Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-09-10
Letter from Rev. Mr.. McGiffert.
NUMBER SEVEN.
STnATFoRp ON AVON, Aug. %, 1

STRATFoRD ON AVON, Aug. %, 1870.
Dear 1eLegrapS-I have been spending the
Sabbath in this quiet English town, the birth
place of Shakespeare, and the home, for some
months, of our OWE Washington Irving; a
good place, il would seem, to date letter
from, though there may be nothing in that let
ter to Indicate its literary birthplace save the
date, and the immortal names that adorn this
long sentence. For it is human, when we
have no glory of our own in which to shine
to press, if possible within the halo of anoth-
er's glory-and why should your humble cor
respondent differ in this from his fellow hui
manity? But if, by way Of literary adorn-
ment, place the name of this old town at the
head of my letter. the letter itself will have
no more connection with its heading, than too
many sermons have with the motto-teXt with
which they open. For lis subject is Switzer-
land, not England, and it must treat of noun
tains and glaciers, of mules and dligenccs,
instead of essays and poesy of wearicd feet,
rather than of great minds. Shall lever over
take myself? The question, even though it
may sound much like connundrum, is an in
tensely practical inquiry in this corrcspon-
dence, while the slow pen hastenS in pursuit
Of the hurryfng tourists, and falls continually
TO q more hopeless distance in the rear.
We left ourselves believe, at Turin, cur
knapsacks packed and everything in readiness
for another week among the Alps. Our course
was first, by railroad over Mount Gents, to &C.
neva. How shall describe this wonderous
railroad, this almost miracle o: art forcing its
way among the greater miracles of nature
Imagine our jamestown railroad, Of the poor
thing has not been dead so long that it is be-
yond imagination,) instead of bridging the
gulf by that famous, fabled filling, rushing
boldly down the carriage road, toward our
friend Traver's charming vineyard, and as
boldly up again-only that the sup" should
come before the down" our Ashtabula hills,
as you are aware, being unfortunately under
ground, as l can assure you the Alps are not
Imagine this rise and plunge to continue over
hight fifty times as great as that gulf is deep,
plunging not to the regions of continual mud,
but climbing to that of perpetual snow; hold
your breath as you think, and let every hair
stand on end, and you may have faint idea
of the Mt Gems Railway. Frist, we climbed,
slowly and laboriOusly, alongside the diligence
road, to the hight of about mile above the
plains, and then we rush and plunge down q
track that turns abruptly round precipiees and
leaps down inclines, where l should wish fol
o very safe horse were driving on a carriage
road. say to companion, "this is grand =
He silently assents, when notice by his white
face and closed teeth, that he is thinking prob
ably how grand it would be if we should
plunge from the track into one of those yawn
ing gulfs. point out to him the construction
of the road and remind him that trains pass
over every day in safety but he intimates
| that there must be the first train to make the
plunge, and that this may be the one appoint
ed for the experiment. Yet l think that tht
terrors Of this read are only apparent. Th'
peculiar construction of the track renders it
perhaps, one of the safest roads in Europe
There is high, strong middle rail, which i
clasped by horizontal wheels under the cars
which can be pressed by brakes tightly sgains
the rail, and are used to facilitate the assent
and check the deseent.
The evening found US in safety at Geneva,
the home of Calvin, and of many of the ole
Reformers, and of the distinguished pastors
and writers ofthe modern Evangelical church
A fine city Of some 10000 inhabitants, beauti
fully situated on the western extremity of lake
Lemon. Thence sail of five hours on thu
lake and a railroad ride of two hours brough
us to Martigny, In the heart of the Alps. Ou
destination is the foot of Mont Blank, but how
shall we reach itp We have exhausted rail
roads, we have passed beyond lakes-there i
even no carraige-road over the lofty rang
which we must traverse. What shall we do
All there is narrow mule-path over thos
mountains-and on that path there are thre'
modes of transit. First, "porteur du chaise,
conveyance by which an honorable indiyid
ual is carried by four men, two alternately