moulh, one can a<lmiro tlie 
 (ieep bine color [azure] of the vault. i>oiuo 
 people venture in, but Murray's book says 
 it isdangtrous from the falling of pieies of 
 ice ; three persons having already lost tlieir 
 lives. 
 
 l^Lxistence in Chamouny is, for a few 
 days, perfeclly delightful. The cxhilerating 
 exercise one enjoys gives a good appftite 
 and unusual animal spirits. 
 
 The little company at the hotel (irnrly 
 all English,) have put on their holiday 
 temper, aic pleasing and easily pleased. 
 In the morning all are ready willi tiieir 
 advice as to the weather, and what excur- 
 sions should be undertaken; an<l in the 
 evening, at dinner, notliing can exceed the 
 good humor that prevails, as each relates 
 the adventures of the day. In one com- 
 mon object all are united, to enjoy tlie 
 niagnilicent scenery of Chamouny as much 
 as they poshil'ly can. 
 
 The other day, i.t dinner, I overheard 
 some French ladies and gentlemen in con- 
 versation, but they never seemed to think 
 of the place they were in, the suMimo.st 
 spot in Europe, but confined their conver- 
 sation to their pel Paris, the theatres, soi- 
 rees and " agreements" of the capital. Je 
 n'aiinc jias la campagne, sail one, and in 
 that one exju'ession she gave a perfect de- 
 scription of French taste. 
 
 UP MOUNT BLANC. 
 
 Our last excursion was to La Pierre de 
 L'echelle, on the ronle take?! by travel'ers 
 ascendinf"' Mount Blanc. Alone;: and diffi- 
 cult walk through puies and mountam 
 pastures takes you up along the Glacier des 
 Brissons; then threading a narrow jiath 
 half way down a frightful precipice, you 
 arrive oh tha glacier itself, where the real 
 danger begins. The way you take leads 
 over beds of loose stones brought down by 
 the glacier, which might easily be dis 
 placed and roll down upon you. Quite 
 tired when we arrived at this point, the 
 guide pushed us on, saying, " this place 
 must be passed quickly, ill y a dn danyer." 
 Nothing gives animation like that, so we 
 ran up six or eight hundrec' feet more, 
 through the snow and over s harp stones, 
 
 in a very short space of time. The Pierre 
 de rechol.c is a roi'k on the glacier where 
 the guidea leave their ladder on coming 
 down from Mont Blanc. It is 600 or 000 
 feet higher than the Brevent,and 1000 be- 
 l(jw the Grand Moulins, [two immensu 
 rocks on the other side of tho glacier, where 
 travellers pass the night in ascending 
 Mount Blanc] Here you nr«j at the open- 
 ing of a valley of 8,600 'i*, elevation,] 
 which runs up to the f lot of the dome and 
 summit peak of Mount Blanc, and receives 
 all its avalanches, as well as those of tho 
 dome and aguille du midi. There have 
 been 35 ascensions of Mount Blanc, among 
 them we observe tho name of a French 
 lad v. Most of the others are Endisii. \n 
 descending, we attempted to slidw with our 
 sticks; but Allen slipped and fell, taking 
 me with htm; I in turn overturned the 
 guide, and off we went all in a lump — for- 
 tunately only 25 feet. For the guide, who 
 is accustomed to these accidents, forced his 
 pole firmly into the snow, and brought us 
 to. But for his presence of miftd we niighb 
 have had a se.ious Alpine adventure; as 
 it was, I came off with a V.xmc ancle. 
 
 Aug. 2. — Left Chamouney by Mount 
 Blancand the Col dcBalme ; the view back of 
 the valley fills one with rapture, and a con- 
 viction he never did nor likely ever will 
 see anything like it again. This point is 
 even preferable to the Brevent, as the 
 whole chain looks like one vast mountain 
 rising up in regular gradations, with their 
 craggy peaks put in splendid relief against 
 the snowy mass of the monarch. And the 
 long valley of Chamouny, which has taken 
 you five hours to traverse, now dwindles 
 into a pretty variegated strip of verdure ; 
 its houses and villages into mere specks, 
 when compared witii the great mountains 
 which rise on either side. Every one must 
 be sorry to part with such scenes, though 
 another wonderful in every respect opens 
 immediately to view. The valley of the 
 Rhone and the distant chain of the Ber- 
 mese Alps presents a panorama on which 
 you may really feast your eyes. Martigny 
 is the first town you reach in the valley; 
 it lies on 
 
 THE GREAT SIMPLON ROAD, 
 
 at the point as you turn off" for St Bernard 
 the Great. I wanted very much to go up 
 and see the Convent, dogs and monks ; but 
 my companion objected ; so I engaged a 
 
(11) 
 
 char a banc for Villeneuvo Just ns wo 
 were ready, my friend learned tliata Scotch 
 family who were at the other hotel, and 
 with whom we had a travelling acqunint- 
 ance, were just on the point of sfirtinjf for 
 St. Bernard; and a very pretty young 
 lady, the daughter, was of course to I'nrin 
 one of the party; upon wliit^h grounds 
 t<ie carriage was immediately to be sent 
 olf, and St. B. to be effected.' " Too h\U\ 
 my dear sir," says Coach<y; "/ must be 
 paid, whether you go or no." And thus 
 we lost seeing one of the most famous spots 
 in Sv.-itzcrland. 
 
 On the way to Villeneuve, you pass the 
 J*iserache fall, and over the debris whid» 
 several y» ars since came down from the 
 Dent du Midi, a peak 12,100 feet high, 
 covering the valley' f)r miles in extcni. 
 Villeneuve is situated at the up|x?r cud of 
 Lake Leman [Geneva.] It rained a little, 
 and my companion and I lunched, and 
 then a botanist who was there, and I 
 smoked considerably; and then the rain 
 stopped, and we moved on. Just beyond 
 the tower we passed in front of a l>eautiful 
 building cail«(l Hotel Byron, where you 
 first perceive rising out of Lake L., jit the 
 foot of a mountain covered by a dark green 
 forest, the white walls of Chillon. It is an 
 object any poet would have chosen for his 
 theme, and its history is now familiar to 
 every ore's ear, as tlve subject of one of 
 Byron's most touching poems. 
 
 The chateau being surrounded on all 
 sides by water, is approached by a bridge 
 leading to the old gateway, beyond whicli 
 vou find a court communieatinj; with the 
 dmercnt towers, prisons and magazines. 
 The prison or dungeon, celebratedby By- 
 ron in his " Prisoner of Chillon," is a loiig 
 and high gallery, cut partly in the solid 
 rock and partly built up. In the middle 
 it is divided by a row of seven columns 
 supporting arches, on which rest the upper 
 stories of the castle ; being half below the 
 surface of ihe lake, and having but a few 
 narrow windows high in the wall, it is ex- 
 tremely damp and sombre. At the fifth 
 pillar you discern the traces even in the 
 rock by Bonivard, nnd the ring where his 
 chain waa fastened, ■' 
 
 Until liis very steps have left a tiaco 
 Worn as if the cold paveme nt wcie a sod 
 By Bonivard. May none those marl: s ctlaco, 
 J-'or thy npjieal from tvrnnny to flod. 
 
 Adjt)iiiing the dungeon is the room of the 
 infjuisilion — very dark and appropriate for 
 such a use. On the floor above, where 
 daylight comes, you may admire, the gotliic 
 dining rooms, where everything has been 
 exeellontly preserved in the style of the 
 middle ages. The lire-place is large enough 
 to ro:ist an ox. What ideas of soliil com- 
 fort th(! old knights must have had ! Most 
 of the other rooms are tilled .vith munitions 
 of war — the chateau being now converted 
 into an arsenal. 
 
 Walked on to Clarence in spite of the rain", 
 wet through ; people very kind ; dry clothes ; 
 didn't tit; no matter, cup of tea set all to 
 rights. The inn here, the Swan, had two 
 balconies on the side of the lak-t?, li'om 
 wl'.ieh we enjoyed a fine view of Chillon, 
 Villeneuve, and the range of mountains 
 boinulint; tlws end of the lake. Next morn- 
 ing we had an early walk to Vivais, where 
 we took the steamer and sailed to Geneva, 
 thus finishing our nine days detour to 
 Mount Blanc, and through Savoy. — 
 Among our passengers I observed a Ger- 
 man Prince, who liad been studying at 
 Bonn. We remainc d but a night at our 
 hotel, the Ecu, and nest morning took 
 steamer to 
 
 LOUSANNE, ■.'■ 
 
 situated a mile from Lake L., upon a rising 
 iiiound, which commands a beaulitul view. 
 Soon after our arrival we met our friend 
 Allan again, with whom we passed the 
 evening, and were much entertained by his 
 stories .\bont the desert, Syria and Egypt. 
 He i-< bringing home a valuable collection 
 of curiosities. After conversino- a Ions: 
 time, we took a walk upon the terrace in 
 front of the town, where one enjoys the 
 cool of the evening and the delicious pros- 
 pect. To saj"- one's expectations have been 
 fully realized is a pleasure M'hich docs not 
 often occur; and when it docs, we look 
 upon the rcidity with a satisfaction that 
 affords us the most treasurable hours in 
 life. 
 
 Who has not thouoht of Geneva and 
 Lake Letiian as almost an earthly paradise. 
 Ihe very names are wont to sound in our 
 ears as a charm, and in this evening's walk 
 we might enjoy all. The air was calm and 
 clear, and we adir.ircd Lcman in all its 
 loveliness. Before us the beautiful rows 
 ol Villas and country seats, parks and 
 meadows, stretching down towards the lake. 
 
