The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-22 00:00:00

ALPINE TOURISTS.

(Prom the Times' Correspondent)
INTERLAKEN, Sept. 17.
I went to the Giessbach last evening to see the
waterfall lighted up. I had no great faith in the
power of art to set off the beauties of nature, and
was disposed to look upon the performance as little ;
better than a mere trick, a " take in," a mountebank
jugglery. - I am not satisfied that the Coliseum at
Rome could have any better illumination at night
than such as it receives for a good part of every
month by the pale moonbeams ; neither, do I admire
the ghastly look imparted to the Vatican marbles
by the flaring torchlight. Nay I feel some inclina-
tion to quarrel with the aid that mere chemical or
mechanical means are made to lend to art itself. I
do not think much the better of Danneker's Ariadne
for all the pink hues with which her cold marble is
glowing in Bethman's garden, nor am I ever willing
to pronounce an opinion on the necklace and ear-
rings of Gibson's coloured Venus. There may be
authority for it in all classical models; but we have
eyes of our own, and will not take the law from
Praxiteles himself. You may take what is good from
the Greeks, but need not take as good all that is
Greek.,
Nevertheless and notwithstanding, it is a duty to
see and prove everything, and in the afternoon at 4
I took the steamer on the Lake of Brienz to see the
Giessbach lighted up. The Giessbach is an old ac-
quaintance of mine, not by any means the grand-
est, but certainly the loveliest, of Swiss waterfalls.
You go up a deep, narrow, gloomy glen, scooped
out of a rough mountain side, all grown up with
fir-wood to the summit, pith open glades in the
middle, covered with rich verdure, and set off with
clumps of trees and flowerbeds, much after the
fashion of a nobleman's park. Indeed, I think I
have seen something off Taymouth, in the grounds
of the Marquis of Breadalbane, that bears some

faint resemblance to the Giessbach Glen. On your
right as you go up the winding pass you have a steep
hillside, and on the top of its smooth crest a deep
gap whence the water falls down in seven successive
leaps, bordered on each side by the dark fir-wood—
the monotony of which is pleasingly relieved by
beech bushes by the water-side, beech bushes rich
at this season with glowing gold and russet tints.
There are easy paths up each of the seven steps ;
there are three bridges thrown athwart the chasm ;
it is, in short, a kind of garden cascade, decked out
in all the charms by which the hand of man can
enhance the beauties of nature's work. It is acces-

sible at every point up to the summit, both in front
and here and there at the back of the arched pillars
of water, as they split, gushing on the rocks, and
come down in separate streams to join their waters
in the deep rocky shells, from which they again
branch out into sundered rills, till they find their
common rest in the still bosom of the lake. Stand
before the Giessbach, just outside the little chalet,
which Swiss industry has fitted up as a cafe and
restaurant, on the opposite side of the glen ; look
up to the eternal play of those laughing, limpid
waters—scanty as the long drought has made them
this season ; listen to their melodious, monotonous
plash, and the world must go hard indeed with you
if all your cares and sorrows are not lulled to rest,
if you do not feel supremely happy for the moment.
It was evening, and we had some trouble in tear-
ing ourselves away from the charming spot to attend
to the dull earthly duties of our 7 o'clock dinner.
The Hotel de la Giessbach is one of the most pic-
turesque in Switzerland ; it is one of those well con-
conducted establishments which in some manner re-
concile the Mused traveller to absence from home.
The landlord greets you at the door as you come in;
he hovers about you like a guardian angel, invisible
yet omnipresent, during all your stay; anticipates all
your wants, forestalls all your wishes, and only leaves
you to the tender cares of his bevy of daughters—
he has, I am told, seven of them—and of other
maids, all tidy and blooming and pretty, waitresses
at board no less than in chamber ; mine host him-
self being the only individual of the male sex in at-
tendance whose foot is allowed to tread the floors
within his hospital threshold. It is as refreshing
as Mahomed's paradise. There is not another hotel
I know of in all Switzerland in which the heavy
tramp, the creaking shoes, the hot breath, the fuss

and clumsiness of waiters are superseded by the mi-
nistrations of these cheering parlourmaids. Fresh
and lovely they look in their Bernese costume, the
most coquettish of female attire--their black velvet
corsets, their spotless white lawn chemisettes, their
fustian jupons, their dangling silver chains, their
ribands and lace streamers, the strings of garnet
beads round their necks, the long golden trinkets at
their ears. It is the most modest, most becoming,
the most bewitching costume, and those brilliant
dames at the Paris balls who think nothing so fas-
tthhee
fislowoulr,dmersus,takundodwrabgugt
cinsating as a dress slipping down, far down below
models from these
or they would sooner take their
ilintgtlfeaorfbmeheinn dorththeireirhetaelssteosi:
untutored mountain lasses than follow the law of

