The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-08-16

spot. Among the rooms exhibited to Wis I
itors is one with huge rock upon which
The condemned prisoners passed their last {
night, Adjoining this is the execution
room which formerly had On opening into
the lake, by which the bodice Of the vic
Tins could be easily disposed Of. In ono
of the upper rooms is a wooden pillar to
which prisoners were suspended and tor
tured by applying FIRE to the soles Of their
feet Another contains a deep well or
opening leading down to the depths of the
lake, through which prisoners were some.
times induced to try to escape, only to
drown themselves in the blue waters be.
low. Larger rooms are fitted up for recep-
ton halls, council chambers, etc., and tho .
entire building (Which is now used as on |
ars enal) is an excellent specimen of the |
castles OF the early times in which it was
built, 1t hsying been originally erected |
more than l 900 years ago, but strongly |
fortified by Peter Of Savoy in the thirteenth
century. II arouses no pleasant memories
however, and we were not unwilling TO
leave its damp, noisome dungeons and its
iorbiddng council chambers, with their
foul and bloody history, and 20 out again
into the broad light Of the summer sun
and the civilization Of the nineteenth cen.
tury. 1t is not true that Byron's "Prison-
or" was the Bonnivard who was so long
imprisoned here and in fact wo believe
Byron himself speaks of his poem as ga
fable;" but in spite of tnis, as we 90 out
oyer the drawbridge we nd oursell re-
peating, almost inyoluntarily those familiar
| lines:
"Chillon! thy prison is q holy place,
And thy sad floor an altar-for twas trod
| Until his very steps have left trace,
Worn, as If thy GOLD pavement were q sad,
| BY 3 3onnivard. Let none those marks efIice:
For they appeal from tyranny to God"
Geneva, at the opposite end of the lake,
is Furnishing city Of over 60 900 inhabi-
tants and is reached by rail from Lausanne
in about two hours. 1t is the largest and
most prosperous city of Switzerland aud al.
though possessing little OF interest in itself,
is associated with many distinguished
names in history. Cayin, Rousseau
Madame de Stacl, Ssmondi, d'Aubigne
and many others resided here. On Cham
pei Hill, Michael Servetus, Spanish ply.
slcian, was burned at the stake by CavIn's
order, for having dared 10 write treatise
on the Trinity, in which he differed from
the bigoted reiormer. The city is n favorite
resort for Americans and in fact is quite
cosmopolitan in Its character, almost all
nations being represented on It's streets.
Early one morning we take train from
Geneya for the Mt. Gents route into italy,
We pass through a mountainous region
abounding in lovely views aud wild seen.
cry and after riding 1875 miles reach Nh.
dane, on the Italian frontier. just beyond
Modune we enter the Mt. Cenis tuunel
: which was completed fourteen years ago
) after thirteen yeais of work, at a cost o
, $l50GO 900. 1t is eight miles in length
! 10 feet high, 26 feet wide and about .OO(
feet aboye the sea and $500 feet below tn,
summit of the mountain. Our train occu.
pied lust 81 minutes in passing through il,
gloomy depths. Beyond the great tunnel
the wild, barren mountains tower higl
above the narrow valley down which WI
speed, and numerous spurs Of the rang
neceselate dozens Of smaller tunnels. w,
reach Turin late in the aftcrnoon and aite
a few hours spent in this modern Italian
city, which was the capital of Italy from
Sj9 to 1865, we 60 on to Genoa, where W.
I pass the night. Genoa, ala Superba," il
familiar to every American school boy a
o the home Of Columbus. 1t was an impor
t tant city under the Romans, strong "om
mercial republic in the middle ages anC
5 has now population Of 1900. 1t is bull
on the seaward slope Of the hills, facing tn
. harbor and from some points Of observation
q its marble palaces and superb location seen
" TO merit its title of "The Proud" but seel
9 from within, its narrow streets and cruoke,
and devious ways are rather disappointing
Being willing Ia accept Mark Twain's state
ment that there are many school boys il
America who can write better than evel
= "ze great Christopher Columbo," we do no
hunt up the autograph Of the famous navi
b gator, which is to be seen at the Palazz
= del Municipio. pear the centre of the city
: The churches Of Genoa are Of no cspecia
C interest to the passing traveller, the cathedral
n with its facade OF black and white marbl
e being the most striking, and San Aunun
/. ziata, tho church of the Capuchins, note
z for its gorgeous interior decorations. Onl,
. a lew OF the streets are of even tolerabl
II width, and mary can be passed through
only on foot; in some cases the walls al
o most meeting far above the heads Of tn
B.. passengers But like many Of the cities q
- Italy, whose ancient gluries have faded
y Genoa is maklrg RAPID strides toward re
covering a portion at least Of its iorme
greatness From Genoa to Pisa the roa
lies for nearly 100 miles along the shores {
the Mediterranean, aud tho delightful
views Of laud and sea- are only inlerrupte
u numerous and valuable marble quarries AN
+ finally reach the city, the fame Of who's
leaning tower" is world wide. In th
northwest corner of Pisa is "a group q
buildings without parallel The Cuthe
drul, the Campanile, or Bell Tower, usual
known rs tne leaning tower, the Baptister
aud the Campo Santo, are all located her,
The Cathedral, built in the eleventh cen
tury, is Of white marble with most ela6or
ate ornsmentatiun in black aud cours. #
: interior still contains the bronze chandelv
whose motion suggested to UaiIeo the ide
=, OF the pendulum. In the rear OF the cath
edral, although nearly opposite the doc
by which entrance is usually made, is th
iamuus leaning tower, from whose SUNNI
the bells of the Cathedral are sounded
This tower is l79 feet in hight and incln,