Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-12-12
Letters from Bayard Taylor.
NUMBER II.
srx WEEKS HOLIDAY IN SWTTZER-
LAND AND TTALYs lei

Correspondence OF Inc N L
81 h1 GoruA, Germany, Oct, 1856.
We left Zurich in carriage for Goldau,
at the foot of the Righi, in order to ascend
that fashionable peak before sunset. While
dining at Zug, l was accosted by a, Swiss
.puide, who wished me to take him into my
service. Now, had determined to take no
iguide fnone being necessary until we should
reach the Furca Pass; but the minute saw
the man fuIIin the face, and looked into the
clear depths Of his unwavering dark-blue
eyes, he had me completely in his power.
I'feIt that / must take him, before his prop
ositioh was half spoken; yet like a prudent
man of the world IA fool, rather,) hesita-
ted, and bargained, and made conditions,
all savoring of mistrist, while in reality l
would have trusted all my worldly possessions
in his hands. Why must we ever diStort
our features with these conventional masks?
Why not say at once: 81 know and believe
in YOU ?" forour natural instincts are thous-
and times truer than the Judgment of the
world.
Joseph being engaged (bIushing up to
the roots of his hair as he confessed to the
knowledge of few Alpine melodies,) we
pushed on to Goldau, and commenced the
ascent. Our Alpine luggage, consisted Of
two heavy ralises,. probably l2o pounds
weight, was transferred to the shoulders of
rather lean native, who rejoiced at the
prospects of earning five francs by carrying
It to the very top of the Righi. 1t would
have broken the back of New York por-
ter before the end of the first mile. Our
Swiss, however reached the top in fifteen
minutes after us, and We were less than three
hours in climbing the. eight miles There
was no sunset, and the delicious tones of the
Alpine horn awoke. us at dawn to see no
sunrise. We shivered on the summit, half
an hour, to no purpose; many travellers went
down in disgust, but there is no use in losing
ones temper, and we look our station IN the
clouds. Presently appeared Joseph, who
said "Ihave seen something; look that way" J"
pointing to the vest sand wait a little
Soon there was glimmer, as of strip Of
cloud lighted by the sun, then the vapors
parted, and for an instant the whole line of
the Berneas Alps, from the Finsteraar-holn
to the Jungfau, stood unveiled in the face
of morning. Horns of immaculate snow,
golden-clear, fushes of topaz on the frosted
silver of the glaicers-a moment naked aud
beautiful as the goddesses on Mount Ida,
then vailed in their floating cloudy drapery
from eyes that were almost too weak TO bear
their splendor, is
Now came the wind and cleared the peak,
and as far as the hills of the Rhine all was
mottled light and shadow; CLEANS of beryl
from the lakes and starry flashing of white
towers. dots on the distant blue. We had
all we came 20 see, and more than We had
hoped for. Yet Imet an American, who
stood on the Righi, on as clear a morning
and was much disappointed. at was just
like painting" said be; 'the panoramas
you see. on, exhibition are a great deal finer
Our way led up the Lake of the Forest
Canfons to Flullen- and Altorf. Joseph en-
gagged a good carriage with a driver who
sang; and as we drove up the valley of the
Reuss toward ST Gothard, next day, the rocks
echoed with the jodsE Eeler, and the quaint,
native peasant-songs of Switzerland. Tony
had a fine baritone, which harmonizcd well
with the Changing mountaineer tenor of Jo-
seph. The melting, undulating, horn-iike
eadcnces Of the jodel choruscs, heard in the
deep Alpine valley. with the roar of the
Reuss below, and the tinkling of the musi-
cal herd-bells on the pasture-slopes, were SC
many strains of that unwritten poetry. for
which there are no words in any language
One of the songs had the following drol
refrain: a
., eyhat good living is il you would knox,
'-. You must straight unto my Jura goi
.rr Jura is the prettiest girl you'd say,
If the others all had gone away.
At the inn at Andermalt we found plenty
of snobs. The landlord was physician and
and prescribed for US, not one having escaped
sprain or a pain Joseph collected the
guides, and towards midnight gave Us. a ser
enade, beginning with the Ran des Vaches
accompanied with the most wonderful yari
ations, all performed on the human voice
The performer was a lusty Young fellow, WHO
drank too much for his own good, but who
as he boosted, could make any note he pleas
ed, high or low. Hisexecution was as mar
velous as Jenny Lind's and as full of noun
tain echoes.
Our route was over the Furca Pass by
the glacier Of the Rhone, the Grinlse ant
down the valley of tho Aar to Meyringen
then over the Scheideck, by the Roseulau
gIaiccr to Grindelwald, and over the Wen
germ Alp to Lauterbrunnen and Interlacken
We had six days among the high Alps
without a cloud in the sky--at most gauzy
scarf of vapor floating around the snowy
cones, to soften the sharpness of their pro
Ries on the deep blue of the air. We crept
into the ice eayerns. Of the-glaicers, and
from under their vaults of translucent sap
'phire looked on the rose e-tinted forms of the
'cataracts; we saw the spleudid Wetterhorr
hanging over the dark-grcen fir forests; wt
listened to the roar of ayalanches from the
Jungfrau, and watched their snow-dust tum-
bling a thousand feet down the precipice
while TRANQUILITY consuming our chamoi,
zagout on the Wengern Alps: We held oul
heads under the Staubbach which flung it
waters upon US from height of nine hun
dred feet, and wet our backs through and
through; we leaned over the Aar, where il
plunges down the gorge of Handek and no
ticed its wonderful resemblance to boiled
caulifower; and finally, at Interlacken, VIC
bade adieu 10 the Bernese Alps, and to Jo
IL ,,,,,4,,o1 foo~,