The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-20 00:00:00

good fellowship. For the moment you are one of us
bound to us by community of objects, habits, and
interests. We are off to the Gemini to-morrow ; we
mean to " foot it," over Spiez, Frutigen, and Kan-
dersteg ; or we wish to try a drive through the Sim-
menthal ; we want a fourth to make up a carriage
full. You may be one of the party, if you choose.
We are not afraid of peevish humours or exacting
tempers ; this mountain air breaks down all selfish-
ness, smoothes down all asperities. It is difficult to
ruffle minds which are thoroughly made up to be
happy. The mutual confidence and benevolence be-
tween Alpine tourists is not the least charm of an
Alpine tour. In most instances, perhaps, those whom
the mountains have joined together the first step on
the plain will put asunder. Knapsack acquaintance
is dropped the moment the alpenstock is laid aside ;
but, not unfrequently also, ties contracted for the
hour will last a lifetime. Men find they have a
great deal to like in each other, if they bare heart
and soul, and for the lifting up of the Prome-
theus window under the seventh rib, commend
me to a common rope tying three or four lusty
climbers to twice as many sturdy guides, and to
night-quarters on the Grands Mulets or the shel-
tered side of the Weiss Thor. Notwithstanding the
advanced season, I hear nothing about me wherever
I go but plans for excursions to the High Alps.
Three of my neighbours on the right were to be off
on the morrow to Zermatt ; two of my vis-a-vis
were in a hurry to reach Chamouny. We saw a
party on the Wetterhorn to-day, as I have stated.
There has hardly been a day since the beginning of
the month without some such experiment on the
same mountain. People talked last evening of a
lady's quite recent ascent of Mont Blanc ; nay, of
another such ascent by a comfort-loving gentleman,
who employed six stalwart guides only to take up
his bed and bedding to the usual gite of the Grands
Mulets. Moralise as you will as to the futility of
the undertaking and the wantonness of the risk,
there is always a good deal of the fire of true
courage in the midst of all the smoke of foolhardi-
ness. It is in the heart of all men, and of all women
too, worth their salt, to love danger for its own sake.
There is no doubt that nothing acted as so strong an
inducement for travellers to visit Switzerland this
year as the tragic catastrophe of the Matterhorn.
Such a godsend to innkeepers, guides, and horse-
hirers as that fatal slip has proved, no anticipation
even of the most favourable weather could have
vouchsafed. I never saw the Swiss rubbing their
hands with so great a delight as they do this year";
such a harvest of gold pieces, bank-notes, and cash
of all metals, and from all European mints, never
was made by Tell's countrymen since the wars of
Louis XII. and Francis I. Our landlord .of the
Grand Eiger, at Grindelwald, yesterday declared
himself thoroughly satisfied with his year's work.
" Thoroughly satisfied," y pensez-vous? We have
filled up the bottomless pit ! And as to the
people of the Schweitzerhof, Hotels des Bergues,
des Trois Couronnes, des Trois Rois, &c.,
they look upon new arrivals as a bore and
a nuisance ; they curse the evil star that
never sends a rain without a downpour, that
spoils their business by too great an influx of cus-
tom, and enables an oberkellner to lay aside money
enough to set up for himself, and build his new
establishment right in the teeth of his old master's
premises, taking the fair prospect, the very sun-
shine, and the English milch cows from him. From
the dining-room of the Hotel des Alpes, which con-
sists of two long low apartments at right angles, all
wainscoted in panels like the chief cabin of a Cu-
nard steamer, it is pleasant, after dinner, to walk
into the large conversation room, and hear the con-
tinuation and conclusion of the table talk. There
is more room for the expansion of lungs and the
flow of souls in the grand salon; greater facility
for joining fresh troops, or making new combina-
tions, more characters to study, more peculiarities
to become acquainted with. I must say, for the
truth's sake, that since I left Baden I have hardly
mixed with any but English company, and seen
thus but the respectable and pleasing side of summer
holiday makers.