The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-08-19
OUR EUROPEAN LETTER.
A Pans or Regret az Leaving switzerland
swiss JnsenWity-Chasscnix-A Novel lex
p<rience--wild and Inspiring Scenery.
5spec,a, Correspondence Of the Dispatch


MILAN, ITALY, july %.
Yesterday we crossed the Alps by ths
famed Simplon Pass. and to-day we are IN
fair and sunny Italy. Yesterday we found
snow on the wayside. and INDUCED in
good and healthy snow-balling; tonight
81 our ordinary table d'h5te dinner, We
toasted on figs, and green almonds, ant
cherries, and plums. and peas, and peaches
and apricots. Yesterday we wrapped oul
thickest coats about us, and from the top o.
the cumbrous diligence looked down intC
preciptous georges, and looked up 10 low
ering submits, each surprising the last IT
grandeur, till our heads grew dizzy, ant
MI our explanatory interjections and all oul
magnificent adjectiyes were quite used up
while to-day the soft, warm air OF another
cline steals away our energies, and we Ian
yuidly look at the quiet beauties OF en-
chanting villas, and extended plains, ant
fruitful vineyards. and landscapes that lacl
no clement OF loneliness.
REGRET AT LEAVING SWITZERLAND.
II gave us pang Of regret to leave Swift
erland, even to enter Italy. wrote yo'
last OF our Sabbath rest on the shore OF tn
lovely lake OF Geneva. Next day W
glided over nearly the whole extent OF II
blue waters and reached the city itself o
Geneva. Here we saw the usual sights o
this really beautiful and attractive city
The Cathedral, I'm which Calvin preached
the house in which he lived; the Isle OF
Jean Jacques Rousseau; the State House
with its inclined plane in place OF stairs
the .blue and arrowy RhoDe," which
here energies with peculiar rush from the
lake; the noted "mccting OF the waters
the clear blue, rapid Rhone meeting but moi
mixing with the muddy-white, sluggish
Arve, &C., &c. Then we gave q pretty
thorough inspection OF large watCh-fac.
tory. where some OF the time-pieces fol
which Geneva Is famous are made; and
lastly (some might think ieastly, but not l.,
we gave some time to that other marvel
lous industry of Geneva-the mtsic-boXes.
The ingenuity and skill shown in this di-
rection is wonderful. The singing birds
and the like were surprising enough, but
to see large company sit in mute admira-
ton before structure as large rs small
house, valued at thousands OF dollars, filled
with pipes and horns and cymbals and
drums and rods while il automatically
rendered higb orchestral pieces with the
precision and power Of full band. was
well calculated to change ones idea of a
mere music-boX.
CHAMONIX.
From Geneva we went, by sort OF post
carriage, some sixty miles. to the little
town OF Chamonix spelled in various ways
here, as are other places also). 1t raned,
of course. 1t did not fail to rain more
than two days out OF the sixteen we spent
in Switzerland; but though, as usual, on
the outside Of the vehicle, was repaid for
the exposure by the fine scenery. the So
called talks with the cOCher, or driver, and
the cheerful fire that greeted us at Chamo-
nix. This village lies in a narrow vale
Just mt the foot OF Mt. Blanc, and is an in
significant place beside the rushing Arve;
and vet my landlord credibly informed me
that 10000 visitors come here annually.
Five or ten OF these. perhaps. will climb
Mt. Blanc itself, which shows its glittering
head lust above; but a. this ascent takes two
DAYS, and involves much toll and expense,
the rest either climb the lower mountains
on the other side OF the valley for good
view of the monarch OF mountains, or else
content themsclve with gazing up, with or
without telescopes, from ChamoniX itself.
But most travellers do ascend the Moutan-
vert (about 5000 feet high, which is close
to Mt. Blanc and part of its range.
NOVEL EXPERIENCE.
There is winding mule-path up. and
the time required Is about three hours.
Some OF us, with alpenstock in hand and
hOb-naied shoes on foot, walked up in good
style: but most Of the party took each n
mule and a man to lead it. A novel eX-
perience OF Notwithstanding it was to
many. ard it was fully enjoyed. The thing
to see at Moutanvert was the far-famed and
wonderful Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice.
This is only large glacier, one OF four or
five that, like the fingers OF hand. push
themselves down, or are pushed by the
great masses above them, between the
mountains. You get down by steep
and rugged path to this glacier-this
Mer de Gtdce-and walk across it..
1t is, say, half a mile wide, and you feel as
IL you were going over frozen river, save
that here and there are little rills running
over it and there are deep cracks, or Gre
vases, some yawning rather dangerously
wide and others narrower, into which you
push your alpenstock and perhaps find no
bottom. Then there are parts Of it all coy-
cred with rocks, small and great, that have
been brought down by It; for glacier,
solid ice as it, moves-moves slowly, as q
mass OF very thick pitch might do--say POO
or 800 feet per year-and itsilently deposits
the stones that fall into 1t on its course,
piling them up on its sides in front, and
thus making those unique heaps that the
geologists call moraineS.
wELL-NAMED A BAD PATH.
The glacier crossed, we walked down
beside il and around its lower end, and in
so doing made that misunderstanding
passage on the rocky side OF an almost per
perdicuar mountain that Is well named
the Mduuois Pas, or Bad Path; hut by
looking neither up nor down. holding tigh
to the small iron railing, and twisting oul
feet carefully around to ht the little cavi
ties cut for them in the rock, and keepin,
tins up for half mile OF so, we got safel
over, and on firm ground once more, pro
tested rather neryously that it wasn't mucl
after all.
WILD AND INSPIRING SCENERY.
Next day we take peculiar carriages, witt
small, low wheels and short axles, for tri,
across the mountains by what is known a
the Tete Noir, or Black Head. Here we la,
much walking TO do, as in many cases th
heavy, wel-trained horses could scarcel
draw up these light and narrow vehicle
themselves over the steep and rougl
ascents. THIS was the only really bad roa,
1 saw In Switzerland; and yet this wa
perhaps as good as 1t could beat leas
without some such wholesale expenditur
as Napoleon put upon the famed Simpler
road. The scenery here was wild and in
spring to the last degree. And here
wish TO say parentbetically that when som
good people, standing over one Of our FIN
virginia valleys or gazing up at the wild
nesses OF some Of our Virginia mountains
assure you that " this Is equal TO anythin.
one sees In Switzerland" you would d,
Wen TO make very large allowance for ,
rather exuberant patriotism.