New-York daily tribune., 1844-01-10
woe. EEs. no. 235.

and here is still partially preserved the garden
where he finished bis great history, and which
he commentaries as commanding prospect
Of the country, the lake and the mountains. >
lie records the day and the hour, as midnight Of
the '27th of June, 1881" The manuscript
which he then and there finished, has since that
time been scattered over both continents in mill
ions of copies; the French Revolution has since
then changed the whole face OF European society
and the press OF population has ssappt away his
summer-housc and his arbor, but nature IS SO en-
trcy unchanged, that the scene at the time Of
my visit could not be more faithfully described
than in his own words; for then, precisely IS in
l787, the air was temperate, the sky was Sc
rene, the silver orb Of the moon was reflected
from the waves, and all nature was silent"
Our New-Yorl1 GENEVA surpasses its Swiss
aamcs2kc in beauty, though not in size; but it
lacks its jI9at Biqac, whose crowned head is
seen through cleft in the mountains which
bound the south shore of the lake, but which
here fall apart and leave sgsS open to the Alps.
mountaineering GeneyqapThe mountain is
usually vciled in clouds, afalstld dom condescends
to show himself uncovered oftener than one day
in week though he need net fear That IN his
case g familiarity would breed contempt for
Mont Blanc has The rare merit Of rising higher
and higher in vour admiration the more you sec
Of Bin. and the more Intimately you know him.
The city is dull and dingy, and ike Edinboro'.
consists Of an upper and a lower town, with 3
population of corresponding characters, though
less exclusively divided The margin Of the lake
has within few years hccn lined with handsome
hotels. built from the gold here circulated by the
thirty thousand travellers who annually pass
tarougl, the city. Between the broad quays, rush
cut 90 the blue waters OF the arrowy hhonc,"
which foams through the town Ike the rapids Of
Niagara Thcrjver and the lake possess most
intense and brilliant indigo color, darby deeply
beautifully, blue,'' FAR beyond any other waters
in the world. The cause Of this striking pho.
nomenon is as yet unexplained. Sir Humphrey
Davvattnba;cd II to the presence Of iodine, whsch
is always detected in chymical compounds By
the bright blue color which it imparts to starch.
1t is curious to observe il this conncxion that
iodine is specific remedy for the g0ltre, winch
IS most general in the REGIONS whence the lthone
comes and the cause Of which is equally IN
known May it not possibly be discovered
hereafter that the waters, which descend from the
glaciers and feed The Rnonc, possess or absorb
from the rocks, some peculiar ingredient, which
combines with the iodine existing minutcly every
where, ard thus at the same time produces the
intense blue of the Bhone, and neutralizcs the
powers Of the pure iodine in preventing the for
NATION OF goitrcs? This suggestion IS novel
one, but seems TO have some plausibility.
On each side Of this cataract Of a river are
sheds built out in the stream for the washer
women A hundred of them are ranged side by
side. each with board before her, on which she
alternately beats the unucky linen with paddle
and dips it in the stream. Washable articles
cannot last long in Geneva with this pounding
process, beside the risk Of being snatchcd from
the hand of the laundrcss by the current and,
indeed. saw one shirt carried down the Rhone
at rate which would soon bring it to the Mcdi-
teyranean. At the other end of the lake. they
wasl, in tubs, with the difference Of standing in
the tubs themselves, and dipping the clothes on
the outside.
All the streets abound in signs Of watchnlaEcrs,
and jewelcrs-who are the great manuiac-
tercrs of Geneva. It's only 20O years since the
first watch was brought to Geneva, but SO con-
genial did the trade prove TO the accurate lngen-
ious and trustworthy hearts of the people, that 1t
now employs three thousand persons. and hun
drcd thousand watches are now annually manu-
flctu7ed. They certainly ought to be most
punctual people, never behind time, unless they
| carry out the quaint old provcyb which asserts
that" Backsmiths' horses and shoemakers, wives
always GO barefoot The manufacture annu-
ally makes up gold to the amount of more than
S. 200 600, ana silver and precious stones IN
/ proportion lis value and Importance to the
town IS so fully recognised, that committee OF
surveillance is appointed by the government to
Inspect the workshops and see that no fraud or
excessive alloy is employed to the injury OF the
character OF the place. There arc institutes for
teaching the more scientific branches of the
.r.ae, and | saw in Geneva paper an official
advertisement FOR y{elnaie teacher IL one OF ihe
Government schools, competent 10 give instruc-
ton IN those branches OF matchmaking usually
performed by lea,alss. THIS indicates that they
have outs;rippcd Us in finding new and protta-
ole employment for female labor, winch IS usually
50 seldom called for and SO insuliciently
The hint may deserve to receive some attention
from pllilanthropiss engaged IN the praisewoFihy
attempt TO improve the social condition OF the
lebo7ing community