The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-09-05
TILE NrsIcAL rEsrIvAL.


THE MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
The nroerammc for Sunday Of the great
,,usicsi festival was carried out as described
IN the letter mailed last evening. 1t is be-
ing continued to-day, and will not close
until tomorrow Tuesday evening, when
a grand ball is to be given at the Opera
House.
This morning the societies have been
competing for the prizes OF honor-the
chorals, the harmonies, and fanfares-at
different public buildings before the Jurors.
There are three prizes OF 1000 francs each,
and a valuable thermometer watch TO tue
directors Of each OF the successful bands.
AT Z. VI. there are to be concerts al the
Rastion and on the lake promenade. AT 8
O'Clock tonight there is to be great pop
Mar concert. in which three hundred sing
ers viii give A Ia Paix, by Saintes, and the
Trial and Finale de Guillaume Tel. AL y
O'Clock tomorrow evening the festival VIII
virtually close with subscription Dan Ut
the Batiment Electoral.
Everything has passed off successfully,
and the weather has been all that could be
desired for such demonstration. There
was a very welcome shower OF rain during
the past night, but the sun is shining on
the mountains at the time | write. with
promise of continuous good weather.
A TERRIBLE GLACIER ACCIDENT.
Having given you in one OF my Geneva
letters some description OF the Alpine gla-
ciers, the following account OF terrible
accident that has just occurred in the Ber-
nese Oberland will possess a more mourn
ful interest Mr.. Penhall, an Enghshman,
with Andreas Maurer as guide, set out
from Grindelwald TO make the ascent OF the
Wetterhorn, intending to be back the same
evening. When night came and they did
not appear ii was feared some i'll had be-
fallen them, and party, including Maurer's
brother. went out in search Of them. Their
fears were speedily realized. Two hours
above the club-hut the bodies of the miss
ING men were found, still tied together,
with broken necks and fractured skulls.
They had fallen from an almost perpendlc-
ular ice-slope. slippery with iresh-fallen
snow. 1t is coniectured that while climbing
the slope Mr.. Pcnhall lost his footing at the
moment the guide was cutting steps, and
dragged him over the precipice. Had there
been two guides the accident in all proba-
bility would not have happened. The
bodies were temporarily buried in the
snow. and afterwards carried by party OF
guides down to Grindelwald. MaUrer, who
leaves family, was one OF the best guides
in the Overland. He spent last winter in
Asia with Hungarian gentleman, and
assembled some OF the Hottest peaks OF the
Himalayas. Mr.. Penhall was thirty-four
years OF age; the guide Maurer was
younger. Maurer leaves widow with one
child. He had taken the precaution to in
sure his life, which gives his widow 1900
francs.
GENEVA LOCAL ITEMS.
There is but one line Of street-cars i'll
Geneva, but this appears to cover all sec
tons OF the city on both sides Of the
Rhone. 1t crosses the bridge and proceeds
to the most elevated parts OF the city,
where the passengers who wish to go far
ther are transferred to cars drawn by q
steam-dummy engine. There are no bell
punches used by conductors, or any of the
other index contriyances we have in use.
The conductor is furnished with book Of
little tickets, five OH q leaf, all numbered
from to 1000, and tares of one of these
tickets and gives ii to each passenger.
When he comes TO make his returns he
must pay for every ticket that he has torn
from the book during the day. 1t is the
same system that was in use in Vienna nine
y ears ago.
The language Of Geneva Is mainly
French, though every tongue can be heard
here. All their papers are printed in
French, and all the signs on the stores and
places Of business are IN the same language.
There are great abundance of 6eas here.
A Baltimore lady, who has been living in
Europe for three or four years, assured us
to-day that the feas OF Switzerland were
more troublesome, Of larger size, and more
numerous than those OF Italy, though the
climate here is generally cooler than in any
other part Of the continent.
The payements and streets OF Geneva are
kept almost as clean as those Of Paris. The
payements are mostly what we call the Bel
gian block, though some OF the business
streets are laid in asphaltum.
Tie carriages OF Geneva are large and
roomy, and can be had Tor sixty cents per
hour.
Among the public schools Of Geneva
there is one large establishment in which
matchmaking is taught.
In the river in the front OF the city there
are large number OF beautiful white swans
kent by the city. They gradually float
down into the rapid tide, when they rise
and tly back toward the little island where
their home is located, dragging their feet
i'm the water. The white swans, like tht
bears at Berne and the pigeons at Venice
are honored by the people on account OF
old traditions. When the martyr John
Uuss was being burned at the stake fol
beresy, in allusion to his own name, which
sicnifed "goose" in the bohemian tongue
he exclaimed: Are you gong 10 burn
poosef Verify tell you that iii one cen
fury YOU will have a swan you can neither
roast nor boil" In one century came Cal
vim, whose coat Of arms and that Of hi
family was the white swan.
Flowers come to great perfection in thi
climate, and the displays OF them in tn,
public squares and gardens OF private resi-
dences are remarkably fine. A great low
OF flowers Is indicated by the presence O
them in windows and on yerandas.
Fountains are abundant all over the CITY
the water being forced everywhere by tn
rapid current OF the river, which ais
drives the water-wheels OF large numbe
OF mills in the lower section OF the city
The water-works are in large buildin,
built on the bed Of the stream, and til
water supply from it is not only abundan
but cheap.
There are very few storekeepers in &c
neya who do not speak English or hay
some one in attendance who can.
THE CITY OF LAUSANNE.
AS we had to change ears at Lausanne
this morning on our route to Berne. w
concluded TO avail ourselves Of the usra
hour wait required in this part OF the wor,.
to make railroad connections 10 see IN,
beautiful little town in which the historic,
GiDbon completed his history of the declip,
ana fall OF the Roman Empire. IL was IN
|. the garden-house OF the Hotel Gibbon
which SIN stands. There is a beautiful
u view OF The Lake Of Geneva from Lausanne.
as Wen ~ OF the surrounding country: but