 »5 
 
 « 
 

 (12) 
 
 Boyoud the bright »1iect, liigli crngs and 
 peaks raise tliemseives, disputing \Yith the 
 gentler parts of the landscnpe the divm of 
 beauty. At the lefi of iho head of the 
 the Rhone the higli nnow-cappcd inoun* 
 tains present a beautiful contiust to the 
 even and carpet-like slope of the western 
 shore. Far to the right the lung liiiu of the 
 Jura bounds the horizon. Returning home- 
 ward, the eye rests upon Lake Lcnian, dot- 
 ted with many a lateen snil, and tinged by 
 the glowing hues of sunset. When I agaiji 
 looked out upon the same landscupu from 
 my bed room window, the njoon was risen, 
 and the scone was changed — seen by the 
 pale light it was not so grand in eiVoct, but 
 more lovely. 
 
 Sunday, Aug. 6. — The English Church 
 was crowded to excess. iVa astonishing 
 what quantities of English people there are 
 in every part of Switzerland. Hotels all 
 full; at the Table d'hote, nothing but Eng- 
 lish. They have even adopted English 
 customs in serving dinners. 
 
 Yesterday, in the steamer, th;*rc was a 
 very curious specimen aboard. A 
 tall, ♦hin navy captain, on half pay, with a 
 broad brimmed Italian hat to show, I sup- 
 pose, the fact of his just being come from 
 the more genial side of the Alps. The 
 gentleman's hat blew ofl' during his ambu- 
 lations, and fell near us; in picking it up 
 he said it was very odd ; we said we thought 
 so too; and so we went on from one thing 
 to another, and at last got quite soci;ible. 
 
 At dinner the caj^tain, whom it appears 
 is very polite, was seated next to a btauii- 
 ful young English lady, and made himself 
 very conspicuous, and the young lady quite 
 embarrassed by his attractions. To-day 
 ^hc was no where to be seen, and our 
 friend made all sorts of enquiry as to what 
 had become of the young lady who sat next 
 him the day before. At last the missing 
 miss was found far down the table, quite 
 out of reach of the gallant captain, who waa 
 very sorry, and hoped she had not left od 
 bis account. 
 
 Monday,) at 6 o'clock, I saw our heavy 
 trunk and bat-box safely booked for the 
 roulage to. Milan ; and soon after, we start- 
 ed m, company with the captain, who had 
 taken a carriage for Fribourgh. 
 
 After an hour's driving, I chanced, in 
 thinking of financial matters, to &nd our 
 letter of oradU missing. In all ba^te I ran 
 
 back to Lausaino, four miles, afraid I should 
 find my trunk already on its way over the 
 Simplun. But fortunately it was still stand- 
 ing quietly in the storc-ruum, and of course 
 1 lust no time in securing thi^ truant letter, 
 and hastening back to the carriage, aatistied 
 with ]utving learned a good lesson at little 
 cost. This was the lirst adventure of tho 
 day ; the second was something in the same 
 style. After dining at Payana, captain 
 anil 1 took it into our heads to walk on — a 
 very prai.-icwortliy exercise. Coaeiiman 
 was to leave in half an hour; we took the 
 broad road, and walked three or four miles 
 without enquiring. That nuin will never 
 come, thought we, at last, or it is possible 
 we've n.issed tho road. And so we had ; 
 but the people were kind, and directed us 
 across the fields, two miles more, to tho 
 right roaJ. Here we learned that a car- 
 riage answering to the description we gave, 
 hud passed at a rapid pace, neurjy an hour 
 ago. They said it was four long leagues 
 to Fribourgh, which made captain very 
 angry ; but 1 told him it was a nice walk 
 ill the cool of the evening, and that made 
 him more so. But walk it >vo must, and 
 did, arriving after 1 1 at the gretit gate of 
 
 FKIBOUHOII. 
 
 The town is most ])icturesquely situated 
 on a peninsula formed by a deep ravine ; 
 in order to pass over which, the citizens 
 have ron.«tructed a wire bridge of the im- 
 mense length of 900 feet — the longest in 
 the world — a perfect model of grace and 
 beauty. It is elevated 100 feet above tho 
 valley. A second has been constructed 
 over a lateral ravine of greater depth, 270 
 feet; it is 500 feet kmg. It looks frightful 
 t) stand on the centre of this bridge, at 
 such a height above the buildings in tho 
 dale, without any visible support beneath 
 you. 
 
 The organ of the Cathedral here is the 
 best ever constructed. In size it is not 
 equal to that of Birmingliam, but tone doe^ 
 not depend on that altogether; there are 
 64 keys and 7.800 pipes. We were fortu- 
 nate in entering the Cathedral just as it 
 was playing. Some of the sounds produced 
 wore as tine and sharp as the flute — even 
 the softness of the human voice is correctly 
 imitated. I was at first persuaded there 
 were people singing inside — it was only 
 the instrument; and the player has such 
 command over it, after making the whole 
 
(13) 
 
 the 
 ot 
 
 r« 
 
 u- 
 
 it 
 
 ed 
 
 tiy 
 
 bre 
 ,ly 
 ch 
 )le 
 
 building tremble with iu majestic ■ouiid, 
 that you would stand on tip-tue tu catch 
 some of the softest notes you ever iicaril. 
 The hiHt piece was the stoini in Der Fieis- 
 hutz. You could hear tlie distant thunder 
 and muttering of the storm, and th j strong 
 wind whistling as it were through the cord- 
 age of a vessel ; the voices of persons pray- 
 ing, and the storm at its height. Once 
 tiierc was almost real lightning, for the 
 sounds passed through tlxf sharpest keys 
 with Euch incredible rapidit}', that it pro- 
 duced the same ettVct upon the ear as 
 lio;htnin<; would to the eve. This was ful- 
 lowed by a clap of thunder — the only imi- 
 tation deserving the name I ever heard. 
 By degrees the storm moved otT, and the 
 notes fell soft and pleasing on the ear, like 
 the return of sunshine. Many persons may 
 think those who speak in such terms of un 
 limited praise do it because they are fond 
 of e.Ntiiiling everything they \ui\c seen; 
 but in this instance i'cw can o>'errate. I 
 wish every out; of my friends could hear 
 the organ of Fribonroh. 
 
 9ih. — Rerne, like Fribourgh is situated 
 ou a peninsula formed by a bend in the 
 river Aar, giving it from E. N. and S. a 
 most piclurosque appearance; and, like 
 the former town, travellers must appreci- 
 ate its two curiosities. The famous bears 
 kept in a den outside one of the gates, w hi<-h 
 from some old legend have become so con- 
 nected with the history of the Canton, that 
 even the arms of the little republic bear as 
 symbols two of these formidable animals. 
 The old fellows enjoy their dignity in play- 
 ing all sorts of antics to entice people to 
 throw them cakes and appK-s. 
 
 The other remarkable feature is the long 
 colonades which supply the place of side- 
 walks in nearly all the streets. They are 
 very olean and nice for loungers; but I 
 think the heavy arches and thick walls of 
 the buildings resting upon them give the 
 streets too sombre an npprarance. At 
 each side of the town there is an esplanade 
 walled up from the river, from the southern 
 of them we enjoyed a line view of the Ber- 
 nese Alps, very correctly represented in 
 the engravings. The Cathedral is a beauti- 
 ful model of a church in the style of the 
 middle ages; small, but uniting perfect 
 neatness in its details, and the purest gotbic 
 in the whole design. 
 
 Slept at the beautiful village of Thun, 
 situated at the head of the lake of that 
 name. It re(|iiires but an hour to cross 
 the lake of Thun, and a few minutes to 
 drive across \\m' valley to the villages of 
 Untersoeu and Interlacken, both situated, 
 as their names imply, between two lakes. 
 The first is a |)ictnreM|ue village built of 
 wooden houses, with balconies and large 
 roofs; the other but a scattered collection 
 of hotels or boarding houses, where mo:'t 
 English travellers make long h.dt. Some 
 even pass the whole summer. Nothing 
 can be more beaulil'ul tliaii this little valley, 
 closed in at builj sides by Swiss lakes, 
 bounded by high mountains on cither side, 
 with a lateral opening to the south, just 
 large enough to show the line form of the 
 Jungtran mouptaia. Except from an ele- 
 vation you can scarcely see the buildings, 
 from the quantity of broad shading oaks 
 that surround them. Tiie mountains which 
 surround the lake of Rrientz are too rrguhtr 
 in f(jrm to class that sheet of water amoiii; 
 the most picturesque in Switzerland. But 
 iu this ountry thu-ro is always something 
 to satisfy your curiosity. On the south 
 shore, opposite the village of Brientz is the 
 (Tresbaeh. This fall is com{)ftsed of several 
 cascades falling step by step from the high 
 clifts above, through a copse of mountain 
 trees, which in some place hid it altogether 
 from view. Each fall by itself is nothing, 
 but the elfect of the whole is really charm- 
 ing. The highest fall (60 feet) precipitates 
 itself over a projecting rock, under which 
 you m y go and look at the land>cape 
 through the thin sheet of falling water — • 
 like being in a grotto closed with a moving 
 silvnr curtain. Fine as all this was, we 
 gazed at it but fifteen minutes, crossed to 
 Brintz. and engaged a horse for my com- 
 p<^nion immediate y, to cross the Breisnig 
 pasS; on our way to Lucerne. 
 
