Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-22
DIR. WARDS EUROPEAN TOURISTS

Dr. NAhD'S EUhOIEAN IOUklSIS.
The Grand Old AIps-Up One Side and
Down the OtheF-What the Party
Saw
CThe following letter fom DR.. Ward,
who is now making tour of ''the CONT
nent," though not written for publication,
viii be read with Interest By the many
friends of the Doctor and the young ladies
under his charged
l wrote Florence Of our charming visit
to Genevs, -ChamOunix and Mt. Blanc. At
ChamouniX We mounted donkeys-each
with guide at the bit-and rode eighteen
miles through the Alpine mountains to
Martigny. We shall never forget that days
ride. With our packs and water-prOofs
strapped behind, climbing single file, our
''light brigade" presented grOtesque ap-
pearance. Some of the party possessing
tine voices made the cliffs Te-echo with their
songs, which so charmed our guides that
they continually yelled out ''chantant,"
"chanLant." Here we encountered thun-
der-stOrm, and the peal on peal seemed not /
ataI, but 10 shake the ground under our /
feet, as crag after crag took up the reverber- |
alton. Still we were philosophers and |
raised our umbrellas and journeyed on.
From Martigny, by diligences to Brigne, a |
little village high up on the headwaters of |
the RhOne, entirely hemmed Ia by lofty |
Alps, all covered, with ice and snow aud |
glaciers.
Before nightfall the diligences begin to
pour in f.Om the several roads, all crowded
with "Yoysgeus," and also, fOotmen and
women with blouse, and trouser, and staff
in hand.
The table d'hote always in this country
al SKY presents varied sssembly-Freneh
Russians, English, Americans, etc, all
tourists. You meet many eminent nen.
The hotels are good and clean, and we are
go tired at night, the beds are dOwny.
| While the girls are at lunch sit out on
rustic chair to pen line home. am filed
| with wonder and admiration at the scene
/ before me. The sun is half an hour before
setting, but We see it not except gliding
/ that lofty snow peak which seems to hang
/ over us. The sky is clOUdess, and the
! towering Alps stand out clearly cut against
| it. Beneath Us is a buried old town, ard
the RhOne rushing and roaring, now shoot
ing under a great stone bridge then waving
or wn a slope, then tumbling into the
| gorge below. A long avenue Of LOmbaTdy
| pOplars sweep far down the valley and seem
TO meet at the farther end. The lovely
/ wales, walks and rustic houses, all about
the village, the herd boys coming in with
the COWS, the women milking the goats,
SFarms Of children piping on musical in
/ stTuments, their unintelligible jaTgOn, all
make up picture Of strange fascination to
| a foreigner. The cool, sweet air Is coming
down 10 us from the field Of snow, and in
the twilight l see Aargie and Maize stroll
ing down the avenue of pOplars. The
| others are out on rustic seats to rest and
admire.
On the road we met MIR. Thompson and
Elliott. At Sierre they got OF and we got
/ Oh the coach, talked q few moments, and
then goodbye"
THE SYMPTOM.
Well-"At two O'Clock in tie morning
precisely the diligence leaves for SimplOn."
That was the bulletin and that our route.
It gas oyer the SimplOG,One Of the high
est points in the Alps that Napoleon Bona
| parte constructed that magnificent high
| way 10 pass his army into Italy. The en-
| giueering of this road is considered one Of
The boldest and most skilful works Of man.
Imagine a great highway cut sometimes in
the face of precipice that would not have
| Afforded space for goat to climb, with the
| miners suspended by ropes to effect an
| opening. Then long ridges Of stone blown
| M. and terraces bull Of rock IS a prOtec-
ti.n against avalaucbes. l. was over this
| road we started at two O'Clock in the morn
ING. Up, up, up We 60 Tie air cool,
| cOld, colder, coolest. Soon the day breaks.
As the morning light strikes the snow
fields it reveals great giants Of mountains,
seemingly resting in white rO0es. Up,
up the coach tolls with five
| great horses. / walk much Of the way to
get better views. The girls are constantly
waving white hands TO me from the crash
window, and "LOOk, look up higher al the
peak, and look, look at this" We pass the
NTH refuge (refuges are strong stone houses
| built under great towers Of rocks, into
! which travellers may run in times Of danger,
| avalanches or stOrms). AT the sixth refuge
We are 6,549 feet above the level of the
sea, yet there are peaks all around us six
| thousand feet higher. This is the highest
pass over the Alps. at the summit is
| large valley, green and sunny, where herds
men are feeding large numbers of cattle
and making cheese. Their houses often
stand so high up the mountain sideyOu can
ONLY discern them with good glass. Just
here there is large
"HosPICE,'
| built by Napoleon, inhabited by priests,
who take in tourists that are sick, and care
for all who come without charge. So lone
| ly-up in the crown of the grand old Alps
vet they are in contact with all the world,
| as / noticed the telegraph wires ran into the
| building.
Now we begin to descend and set our
faces toward Italy. We 60 at rapid speed.
| The waters all flowing south with Us.
Soon a wide and roaring river is a; our
| side, gathering waters every moment from
the Alpine streams. Down il rushes hun
| dreds of feet with such impetEosity you
! can hardly breathe TO behold it, and then
! s-ain showers like a filmy vail. Now we
| dash on in our great coach through the
| gorge OF GOndO-the grandest and most saw
| ace IN the A'ps-betIeen perpendicular
! walls Of mica slate 1000 feet high. The
| river Diveria rOars below you and its va
| ters are dashed into foam, so that t. looks
| like a river Of milk. Your eye dwells there
| a moment; but you look up and your eye
seems to want a resting place somewhere
| half way up those awful walls above. You
| absolutely shUdder ard are dumb in the
] presence Of tEis scene. One needs a whole
| day lust here to admire and wonder at the
| stupeudOUs works Of The Creator,
! Soon We arrive in our rapid downward
! course at mliltary-ioOHlng place. Ii Is
/ the
GPCsTE DITALIA,"
where the Swiss stops and the Italian law
| and language begins. Now cut with your
| KEYS, for The baggage" must be searched
| for ..tabac," as that IS the only thing con-
| traband. Opening Miss O. porimanteau
he found no 'tabae," and ! assured him
| that my s'cng 5rene teB.mes7 had not even |
| the "fdme" OF IL in their mOerChOir cases. |
The polite officer Immediately chalked the
| whole baggage and replaced il il the coach, !
] and in an hour we were in a splendid hotel !
| on the shore Of the beautiful "LagO Mag
giore," the lacus yerbsnus Of the Romans. !
The lakes Of Northern Italy are famed 1
| for the blending Of soft beauty and wild |
| grandeur. In the western arm Of Lake /
| Aaggiure is found IsOla Bella, remarkable |
for once having been a barren rock, bat I
| converted into beautiful leTsced gardens /
| by Count BOrrOmeO, On the west side |
stands the palace of the BOFrOmeO family, |
containing admirable paintings and works |
of art. The Sale Terune, a series of grot- |
| tOs inlaid with preciOns stones and adorned |
with fountains, connect the palace with the /
| gardens, the terrace style of which gives the 1
/ 0ybola island the form IF a Il