St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-07-09
| ''peciai correspondence of the Caledonian.)
fhe tourJee Excursion Party in Eu
| rope.
NUMBER FIFTEEN AND1.sr

L"o Oo"tPe0'tO" W o"H AO"T-Ihe Jour
mey from Italy to Sloitserland-Beau-
tful Lake MaggiOre-The Simplon
Pass-The RhOne Valley Vernayes
The Pass OF the Tste Noire-C ChamOuni
and Mont Bianc-GeneUa-Ihe Cas-
tie Of Chillon- -Fribourg and Berne-
Interlaken and Its Romantic Sur
rOundingS-The Falls of the Giessbach
The Bru,iiq Pass-The Righi-Lu-
eerne-BdSle - Paris - In London
again-En Route for Home.
HoMEwARD BOUND, September, 1879.
LAKE MAGGIoRE.
To condense our wanderings through
Switzerland into a single letter is no
small task, for every days progress
through that beautiful and romantic
country brought fresh and delightful
experiences. had been over most of
the ground before, but the Charm was
all the greater on that account. A long
letter might be written about Lake
Maggoire alone, over a part of which
we journeyed by steamer on our way to
the SimplOn Pass, which We crossed on
our way from Italy into Savoy and
Switzerland. We went by rail from
Milan to Aroma, and then taking the
steamer bound up the lake proceeded
to Stresa. Lake Maggiore, like its sis
ters, LuganO, Como and Garda, lies at
the southern foot of the Alps, and while
its shores abounds in the rich dreamy
beauty of the south, the snow clad
peaks of the mountains are in close
proximity. On the Borromean Islands
are extensive gardens, and it is but
span from the fiowery beauty of the
tropics to the region of arctic frigidity.
THE sIMPLoN PASS.
At Stresa we took the diligence for
Brieg, which is on the Savoy side of
the mountains, in the Rhone valley,
performing the intermediate journey
partly at night and partly by day. 1t
was long ride, and for this reason a
tedious one, but the scenery upon the
route is magnificent, and few would
care to lose the novel experience of
mountain travelling, notwithstanding
the fatigue it may entail. DR.. Tourjee
will hereafter make all his Alpine tran
sits in easier stages, by which | do not
mean in any different sort of vehicles,
but in broken and more restful jour
neys. The highest point attained in
the Simplon Pass is 6,595 feet above
the sea-304 feet higher than the sum-
nit of Mount Washington. Even at this
attitude tall peaks rise far above the
traveller, andssgreat glacial streams are
seen upon their side. The road was
constructed between 1900 and 1906 by
Napoleon, and after the Brenner was
the first carriage road built across the
Alps. Like all the chief roadways
among the Alps, the Simplon road is
splendidly constructed, and is kept in
the most thorough state of repair, and
in places is carried through the rocky
ribs of the mountain by means of tun-
| hSio anu eSsiiiCiiCS. HI OhO pldSO q
mountain cascade dashes over the root
of a tunnel on its mad plunge toward
the valley.
THE VALLEY OF THE RHONE.
We reached Brieg at night, remained
there until morning, and then went
down the valley by rail as far as Yer
nayez, where we stopped to visit the
t Gorge du TRENT. The TRENT is a noun
tain stream which empties into the
Rhone at this point. 1t has made fol
P itself, apparently through the solid
rock, deep chasm. There are many
d points of resemblance between the
Gorge du TRENT and the Ausable Chasn
: near Lake Champlain.
d THE TETE NOIRE PASS.
# Martiguy is few miles above Yer.
a a nayez, and here the road over the Tete
NOire Pass begins. This was formerly
only bridle-path, and it was not open
i. ed to carriage travel until within few
3 years. The road is rough and not al
: well constructed as the thoroughfare
l. over the chief Passes, and there ar,
4 places where a slight deviation from
!. the track would send the carriage dow
+ frightfnl precipices. Accidents are no
IS uncommon, aud only few days afte
5, our visit New York lady was kille,
q ! by one. The height of the Pass is 4 ,99
t. feet.
CHAMOUNI.
AS we descended the steep roadwa,
u into the Vale of Chamouni, the tai
ID shafts of the Aguille du Dru towere,
a above the cloud masses like the spire
be of some vast cathedral. Mont BIan
gu was shrOuded in clouds, but the mex
e. morning the monarch of mountain
ur came forth cold and clear, dazzling i
Is, his ermine mantle. The air was S
r., rs transparent that group of traveller
a. a. could be discerned crossing the snO,
RS fields and glaciers on their descent froI
IS, the top. AT evening, when the part
"a "a had returned to the village, the boom
: ing OF cannon announced that the fea
of scaling the lofty summit-an altitud
i'll of 1921 feet-had again been accom-
nr plished. An excursion to the Montar
Is vert, thence across the Mer de Glac,
an :,
ia and down the Mauvais Pass, occupie
hn in- part of day, and was a source of gres
&c, eo enjoyment to those who participated
There is much that should be said abor