the direc-
tion of as provident a ruling power as that of the
fatiroenll,aleseHt botey
Zahringer Hof of Freiburg, the very best in Switzer-
land, and has over that renowned caravanserai the
iedmepiraesGsieesssabnadchmiasnutnudae-rmak ers.
advantage of this happyinnovation of parlourmaids.
Neat and pretty as most of them are, the daughters
and handmaidens of Herr Schmidlin at Giessbach do
not come up. to the grand queenlike beauty of what
old stagers like myself may remember, about a score
of years ago, as the three sisters of the Grimsel,
three damsels as far famed as the five sisters of
York, whose elegant toilette, high-bred manners,
and musical accomplishments offered so strange a
contrast to the wild scenery of that grimmest of all

mountain passes in which they had their summer

home. Grand and stately, and almost weird,
those three maidens looked, with their rich black
hair and black lustrous eyes, with their bare arms
on their harp, and the black silk dresses setting off
their somewhat gipsylike but right royal features

and splendid figures. What became of them people
gifted with a better memory than mine may
tell. I have some indistinct recollection of some

tragic catastrophe connected with that Grinisel

•
Hospice, some awful breaking-up of the hotel,
which may, for aught I know, be an ill-famed and

haunted ruin at the plesent.day.
but liiitisrha forget the Waterfall.` Ai4 'walked

down to the waterfall from th
past 8, a miscellaneous crowd
and took our station on the platfail oi Side
cafe-chalet opposite to the cascade. There were faint
lights wandering here and there in the deep gloom
of the fir-wood, faint and flickering lights like fire-
flies, marking the spots where the artificers were at
their preparatory work. It was as on the stage,
when flashes of light steal through the side scenes
previous to the great moment when the decorations
are to go asunder, and some great, show, say the
Kingdom of Hades in " Don Giovanni," is to blaze
forth at one instant, to the amazement of the dazzled
spectator. The air was mild and still, and the dark-
ness of the hour was hardly relieved in that hollow
gorge by the few stars twinkling overhead. The hour
was well chosen, heaven and earth were propitious,
and when the signal rocket flashed in the air, the soul
of every bystander was thoroughly ripened for the
coming wonder by those fe v minutes of trembling
lightsexpectation.
blazed
hua
etnrnrddhemdoodecwrofpkervineuoi flashedetgrmwahet:thisse,
green up, thelights,
Bengal
violet.
rogtthl ihiinlugdeeeeheehasfmtswasfl flitted
pouredtd,
or
tnneaFirstolddnu life
tiudfb,ocreerwa
iftlorinlma:rue,n:s
afterdark r firsll
blushing and the russetin thn r aanitd, goldd
beech bushes were all on fire ; then the waters
smil-
ingr
in the green, fainting in the violet beams. A
endg
ndt
onlys solemn
successivet
oop perpetual
pna nned
tktuaha leel
stillnessa leaps of
that heaving stream—rich, warm life, where only
a
and gloom. Rapid and fitful the ever-changing
swelling its smooth arches, plashing on its hollow
rock beds, as unconcerned in all that glory of light
as if it were only basking in its wonted sunbeams,
or reflecting the pale glimmer of the genial 'noon.
T'L elect was magic. The flood of,those Coloured
lights did not merely flutter here and there on the
surface of the water ; it went through their liquid
mass from the rocky paths in their rear, shone
through it as through the purest crystal, setting off
each foaming billow, as one pressed upon the other
in endless succession, imparting animation to the
whole pillar of water, as if living things, tritons or
water nymphs, had been floating up and down be-
neath that smooth, compact surface—vague nonde-
script beings, dancing and fluttering, like motes in
a sunbeam. The effect was magic, not to be for-
gotten by any one who has seen it ; worth seeing at
the cost of much money and ever so much trouble.
All my theories on the true and false beautiful in art
and nature were blown to the ground, and as the
lights faded away, and the waterfall was replunged
into its nocturnal darkness, I had to avow that I had
been delighted in spite of my preconceptions, charmed
in defiance of my better reason.

" Ach ! wunderschiin ! Sieh'mal, wie schon !" eja-
culated the open-mouthed German Fraulein, with
incessant iteration. " Mon Dieu! que c'est joli ! que
c'est joli!" que c'est joli !" screamed the fidgety
Frenchwomen, with whirlwind volubility. " Hold
your wretched tongues, and bottle up your tiresome
enthusiasm," grumbled John Bull, invisible in that
darkness, using far stronger epithets, than I like
putting down in writing. The jabber of the
enraptured spectators was quite overpowering,

and did not a little, indeed, towards spoiling the
grandeur of the sight, and drowning the rush of the
waters, which vainly strove to give the gorgeous
exhibition the accompaniment of their unceasing
music. It would be selfish, no doubt, to wish to be
alone at such a treat ; but if it were possible to gag

or muzzle nine out of ten of the heterogeneous peo-

ple who come in for their just share, there is every

probability that the enjoyment would be less dis-

turbed, and its recollection more unalloyed.

Arrest of Fenian Agents in England.