 As usual, my companion wanted to stop. 
 I shewed him theie was nothing to gain by 
 it. Fine lake, nice village, come far enough, 
 was the answer; and so it is always. If ho 
 were anything of a traveller ^'s should see 
 twice as much in half tb^ time. However, 
 on this occasion he al'.owed himself to be 
 persuaded, so we proceeded. The pass we 
 found to be nothing only 3,500 feet high. 
 Slept in a small village on the other side ; 
 next day passed through Alpenach ; took 
 a boat across the arm of Lucerne lake, 
 
 t 
 
(14) 
 
 then twu miles on fout to the town, nnd 
 arrived very early. 
 
 SiiUirdiiy. — Lucerne, situatt'd at tlio foot 
 of llu' '* lake- of tlie four Canluiis, is divided 
 in liuif by the eloar waters ol' tint Hoiisii. 
 It lias i)oatne>8 and a pielureMiiie back- 
 jrruinid of low rolling lulls, over one of 
 wliidi runs the old wall wiih ils live curi- 
 ous towers to recommend it t(j travellers' 
 ■ ♦.tentiou — but lilllu else, lieinj; a town 
 uf but O.OOU inliabiuints.wilhout commerce, 
 it is necessarily very dull. We passed a 
 eouple of hours on ihe lo;iy[ bridj^es, look- 
 ing at the old pictures, |il.iced at every 10 
 feet in the angle of the rouf. They are 
 b idly executed; but olFer s ich a variety of 
 curious subjects that one cannot well omit 
 any. Strange, too, there was an opera 
 here last night — Uas Nachtlager in Grena- 
 da — a night passed in Grenada, by Kreul- 
 zer, a compnsor of Cologne. The music is 
 much nture complicated, and to my taste 
 superior to French composilioiis of the 
 opera comique in Paris. 
 
 At 2 o'clock we took the steamer up the 
 lake for Alldurf. Lucerne is unquesiion- 
 Hbly the most beautiful hike in Switzerland ; 
 it possesses every variety of charming 
 tcenery In sonie places the iiills raise 
 themselves in gentle slopes, covered with 
 farms and neat cottage:,. Tlien you pass 
 an i;>l.ind wooded down to the very water's 
 wide. Near Lucerne a broad arm stretches 
 out towards Alpenach and the threatening 
 looking Pilate.-<birg. Soon it loses that 
 monotonous character of a river which 
 most small lakes have, and e.xpands itself 
 o'.;t between nn amphitheatre of high 
 mountains, down whose ruiitjed sides run 
 mountain streams, fiU-ming innumerable 
 cascades, which in t'le distance and urai » 
 denr of the whole scene, looks like so many 
 silver threads. The lake is here so com- 
 pletely closed in, that we could not imagine 
 which direction would take us out a';ain. 
 From Tell's chapel to Kluellen the course 
 is straight, but not less beautiful. Every 
 variety of crag and overhanging precipice, 
 with mountains cut into the most fantastic 
 outline, delight the eye till you land at 
 Fluellcn. 
 
 WM. TKLL. 
 
 Sunday, Aug. 13. — At length xre are at 
 Altorf, the theatre of the exploits of Wm. 
 Tell. To appreciate his famous history, I 
 have been reading Schiller's tragedy, and 
 
 am delighted with his perfect style of pour- 
 traying the greatness of soid and patriotic 
 feeling that actuated the Swiss to liberate 
 their country. The incidental descriptions 
 of tlii'* country which occurs in the tra<redv, 
 are drawn with a master hand, and give 
 a truer idea of the scenery than anj work 
 1 ever read. The emotions of Melchtal, 
 his self-reproHch for having left his feeble 
 father, and hi'^ burning resentment against 
 the Austiians, when he heard they had 
 put his father's eyes out, is a passage wor- 
 thy of Shiikspeare. And Tell, relating to 
 his wife the dangers of the Oh imois hunt 
 among the high Alps, nuikes one shudder, 
 while on the other lumd the tender love of 
 the heroine Hertha for the young Swiss 
 Count, or the conversation between Tell 
 and his son in Altorf, excite all one's sympa- 
 thy. On the public place there stands a tower 
 covered wiili paintings, representing our 
 hero's history, and neaa it a fohntain, said 
 to be upon il;o spot where Tell's arrow hit 
 the apple Uj)on his son's head. After 
 finishing my tragedy, which would almost 
 recompense one lor the trouble of learning 
 Gorman, I took up the copy of Dicken's 
 "Ameriea" we bought at Lucerne. Well, 
 it's really amusing in some chapters; and 
 though he rubs the good people too much, 
 it will never do any harm. Were it to re- 
 form half th'> tobacco ehewers, he would b« 
 doing an immense service. The prac- 
 tice is unknown in any part of Europe ex- 
 cept among sailors. ,, ,, , , , 
 
 RIFLE EXERCISE. 
 
 To-day being Sunday, is a grand holiday 
 for the peasants, who are about practising 
 at the target with their rifles. Two hun- 
 dred yards is the di>tanco, and the men 
 strike the white ball at least every time; 
 at this stand there are live targets in con- 
 stant use, and in a short walk u]) the valley 
 we see that at other places th-ire are quite 
 as many. Still they sry it is nothing more 
 than they have every Sunday. At this 
 rate Switzerland will always be filled with 
 effective defenders for its mountain defiles. 
 
 Our entering the word Canada under 
 the title Domicile in the stranger's book 
 has not unfrequcntly occasioned a little 
 questioning, especially in country places; 
 some supposing it to be in India. To-day 
 at dinner the waiter accosted me very po- 
 litely, "E.vcuse me, sir, I see you're from 
 Candara, \vhi<'h I suppose is in India — 
 
(lo) 
 
 lay 
 
 lie ; 
 on- 
 ey 
 ite 
 irp 
 lis 
 th 
 es. 
 ler 
 
 30- 
 
 may I nok, have you ever been uu far n» 
 Calcutta?" I told him no; but said wo 
 froquently heard from the cajiilal; upon 
 which he rravo us a long story about an 
 uncle who had left Marseilles during llie 
 Ilevolution, married at St. Gaul in Swuzrr- 
 land, andHubsequtnlly left for India, where 
 ho hud amn8^cd great wealth, two millions 
 hterling, he believed. lie died at Calcutta, 
 and leaving no direct heirs, hid executors 
 had written to St. Gaul to know if any of 
 his wife's relatives were living. The long 
 and short of it was, the waiter had been 
 since ten days out of his head, ha\ ing heard 
 the event, and believinj' nimself to be the 
 nearest relative. When we aj^cerlained the 
 drift of his curiosity, wc explained to hini 
 the slight mistake he hae made in his go- 
 ography, and recommended his pending a 
 letter to the British Consul at Berne, to 
 learn the truth of the matter. May he get 
 his golden fortune. I dare say he wiadd 
 make as good use of it as most others. 
 
 Monday. — There is a constant feeling of 
 delight which a person enjoys among these 
 most mnijfniHcent scenes in nature, increas- 
 ing as wo learn to appreciate their magni- 
 tude, and rendering every hour we pass in 
 Switzerland more precious. We had a 
 benutitul day for our return to the Regi; 
 and the effect of the mountain scenery on 
 Lake Lucerne was heightened by a clear 
 sky and warm sun, which gave colour and 
 beauty to every object. It bafHedi all de- 
 scription, 
 
 RIGT. 
 
 My companion thinking the fatigue 
 would be too great, went on to Lucerne ; 
 and I, landing in Wegis, took a boy as a 
 guide and ascended the Rii;i, elevated 
 5,600 feet above the sea, and nearly 5,000 
 above the lake. The ascent is very easy, 
 along a winding path, and requires 
 three hours. The mountain is composed 
 of great masses of pudding stone covci ed 
 to the top with verdure, and presents the 
 appearance of a lofty knoll. The weather 
 was hot and clear, and as wc ascended on 
 the side of the mountain, my view was con- 
 fined to Lake Lucerne, until wc arrived 
 near the summit, when the magnitieent 
 panorama of nature burst upon me so sud- 
 denly that I held my breath for fear of 
 losing my first impression of its beauty. 
 With your face towards the east, the oval 
 formed lake Zug, the valley of Schytz, with 
 
 the awful ruins of Mount Unsenherg cover* 
 ing the plain present themselves. Beyond, 
 several other lakes, and to ihe left, a vast 
 extent of level country, smilirtg i.i all the 
 loveliness of summer. The expanse is im« 
 nuMise, reaching as far as the hlu!* and dis- 
 tant outline of the Jura. The trees in the 
 tields arc like the smallest green straws 
 you can imagine; and the villages and 
 towns dwindle into mere play-things The 
 effect is ujueh hke looking at u well-colour- 
 ed map. We are not used to see so much 
 of our world at one view, and naturally 
 search sonie accustomed object to compare 
 it will). Lucerne and the two arms of tho 
 lake f(»rm fine features in tho scene; and 
 on tile left the nolile outline of the Pclatus 
 mountain terminates the plain. As far as 
 the clouds will admit is .seen the glorious 
 chain of Alps, peak on peak, covered. with 
 eternal snow — a spectacle of the subiimest 
 order in natarc. There one appears almost 
 brought into a sort of fellowship with tho 
 moiuttains. 
 
