Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-09-17
FIRST EDITION.
FAREWELL TO SWITZERLAND.

From Ae Commercials Special Correspondent.
PARIS, August, 1873.
At Grindelwald we were close under " the
SHOWS of Wetterhorn," with high silver peaks,
which the poem speaks of, and we saw many g
Switzer maiden in her chalet, that might have
been Bertha; at any rate, whose sweet, fresh
face betokened as gOol a heart as hers. These
two rides, over the Brunig, and the one TO the
Grindelwald mark two of the fairest days in our
calender, Illuminated days, that burn through
the memory and show clear, like some Of the
freight views Of great painter.
Those of you who have bsen to Mauch Chunk
and have ridden up that steep railroad that lifts
you into the air apparently without any material
MEANS, know something of the sensation of 60
ing up Righi. Here, though, we have black
giant like a great mad buffalo with his huge
head between his feet that butts close up against
our car and snorts and kicks and labors, but
pushes us up backwards right before him. No
chans, nor ropes nor belts Of iron protect US, as
at the Switch Back, from running down 10 des-
truction # anything should break. but running
in the middle between the rails for the wheels,
there il a heavy iron bed with sockets close to-
gether to receive the cogs on wheels under the
middle OF the car, and which it in 30 securely
that they would hold the whole weight should
any accident accident occur to engine or
to outside wheels. Then man walks
or stone that may have chsnced to roll down on
to the track from the precpices above. they go
slowly, too, not much faster than one could walk,
but that gives better opportunity for the enjoy
ment of the views which grow and grow, slowly
but sensiby like pictures that come out cleater
and clearer when you are looking at disAoving
views Then at the Kuhn" the culmina-
tion what grand scene lies below! Ten large
lakes, like basins OF water Oh the hoor OF a
room lin clearer days thirteen can be seen, }
o,k.y nata of IN
barn yard. innumerable villages, high hills
only as big as a mole hill, forests like vegetable
beds in a garden, and hundreds of miles of
snow-faked mountains stretching only an hours
ride OF less it seoms, away You would not
think OF applying grand to such carpet pattern
would you and yet il you saw it, 1t would just
be a carpet pattern. but when you knoS what it
is, it would indeed be a grand sight, one that
would hold you and impress you, and make you
glad forever that you had seen 1t. We have been
to the top of the mountains, but you will not
get there without two or three of the lovelie5t
lake sails that ever delighted romantic imagl-
nation Brisnz Lucerne. Geneva, Thun, they
are all alike, and all synonymous for poetry,
beauty, delight you can imagine nothing fairer;
the finest pictures and eDgravings OF the finest
| po nts, are repeated in equal beauty at every
| turn in all of them or course each one has it's
| own striking points. aud some prefer one, and
| some another but they are all charming, all
have mountains, villages, lovely views, rare pas
toral rcenes aud wild lonely gens, with here aud
there places noted in hit olio lore, or famed in
poetry or ancient legend Forget there's care
| in the world, give yourself aud your money to
| Cook and he will give you at least, gun-shot
| experience Of bliss You will have at any rate,
some thought-free, restful hours floating over
| these Swiss lakes.
A day will give you the whole length of Lu-
| cerne and back again to the Gle an, white city al
night-fall when she will have her brilliants sci
| to greet you. You will have seen Tells chapel,
| by tn: water edge. and farther down house,
| and here IL not in America, the people are loya
| to rleir anciaut heroes and bellows with firm
| faith in their deeds, and their valor, and snap
| their fingers at modern philosophers.
What will we do with this chapel and this house
| and these hills, all marked with his footprints
| that yet love to echo the name OF lell, II there
/ never was such man? "Why believe in him
| faithfully Loyalty az do" was the emphatic an
i swer, and have taken the advice with the pre-
| " branch of Edelweiss which was handed at the
| same time. You will not get Swiss to disbe
| eve in Tell, very soon,
| Then Won will pass by Schiller's stone where We
sti ain our eyes to read the inscription, and the
| Ruth" where the patriots met and swOre to
| support the liberties of Switzerland, and you
will see their full-length portraits in rude fires
| cues on the front wall of hotel in one OF tbt
villages, at which you stop for a moment, eaot
| man having his name printe under him, 10 'thii
| is Pc er. and this is the Pig" style.
| The pilot" Mt Pilatus. will frown at you all
| the way, and Rigb will calmly lift his head and
4
| dozen villages you have stopped at and feel
| thankful that you have seen them, but also that
| you are in Lucerne where you can go and hear
| the wonderful organ for two francs and listen
| to the most real storm and to the finest an-
thems and to the Carnival of Venice, &c, which
are all very enjoyable, exceedingly so, but haC
| been to Bsrne and heard the organ there. IL
| some respects however, we were forced to &C.
knowledge that the finest effects were produced
by the player in Lncerne he certainly had rare
skill most wonderful should say, but there
| was such depth of feeling in the playing al
Berne, that one could forgive some lack il there
we're any, q am inclined to think there wal
| none) there is one lion in Lucerne at leaet
and he is a big one, 40 feet long, but you cant
believe it. He is genuine liou in stone. in {
solid wall of rock. designed by 1horwaldsen
| lie is q grand fellow, aud you love him as yot
stand and watch him with his spear pierced sidt
and face haggard with pain and yet covering
with his paw the shield Of France and resting
his other one on that of SSitzeillnd.
1t is splendid work, and the people are justl!
proud of it.
curious paintings in them, representing .rht
| Danca of DEATH" a couplet of the poem being
under each picture. They are interesting bu
| much faded aud defaced. At Basle they hat
their cemetery wall adorned in the same way
| and believe bridge also, thought did not q
to see it. The hotekeeper at BAsle has as grea
| a taste, according to his means, for old porce
lains as the Countess OF Shrewsbury. old-fash
| toned plates cover the walls instead OF pictures
| And there we got letters from home, aud the
we're welcome you may be sure the arrival at
| town where Cook has an Office ID an event in on
| little world, and creates such futtering o
| newspapers and letters as suggests flock o
/ pigeons.
But you must go back to the lakes and stop a
Giessbach, just at sunset. close beside the dash
| ing waterfall, with the climb beside it, up an
| up, surprising cascade after cascade of whit
foam hidden under veil of dropping leaves, an
| follow the gurgling stream close up to the hote
| which is seated like clean white throne, in
| great amphitheatre, whose arena is not sand (Onl
the winding pathways) but the fairest garden
illed with vines. and flowers. and grottoes
| must have been an artist who struck on this spo
and heightened it's natural advantages with til
finest effects OF art OF course, 1t was all artis
q know, since came here, that architects ar
artists
The middle room Of the very topmost stor
opening out into the little balcony that faces tn
pointed table in front must give certainly til
finest view of the place; for hours we sat Their
ard enjoyed it, the blue lake far below glisteL
| ing in the light of the moon which was hidde
from us by the mountains, which stretche
| round on either side like enfolding arms, leaV
| ing only an open gap in front. The noisy Watel
fall was close at hand, hidden by trees, but he
/ voice was audible.
At nine o'clock, We had paid our francs an
2 gone down the lawn to place just opposite til
| fall. and taken our places to await with som
curiosity the much talked of illumination.
From far height the fair cascade was lear
ing and turning, waving her white robes in an
! | out among the black shadows, now hanging lie
oil har Huay lin