National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-07-05

and at prices far below what we would
have TO pay for the same goods In New
York. We also visited several musical
box factories. Here you can buy music
boxes from SO to $4,000. We saw chairs,
stools, albums, work boxes, and even de-
canters fitted up with musical boxes.
Though Geneva Is the centre of an adj.
mirable system OF railway communications,
II is one Of the few places in which the
diligence, which used to be seen lumber
ing over all the post roads of the Cont
nent, still fingers.
Railways have not yet penetrated to
Chamounx and other parts of Savoy, and
communications are yet kept up by this
strange looking vehicle, of which it is
difficult to convey any idea To an Amer-
can reader. The office Of the diligence
was situated about two blocks from the
Hotel Metropole, where we were staying,
and we had chance of seeing those
vehicles every morning, taking in their
compliment of tourists for the trips to
Chanounix and Mt. Blanc, Imagine the
coupe of railway carriage, and old fash
toned carriage and Broadway omnibus
all joined together, with doctors gig
the drivers seat, removed from the back
to the front, placed upon the top; and
that will give you faint idea of what Il
Swiss diligence resembles. The horses,
the harness, and the driver battle descrip-
ton. Lexicon could not do them justice.
Geneva is the Capital of the smallest can
ton of the confederation. Noltaire, when
residing here, used to ridicule its dminu-
tive size by saying, "When | shake my
wig, powder the whole canton"
In walking on tho Pont DIES Bergues,
one of the bridges which crosses the Rhone,
we noticed on both sides of the river, long
wooden sheds, from which projected a
large number of washboards, each one
being presided over by n stout Swiss wo-
man, who pounds her customers clothing
with a huge wooden mallet, and Keeps up
an animated conversation with her neigh
Dor at the same time. 1t may be very
effective way of removing the dirt, but
thought it rather rough on the clothes.
1t was singular sight to see nearly fifty
of these washwomen all talking and ham
mering together, and every time they
wished &c be more emphatic or convincing
in their argument they would bring down
the mallet with force that would make
the old shed rattle. While contemplating
the labors of these water nymphs, from
my stand point as married man, and
Knowing how it was myself" when
putting on clean linen, to discover the
absence of button, could not but think
what an immense amount of trouble and
vexation they were weekly inficting on
the married men and women of Geneva,
by their reckless use of the mallet, when
they are knocking the dirt out, and the
buttons off Of all the clothes entrusted to
their care. left this scene of mangled
shirt bosoms feeling happy in the con.
seriousness that Geneva was not my abd-
ing place. The Ex-Queen Isabella of Spain,
was stopping at the Metropole, and occu-
pied one wing of it with her suite. j met
her in the corridor on her way to her
carriage. She is a stout, coarse looking
person, and had very little of that divinity
that doth hedge King or Queen, about
her. If she had on calico dress, and
stood guard over an apple stand, she would
really have not looked out Of place.
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