 The Bernese have not shewn themselves 
 all day. There wore many botfks in tho 
 hotel, and 1 lay upon the grass near tho 
 edge of the precipice, and read for hours 
 together, rising now and then to look upon 
 the scene so fur, far below me. From be- 
 ing absorbed with the subject of my book, 
 it appeared like awaking into the brightest 
 day-dream the imagination is capable of 
 farming. I', seemed as though I never 
 sliould be fii';>.ned with looking and admi- 
 ring. Ai las- ilie sun set Oh, how glori- 
 ous it is from the Rigi to see the long 
 mountain shades enveloping the lakes and 
 vallies in darkness, then the whole plain, 
 and we still in the full glare of the sun's 
 light as he sat bel.inJ th ■ Junu The till 
 then dusky hue of the chain became strong- 
 ly defined against the golden hues of the 
 western .sky; and far beyond the Jura we 
 could then distinguish other mountains 
 quite invisible during the day. A beautiful 
 phenomenon » itnessed at sunset from such 
 elevated positions is the second line of 
 azure which maiksthat part of the heavens 
 where the sun's rays no longer shine; l)e- 
 low this the sky is of the light lead colour 
 of twilight, while above all is brighter, 
 verging towards the west into a perfect 
 glow. 
 
 At night our inn was crowded to excess; 
 we had nearly eighty persons at supper in 
 
('«) 
 
 tlic different rof>ms. Miiny coiild find no 
 )ilucu to slot-p, but I was rnoro fcirluiiiilc ; 
 l»eing come early, I hid secured a snutf 
 little room ull to niysulf. Ht'Cure turning 
 ill I took nnuther stmll round the Numinit, 
 und looking down tVoin that great lu-ight 
 upon the silent vullieii, could almost fancy 
 tlium slumbering, hucIi Ih the eharni of 
 {irrfp'Jl stillnciis whkrii rest* here nt night. 
 At such a time it U indeed n melancholy 
 pight to look upon the " »liJe" of the Kosen- 
 berg. On that very spot, once the scene 
 of such an awful calainily, where lie buried 
 two villaj;e8, hanil' t», many fair ficld.s 
 and pa4!ures, all is wrapt in »tillne»» and 
 (j.iiet. 
 
 In the morning all rose at tl.re.^ to seo 
 the »un rise. Unfortunately it was rather 
 clouded in the east, but in the opposite ili- 
 rection the sky was perfectly bright and 
 clear. The whole chain of the IJernese 
 Alps rose high abjve all, the mountains we 
 had had in view the day before — much 
 more beautiiul in effect, from this disiunee, 
 than when seen from Heme. Now the 
 panorama was perfect; and having gazed 
 upon it long enough to impress it upi*n my 
 memory I descended to lake Z'lg, crossed 
 in A snudi boat, walked •ilomr its bunks to 
 the town, and met my companion. In the 
 diligence, to Zurich, there was u very pretty 
 and interesting young Swiss lady, wh(» 
 told US a great many things about her na- 
 tive town, Zurich, making our short drive 
 very pleasant 
 
 ZUKICIt. 
 
 Zurich is a clean, well-built town, full of 
 life and trade. The houses are nearly a I 
 painted white. Baun's hotel is the best in 
 Switzerland. The scenery of the lake is 
 tame in comparison with that of Lucerne ; 
 but dotted as its shores are with beautiful 
 villas, enamelled with lawns and parks, it 
 presents on a summer's day what I should 
 call a home-like view. From some points 
 its banks appear covered with one continu- 
 ous village, like the St. Lawrence. Th^ 
 u]>per end is shut in by the distant snow- 
 covered Alps; but having seen them all to 
 better advantage, from the Rigi, the view 
 from the level of the lake loses much of its 
 interest Lake Wallenstadt, which follows 
 in the regular course is more picturesque, 
 surrounded by high curiously formed cliffs, 
 behind which you discover from some points 
 beautiful slopes covered with villages and 
 
 pastures apparently innccossible. The old 
 hleamer on which we performed this short 
 part of our journey was a most curious 
 ^pecimen of a vessel built among tho moun* 
 tains of Switzerland. We have since heard 
 from a lady traveller that besides the dau' 
 
 irer of being on board this old dried-up 
 lulk, there is a severe trial for nervous 
 people in crossing the lake, to wit : in the 
 centre of the lake there is an unfathomable 
 deep hole. She said she hardly had the 
 courage to embark . We i'e|)lied, express- 
 ing our great sympathy and happiness at 
 rxit being aware ot the circumstance before 
 undertaking the voyage. 
 
 I'KFKIIS. 
 
 From Bnzatz we walked up the gorge 
 wiiich -leads to tlie bath.<i of Pfefiers, and 
 bi'oakfasted ii the snloon of the estab- 
 lishment What a gloomy Kntking place 
 it is, to be sure. Imagine a large convent- 
 l.ke building tilled with cold looking cells 
 and halls arched over, little windows, sunk 
 at the bottom of a gorge, where the rocks 
 rise 400 feet on both sides, and so narrow 
 that the sun only shines between them for 
 fi/ur hours in the day. Walks there are 
 none, except th? ron<! which leatls up from 
 the Rhine valley; and you meet such a 
 motley set of old men in white night-caps 
 and faded dressing-gowns, that the whole 
 thing has the appearance of a well-rcgu* 
 ted poohouse. However, we had a pretty 
 fair breakfast, and then proceeded farther 
 up the gorge to the source of the spring, 
 crossing a bridge, and then following a sort 
 of platform fastened to the rock about forty 
 feet above the stream, we entered one of 
 the wildest and most astonishing scones it 
 is possible to conceive. Until coming here, 
 we were quite disappointed with Our cxcur* 
 sion; but this was sufficient to repay a 
 whole day's toil. As you advance, you 
 perceive the upright cliffs approaching each 
 other more and more; and just as you pass 
 a small door which hides nil before you, a 
 most terrific region of rocks and waters 
 suddenly open to view. The gorge was so 
 narrow that you perceive but a small strip 
 of sky overhead, and so piTcipitous are the 
 sides, that there is not an inch to rest the 
 feet or hands upon except the frail wooden 
 pathway so wonderfully fastened into the 
 living rock. Below, the waters, hemmed 
 into a space of little mo^c than six feet, 
 rush and roar with an almost deafoning 
 
(17) 
 
 Hound. A fow stops fuitlior on, nnd it U 
 wilder still. One side o! the rofky wall 
 bcin;; concavo und the other convex ; the 
 whole muss being three huntlred nnd fifty 
 feet hiyh, leanin^^ throatoiiingiy over llio 
 other sixty or ii;j;hty feet to the left of the 
 {>er|K-ndicular lino, and lixikf) ready to fall 
 und crush yon every moment. In places, 
 tho jirojections on one siilc so overlaps the 
 other that you lind yonisolf (|nitc shut out 
 from the light. In one spot, the cliiVs meet 
 a'^ove, nnd form (i initnral Itridge; add to 
 this th<' roar of the water which fall from 
 above into this narrow gorge, through t' o 
 spray of which yon mn'>t pass, the peculiar 
 grey light that pervadesi,aiHl you have all my 
 imperfect description can give of one of the 
 )iiost wonderful things in Switzerland. The 
 source of the hot spring is (tidy remarkable 
 to travellers from ilv »il nation in thi' i-iide 
 of the gorge near the end, at least the walk 
 extended only to that point. There is a 
 small door closing n spring house, which 
 the giddo opened, and we saw the hot 
 water running out in great quantities, per- 
 haps 60 gallons per half miute. 
 
 VALLK.y OF TIIK HIIINE. 
 
 After seeing all this, we walked back to 
 Ilagatz. Tho valley of the Rhine a.s farnp 
 as Uieheners, where the two branches join, 
 is broad and picturesque; on all sides ex- 
 tensive views, bounded by lofty mountains. 
 The bed of the river is anything but beau- 
 tiful ; it spreads over a great space at high 
 water, and leaves a deposit of sand and 
 gravel. The Rhine is always connected 
 with poetry and chivalry; oven here, so 
 near its source, ulmc^lTfVfcry rrtRuMtain sidi; 
 and ciitr is adorned with a ruined castle — 
 at one view we counted no less than nine. 
 
 Coire is a very pretty bustling country 
 town, apparently quite independent of the 
 rest of the world. Bi.'ing a market day, we 
 saw a number of pretty Swiss girls; they 
 are very handsome in this valley. 
 
 Richeneau, where we turn off from the 
 valley of the Ferder Rhine und follow up 
 the Hinter Rhine, is celebrated in its way, 
 like most towns. Here Louis Phillippe 
 taught school before he came to the throne 
 of France, in cog., of course. Bi'foie arri- 
 ving in Thusis, there appears no egress from 
 the valley except by scaling the high moun- 
 tains which barricade it. The Rhine has, 
 howevei', forced its way from above, and 
 almost split in two, for four miles, an im- 
 
 mense mountain, which would otherwise 
 have barred up his passage and formed u 
 lake above. This gorge is called the 
 
 VIA MALA. 
 
