Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1841-01-28
THE LINCOLN TELEGRAPH.
THURSDAY MORNING, JAN go
European COrrespOndence""No. 5
5 STATE STREET,
Boston, Jan. IL, is4l.
8 AT H Me-:
MILAN, V. RoYALrY OF LoMBARDY, }
EMPIRE OF AUSTRIA, Nov. 12, l840. {
Editor Of the Telegraph

MILAN, V. ROYALTY OF LoMBARDY,
EMPIRE OF AUSTRIA, Nov. l2, 1S40.
To the Editor Of the Telegraph:
! feel constrained to make leap over an exten
sive part our route leaving France, Belgium,
Holland, the valley of the Rhine, &c. for future
opportunity, should Providence permit, and give
you some account of our perilous passage of the
| Alps.
In ordinary seasons no difficulty need have been
apprehended at this time, in passing the ST. Goth
ard, but long continued rains, and SHOWS of late,
have rendered the most astonishing works of man
like nothing before the torrents and ayalanches
which have swept the sides of the mountains, on
all the passes the Alps; and feel most deep
ly the occasion we have for gratitude TO our d.
vine Protector that we are now safely and COM
fortably over those stupendous precipieces.
On the morning of the 30th Oct. we took pas
sage on board small iron steamer and left the
beautiful swiss town of Luzerne on the Lake of
that name, which for grandeur, beauty and variety
of scenery, and also for historical incidents con-
nected with the history, and may almost say
birth of civil liberty, surpasscs every other part of
Switzerland.
1t on its shores, that for four centuries, the
little village of Gersau with territory of about
three miles by two, consisting of slope of land
and rocks, leaning against and surrounded by the
mountain, except on the lake side, maintained its
independence Republic, and during its exis.
tencc an indepe ndent state, not one instance
of capital punishment took place among its pop
ulaton of abont 1400 souls. II was on its shores
also that in 1907, the three patriots of Swiss free
dom met in dead of night, in secluded spot.
pointed out to us, and while they sacredly pledg.
ed themselves to be faithful 10 each other. and to
I their country, then bleeding under the tyranny
! of Austrian grievances, at the same time bound
themselves to do no injustice to their oppressors
Heie, also, it was, that the immortal WILLIAM
TELL, was compelled by the cruel Gessler, to di.
rect his arrow to the apple upon his only son $
head, at distance of one hundred and ten PAGES,
and where TELL having been taken i;rto a boat
bound, for the purpose of carrying him to prison
at the other end Of the Lake, on account of his
having confessed to Gessler, that be intended his
eslly remaining arrow for him, had he killed his
boy with the first one, escaped from the boat in a
storm, and soon after employed the arrow
successfully to relieve his suffering country from
| its tyrannical Governor.
| We had the day before passed little chapel,
erected on the spot where Tell is said to have
shot Gessler, and this day, in our passage of
| twenty six miles from Luzerne TO FlHeen at the
end OF the Lake to Atdorf, the capital of the can
ton of Uri, two miles distant and to Burgen the
birth place Of Tell, we passed another little chap
ell erected on the shore of the Lake where Tell
sprang from the boat of Gessler, leaving him and
his men to struggle with the storm and when
we passed IT, the wind was blowing with such vi
olenee that every man on the deck of our boat
was obliged to keep hold ofhis hat to keep II from
flying away. The Lake at this place being very
narrow and mountains both sides of some
thousand feet, and nearly perpendicular height ;
the current of wind is usually very strong, and
we could easily imagine the rredicament of Ges-
sler and his boat, when he was constrained to nn-
fetter bis prisoner who was the only man ON
board capable Of managing the little bark
On arriving at Fselen, engaged Voiture
with an experienced man and horses, to carry US
up the mountains, but after stopping for the night
at Altdorf, we found ourselves beset the next
1
morning by powerful storm of rain, which. high
er up, was snow and violent wind, and we were
detained for four DAYS, after which we proceeded,
and in eight hours reached Hospital with ease,
although in no less than eighteen places on our
route the road had been swept away or filled up by
the debris of stones and earth from the mountains;
but by the vigilance ofthe authorities had been re-
paired. We were now within two and half
hours travel of Hospice, or the summit level
of the pass, but continued rain and snow detained
us for five days longer, when we again set forward
with prospects of more pleasant weather, and re-
lieved from painful apprehensions of being obliged
to return to the northern side of the mountains,
| and pass the winter in Germany or France
| Atlength we started on three sleds drawn each
by one horse, guided by experienced man.
| Mrs II. being placed on a mattrass which was
brought round so as nearly 10 enclose her, was