The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-08-28
In FOREIGN LANDS.
Correspondence of The. hteuigencer.

Inc result Oi our uenDeratlOnS at
Lausanne was slight change in our
programme, we deciding to go on to Rome
at once, by way of Geneva, Genoa and
Pisa, aud to leave Mt. Blanc, Milan,
Venice and Florence until our return
from the Eternal City The city of
Lausanne has little to detain the tourist,
but the attractions of the lake near which
it is located are too great to be passed by
without notice. "Lake Lemon wooes
me with its crystal face" wrote Byron,
and from the time of Caesar until now, it
has charmed all who have visited its
shores. 1t is about so miles in length
with an extreme width o: only nine
miles and depth of 1900 feet. Its
waters area most lovely blue color, diff.
fering from the other Swiss lakes, which
have greenish tinge. The cult, stion
of the vine is the principal agricultural
interest of the people along its shores
and its grapes and vines arc famous and
some of the vineyards along its Northern
boundaries are valued at not less than
$4,000 per acre. At the Eastern end of
I the lake is the Castle Of Chillon; whose
stern walls, rising from the waters, were
immortalized by the genius Of Byron.
The steamer from Lausanne lands US at
4 Chillon and walk Of about mile brings
Z us.to tho castle, which is built upon a
8 rock in the lake and is reached by a
drawbridge. After few moments DELAY
\ the attendant conducts us to the dimly
4 lighted dungeon, whose outer walls rise
4 from below the water and whose inner
4 wall is composed of the native rock. It is
here We find
There are seven pillars Of Gothic mould
And in each pillar there is ring,
And in each ring there is chain"
The column to which Downward is said
to have been chained has, like the rest,
4 deep endentations worn in the rock
around it and the massive ring to which
his chain was attached is still seen. 1t
1 is a gloomy spot. Among the rooms
exhibited to visitors is one with a huge
rock upon which condemned prisoners
q passed their last night. Adjoining this
4 is the execution room which formerly
= the bodies of the victims could be easily
q disposed of. In one of the upper rooms
4 is a wooden pillar to which prisoners
4 were suspended aud tortured by apply.
ing fire to the soles of their feet, Another
q contains n deep well or opening leading
q down to the depths of the lake, through
n which prisoners were sometimes induced
TO try to escape, only to drown them.
4 selves in the blue waters below. Larger
q rooms are fitted up for reception halls,
8 council chambers, ETC., and the entire
building (which is now used as an arsenal
II is an excellent specimen of the castles Of
q the early times in which it was built, it
having been originally erected more than
1000 years ago, but strongly fortified by
Peter Of Savoy in the thirteenth century.
1t arouses no pleasant memories however,
and we we're not unwilling to leave its
4 damp, noisome dungeons and its forbid.
ding council chambers, with their foul
& and bloody history, and go out again
into the broad light of the Summer sun
81 aud the civilization of tho nineteenth
81 century. 1t is not true that Byron's
q Prisoner" was the Downward who was
so long imprisoned here, and in fact we
believe Byron himself speaks of his poem
as "a fable;" but in spite of this, as we
go out over the drawbridge we find our.
self repeating, almost stinvoluntarily, those
q familiar lines:
"Chillon thy prison is holy place,
81 AID thy sad floor an alter-for twas trod
i Until his very steps have made trace,
Worn as if thy cold pavement were sod,
8 by Downward. Let none those marks
Il efface
For they appeal from tyranny to God"
Il Geneva, at the opposite end of the lake,
is fourishing city of over $4,000 inhab.
4 itants and is reached by rail from Laus.
anne in about two hours. It is the larg-
est and most prosperous city of Switzer-
land and although possessing little of
interest in itself, is associated with many
Z distinguished names in history. Calvin,
y Rousseau, Madame de Stael, Sismondi
# dAugbine and many others resided here.
n On Champel Hill, Michael Servetus,
Spanish physician, was burned at the
stake by Calvin's order, for having dared
to write a treatise on the Trinity, in
which he differed from the bigoted
8 reformer. The city is favorite resort
tor Americans and in fact is quite cosmo.
poiitan in its character, almost all nations
being represented on it's streets.
81 Early one morning we take train from
Geneva for the Mt. Gents route into Italy.
we pass through q mountainous region,
s. abounding in lovely views and wild
scenery and after riding 125 miles reach
tModane on the Italian frontier. Just
4 beyond Modane we enter nit. Gents tun.
mel, which was completed fourteen years
ago after thirteen years of work, at q cost
OF Sl5 600, 900. 1t Is eight miles ,ength,
s - feet high, 26 feet wide aud about 1000
ieet above the SEQ and $500 feet below
the summit Of the mountain. Our train
occupied just q minutes in passing
through its gloomy depths. Beyond the
great tunnel the wild, barren mountains
tower high above the narrow valley down
which we speed, and b4nserous spurs of
the range neceasitats dozens Of smaller
S tunnels. We reach Turin late In the
afternoon and after few hours spent in
Ihis modern Italian city, which was the
capital Of Italy from 1859 to 1865, we 60
sen to Genoa, where we pass the night.
t4enoa, ia Superba," is familiar
70 every American school boy as the
nome OF Colambus. Is.vas an important
city under the : Romans, a strong com.
mnercial republic in the middle ages and
mas now q population of $4,000. It is
IS euiit on the; seaward .slope of the hills,
9 laclng the harbor and from some points
oi observation Its marble palaces and
ssnperb location seem to merit It's title of
Inc Proud !" bnt seen from withi1, its
a9z narrow ssreets and. crooked and deVions