 It was formerly impassable, but modern 
 engineering, tunnelling, hollowing out tho 
 sides ot the steep precipices, and three or 
 four liridgjs thrown acros.s, have rendered 
 it as tine a road as any in Switzerland. 
 The rocks which compose this gorge arc 
 limestone and state; the clitfs rui.su them* 
 selves in immense precipices, so steep that 
 there is not room for the smallest branch 
 or shrub to tho height of l.Otnj or 1,800 
 ft ■hove, there covered by a dark fringe of 
 »ii At the entrance of thi.s Jiorije a 
 I i'led castlt! adorns the opposite height, 
 almost inaccessible; and on the right, just 
 as vou catch a glini]tso of the steep sido 
 of the i;ory;o, vou enter a lonij tunnel cut 
 out of the soiid rock, which brings you 
 through a mass of lime-stone perfectly pre- 
 cipitous on the sides of the Rhine. At 
 every step tho scenery is becoming more 
 grand. The sides of the valley are walled 
 up with cliffs of the most varied form — 
 some han^;ing quite over the road, others 
 snfHcicnlly inclined or broken to bo par- 
 tially covered with the pine and fir, adding 
 greatly to the dark and imposing character 
 of the scene. Behjw you rushes the Rhine, 
 compressed between two straight walls of 
 rock not more than tiflecn feet apart; from 
 .«ome of the bridges the distance is more 
 than 400 feet down to the foaming torrent, 
 but you cannot hear the least sound, and 
 in many places its angry waters are hid 
 from v cw by the projecting rocks. Above, 
 there is but a small strip of sky visible, 
 strongly marked by the rngged outlines of 
 the mountain crag. It is altogether the 
 most imposing and frightful scene I evei* 
 witnessed — wilder and more terrible than 
 I could ever have imagined anything in 
 nature to be. Such scenery works more 
 dhv'Clly upon the feelings than the distant 
 view of a high mountain or a beautiful 
 prospect; here is something that really ex- 
 cites a feeling of dread as well as surprise. 
 The next day's work from Andeer, just 
 beyond the Via Mala to Bellinzona, on the 
 Italian side, was a pretty severe pull. Bo- 
 fore reaching Splugen, the road ascends by 
 a succession of zigzags, displaying the 
 usual skill of Swiss engineering, and then 
 passes through a gorge, which, though 
 
 Si 
 
(18) 
 
 greatly inferior to the Via Mala, is still full 
 of gratiiluur and wildnesH. The rock not 
 b«ing thusame uh in the latter, does nut form 
 such frighti'ul precipices, l>ui ench breaks 
 otf at a sharp angle, prcHenling a Hiiccossion 
 of the boldest crags, tiasurus, and detached 
 mosses characteristic of gneiss and granite. 
 Such pHsscs are wild, wild as any Mmatuur 
 could wish, but still there is not the terrific 
 appearance attached to thorn as iu tbc Via 
 Mala. 
 
 At Sphigen you arrive in a bigb Alpine 
 valley, at 4,700 feet elevation, where all 
 cultivation ceases, and nothing but Alpint^ 
 
 f>asturiigo i^i to be seen. How desolate it 
 ouks! The tops of the lofty peaks are 
 constantly covered with snow; and the 
 torrents which rush down from tbeni bring 
 large massf-a of debris often laying waste 
 the valley to a great extent. Here you 
 meet with but a few stunted pines and the 
 few villages there n»e, look so blank and 
 comfortless, one oimnot but pity the lot of 
 the pour people wlio know no other home. 
 
 BEaNADINE PASS. 
 
 At Hinter Rhine we croswd the stream 
 for the last time, and could just see along 
 the bare tide of the mountain the long 
 and numerous traverses by which our toil- 
 some a>>cent was to be made. I preferred 
 walking, and by dint of short cuts got so 
 far in advance of the diligence that a shower 
 whieh came on had time to wet me through 
 and through. At last 1 got under shelter 
 of a rock, and after burning about twenty 
 luciferi*. succeeded in lighting a cigar to 
 keep me Ci»mpany. It was nearly ai the 
 top of the patts, and a more dreary spot it 
 would be ditiicult to conceive — rocks, snow, 
 and here and there patches of stunted grass 
 It seem«:d to me to be a very kind thing of 
 the Swiss or Austrians, whoever it was, to 
 havte made a rood there, otherwise th« 
 chance* of passing a night in that airy situ- 
 ation woula have been rather against ei;e. 
 In less than an hour tlie conch came, and 
 ail went well again. The descent on the 
 Italian side is very steep; the coils of tra- 
 verses seem to lie in such confusion below 
 you that there is no guessing which end 
 leads up or which down. 
 
 From Switzerland the ascent begins at 
 Core, or rather Thusus, which is about 
 1,500 feet above the sea level, to the sum- 
 mit, 7,000 feet While here, you go down 
 at once to the bottom of the valley. 
 
 nova, only 800 feet above the sea. It seetim 
 to have no end, and gives one a pretty good 
 idea of going to the bottom. The view 
 down into this valley, sunken between im- 
 mensely high and sleep mountains, covered 
 with torrents and water-falls, is truly mag- 
 niticent. 
 
 Uulinzona, a dirty Swiss ludian town, 
 surrounded by pictures(}ue walls of the 
 feudal times. On the adjacent bills there 
 are several castles, and from one of them 
 you discover the Lngo Madjora. 
 
 ST. OOTAKU PASS 
 
 Our next journey was to Andermatt, on 
 the St. Gotard route. This pass is rather 
 higher than the Bernnndino, and excels it 
 in the number of traverses. The scenery 
 at the s,ummit is of the same character, and 
 just as dreary. There is no view. From 
 Arola, where the last heavy ascent begins, 
 I walked ovei- to Andermatt, and by taking 
 the angles did it in three hours, while the 
 diligence requires five. From hero we 
 visited the devil's bridge, three miles lower 
 down. The character of the defile in 
 which it is situated is much the same as 
 that of the gorge above the Via Mala. 
 The bridge a beautiful structure, spans a 
 deep chasm, amidst the spray of a large 
 water-fall formed by the torrent which 
 rushes beneath it. 
 
 Returned to our hotel and arranged the 
 route for the morrow. My companion to 
 go by Lucerne to Interlacken, to I pass 
 through the Furca and Grimsel and meet 
 him ; and then together bid farewell to 
 Switzerland. 
 
 A DETOU limi ilUmUII ^BY J. P. MKRRITT. 
 
 As I was quite done up by this journey 
 across the two high pas^ie8, not having a 
 day's rest since leaving Zurich, I declined 
 accompanying my enthusiastic companion 
 over the next highest pass in Switzerland. 
 So remaining till a late hour, I started 
 about noon. The village we stopped at, 
 at the head of the valley, was truly Swiss, 
 and had an old square castle overlooking, 
 which [ examined before starting. De- 
 scended at a swinging rate to use a cant 
 expression, but reduced to reality here, 
 where the mountain zig zag is so short a'> 
 to produce the sensation of swinging. The 
 Devil's bridge, over a deep chasm, was 
 passed, and the mountain) kept growing 
 higher and higher till at last the foot was 
 reached, after two boar's tramp. I was 
 
t 
 
 (10) 
 
 wrong In letting the carriage go on, for I 
 fuuniH on inquiry, tliu puss to the Hhunu 
 valley wns not eligible. 
 
 'I'hu diligence coining on in a cou]>lo of 
 huurs, I entered it, leaving the piis.xing of 
 tiio main oliain of mountains to n further 
 stage, (Miringlian, pcrhapN) A continued 
 detscmt brought us, after a couplo of hours, 
 to Altorf; and by six 1 wns on the sleiim 
 er again lor Lueerne. It is the third time 
 1 have visited this city, and none of my 
 former ones, saving the first, when it was 
 new, has been pRs.«ed more pleasantly. 
 
 During the leisure of the sojourn I have 
 read Mr. Dickens' Notes on America, my 
 companion Imving left it with me, and have 
 had the society of agreeable friends, one a 
 Fellow of 12 years standing, from Clare 
 Hall in Cambridge; and anotlii-r, aged 19, 
 who this day received a commission in the 
 05ih llegt., at which he was more highly 
 elated than at the prospect of pursuing 
 inoro civil occupations. 
 
 1 saw the co.ossnl lion to-day ; it is hewn 
 out of the solid rock, on the bidu of tho 
 mountain, and dono in commemoration of 
 tho Swiss who fell l*ei* in tho defense of 
 Louis XVI., in the early French Revolution. 
 
 Fri'lay, — Tended the Swiss Diet. It is 
 like all otiiers, and put me in mind of our 
 House of Parliament. The Diet of th« 
 8core of Cantons meet alteruately in the 
 cipital of tho four greatest Cantons . They 
 speak both tho French and German lan- 
 guages, and it made no confusion more 
 than our French and English. There be- 
 ing no customs, the members serve gratui- 
 t aisl}-. They appear in full dress, mclud- 
 iug small sword. '■•- 
 
 Aug. 2^. — Aros"?, bid adieu to friends, 
 breakfasted, and on foot started ncross the 
 peninsula; took a boat to Alptiuach, after- 
 wards R voiture, and passed up the beauti- 
 ful valley towards Brientz.bordering the two 
 lakes we came down on the IHh. When 
 reaching the foot and real ascent of the 
 pass, the carriage broke down, and we were 
 forced to walk, which accident was not 
 altogether to be regretted, as it afforded me 
 an opportunity to exnmine tho highest of 
 the two lakes which had lately been drain- 
 ed. To enhance the interest of the scene, 
 the bells were ringing for vesper* in th« 
 lower part of the valley. After sunset, 
 some shepherds who were driving their 
 flocks home from the high mountain pas* 
 
 tures on the opposite side of tho lake nnng 
 in their national air the" Kalch du Vach," 
 and were answered by ours. This exirciito 
 lasted till neithvr could longer bo heard. 
 Started from Briontz oai'ly. Tho latter 
 
 Eart of this road only was new to me. — 
 >ined a la Uermaine, at Mavringen; walked 
 up to visit an old ca.sile, for wliich 1 had to 
 pay a boy, the "sfiieehal." Hy return was 
 occupied with reflections on the parsimony 
 of the Swiss, otherwise endowed with iioblo 
 <]na!it:es; visited a Fall, which, to the 
 consolation of the people at homo, 1 must 
 add, make no approach to Niagara. Ne.\t 
 day I Ktarteded over the Shidt'ck pass, 
 knapsuek on Rhoutdei, bavin^i, engaged a 
 porter to take tht* weighty pai t of the bag- 
 gage. The valley ot the Ha^le being 
 ptissed, the Hteep part of the puss com- 
 menced, amounting; to some odd ihoiisands 
 of feet in altitude. Dejunier a la Four- 
 clietto with a conpio of Englishmen from 
 tho opposite side, wh(», having no occasion 
 for their horses, atl'orded me a histe over 
 tho remainder of the pass. On reachiii<; 
 the higiiest shalley n storm detained us till 
 dark; the time was enlivened by a couple 
 of damsels singing Swiss airs. An hour 
 through the dark down a path washed by 
 the recent storm brought me to Grindeu- 
 wall. 
 
