New-York daily tribune., 1844-01-10
-, cHrLLoy. LAUSANNE. GENEVA

n.mesakc village upon the BANKS OIL lhe onlo'
al - rcsroduco there the vine for which it has
2-1 ,o,r becn SO famous, that the Romans here
.,..5 temple TO ''Fathcr Bacchus" 1t lies
aost s,o delciously on the margin Of the lake Of
csneva. while above it rise nils on hills, facing
sssortb. and therefore covered with vines. The
nd M from Freybu-g winds in zig z2gs down the
.,s.o s and long slope, passing near the fna gar.
1,rsof II. do uauteyiLle; :. name wcll known
= Bo,on, though it is here said that tic title Of
:, pacon,, is an unauthorized assumption.
In font Of Vevay spreadsout the lovely Lake
Jrm,o, stretching on the right hand INTO a asea
ritbout visible shore, while opposite rise the
b,d bare rocks Of Eieillcric, and to lhelclt the
mountains are cleft by the gorge of the Rhone
biob above which rise tie Alps oi tho VaIIais,
and the Dent do Midi, whose sno"y head scars
.boyc its robe Of clouds, and is reflected IN :" the
crystal iace" Of the lake. This rare combina-
ion Of varied socnery-the gentle and the ma
s,ic--tfle lovely and the terriae-l,3s been cell
ebrated by Rosscau, Byron, Gibbon, Foitaire, De
siae, and host Of MINOR na'ucs It has that
bighest Of ali mcgits-thc powor Of passing
through the eye 70 the soul, and appealing at
ooce 10 tho Imagination as well as to The sense OF
bssvty. It Is 10 wonder tIlen that 50 many po-
cts have fingered On these shores, and clnbeimed
its beauties in their glowing descriptions. Cole
ridgc had unconsciousIy described The g Highs,
which appear as lovers who have parted il that
staaza OF Cbristabel which Byron appropriated
bodily. and then disfgurcd, IS gipscs do their
stolen children, to escape detection.
gut Rousseau has most halloHcd the surround
Ing region, end pcoPled it with an ideal race,
whom we learn 10 knew and love so vel, that
we sepJch eagerly for the chatcauz where they
lived, the groves where thcy wandered, and the
rocks on which they were wrecked, and entirely
forgct that they never existed except in the teem-
inc Imagination of the prose-poet of the "Nou-
vele Heoiso'
A short and pleasant walk along the margin
Of the Lake, leads from Yevay TO Ciarcas, where
"Julie" lived, and which Byron, inspired by the
passionate eloeuonce Of Rousseau, has so ardent
IL invoked as "C!arons sweet Clarens birth
place of deep love-" The village has no beauty
of Itself, but the interest with which it is viewed
is new proof, if any more be needed, of thc
power Of genius 10 invest with ideal charms the
most ordinary objects. Midas, who turned to
gold whatever he touched, was an allcgorical pre-
sentiment Of the poet.
A few miles father is the Castle CT CmLLoN,
whose Prisoner has become so famous, 1t
stands upon an isolated rock, connected by a
drawbridge, with the shore. lis towers and
massive battlcmcnts have been unchanged for
centuries, and it still retains the beam from which
its tyrannical lord hung his victims, and their
vault, entered only bya trap-door from above
But these lose their interest beside the dungeon
Of The prisoner, whom the poet imagined, before
he knew OF his real existence, and whose thoughts
feelings and sufIerings he has as vividIy and
truth fully described, as if he had himself been
a sharer III his Imprisonment. From the court
yard of the Castle, you descend into the old
guard-room, and thence pass into the dungeon,
which is, however, most unlike the ideas We usu-
ally attach TO that hogrid name, being spacious,
pleasantly cool in summer, and with windows
above, which give sufficient light to read, when
your eyes have become accustomed TO the twl-
light The floor and one side are hcwn from
the solid rock, and the lofty arched roof is sup
ported by a rangeof seven columns, masSy and
gray" To the middle orc of these, the prisoner
was chained, The ring to which he was attach
cd is still imbeddcd in Inc pillar, and the stone
door around it is hollswcd ous by his pacing TO
and fro at the end of his chain for SIX wcarisonc
years. The waters Of the lake are seven feet
higher thsn the dungeon floor, and al twice that
hight are the Sits in the wall which give air and
light to the two solemn aisles n:to which the sub
LcTancous chamber is divided. On hot sum
nag's day it Is pleasant retreat lor an hour,
with the privilege Of coming out when you
please, but when you imagine the heavy door
'!osed and botet, stern guard outside, and your
eif lm;nUre3 for lie in lhis 'paiPable obscure
eoing nothing and hearing nothing Of the world
Without, and finding nothing but torture within,
sou begin 10 have q FAINT conception OF the feel
ngs OF the : Prisoner Of ChiIlon,n where
A 1oubie lurpeoa wai. aud wave
Hive uiade AID axe siyns grave"
On tho column next to that Of the prisoner.
Byron has deeply cut his name IN the stone, IN a
bid rough autograph, sloping irrcg aiarly down.
ward. They here say, that he had table, ehaiE
and light broaght inio the dungeon, and that he
there remained for some hours writing his poem
Thes;ory is probably aPocTyPh2i, ior hss lmagna
ton was too ardent and active to need sach af
t6eial aids and stiinulaats, and nc could doa5,
less beucg create his characters and incidents II
his own comfortable chamber, than thus awk
wsrdIy surrounded by the Poraphe7nasia OF pr
son. It's curious fact that when he descriocf
thus vividly the sufTioy;ngs OF his imaginary PR
Gpra- ,.,,H.F