The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-09-07

Belgium. 81
We parted company last week OF
the shores of Lake Leman in sight o
the Swiss Alps, grandest among whicl
Mont Blanc rears its snowy crest int,
the clouds. The day was lovely, ant
a soft breeze swept down the lake
just sufficient to raise a slight rippl,
upon the surface of the water. Oh
either shore sweet little villas, quain
cottages and odd-looking chalets nes
tied among the trees; occasionall,
some mansion of grander pretensiom
might be seen, surrounded by beauti.
ful flower parterres and ornamental
shrubbery and on the distant hills
old castles crowned the submits
where in the olden time fierce barons
kept their state, and among whose
traditions are those terrible stories oil
cruelty and sin that make up the ro-
manees of the past. A little after
midday we reached the castle OF
Chilon, and there, leaning beside the
stone pillar to which Bonivard was
chained for SO many years, | heard
recited By1on's poem of the Pris-
oner of Chiffon" There are few love-
ller spots in the world than Lake
Leman rich and noble people from
all quarters of the world have settled
there the sweet and quiet little vii
lagos that dot its shores everywhere
seem to promise to the passing trav-
eler health and peace. Every point
is crowded with tourists, and the
scene is one which, having been wit
messed once, will not be easily for
gotten.
The next day found me on my way
to Lucerne, and on the road we
passed the quaint old City of Berne,
whose traditions are amongst the old
est in Switzerland. Berne is the CITY
of the bears! big bears and little
bears! fat bears and lean bears tall
bears and short bears! old bears and
young and bears of every degree. 1t
is the coat of arms of the city; bellies
just in from the country to do little
shopping had small wooden bears
hung all over them; the men had lit
tie bears in their hats, and they wore
miniature bears for breast pins. Every
lageE beer house in the town sported
a bear OH its sign, and record it here
as a geological fact, that they lave
yellow bears, green bears, blue bears,
and piHk bears, and that they are
quite as common in Berne as the
white, black and brown bear of other
lands.
The shadows of night were falling
as we enterned Lucerne, and in
short time we were snHgly ensconsed
in the Switzerhof in room looking
out upon the lake; all along the shore
the lights twinkled and sllone like
little golden spangles, and ON every
side might be seen the dim outline
Of those grand old mountains, forever
linked with the names of Tell and
liberty The sounds of sweet music
tioated over the waters, and the gay
laughter of merry voices added to the
charm of the scene, and thinking of
my distant home, and of the chances
of ever seeing it again, I was soon in
the land of dreams. Bright aud early
was up and rushing around to see
the sights. One building particularly
struck me on the hill; was wonder
ing whose castle it was, and what
were the traditions of the noble lord
who inhabited it; how many prin-
,esses had been hurled from its bat
dement's T; and how it had withstood
The attacks of the invading foe. Just
then fat fellow came along, of whom
euquired for few scraps of its early |
history, when / discovered it was a
ager beer brewery. The great Lion
Of Lucerne next demanded my atten- !
ion, for every traveller makes it a
point to see this magnificent work of
lrt, carved in the solid rock to com
nemorate the heroic sacrifice of the
Swiss general who perished in defence |
of the Tuileries, at the commence
nent of the French revolution. A
rip up the Lake of Lucerne was one |
,f the pleasant events of the tour.
Away TO the right, the Jnngfrau,
in her mantle of spotless
White, lay peacefully against the sky, |
md on the left, the Riga rose majes-
ically, from whose summit can he
een the graDdest panorama in Switz-
.rland. Looking out on the magDif.
;ent landscape, the harsh lines of
whose crags and rocks are sweetIy
ounded by the fieecy snow or the
oft green of the mountain fir, you no
onger wonder that the people are
rec, and that they have been able to
maintain their freedom through all |
hese crumbling centuries. They see
reedom in their crags and hills, it is
effected in their streams and lakes,
hey breathe it in the very air they
ouId not live as u Lation OF slaves. /
William Tells Chapel and Schiller's
lock also claimed a portion of our
omage; and with the evening /
tarted for Mayence. For years
ave longed to see the Rhine, the
Rhine, so celebrated in song
nd story. 1t had been the dream of
ay youth, the hope of my manhood, I
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