The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-12 00:00:00

HALCYON DAYS.

broad and beautiful valley Rich sloping vines " combed
How like a painting of Turner's it.opens before us, this
out upon the hillsides" skirt the mountains on either hand;
sometimes divided from the road by flats of emerald meadow,
and sometimes trailing their ripe fruits within reach of the
passing wayfarer. Behind us, the stupendous precipices of
the Gemmi still tower into sight; and in advance, far as we
can see, the valley is bounded right and left by the Vallaisan
Alps, which mingle their snow-peaks with the gathering
cumuli, and fade away to air. Midway along the
shadowy vista rise two steep and solitary hills, each
crowned, like a Roman victor, with its mural coronet
of ruins. A glorious landscape, so stately with poplars,
so garlanded with vines, so thoroughly Italian in
its beauty, that it might well be on the other side of the
Alps, for any difference that the eye can see !
Thus, as we go forward through the plain, passing
villages, and towns, and vineyards where the merry vintage
is at its height, the scene becomes more and more Italian.
In Sierra, through which 'ur postilions rattle at full speed,
the houses are high and dilapidated,
with arcades running
along the basement stories, and Italian signs and names
above the doors. In Sion there are Capuchins at the cor-
ners of the streets; and sullen, handsome women, who
throw up their windows, and lean out to look at us, in true
Italian fashion. Even the farm-houses scattered all about
the valley are stuccoed white, or built of stone ; with loggias
on the roof, and sometimes a trellised vine before the door.
We it would seem, in the very heart of the grape-
dis aretrict now,.Here are vineyards in the valley, vineyards on
the hillsides, vineyards down to the road on either hand !
From Borne the harvest has already been gathered—some
are still heavy with white and purple fruit--and some are
filled with gay groups of vintagers, sunburnt as the soil.
By and by we come upon a long procession of carts, all
laden with high wooden cans of grapes ; then upon an open
shed, where some five or six swarthy fellows, armed with
short poles, are mashing the red fruit; then upon a couple
of grave shovel-hatted Abbes, and stalwart friar, who
prints the dusty road with the firm impress of his sandalled
foot at each impatient stride. Then come more farms,
more villages, more
Wains oxen-drawn,

II
Laden with grapes, and dropping rosy Wine ;"and presently we pass a blind beggar ta 1-,tting
-Y a roadside
cross, who asks charity in the name of the Blessed Mary.
Thus the day wanes, and, towards afternoon, we reach a
famous vineyard of the Muscat grape, where the vignerons
load our carriage with armfuls of the perfumed fruit. Here
evertahnedcojtutattginesgaetaeyems,oraendthainngotso
Italian, with with tiled roofs,
Indian
corn
festooned
and
se bandswe of
hear the
about the upper easements. Here, also, the wild peaks of
the Diablerets come into sight—grim sentinels of the legen-
dary Inferno of the Vallaisan peasant.
chimingA ndnoofwt,haoschtahpeeisbuennssfianr westward,ks
e
away,
vin-
tagers trudging wearily home; and still the long road lies
before us, bordered by tremulous poplars, dusty, direct, in-
terminable as ever!
The loges of Barbara and Hugh are very feelingly
described. There are many scenes O. I,
passionate
tenderness whiCli will touch the hearts of the
romatitic, but the conduct of both hero and heroine
is so wildly improbable that the story, as a whole,
1055 a much of its effect, while isolated portions
reveal great grti'Aie power.
r-----"—"'"
Menzoirs of Jane aoner(;:q. feinalc Convict. By a
Prison Matron, Author ot j' Female Life in
Prison." In Two Volumes: iturst and Blackett.
.
As interesting as a romance, as p
,:.-tureEque as a
melodt
-.ulna, as ' • a discourse From the
lips
of
some
impressivt, as
..
Prue
lips gifted pulpit orator, this a
ewer
..rue
tale" of the life and death of a Female Cenviut will,
while it at once
enhances and in a manner confirms
the Writer's
hu.,,,,5,,,__. reputation both as a moralist and as a
"' ,vArlsln t.r,a
' ----ul trioteoVer, we ate perfectly well