 Went up the valley of Lanterbrunen 
 to visit the Falls of Slaubach, 900 feet in 
 height; could not say I was composed to 
 rest by the murmuring of its waters, for the 
 fall was dissipated in sprav long befi>re it 
 leached the bottom. Reached Interlachen 
 early in the morning, where we in'-t, and 
 resumed together our jonincy to Italy. 
 
 DEPAKTDRE FKOM SWITZECHLAND. 
 
 It was the last of Summer as my bro- 
 ther and I sat out to cross the Gemmi pass. 
 It was a beautiful fall-like morning when 
 we* left Unterseen. The first pan of our 
 journey led us along Lake Tuun; banks 
 very much like along the side of the moun 
 tain at home. Soon our road turned 
 south, and was a continu<.'d ascent until 
 we reached Render teg, when evening ap- 
 proached. This is a pass of fifty -five miles. 
 I thought I would go no further. My 
 companion, wishing to make up time, pro- 
 ceeded on foot. After putting up in 
 a primitive lot; cabin, I ivalked to the left, 
 up the river. Sementhal valley was filled 
 with late debris brought down from tba 
 
(IM) 
 
 .: 
 
 iii')iitit;ii;i8; tlio vnllcy, in co .soqufiico, wni 
 iiiucli stfcpiT ihiiii tlio Olio bi'luw.niul ju't 
 prrticd, Aflrr Kcciin; llio valley, iiiU'ivsl- 
 ing ill n geol(>n;iciil point of view, irliinnd. 
 IJy about 7, noxt nioiiiiii;^, was on my 
 nsoont, Iiiig'jjugo and iiuilc. A Ix-ant I'liI 
 view t'roiii llu! first ri.so; procicilid iip llin 
 long ascent, and tlie now and varieii oi.- 
 jecta ot tiii* wonilfifiil nionntnin CDnniry 
 kept nif occiipiuil till wo passed tin; li;;lt'- 
 wuy shallcy, tlio hist lioiisc. Wo icaclu'd 
 thu liigheat point lalo in tlio arinimon . I 
 Imd just piissod along trad otsiiow Ity lln- 
 Hide of a lako, and moiintud a rid^o oii tliu 
 other Midf, wlit'n llio lllioiu; valley, iiounded 
 by Monte Rosa, on the distant a;ul cpjjosite 
 side, Ktrnck my vimv. We had I)v.mj|) llio 
 muiit of the day aseeiiding ti llii* pniui, 
 and now tiio valley of the lib mo and ll> ■ 
 baths of Lcuk lay just U!id( r uw foot, and 
 it would lake but a bound to desceid 
 to them. I did not remain long to vii'w 
 this extended and grand plie:ioniona, as the 
 ■wind blew a hurrioancovcr the ridno; and 
 8o, signifying to my muletoer, I stalled, 
 but ho, who thought his businc-s done, con- 
 fined himself to bellowing over the preci- 
 pice, down which no voice eould ever reach, 
 foraporter; bntgettiiigiinpaiient. I "^aid lio 
 must bring thu baggage himseir: and so 
 without further delay wo s(arl( d down llio 
 jirccipicc, the magnilicent prospect all this 
 time in view; to heighten the grandeur, a 
 storm was just coming over. The iioavensas 
 clear as evi-r in the valley, were darkened 
 by clouds pouring over the promontories 
 above our heads. It was the most magni- 
 ficent sight I ever beheld. As it soon be- 
 gan raining, I was pleased to leave sight- 
 seeing, and get to our inn. 
 
 JOURNAL CONTINUED — TOP OF THE FURCA. 
 
 Tuesday.—The pass connecting the Rhone 
 valley with the St. Gothard — 7,0U0 ft. high, 
 is easily reached, because at Andermatt 
 you are already elevated within 4,000 feet of 
 the sumaiet Peojile usually dosceml into 
 tbe Rhon« valley, and passing below the 
 glacier, ascend again to the (Jrimsel. We, 
 however, struck immediately across the 
 shoulder of the mountain, 800 or 1,000 feet 
 higher than the Furca, and had a fine view 
 down the valley of the Bernese Alps on the 
 richt, and some lofty peaks in the chain 
 of the Monte Rosa. Crossing considerable 
 tracts of snow, we arrived over the Rhone 
 glacier (souice of that river) not far from 
 
 its commcncemont among the high peakH. 
 There wan no puili, ho thu de.K-«nt down il 
 was very bad from tho loose sloiio*. We 
 sent a great many sliding down on to the 
 glacier; they broke ami crusln^d on their 
 way, emitting a dust that sr.i'lt WUv. •;un- 
 powder. The eroviees in the icn were nii- 
 morouH and bail to tuke, f >roiiig us ofioii to 
 turn back t > seek a iiuw lath. It is tivo 
 timoH more dangerous liian the Mer de 
 (ilaco, in ftct t. u guide ilid not \\\*\\ to 
 take us thit way. Sale over, we a^cende I 
 again several hundred feet, daring which 
 an i'ui.U'iit occurred. Insieal of going bo- 
 lo^v a piece of snow which lay at a very 
 •teep aiigle; I crostid it, earetully n»aki.ig 
 Mop-* fir my feet, and keeping my balance 
 with the Alpine slock; but two of tho 
 irislmV'ti, in a li;mpiiii;;' to fol'ow, lost their 
 e(|nild)riiimand went down by the run, one 
 on Ills back, the other on his face. The 
 smaller man stopped hiin->otrat the bottom, 
 but thi! other, a .Siirg'.'on, tl'W ovvr the sod 
 aiid stones 20 or ;IU tcet, and only brought 
 up at the topufa bro.'id slippery rock, llrid 
 ho gone over this, ho might have been 
 killed. It was a good le«son not to be too 
 vealnresoiiio. Descending into the pass 
 of ill- (Jiimsel, for wo had attained u much 
 gr^'aler higlit in crosiiig at tho top of tho 
 glacier, 1 i»ad some capital slides down the 
 snow, .«>everal hundred feel at a time. Tho 
 rest of the way wo had nothing but bog 
 and mire, ooeasionod by tho snows niellin;'. 
 Arrived at the Hospice all mud and wet, 
 alter eight hours good walking. The 
 Grinisel pa^s is much wilder than even the 
 St. (lotaid. A cold wiiilry l<x)king hike 
 rises up to the very windows of tho Hos- 
 pice, and in front runs a high peak, whence 
 several winters ago fell an avalanche, de- 
 stroying the formijr building and two ser- 
 vants. Up to a certain bight in the pass, 
 the immense boulders of granite are worn 
 perfectly smooth, from the action of tho 
 ice. In the sun's rays they glisten like sil- 
 ver ; above all, runs off broken and cragged 
 into the sublimcst of mountain scenery. 
 
 Next day one of our party gave in, and 
 took to riding. Tho Surgeon, a fine stout 
 man, the one who yesterday had the slide, 
 led off at a tremendous pace, in order to 
 overtake a party of Germans who had pro- 
 ceded us. " We never ' stunden' the time 
 in Ireland," says be, "and if they have a 
 mind to keep up, we'll shew them it." [In 
 
 • ' 
 
 
(.M) 
 
 t 
 
 4: 
 
 Switzcilniiil or Cnriimiiy (lilar.cc is iin-ii- 
 nurotl l>y Iiihh'b walks, "siundun") — ami 
 •o wo il'd; l'ulli»wiii|j; his ixcilli'iit pace lunl 
 oxumpiv, wi! Hiiiu'l at M«viiii ..;vi!, (7 stmi- 
 drii, 21 inilos) ill Imir Ihkhs — -J Ikiuis Itc- 
 f'i»r« llipi (liMiiiMiis. On our way »'• visiicd 
 IlaiuU'ck Fall, Ull(|llt•^li'»lllll^Iy i!ii« lincst n 
 llnj (.•oiinlry. Vuii a|)[)ioucli h trom ihi- 
 top, ntid crotisin^ ii niiiuII biilgc over tl)u 
 foMriiiiig HliiMuii, li»ol{ down \'vinn ati over- 
 liuiiji[iiijif riH'k upon the ruariiii;' wators lt.'a|)- 
 inn; t'roin wiiuie you bland into i\ narrow 
 l'ri;;litl'td giir^'c. You catuml sim- past tin! 
 curve of llic lull, but ilicy say llin liiglil 
 is over 20U fi'ct. Ju.it at the* rtidc ii small 
 Btrcani falls into tiu^ kuiiiu abyss; thi ir 
 WHlors iia'i't (iU font tVoiii ihn tup. 'I'liu 
 cdVct is one to mako weak iumvus trombli'. 
 From the llaiidiH'k to Miyriiiyiii \v« Imd 
 n good dial of r«in, and upuii nrrivinu;' were 
 obligi'd to ijro to bod till llii> pioplo «if the 
 inn oonid procuiui iis sonuiliin^' dry. Af- 
 ter thi'so long mountain cvoursioiis one en- 
 joys a copious libation and n cit-an sliirt — 
 «vcn a borrovvod one — bettor ilian ovor ho 
 did. It is a real pivasuro, and ihon you 
 fool nt onco so rofioslud, in such capital 
 8^-irits, with an uppoliio passing all bounds. 
 The evenings an- passed very ploaiantly 
 in conversation with other parlies, e.\ 
 changing (]uestionsand details of the day's 
 excursion, or planning for tlie marrow. At 
 th« Inn here I bought n very pretty Swiss 
 huuso, cut out of wood with great taste. 
 
