The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-04-16
DAILY PRESS.
PoH1'LANu
Saturday Morning, April le, 1870
Our European Correspondence.
SWIGZE ES LAND,
PARIS, March /, 1870.

a
PARIS, March /, 1870.
MEssRs. EDITORS :-Leaving Geneva, the
next place that brought me to, to use sea
phrase, was Lausanne, large and pleasant
town situated on the slope of Mt Jorat, and
from many points commanding delightful
views Of Lake Leman aud its mountainous
scenery. Here among other objects attractive
to the stranger, is fine old cathedral which
aside from its magnificent proportions, DOS.
sessesses special interest owing to the fact
that within its walls took place the celebrated
discussion, in which Calvin and other emf
nent Protestants participated, and which re-
suited in separating the Canton Vaud from
the Romish church. At present of the city's
21 900 inhabitants but ABOUT 1900 are Roman
| Catholics.
Almost the entire region on the north side
of the lake is planted with grape vines. They
are not allowed to grow more than three or
four feet high, nor farther apart than the far
mer in America plants his hills of corn.
Not only in Switzerland, but over a large
! portion OF Italy and France is the land thus
| devoted to the production of wine; and /
have been puzzled to comprehend where they
get bread stufls for the sustenauce of the
great masses OF the people, But the juice of
the grape seems to be esteemed meat as well
as drink. 1t is furnished to boys at school,
tue mother quiets her babe with plentiful Ii
bations of it, as l have often seen, and the
poorest paysan would, l believe, sooner be
deprived of his bread than his wine!
OF course codld not leave the borders of
Geneva Lake without visiting the picturesque
old castle which Byron has rendered so IA
nous, by his graphic poem, "The Prisoner of
Chillon,"-so turned aside especially for the
purpose.
1t is situated near the head of the lake,
partly built into the water, which within
stones throw is five thousand feet in depth!
byron was evidently familiar with all its
arrangements and surroundings, and his po-
etical description leaves little for prose writers
to add respecting them. Whilst in its deep
dungeons, which are but dimly lighted by mar
row Sits in the walls high above the earthen
floor, as though by" sunbeam which has
lost its way" the descriptive portions of the
poem came vividly to recollection. Here in
the dim twilight L saw the "seven columns
massy and grey" to which the prisoners once
were chained, and the broken fragments of
the bolts, and the rust of the chains were
still visible; and the rock at the base of one
of them at least, had been worn into a semi
circular hollow by some poor victim who
tramped for many years to and fro as far as
his chain would allow.
Here L could hear the waves knocking
against the outer walls; and by the help OF
the attendant raised myself up to one OF the
Sits which admitted the light, and the scenes
which the poet so graphically describes were
all in view. There were the mountains tow
ering ridge above ridge; and like the prisoner
he describes as looking from the same point,
I saw their thousand years of snow
On high the wide long lake below;
saw the white-walled distant town.
And whittier sails go skmming down
And then there was little isle,
Which in my very face did smile,
verdant isle with three tall trees.
And Ger it blew the mountain breeze" sc.
And as soon as had descended the only
thing wanted 10 complete the picture was
furnished by little twittering bird alightng
at the opening
Sand there he sat fond and tame,
And tanner than upon the tree,
lovely bird with azure wings.
And song that said a thousand things
And seemed to say them all for me-"
That bird should alight at that very spot.
under such circumstances might seem mar
vellous. But the smaller birds, all through
the south of Europe in winter, driven
down from more northern latitudes by
the cold, are extremely numerous, and
it had probably been attracted by see
ing me. They hover about the orna-
ments on the churches and other buildings,
on the fences, chimneys, window sills-and
in their search for food become so familiar
that it is not uncommon TO see children sur
rounded by them, feeding them with crumbs
or seeds. Indeed 1 myself have on more
than one occasion derived amusement in this
way.
In another vault of the castle, the attend
ant showed me square opening in the floor
with steps apparently leading to dark room
below; but which after the third step, went
down many feet, and near the bottom had
formerly had number of transverse knives
upon which the uDsuspicious victim descend
ing, fell, and escaped from these slashed and
bleeding, only to be drowned in the water be-
low. instruments of torture were also point
ed out-but enough of this. Who will say,
when contemplating these horrible evidences
OF oppression, that there is as much evil i'm
the world now as ever?
At present. the castle is occupied by the
Swiss as an armory, aud contains some fine
specimens of cannon.
Leaving Chillon / rambled down to Vile
nuve at the extreme head of the lake, which,
approached by water makes charming ap-
pearanee; but in its narrow streets and an
tique buildings / found nothing attractive.
The old wall round the town, founded by the
Romans, still continues.
Next morning the rail train sat me down
at Fryeborg, which is famous for its romantic
position on a rushing mountain stream called
the Sarine, where the banks are at least two
hundred feet in height, and is surrounded by
steep activities. Two suspension bridges
here span the deep trough of the river, the
highest of which is 2S0 feet above the water:
and was told that previous to their erection
it took nearly an hour for person to descend
and ascend from one bank to the other-a
statement which, while contemplating the
singularly wild views from the upper bridge, 1
could readily accept.
The city contains upwards of 10000 in
habitants, and is the capital of the canton of
the same name. Only for the purpose of de-
fence could men have thus erected their hab-
itations in such place, like the eagle his
eyrie on the mountain crag.
From this locality l proceeded to Berne,
which is city of about the number of in
habitants OF Portland, and is the headqnar-
ters of the Swiss confederation.
The guide book sets down as objects of in
terest here, the fountains, the cathedral, the
museum, the picture gallery, the arsenal and
the town clock. Connected with the latter
are some half score OF automatical figures.
which so torough certain performances at the
expiration of every hour, much to the amllse-
ment of strangers and others who make it a
point to be near. First wooden chanticleer
flaps his wings and crows, then train of
bears come plodding from the interior and
march round an old man in a chair who is
the prominent figure OF the group. The cock
tests his satisfaction at this performance by
again Tapping his wings and growing. and
when it is time for the hour to strike, the old
man turns an hour glass, and caunts The hour
by raising his scepter, and gesticuIa,ing as
though he were speaking, and bear on his
right bows his head at each stroke which an
other figure for which / have no name or gen.
der, hammers upon bell.
Bern (baren) is the German word for bear,
and bruin is the heraldic emblem of the city,
You see his figure everywhere recurring-on
tradesmen's signs, at fountains, at door ways,
in inches; and half a dozen or more are sup
ported at the public expense, in snug stone
building surrounded by an iron fence, called
the Bears Den.
From several points in the city you may OBJ
tain fine views of the Alps and the (Bernese)
Oberland; and nothing can surpass the splen-
dor of the view from the cathedral terrace. at
evening, when the phenomenon, called mach
giaen (after glow of the mountains) occurs:
during which long after the last rays OF the
sun have faded from the snowy peaks, they
glow as if from the light of internal fires.
l once, when travelling in January up the
wild valley OF tn Peabody river at night, saw