Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1863-09-26
miscellaneous.
Letter from Mr.. Bcecher.
SWITZERLAND. Aug. 5.

-.s,e SWITZERLAND, Aug. 3, 1868.
My DEAR FRIENDS : rs, 49,.
| If you are sweltering iu the heats o
August, come hither and cool yourselve
among SHOWS and glaciers. If You ar,
jaded with newspapers and paragraphs. oh
come aud rest yourselves on my mule.
back, or by walking and racing. by turus
down the mountain paths! In ascending a
mountain, | pay great respect to sigSag
which is q name to express the means oI
ascending perpendicular hillsides, or such,
at least, as seem SO to ones gddy head
who sees himself hanging high up in the
heavens, where misstep would roll him
down a thousand feet or two. But all hills
are not so steep as Maienwand; and on
them, n descending, it is provoking TO O
foot traveller to find himself going back and
forward, back and forward, over the same
ground walking five hundred steps to gel
down fifty vertical feet. 1t is lawful, there.
fore, to wbosoeyer can, to tuke short cuts,
by bold plunges with heels digging 10, aud
alpenstock well put forward and played
lively. A bush is q great friend, and a root
a benefactor, 10 such acceerations. If you
have a party like ours--three ambitious
men-seeking to get ahead of each other,
and q courier, the immortal Simmons,
(whom all Americans should take, who
beholds these escspades with professional
shuddering as needless. you will in the
course Uf few hours on q hot afternoon
have means of explaining how you came
to be so wet with perspirationl Bat brooks
and springs and snow clad streams are met
al every few rods, and you Can wash your
face, wet yosr head, pull out your horn cup
and quench your thirst, and bowl on aud
down again .Is- rr. -rayl -
But am in the middle of my story with
out the appropriate approaches 10 it; for |
am now writing from Martigny, having
made the circuit Of the Bernese Alps. and
passed through Chamonnix Valley, thus fat
on my way to Zsrmalt. In former letter
left off in the neighborhood Of Altorf, and
amid The scenes full of the history of the
national hero. William Tell. The day was
more than Gpe--it was glorious. Never
did that gigantic monumental mountain
Windgelle, stand mp ngainst bluer sky
Never did clouds soil through softer and
more transparent atmosphere, and never
did three Yankees pass along by the flank
Of Windgelle unGer the sky aud clouds more
thoroughly disposed to enjoy them all. We
shook our hands to the children, we bowed
to all passers by, salntipg them in lame
German or in crippled French. The road
was 6ne. The Swiss carriage roads are re
nov ned from antiquity. They deserve their
eminent reputation. They are thorough
works of civil engineering. This one on
which we were travelling certainly was--the
bridges were admirable. First on one side
of US, aud then on the other, the Reuss, ash
colored, plunged down its troubled course,
always noisy. always bosterous, sometimes
thunderous aud awful Up, up, up, all the
forenoon; up. up, up. all the afternoon
The horses were poor. the carriage good,
the passengers excellent Hard as the
long pull was for the horses, regard the
driver as the animal chat worked the hard
est that day.. For to get the proper work
out Of bis pags required an amount Of whip
ping and talking, OF seoldiog and chisrup.
ing. OF twitching at the reins and cracking
Of the whip. that kept him necessarily busy.
Bot that was his business Still the sun
was great, and made all the earth heir to
his royal riches. Upon the mountains be
put his hand aud sent his treasures shower
log down the valleys; and to my secret
heart, neither mountains nor valleys, nor
streams we're half SO grand aud beautiful ss
the simple sun shining 10 tho besvens!--
And after weeks Of travel IN Swift serlsnd,
smidst its noblsst sights, sad sphlimer these
syes never behsid, ihsfe 10 nothing yet The,