 TUB OKRAT HCIIKIDKCK. 
 
 Thursday. — The weather was extremely 
 hot, and our walk as far ns the top of the 
 Great 8oheideck (6.711 feet) was rather 
 fatigueing. On the way we visited the 
 graceful fall of Keichenbauh and the gla- 
 cier of the Groselane, di scending from the 
 side of the Wetterhorn, an immensely high 
 peak, which you appear to be close under 
 all the way, while its base is more than IJ 
 miles distant. Arrived at the small inn on 
 the Scheidcck in time to wait an hour and 
 a half for our guide, who started with us. 
 The poor man had to carry the knapsack, 
 which, together with the hot weather, gave 
 him a regular sweating. After a pretty 
 solid collation of cold moat, niilk, breaa, 
 wine and oigar.«, we went out to bask in 
 the sun, on the mountain side, and hear 
 some Swiss singing. There are three young 
 girls at the inn who give travellers a treat 
 of as Gne musiu as I l^holdd wish to hear. 
 
 The Kci'iio it in nui-h pcrrecl elianirter — 
 out in the opoii air, on a nioiiutain nido, lit 
 tlso very foot of tin; NVctiorliorii. The val- 
 ley of (Irindenwald below you «miling with 
 cottages and pastures, , On one cido rise 
 Ihu highest peaks of the lierne<e Alps, on 
 the oilier the chain of the l-'aul'iora ; en- 
 joying with your eyes such a magiiilic«iit 
 scene, is it not delightful to have the oars. 
 as.4ailod by tliu melodious mountain voicci 
 of pretty Swisi nuii'ls? At any rate we 
 thought HO, and gat« them three or four 
 bal/.in, and received their •hanks. From 
 the Soli <'(leck you arrive at a point two- 
 thirds of the way up the Faulhorn. Hy 
 O'liilinuing along the mountain side, which 
 oiiclosisthu (rriudenwald valley like the 
 sidit of a l>.i>in, reached the top, H,2()0 feet, 
 at :) o'clock, and lodged ourselves in the 
 m ist ele\aled habitation of Kuro|)0. Thn 
 panorama from this point is of a grandeur 
 f u" e.xoceding thai of ihe liigi. Vou are 
 brought so close to the great chain of the 
 iJoriiese Alps, the Eiger Juiigfrau, Monch 
 Wetlorhoni, IMiim'. n deg Alpcs, Finstor 
 Ahilioni — all ranging from 10 to 11,000 
 feet in bight — tliat you can look into all 
 the vallies of the glaciers, distinguish every 
 jieak, crevice and outline, even the tracks 
 of the avalanches ; aye, and even hear tho 
 roar of their distant thunder. There is 
 little Welter scenery; you can just discover 
 the two extreme ends of the lakes Thun 
 and Bricntz. Of fields and towns there 
 arc none ; between you and the great val- 
 ley intervene too many high mountains. 
 There is nothing so pleasing and naivte as 
 in the character of the Kigi landscape; all 
 is here .stern and alpine, ijoth the sun-set 
 and sun-rise were magnificent. After the 
 latter, and taking a little cofl'ec, my friend 
 and 1, (we wore now reduced in number to 
 two,) with the guide, descended to the 
 vill 'go of Griiidonwald in one hour and 
 three (juartors. To ascend it requires live 
 hours, and ll'.e descent three, says our 
 guide-book. From CJrindnnwald we cro8.sed 
 the VVengeriialp — the mountain on the 
 opposite side of the valley — to the Great 
 Scheideck ; it runs out at right angles from 
 tho Bernese chain, like its vis a vis. Tho 
 distance is fi>ur sttindeu. We, great walk- 
 era as we were, had to give two and three- 
 quarters to it, including ono-quarter stop- 
 j)ing to eat strawberries and milk at a cha- 
 let. Tho weather w<is as hoi as Jamaica, 
 
(-2) 
 
 }rrlsf8. You iliculd Ke ut in 6<n€ of 
 theae excursions. To s«;' we persjiired is 
 no term; wc sweat like racers, und would 
 walk up tliu steep plucus till our brt-aib 
 was quite exbausled, and thon stop to re- 
 cover. Heated from the w<?alher and exer- 
 tion to a degree I never experienced be- 
 fore, 1 have drank the culdest water in 
 great quanti ties, and am now quite con- 
 vinced it cai.iot injure a person. On the 
 Wengern Alps wo lay odt in the sun to 
 drj our clothes and watch th. avulanohei). 
 I saw two very fine specimens, and heard 
 a great many more on the oppnsiie side of 
 the mountain. After a good dinner, an 
 hour and a quarter brought us into the 
 valley ■ f Lanterbrunnen, just opposite the 
 Staubach Fall, the highest in Switzerland. 
 From the top of tiie cliti' it falls 800 feet at 
 tirsi, in a be&uiiful curve, but soou the 
 wr.ters become separated by the current of 
 air and hight, and reach the base like a 
 shower batD. 
 
 BACK TO INTERLACKBN. 
 
 Took a char-a-banc to Inierlackcn. My 
 friend left the morning after our arrival, 
 and I waited for Jedediah all one day in 
 bed reading novels. Finished Hadga Ba- 
 ba in England, and Bulwer's Night and 
 Morning. The first is very funny, particu- 
 larly the scene of the Pereian Ambassador's 
 servants, bathing in the new river iu the 
 park. The second is grave. Had (he good 
 fortune to be invited out to a ball here, and 
 of being introduced to Lady Hale, a very 
 lady-lik'^/^oman, with a big bunch of some- 
 thing brown on the side of her nose. The 
 dancing was very nice, and so was the mu- 
 sic, at least one was obliged to say so. We 
 had one bass viol or violincello and two 
 flutes; ices unexceptionable. It is how- 
 ever worthy of remark, that of all the 
 clothes I had on, only my stockings and 
 gloves belonged to me. I had left all with 
 my worthy fraternity. The old navy Cap- 
 tain we picked up at Lusanne was kind 
 enough to rig me out. It was a fit, to be 
 sure, but no one asked for my tailor's ad- 
 dress. You can al'vays borrow what you 
 want in Switzerland; and, on the whole, 
 it's economy, especially if you send the 
 things back with your compliments, and 
 without washing. 
 
 My calendar is all confusion, but I think 
 I was in Interlacken on Sunday, August 
 27th. 
 
 MY PASSAGI OF GBMt. 
 
 We have just crossed the Gemmi, one 
 of the most interesting passes iu the Ber- 
 nese Alps, leading from Lake Thun into 
 the Rhone valley. At the to]> of the pass 
 the scenery is very wild, bounded on both 
 sides with snow covered mountains. The 
 strata of the roek along the pass are very 
 curious. They all present the edge to the 
 surface, and being exceedingly broken, 
 with scarcely any soil, it is a picture of per- 
 fect desohition. From the highest point 
 there is a magnilicent view of the Monte 
 llosa, the rival of Mount Blanc, and of all 
 the high peaks in the ohain as far as Saint 
 Bernard. The dei^cent down the side of a 
 precipice which in some places overhangs 
 the road, is wonderful. Where the cliff 
 breaks oft'- perpendicularly, the path is cut 
 into the ^de like a half tunnel; again yoit 
 cross above a frightful abyss, supported 
 only by a dry wall. From below the whole 
 mountain a|>pcars so formidable that you 
 cannot conceive it possible to find a way to 
 its summit, and it is not until approaching 
 very near that you discover here and there 
 among the rocks a piece of clitF hewn oft', 
 or a dry wall, indications of an Alpine path. 
 
 BATHS OF LEUCK. 
 