Six detective officers belonging to the Dublin
police force arrived in Manchester yesterday morn-
ing, holding several warrants in their hands for the
arrest of members of the Fenian Brotherhood.
These officers proceeded to the Town-hall, Salford,
where they placed themselves in communication with
Mr. Taylor, the chief constable of the Salford police.
From there they were accompanied by Sergeants
Quick and Hinnsworth to the house of a bookbinder
named Patrick Skelly, Chapel-street. Here they
appprehended Skelly, and on searching the premises
found several documents and publications of a trea-
sonable character, which were seized. They next
proceeded to arrest John Fottrell, a porter in the
service of the London and North Western Railway
Company, who was found at his work. On search-
ing his house at Kidderminster's-court, Chapel-
e
street, they a fl ooufn:lv
iscohm
we
ere documentsofcours
course
esleaitziena. g to
Ttil
Fenian movement, and a quantity of arms and am-
munition,e
two prisoners were sent off by train to Liverpool, on
their way to Dublin. Acting-inspector Swallow, of
Dublin, and two other officers, remain behind with
Government warrants for the arrest of other mem-
bers of the Fenian. Brotherhood, and to await fur-
ther instructions from Dublin. Skelly, the book-
binder, formerly had a stall in Smithfield-market,
Manchester, and was a seller of old books there for
many years. Some arrests will probably be made
in other manufacturing towns, but not in Manches-
ter. The arrests here were made so promptly and
quietly as to create no sensation, and the prisoners
were taken through the streets without attracting
crowds.

Many exaggerated rumours are current regarding
the Fenian organisation in Liverpool, and it is
believed that bodies of Fenians have been drilling
in the outskirts of the town. The police are ou
the alert.

Yesterday morning two detectives from Dublin
arrested at Sheffield a man named James Quigley
on a charge of high treason. The information
which led to his capture was given in Dublin, and
he was found in possession of documents clearly
proving his connexion with the Conspiracy. He
has been employed as a travelling agent. He is
remanded to Dublin, and left this town for Ireland
last night.

COLLISION ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
—A. collision, attended with serious damage, occurred
on the Great Western Railway, near the Reading Station,
on Wednesday morning. The goods train, which left
Basingstoke that morning at 3.40 for Wolverhampton,
passed over the loop line near Reading, and was taking on
trucks at the West Junction, when the goods train for
Gloucester, which left Paddington, at one o'clock, ap-
proached, and owing to the fog which prevailed at the time
the driver of the Gloucester train did not observe the sig-
nals in sufficient time to avoid running into the Wolver-
hampton. The collision was a violent one, and the engine
was considerably damaged, while four trucks were thrown
off the metals, but fortunately no person was hurt. The
line was not cleared for traffic until half-past nine.

THE STEAMSHIP RHONE.—The Roal Mail Com-
pany's fine new screw steamship Rhone, commanded
by Capt, E. M. Leeds, was taken to Stoke's-bay yesterday
for an official trial of her speed at the measured mile, and
she obtained an average of about 14 knots per hour. The
results of four runs were as follows :—First run, 4 min. 55
sfoeurc.,tohrrul2:l2:4smknhoLt: c
psee.,
rh our; second run, 3 min. 58 sec., or
15.126 knots ; third run, 4 min. 47 sec., or 12.543 knots ;
251 b. She had 535
tons of coals and 35 tons of water on board, and her draught
engines, 581 ; vacuum, 271rin1.4;5s7t5eami, ul
ots. Revolutions of
was 18ft. 10in. forward, and 18ft. 6iin. aft. The gentlemen
a;M r.
prayese,nethtaoirmwaitnneosfetthheemtriliailiviiiinicicuodiendpanCayp,taainnd Smu-r.JoohnharlDes.
Hay
RL
.0
Marshall,ngl e y,
directors
director of
of works;
the
RoyalCptain Mail W.
Company Vincent and
Cap-
tain Hands, R.N., Mr. Luke, and Hr. Rubie, Government
officials ; Captain Hay, RN., Captain T. A. Bevis, Messrs. R.
Ritchie, J. Bowers, J. Langdon, G. Lungley, P. Lungley, N.
Cook, &c. The Rhone is one of the finest vessels in the service,
and she has accommodation for 253 first class passengers, 30
second, and 30 third, and has stowage capacity for 1,200
tons of cargo and coals. Her total length is 310 ft. ; beam,
40ft. ; depth to main deck, 25ft. bin. ; and height between
main and spar decks, 71-ft. She has engines of 500 horse
power, with tubular boilers, superheaters on Mr. Ritchie's
plan, as applied to all the company's vessels, and surface
condensers, -which can be changed to jet condensers almost
instantly, without either slowing or stopping the engines.
The cylinders, which are 72in. diameter and 4ft. stroke, are
fitted with expansion valves, which can be adjusted with
the greatest nicety while everything is working. The
screw is Griffith's patent, diameter 18ft., and 29ft. pitch.
The tonnage of the vessel is 2,434 tons old measurement.
The temperature of the feed water was 126 deg The
whole of the_raachinery worked with the greatest ease
during the, trial. The Rholieis a noble-looking vessel, and
all her passenger and other arrangements an, of the most
superior character. The chief saloon is a very handsome
`apartment, occupyibg of-412e ship, 'and
chastely decorated. The Rhone will take out the Brazil
and River Plate mails on the 9th of October.