Litchfield enquirer., 1845-05-08

nv Dear Brother-Tc day is our little rs birth
day. and we have been thinking and talking of him,
of you, and Of all at home How do you like col
lege life Do you have many sprees, or KICK up
any rows ? Too much Of student for thats tTow!
Well, go on, and prosper, dear boy, aud may all go
well with you, and as merry as !" Cbrisimas bell
You are often in our thoughts, one and all, when
passing along through those lovely scenes. The
eye dwells delightfully."- on the beauties Of Nature,
but the thoughts are sometimes far from the scenes
we are rolling by. 1t was thus during our ride
from Genoa to Nice, (where am writing at this
PRESENT. aride of three days, and through some of
the most charming scenes the imagination can con-
ceive The road ITSELF master work of man calls
forth at every step, wonder and admiration. 1t
was made by Napoleon, and is called the s Cornice
of Nice more properly, think, the e Cornice
of the Maratme Alps" How nobly has that great
man left the impress of his mighty hand through
every country that he made his own. Not in col
umns statues, trum1hal arches, or trophies Of his
martial deeds alone, but in such stupendous works
of utility as will last till the countries will have
ceased to exist or so long as the mountains them
selves endure Had he contented himself with
the first, they would have been long ago DESTROYED
by those who rose with the turn of the wheel that
crushed at once him and his greatness, though not
his glory. This road is like shelf cut in the
mountain, midway between the summit and the
base and though carried thus along the brow Of
the Alps, It Is as smooth as garden walk You
have all the way the sea on one hand, and the
mountain on the other for distance Of $50 miles,
winding round the many bays, inlets and promon-
toriesAof the Meditefranean's crooked shores Ev-
cry sheltered nook or rocky cliff has its town or
village, tower or fortress AT one time, you are on
the brink Of an awful precpice, so steep that you
may drop biscuit into the waves below. Then
you descend, and drive awhile along the smooth,
sandy beach, where the waves with their snowy
crests are rolling towards you, bringing from old
oceans bedtheir spoil Of sand and pebbles, and
casting them at your feet. iGh..eH9. t-iat
g And the Tipped wave steals up the beach,
Itsr red, polluted sand to bleach,' 4
And the sea is such lovely blue, and tie glorious
sunrise too, seen from these rocky heights We
gain this at least. from the early hours required by
our vetturino. One morning, in particular, long
line of clouds rested upon the WATER along the no.
rizon. Out ofthese issued the glorious orb. tlnging
all with golden hue, and casting blaze Of living
light across the sea. Here and there arose mass |
of clouds, and bending forwards towards the sun, |
seemed to bedding homage to the king Of day, and
he, seemingly pleased with their respectful adora-
ton. smiled like bengnant sovereign upon all.
The first day, we passed through the extensive
tunnels, utthrough rock that seemed of the hard
est granite. In some places, hinge slice had been
taken out of the mountain, allowing the road to
pass, leaving steep, smooth wall Of rock on Ell
Their side, displaying strata after strata, each differ
ing from the other, as far as the vision could ex-
teuu upWdTus anu each strata seemed ike the /
leaves OF "a book, where you may turn over leaf af
ter leaf, and find new wonders on every page i
Sometimes the mountain extended out into the
sea, and on the high prornontory might be seen a
high tower, station for watch a sort Of advance I
guard to an immense fortress. somewhat in the
fear half buried in forest of pine trees, of kind
pee Altar to these countries, and whose soft lovely
green contrast beautifully with the sombre hue of
the stately and mournful cypress. Sometimes the
immense castles were only extensive ruins of what
had once been formidable ratification Every val
ley and bill side was covered with groves Of the
fruitful olive, whose branches were even now be-
ing shorn of their pretty fruit .Groupes Of wo-
men and children beneath them, i'm AL-:--L-:.+Aatf
gay costume, formed picturesque scene These
thick groves, with their dark green verdure, form
ed again an agreeable contrast to the extensive
plantation Of orange and lemon trees, loaded with
their golden fruit and heavy foliage Of bright live
ly green, that increased the beauty Of every town
and village Onsthe water, at all times, we could
count as many as a dozen feluccas, with their long
latear sails running up to a point; and along the
shores Of the villages near the sea, were fisher
boats drawn up on the beach--the fishermen busy
among them with their brightzred caps and sashes.
There is one thing you may at all times observe
among the Italian peasantrv, and in all places it
is somewhat amusing, and at the same time, ex-
tremely disgusting. Whenever they have any
spare moments, land Il csc are not rGre,) you viii
see them seated--perhaps a father with child be-
tween his knees, examining its head, while the
mother or an older child is performing the same
operation on the head of the father, and so on,
through the family. And they afford good hunt
ing ground, for they seem to up any quantity
of game, and run them down too in no time. Al
ways, too in Italy, whenever you come to the foot
of hill that requires the horses to walk, you are
assailed by horde that would fain persuade You
that the town hospital or infrmary had turned out
to greet you. The lame, the halt, and the blind,
fhad and III f, ha md
misshapen forms, limbs distorted in every way
their chant and chorus, " bella signora, quequa
cosa'-ss brave Signori, pccoa monata"-" pau
vr miserabli"-Fs morte di faIna !" and they call
upon You by the love Of your father, mother, SIS
ter, brother, and all the saints in the calendar.
Scarce hill but has this accompaniment. You
have heard of the miller, who when asked how he
could live in such constant noises replied, !" Oh,
the noise don't trouble me; never hear it unless
the mill stops So / find these beggars brought
more forcbly 10 my mind by their very absence.
The peasantry hereabouts are so nice and tidy in
their dress, so busy and industrious in their habits.
and as sequency, are happy and cheerful in their
looks. Our last days ride would have almost led
to imagine ourselves in some Asiatic or tropical
cline from the great number Of palm trees, waving
their long branches amid the varied foliage Of this
Italian yerdure. 1t is said, that in raising the
Egyptian pyramind in front of st, Peters at Rome,
it was considered snch difficult work, that
great multitude had gathered to seelit. The Pope,
who was present, gave orders that perfect silence
should be kept, that the orders Of the director
might be surely heard, and to insure the order,
pronounced death upon the one that should offend
When the pyramid had been drawn up to the ne-g
cessary height, the ropes had stretched so much
that il could not be placed upon the PEDESTAL and
would soon have fallen, when man in the crowd
called out, Acqua allie corde,a and then stepped
forward to give himself up. The director imIne-
has