, 1875-09-25
HosPlcE or SAINT BERNARD.
How IL is Conducted. a Night with the
Monks of II. Augustine hs described
by an Anne lean Correspondent.


No one of he various routes into Italy Is
perhaps better known than the pass OF Great
ST. Bernard, though, irrespective of i;s
Ho-pice, it is generally admitted 10 be the
least interesting Of any, and is at present less
Travelled than many OF the others. But who
has not heard Ill their youthful days of the
good monks of St. Bernard, and who has
not desired 70 pay them Il visit? This alone
IL sufficient 10 draw not few travellers each
| wear over those lonely heights The place is
lest reached from Martigny. in the Rhone
valley and thence it Is good days journey.
Frs by diligence or private CONVEYANCE over
a good carriage road, 10 Bourg st. Pierre, OF
IA little beyond, and ihen by d bride path On
! foot or upon the back Of d mule, TO The sum
nit of
A BARREN AND DREATY RFGION-THE VAL
LEY DIES MoRTs.
The road up rhr vally from Martigny has
| ncthing of special interest. A tunnel
through the solid rock, seventy yards il
length. is entered near point where former
ly there WAS d lake, but which burst its bar
| riers il 1918. and spread devastation in the
vall,y below SEVERAL miserable. aud wre,chrd
| little villages, filled wah more miserable and
wretchrd locking inhabitants, are passed,
and NJ length the carriage road dwiudles
d 'wn 10 a bride path, the trees disappear
altogether and the chalers becume less fire.
quent The pastures uf ihr valley afford an
abundant crop of rocks and loose stones, but
a scanty subsistence for the horses and cattle
who are obliged here 10 earn poor but hon
es' living. Leaving he Cautine de Proz. n
dreary plain is cruSsed. and soon a Wild d, file
entered Further on, two little stone hurs
ARE reached, one II shelter for cattle and the
other receptacle for rhr dead bodies of traV-
rlrrs who have persisted in The snow. The
Morrs, through which we walked without
frar, but following II we'll defined bride path
on summer afternoon is quite different
thing from making ones way over the same
route through binding snow in the winter.
iere II IL, AZ We afterwards learned, thai
most of the accidents Ocaa-. Trn~ulero a.
cer'ain s,-ssuns of the year are sometimes
uverrak, n by aSnl"nches and buried in the
SNOW. bmr n~nally wearird and fatigued, ..
drow>in - cpm's On and yielding 10 this,
season 10 be restored to cur~ciou~n, -. The
scenery can hardly be called grand and I'M
pushing. as compared with some Of the other
passes. but nothing can be conceived more
utterly barren and dcsOIate than the rocks
and mountains with which one Is here -nr-
rounded. An oppressive illness prevails,
such l. H. found except On 'hc higher
nonntaIn tops, broken only by the nois- of
The streams, not even the pleasant rinkIr of
h COW briis coming up from rh- vail y be-
low Hurry urI, NOS Ing I" uInkr IA longer
stop thnn nrcrSSary IN lhesr drrary Regions,
passing NUMEROUS SNOW INK. IN The ravIues,
and sometimes III the path. at length the
HrsDIcr comes IN sIghr uu rh,. summit of he
pass hey ond. nnd Il Lew mInures more brings
10 wricum-. n tier
THE HOSPICE-SINIEfN YOUNG MONKS. AND
THEIR NOBLE WOKK.
To an inquisitIve Yankee ca arriving, the
first QUESTION that would naturally occur
! would IL as TO who runs the establishment,
though he might be som-what puzzled TO
make ont what kind Of an establishment il is
half church, half lrutrl h. is souu convinced
that il is n'I Ither, though ones step On enter
! ing echo through ihe long halls with prison
| like sound. The Ho~pice was founded in
962, bur the buildings were destroyed by fire
IN the sixteenth century, and the present
structure was Afterwards bull; of stone. It
is three stories high. and contains accommO-
dations for 200 persons. A smaller bgilding
near by is gsed for sforehouse, and for
travellers of the poorer class, and Was design
ed for Il refuge in case of fire
The brotherhood consists At present II SIX
teen Angus iuian monks. with heir attend
ants The reverend fathers a. they are some
! times called, are quite youthful in their ap-
psarance. and scarcely any Of them are over
rhir years of age The climate here Is 20
! trying that th Y can often remain not more
| than six years. Sometimes a p-rson Of re-
markaLly strong constitution will BE- able to
! endure il for ten or twelve, and then, broken
down ia heai,h and strength. they are
obliged 10 descend &c the valley below, there
being All asylum for 'he sick an aged at Mar
| tigny The principal du'Irs Of the brother
| hood are 10 receive and accommodate travel
ers gratuiiuu>lv, To aid 'he needy, and help
| rhus.. in danger. Winter LASTS here from
| eight TO nine months, and then their assist
/ ance IL must needed. The class Of travellers
| a. This season are often thost without means,
| and who are compelled by business or neces-
/ -ity 10 attempt the pass Overtaken by
-'uru,s CA the way, or unable to endure the
/ fArisue Of the journey. they would surely
| perish we're II nor for the timely assistance. of
these self-denying men In This labor of love
/ they are aided, as every one knows, by the
| brute creation.
I THE SAINT EEENAKD DOGS.
! The famous treed OF dug- which are here
| employed zrr said TO have originated in The
I Pyrrnees and are remarkable for their sayac-
i'y and keen scent. They are easily trained,
and seem to unders- and rher dufirs perfectly,
and know just what il eIp"ctei of them
They have good na'ur-d look, and Voics
/ like Boanerses. are of n brown and white
color. NOT 80 shaggy as The Newfou'al~nd'
! and some of them almost large enough for
-;~a- From SIX - eight are usu-