Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1845-09-11
Suwarrsx's Passage Of The tiIaruS

SwR1eils nd 10 full OF b..lc fields, many
OF them glorious from their association with
freedom. Tho traveller especially the A.
mctican traveller, looks on these with deep
er ia'ci,s,, for they are connected with the
welfare Of the race OF the HE OF liberty -
Bui there are those upon which his eyes
ross wth,inierea for while he eanno, sand
md wonder Al the Achievements OF man.
h. bcsrl is panied By the ravag,s be has
wrought
Fony-six ycars ago, enc night IN Sept.
ember, the peaceful inhabitants OF the Mu.
oua Thai were stuck with wonder at lh-
sudden appearance among them OF multi.
iude. Of mcn OF strange gnrb snd Ian.
guage They bad gathered all their focks
TO the fold, and were seeking their quiet
homes thu, slept amid the gteen pas
lures, when like a mountain torrent, came
pouring out from every eddy pass, these
strange. unin,ellgible beings
From the heights The kinzis Culm--
from pteelpiccs the shepherds scarce dare
To tread, they came streaming with their
confused jargon, around the cottages Of
these simple children Of the Alps. |, was
Suwarrow with twenty four thousand Rus.
SANS n, his back on his march from Italy
to Join the allied forces at Zurich He had
forced the passage Of ST Goddard, and had
reach cd thus far when be was stopped by
Lake Lucer ne, and was told that Horse.
hev nnd the main Russian army nj Zurch
lal t,cn defea,ed Indignan, and 'ncr,d.
ulous at the report, he would have hung
the peasan, who had informed him, as II
spy, had not the lay mother OF ST Joscph's
nunnory inler;edel IN his behalf. Here IN
the great Ipine valley the bold commnn-
der found himself completely surrounded.
Molhor and his bl,tal:ons 10 okcd down on
him from the summit Of the Nuot,n Thai /;
Morer and M,ssena blocked his advance {;
while Leeourbe hung on his rcar. The
Russian bear was denned and compelled for
the first time in his life 10 order a retreat
tie wep, IN ndisna.ion and griel, und adopt.
Ell the only alternative leh him. 10 cross
the Ptogel into GIarus
f'tcn commenced onr 4 those desperate
matches unparalleled in the history OF
man. The passage oflhc ST Bernard by
/ Bouapnr,e, was \ comfortable march com
pared with h,andIlanobaps world rcnown.
I'd exploit, mere child's play beside il v ale
| the head OF Suwarrow's column had ascend.
cd the Pfagel and was fighting desperately
ut Maetols nc rear gaurd was encountered
with the y wounded, aud struggling IN the
Muol,l Thai with M,ssena and his baLal.
IONS Then these savage sonud,s shook
10 the thunder Of cannon and the roar Of
] l.I al b,
leopIng from the height, miagiing its sud
den thunder with the roar OF battle. The
frightened channels paused on the high pre-.
ciplce TO catch the strange nproar that I'LL
ed the hills The simple hearted pea SAINT.
~ saw their green pastures covered with
bathing armies and the snow capped
hci shrs crmsoued with The blood Of men
Whole oompanits fell like snow wreath:
from the rocks, while the artillery plough
cd through The dense mass Of human fest
that darkened the gorge below. For tel
successive days had these armies marchcC
and combautd, and yet here on The el@v
enth, they struggled with undated rcsolu
lion Unable TO force the passage n, Meat
els, Suwarrow took the desperate and aw
full resolution Of leading his weary ant
wounded army over the mountains into tn
Gilsons.
Imagine If you can an awful solitude O
mountains aud precipices aud gaziers on
piled above another IN savage grandeur
!, Cast your eye upon one ofthcss mountains
1900 feet above the level OF the sea, alon;
whose bosom, in 4 zig gag line goes a nar
row path, winding over precip'ccs an
snow fields MI finally iUS on tue diaan
= summit Up that difficult path and int
The very heart Of those fearful snow peak
; has The bold Russian resolved 10 lead hl
4 twenty four thousand men.
To increase The difficulties that beset hir
and render his destruction apparently ne '
table "a. now fell on the morning he >,
% out, Two feet deep, celebrating oil traces {
the path, and forming as 1t were windin
y sheet ior his army. la single file, AMI VII
heavy hearts, that mighty host, one ate
d anolh her, entered the snow drifts and bega
= the ascent Only u few miles could
j made the hra day, and al night, without
4 euti 20 m sight, ~lbou, even tree to klI
die lur light around their silent bIyouhc
the army lay do an IA tho snow with n
r. Alpine er4sgs around ,hem lJr their sent
o nes
The next day The head OF The colum
5 reached the summit Of the ridge, aud 10
5 what a scene was spread out before Thea
No QUO who has nol stood upon the Aiplr
a sunmRs can have aay conception OF The u
ter dresrneAs 81 ...s region. lae might
mountains 90 az az the eye ca" reach lea
along the solemn ssy, nh..e The deep I
Ience around Is broken By 40 ilVns Ihn
u Only nov aud thea the voice % lue adv
t. lancLe IS head speaking IN ia loS ,huni
e tone from sh' phi Of an awful abyss,
-. tb, s-ream q. sf,rv eacI. r.frIuy