 The baths are remarkable from the 
 fact correctly given by Murray, of the 
 bathers a'' being in the water together, 
 and remaining there in many instances 
 eight hours. In each establisliraent, of 
 which there are three, you find four large 
 tanks filled with water, and in each of these 
 you see the heads of the bathers floating 
 about, trying to amuse themselves in talk- 
 ing and singing, to wile away the time. 
 They all wear (not the heads, but the prin- 
 cipals) long loose robes, almost like the 
 monks. The valley of Leuck is quite 
 hemmed in by precipices so steep that the 
 only way of ascending to the villages above 
 is by ladders. On our way down to the 
 Rhone valley we saw one of these, and 
 thought what a trial it would be to the 
 nerves of an inexperienced person to find 
 himself suspended upon the frail raiHngs 
 of these ladders at the dizzy bight of four 
 or five hundred feet. The people of the 
 country carry the heaviest burdens up and 
 down with the utmost security. From the 
 baths, we d«>scended through a fine gorge, 
 and then along a beautiful valley, from 
 ivhich we had an e.\cellent view down thu 
 
 i 
 
(:>;0 
 
 •^' 
 
 1 
 
 Rhone ns fur ns Sioii. 'i'liougli this would 
 iiol be consKlored Hrst rate bcro, it was a 
 landsCHpe to bu enjoyud only in sucii coun- 
 tries as the Pyiinesu or N irway, where na- 
 ture has been sd biuiitifiil in the display 
 of her grandest works. We had also on 
 our way an opportunity of seeing the man- 
 ner of forming an Alpine road, and could 
 form some idea of what a stupendous un- 
 dertaking it is. The people were at work 
 on the opposite side of the ravine, hewing 
 out a way in the side; of a precipice, at a 
 hight of 400 feet from the stream. Some 
 appeared to be supporting themselvea upon 
 the merest niches of rock, while the scaf- 
 folding on which others were engaged was 
 supported by long ropes lot down from the 
 <op of the cliflF. As they blasted or cleared 
 away the stones, great masses fell with a 
 tremendous crash into the ravme. Krom 
 the baths down into the valley of the Rhone, 
 where you strike the Simplon, the descent 
 is about 3,000 feet. From tiiis point we 
 walked to the nearest village, to await the 
 diligence to Brieg. When it came, it 
 brought with other travellers a very intel- 
 ligent and gentlemanly American, connect- 
 ed, I think, with some college. We soon 
 got thoroughly acquainted, and compared 
 travelling notes. Our friend had been all 
 through England, Ireland and Scotland, 
 Belgium, France and the Rhine countty, 
 lince May ; he passes four days in Switzer- 
 land, and is now on his way to Venice, 
 Rome and Naples, which he says he must 
 accomplish in time to devote another week 
 to Paris, and a fortnight to London before 
 the 20th October. He is one of the fastest 
 travellers I ever saw. Quite a different 
 character from a Yankee I met on the Rigi ; 
 he, the Rigi gentleman, was ambitious of 
 ascending all thv^ high mountains, among 
 others the Jungfrau. I told him he would 
 have the honor of being the first who had 
 ever accomp'ished that f«at* Many people 
 come into Switzerland with very incorrect 
 idess, for though they may be veiy good 
 walkers, it requires several excursions to 
 become accustomed to the mountains. 
 After a fortnight, one begins to have prac- 
 tice enough, and can pass along a precipice 
 or beneath a hanging cliff with the same 
 
 * I Iiave heard since that this ascent has been 
 twice made: it requires five days, end is consi- 
 dtircd a severer aSkir than even the ascanaioa of 
 Mount Blanc. 
 
 coolness he would walk along a terrace. 
 For my own part I feel disappointed in 
 not being able to accomplish something 
 more difficult; such, for' instance, as the 
 pass between the Monte Rosa and Mont 
 Cerven, [1 1,000 feet,] but this would sepa- 
 rate us too long, and can't be thought of. 
 
 SIMPLOIf PASS. 
 
 With the exception (»f an hour's riding, 
 I walked all thj way over the Simplon 
 My companion camu in the diligence to the 
 village of Sim])lor. five miles beyond the 
 summet, from whence wo took the ren'sin- 
 ing thr».'e houi'« through the gorge of Gon- 
 do on foot. This is a most magnificent 
 paiP, a", well in respect to the scenery as to 
 the monumental style of its construction. 
 To say it is the finest in Switzerland is but 
 repeating the opinion of all who have had 
 any opportuFiity of judging from compari- 
 son. In this particular it differs from the 
 others; there is but one traverse or zigzag 
 on the whole route. It winds round tho 
 valleys and up the mountain sides in long 
 and graceful bends, in a manner that from 
 many points you can see four or five miles 
 o'" the route uninterruptedly. From Briejj 
 all the way to the summet it makes but 
 three sweeps, following up the lateral val- 
 lies several miles, then croSv<ing and return- 
 ing towards the same point on the upper 
 side, a couple of thousand feet higher. 
 The ladt bend it makes pisses beneath a 
 large glacier and snow-clad peak, both 
 of which, in the spring, send down ava- 
 lanches. These are guarded against by 
 several long galleries, partly blown out of 
 the solid granite and partly timbered. 
 Over one of these the stream descending 
 from the glacier falls in a beautiful sheet. 
 Looking at this through the windows, and 
 hearing the astounding noise it creates in 
 the reverberating gallery, you appreciate 
 this great triumph of art more than were 
 you told a hundred times over the cost and 
 labor. From the Hospice, a large regular 
 building, down to the gorge, there is little 
 curious to see; but here new wonders 
 burst upon us, and in the excess of our ad- 
 miration we nearly twisted our necks off, 
 at least, by constantly looking up right and 
 left: mine became rather stiff. On some 
 of the lofty cHffs which hang over the de- 
 file, the tall pines appear quite diminutive. 
 Some even soar above th<^ region of pine. 
 I tired myself trying to coj^jecture the dis- 
 
(•-'-0 
 
 i 
 
 tanc« between nic mid die bare rockH at 
 thoir sumraet. Between the bed of tlie 
 torrent and the steep wall of ruck there is 
 just. room enough for the nmJ, which is 
 curried along at a slight elevation. Every 
 few stops the form of the chifs ciiangi', as- 
 suming every, possible variety, until you 
 arrive at t!ie gallery of Gonflo. Here tlio 
 chntin is^not more than 8 feet wide, and 
 the road penetrates through the solid rock 
 by its side, 600 feet, enurging just in fiont 
 of a cascade which fails over the precipi- 
 tous sides of the ra>ine. \\n\ jiass over a 
 bridge, and look back upon a scene not 
 easily to be forgotten. Tlie beautiful 
 bridge — the black mouth of th- ii;uni'l — 
 the deep chasm at its side, and the tower- 
 ing precipices, form a picture of the wiliest 
 description. The same scenery pro vails 
 until you arrive at the Piedmuntesc boun- 
 dary, from whence it beconus tamer, until 
 you descend into tha fertib valley in wliich 
 is situated Domo d'Ossola. Ilcru evt ly- 
 thing begins to look Italian. The verdure 
 of the fields, the trees and houses, even the 
 lazy loungers under the piazza of the towns 
 remind you that you are no longer among 
 the industrious Swiss, and that you have 
 exchanged the less gonial temperature of 
 north the Alps for the sunny ciime of Italy. 
 
 ITALIAN SIDE. 
 
 Five or si.x hours brou.^ht us to Buveno, 
 on Lnggo Madjore, ojtposite the Doro- 
 mean islands. We will go at once into a 
 curious Italian boat, and row to the Isolu 
 Madra Though it appears from the shore 
 nothing but a cluster of trees, upon your 
 arrival it proves to be a perfect fairy gar- 
 den; terraces built up from the water, 
 covered with all manner of tropical fruits 
 and plants, oranges, lemons, accasia and the 
 palm. Abovo these, the whole island is 
 laid out in boscos, lawns, with walks and 
 shrubbery. There are pines from Russia, 
 Siberia and America, grouped with the 
 mulberry, cedar of Lebanon, and the more 
 beautiful trees of the south. The vistas 
 through these trees is so managed that 
 through one your eye rests upon the snow- 
 covered Alps, while another brings before 
 
 you some beautiful Italian village close 
 upon the lake. All appears more like en- 
 chantment than reality. Shakspcare never 
 pictured to himsrif y lovelier spot for tho 
 Midsummer Night's Dream than the Isla 
 Madra. The Isolu Bella is that which 
 contains the Duke de Jioromea's palace. 
 Tho buildinv is immeu.-ely large, fitted up 
 in a mtr^i princely style, with large halls 
 and picture galleries. Tho lower set of 
 ro.;m., opening a little above the level of 
 the water, is iiiiished with frescoes of small 
 pebbles in the style of grottoes; they must 
 be very nice and cool in summer. The 
 garden back of the palace are not very 
 extensive; but being arranged into terra- 
 ces like tli(! hanging gardens of Babylon, 
 orn;in)(5uted with statues and shrubs, tra- 
 vellers are generally willing to admit t! at 
 tliey never did see anything like it. On 
 one side of these hanging gardens there is 
 a bouquet of Canadian pines beautifully 
 grouped. The third island is covered, 
 strange contrast with poor llshermen's 
 huts. 
 
 On the following morning I aro.se at 
 half-past 2, and in company with the Mr. 
 Herberts, an uncle and nephew, whom we 
 had met at the Baths of Leuck, ascended 
 the Monterone, a high mountain back of 
 Buveno, commanding one of the most ex- 
 tensive pro.^pects south of the Alps. To 
 the east its foot is bathed by the waters of 
 the Lagga Madjore, and on tl<e left by Lake 
 Oosta, surrounded by very thickly wooded 
 mountiiins, with wliite villas and protty 
 m'niatnrc towns. The view embraces a 
 long succession of peaks of the Alpine 
 chain, in which the principal object is the 
 sublime Monte Rosa. From this point you 
 can trace the long lateral chains which de- 
 tach themselves from the high Alps, till 
 they are lost in thi plain of Lombardy. In 
 the extreme distance you dit-.covcr the dim 
 outline of the Alpenines. The panorama 
 is altogether magnificent 
 
 Thus tini^«hes our journey through tlie 
 rugged Alps, and the Journal, till you hear 
 of us in sunny Italy. 
 
 \VM. H. MERRITT, Jr. 
 
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