Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-08-15

are capped With everlasting SnoW.-
For several miles the railroad follows
the shore of most beautiful
Alpine lake of considerable extent,
encircled all round by the huge
whose foot plunges into
its bright waters. Only the brush of
a gifted painter could do justice to the
beauty of the scene. The sparkling
waters are of the most vivid blue and
green, rejecting the sunshine, the white
fieecv clouds and the still winter peaks
with their icy helmets; across the lake,
where the mountain leaves a small
level space between its foot and the
shore, shine the gilded spires of the
ancient Abbey, where lie buried the
Dukes of Savoy, race of knlghtly sol
diers whose memory adds historical
association to the scene. Every mile
or so, some rocky cliff plunging per-
pendicularly into the lake would inter
rupt the level track of the railroad, but
the hand of man has tunneled them all,
and the entrances of each of these tr1n-
nels are cut in the forms of castellated
gates-adding the picturesque and
beautiful to the useful. 1t is impossl-
bic to describe the charming impress
sion produced by emerging from the
darkness of the tunnels, and finding
suddenly revealed new vista Of this
enchanting lake. Oni.s banks is a Sum-
wateringpla called Aix-les-Bains;
an! when | swelter under the heat of
the Egyptian sun, l try to cool my
imagination by dreaming of boating,
fishing and bathing in those lovely
waters, with Alpine glaciers waiting
their refreshing breezes over my head.
have passed through one of mans
grandest works-the Mt. Gents tunnel,
aud hope, before very long, to see
another, the Suez Canal. By the way,
for the benefit Of our friends WHO
talked Of shi canal at Wilmington,
make a note right here. The Suez
Canal has no locks at all any where. =
The current runs, part of the twenty
four hours one way and part the re-
verse, according to the tides and it
required the building of an immense
double lefty at Port Said, running
four thousand yards out into the sea,
and costing eight millions OF dollars in
gold TO secure its mouth against block
lug ND with sand bar On the Red
sea It's outlet IS the Gulf OF Sue2
The Mt. Gents tunnel Is the S'great-
is between seven and eight miles long,
and It's takes twenty-five to thirty min
rstcs to go through it. 1t is a stupen-
dous work, and on each side of it, at
various intervals. are eight or ten tun-
ntls which would be considered big
things any where else. If yoIl want
to form ;n accurate idea of the inte-
rior, have coal fire lighted in the
darkest cellar You can find, put a big
kettle OF water on it, and when the
ccllcr is we'll filled with steam and coal
smoke, till you can hardly breathe,
have the fire put out so as to have
complete darkness. and if you sit there
in Il rocking chair for twenty minutes,
you may imagine that You have passed
through the Mt Gents tunnel. What
relief to get out and fill your lungs
once more with the fresh mountain
air cooled by the everlasting SHOWS
which, ut that elevation, are but 4
few hundred feet above your head
From there the road sweeps through
many II curve aud tunnel down to TIL
rim. Thence, surrounded with his
torical and classical memories all the
way. We pass over the battle field OF
AEarengo, the great fortress of Alessan
dria, once deemed impregnable-any
thing else just now Thence through
Piaianza Parma, Modena, Bologna, al
known to fame, and presenting al
! appearance OF dilapidated antiquit,
and surrounded by ancient walls
and Notifications, now tumblinS down
! into their useless meats. A
/ r min we came in sight of the
! Adri&tic and keep close along its shore
sometimes within fifty yards of the
/ beach through Ancona and all the
way down to the heel of the ''bOot,
to Brindisi. It is long and tediou.
/ route-mOre rapid but less pleasan
than the routes through Venice or Ma
, pies. From Turin to Brindisi, the en-
tire length Of the italian '.boot, w.
! had not Il regular meal and had to ge
what we could at the way stations
which are far inferior to those o
America, England or France in the
two latter countries, as well as in Ital,
. and generally all over Europe, the
cars are divided into compartment.
like the interior of a stage coach, hold
ing eight or ten persons. There are
/ no water coolers, nor any of those con
veniences which are found on ever,
! American car; and when one gets tiret
OF sitting iii one place there is no ia
/ cllltT for passing from one car t.
| another. 1t is astonishing to see how
/ far behind America all the rest of the
world seems to be IL q thousand little
/ practical things, Which may be small
/ in themselves, but go so far towards
| making life comfortable. BY the way
set it down as an axiom, that no people
! except the Americans know chow tc
! keep Il hotel"
| It would be difficult to imagine {
! more beautiful country than Lombardy
/ except for the absence of woods. Its
( cultivation Is highly improved. Low
/ Ell Itai Y IS less carefully cultivated, fOl
lis population IS not as dense; but il
/ presents features peculiar to itself
In ali these cOIlntrles-ln fact in al
! .lurOp", there are no fences. In Low.
| or italy the divisions of fields are
! marked by rows of mulberry trees al
/ regular distances, and between them
/ The zines. instead Of being several,
! prnned and propped to stakes as III
France and Germany. are allowed tC
! GroW III 1uil luXuriance and to hang IL
graceful festoOns from tree to tree. The
small fields thus surrounded with trees
and scarlandS look like pleasure gar
drnS. Large districts, however, are
devoted TO pasturinG and on the rail
ROAD numerous trains are met loaded
"itl splendid italian cattle on THEN
| way 10 France. The oxen are large
| ana we'll torned-all gray or white,
with beautiful heads and long, black
Shiny horns. Near the Southern end
Of the Italian Penins1llar are numerous
olive groves and huge fig trees, while
an occasional palm tree and patches OF
large thOrny cactus announce the prox-
unity ri the Mediterranean, aud the
African shores.
i>rilnlisi-the ancient Brundusium
which forms TIE subject OF one of
itoracc's satires. is the jumping of
place of Italy AMI derives all its i'm
portance from the lines of travel which
touch there. 1t is the terminus of the
grand trunk line of italian railway.
The British and Austrian lines of
steamers for Alexandria and Suez stop
there for passengers and mail, especial
~ the British, East India and China
mail It is miserable town of fisher
II III b IL T I