Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-07-17
LETTER FROM ITALY.

gay, brilliant centre of attraction to
the civilized world, with its Grand Ex-
position, its Emperors and gathered
Kings, Princes, mot forgetting the
Sultan of Egypt, whose ''grand entree''
into the Tuilleries, we witnessed, Po-
tentates, mobiles and snobs, both rich
and poor, its splendid palaces, streets,
and churches, beautiful ~boulevards and
triumphal aches, on the 18th inst,
with a sigh of regret that We had nei-
ther time nor money enough to permit
a longer stay. After a ten hours ride
by rail over the plains of France, COW
cred with patches of grain, grass and
vineyards, 1.-THE grape being the staple
and principal product we arrived at
Macon, a town of some 10000 inhabit-
ants. The next day at six o'clock A.
M, we Were again zen route" in the
rain, reaching the river Rhone early in
the morning, up the valley of which,
1t steadily wound its devious way, the
hills rising higher and higher along
its sides, until the snow-cspped peaks
of the Alps appeared in view. The
scenery grew wilder and magnificent,
the river narrower and more rapid. the
grade sleeper, and the motion of the
train slower as we proceeded. The
South side of the hills, where not too
steep, were dotted with vineyards, up
to q considerable height, every nook
of the valley was cultivated, and the
little cottages of the peasanty were
scattered along it and clinging to the
sides of the-steep hills.
Early afternoon we reached the lit
tie town of st. Nichols, the present
terminus of the railway at the foot of
| Mt. Cents. Here the passengers were
transferred to '~diligences," large, lum-
boring vehicles, each carrying fifteen
or twenty passengers with their lug
gage. To each diligence six horses
were attached, three abreast, and they
moved up the smooth road 1.-THE grade
not being very steep) at q steady trot.
And now clouds gathered slowly
around the mountain tops, and settled
gradually down their sides, and the
rain which followed was q most wei.
come change. as the dust had proven
quite an annoyance.
After about four hours travel the foot
Of the last and the steepest grade was
reached. Here two horses and ten
mules were placed before each dill
genee, one driver on the box, holding
the reins over the two horses. one
postillion on the second mule, and one
driver on foot managing the forwa.d
mules with whip and voice. The road
here leaves the valley Of the Rhone,
and ascends the side of Mt. Gents in a
zigzsg course. In another hour we
we're above the r~ain-cloud, and while
the sun was shining on us, the rain
could be seen falling upon the little
village at the foot, which we had left
an hour before, and clouds rested on
the sides of the mountain across the
valley, while its snowy summit was
glistening in the sun. Another hour
of slow but steady ascent, and the top
was gained, where the passengers
amused themselves with snoW-bslls
made from the drifts still several feet
in depth in shady hooks. Here the
mules were detached, and the rapid
descent commenced.
The road is perfectly smooth, but the
curves are very sharp, and the quick
trot which is maintained, gives to the
nervous passenger g very decided feel
ing of insecurity. a the cumbrous
machine which carries him, goes whist
ling around the sudden curves, giving
him glimpses of rocks and chasms hun
dreds of feet below, which the fast
gathering darkness made none the
more assuring. As ours was the fore
most vehicle, and they all carried at
night a large rejecting lantern, the
effect was q queer one, as We looked up
at the lights moving in every direction
as they followed the same zigzsg course.
We crossed and re-crossed again and
again q tumultuous mountain torrent
which, swollen by the recent rain,
tumbled down the mountain side. In
one place it came leaping v e a rock
fifty feet above US, falling close to the
road and throwing its spray upon it.
But poor weak human nature will
assert itself, and not wen the magnih-
cent scensIy of the Alps could long
overcome the fatigue of the day, and
one by one the passengers all dropped
asleep, and Bakened to find themselves
at "Lusa," at the foot of Mt. Cenis,- on
the Italian side of the Alps, where the
railway was reached, and two hours
more landed US at Turin-weary
enough.
Soon diligence riding On this route
will be at an end the famous Mt. Cen
is tunnel is pierced for two and a half
miles from the Italian side and about
two miles on the other, leaving three
miles yet to be completed. This is
being done by government, orProbably
the two governments; besides, an
American company is now laying the
iron for a railroad, just along side the
road we travelled, at the same grade,
and with nearly the same curves. A
third rail is laid in the centre of the
track to attach q patent brake to,wnich
will make it impossible for the cars to
leave the track. The snow on the top
of the mountain in winter is sometimes
20 feet in depth, hence the company
intend building an arch of brick or
stone over two or three miles of the
road to protect it from these heavy
SHOWS. Yours Truly, A.