Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-03
On Alpine Summits,

Some Notable Italian Scenery Three Thousand Feet Above Lake COmO-As-
 cendfng 1n the Early Morning to the Serene Heights Of Monte CrOetOne.
 [From Berne Letter to the Pall Mall Gazette.l Immediately above Menaggio, on the Lake Crocione, the highest peak but two of those which gird ''the lordly length of Lario. T
 The peak itself possesses no very remarkable
 beauty of form, springing, as it does, from a long saddleback which terminates in another and similar cone. But the attention is ar-
 rested by the white wall of limestone cliffs which run along the whele length of the
 mountain, and divide into two nearly equal parts cliffs so sheer for three hundred feet or more that they give to the upper pastures all the glamor of an inaccessible and unknown land.
 A gentle evening, full of that dreamy mel
 ancholy which is so subtle an clement in the | beauty of the Italian lakes, gave us the l promise of a fine morning. It was still dark when was awakened by my friends foot steps outside on the gravel, and his voice un- der the window saying, ''Son qui !" There daphne scented gardens and the pale gray lake and climbed the Porlezza road behind 1 Menaggio. The stars were large and shin ing strongly when we gained the 'scina del paeso" and stopped to look back on the lake i; l the first light of morning was spreading over SKY ana Q1lI ana WaG6r, cOlOfl0SS as yet, put full of half discovered glory, like the tuning of an orchestra before 8 symphony. The
 stars were paling, rapidly, while right above Regoledo glowed the morning star, shooting
 ever higher and higher into the heavens to
 meet it's death at the hands of day. Our
 way now led for short distance along the Porlezza road, and then struck sharp to the
 left towards the village of Grona, winding through hollow cups of dewy lawn, where gentle breathings seemed to swell the breast of the woodlawns into grassy mounds, with here and there chestnut tree, whose golden leaves gave presage to the coming autumn. Frail Wreaths of mist came floating up from
 the heavier cloud masses that lay down on Lago Piano. Few things in nature are more beautiful than the sensitiveness of clouds to the coming dawn. The cloud heaves and l turns as though, like Michel Angelois marble Dawn, it felt the toil and horror of the gar l ish day. It has lain so cold, so calmly, all night in the arms of the giant hills, but now l it rises to bear soft moisture to the sun parched hills. - Grona, with it's brown roofs and csupsnne. nestles at the foot of Orocione, like the home of Poliziano's mountain maids; and here the l question of the provision basket was settled, 1 for my friend announced that he could find a 'tdonna" who would carry the load and show
 us the right path This was rather shook | to the English notions of the consideration due the weaker vessel; but was assured ! that it was all quite as it should be. And, indeed, when the 'tdonna" appeared all theo- " of the weaker vessel was knocked on the head, for she was far stronger than either of us, and showed much tender solicitude in &C., commodating herself to our poor paces. She quite justified the assertion that she 1 could go up hill ''come un cavaloo ;" great deal more than we could do, for, though mo- where difficult. the path was sometimes very steep, and over stones that were Slippery as l ice in the morning dew. As we rose above Grona the first sunigh caught the hiII-tops, and knowing how brief is the rose glow of dawn, how soon it dies away and "fades into
 the common light of day,'' we stayed to
 watch it while it lasted The light spread
 slowly, growing from rose to gold every min.
 ute; and as it's slanting rays touched the edges of the ravines they threw the hoIIows into shade of deepest blue The nearer hills | looked oddly Aas, as though they had no substance or other side to them thev seemed
 more like crumbled pieces of brown paper pinned against the pale blue sky than soIid | mountains made of earth and rock. The pure air of Italy often lends this sense of | unaubstantiaIity to the landscape We were reminded now of the great headland of Por-
 to Fino on the Riviera by Genoa, as it ap-
 peared one evening, clear and transparent aa amethyst against RR eEsnipg skY.