The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-09

MouNT SEaPIoSE on THE ALPS. !
May 10, 1856 J

MOUNT SENPIoSE on THE ALPS, 1
May 10, 1856 J
When this letter will reach The CLAIR
ION. the Jackson boys will ne eating
peaches: and here We are with three OF
four feet of snow surrounding US anu
blazing fire in the open fireplace before US.
When we wrote you our last letter from
the South OF Italy, We had been eating
cherries for several days From Foggia |
we went to Bologna, visiting Loreto ON
our wav. From Bologna we proceeded TO |
Venice. where Father Quito found out
from a priest of the place, that there was
n good deal of cholera, and that on the
Austrian side of the Adriatic the quaran-
tine had been established which prevented
us from going to Triest as we intended. In
Venice we enjoyed ourselves Gondola boat
ing and visiting the glass-works, specimens
of which we take over to America. The
great Cathedral of St Maria IL very beau
tiful, the ceiling having five grand cupolas
and all worked IN Mosaic. OF course We
paid our ten cents for the privilege OF as
cending the tower which is entirely sepa-
rate from the church itself. From its
height a truly grand sight can be enjoyed
of the entire city, the port, the Adristic
sea, with its many islands, and in the dis
lance the Alps covered with snow. The
arsenal of Venice Is also one of the most
interesting things in Italy.
From Venice, on our way to Milan, we
stopped over one day in Padua to see the
old and famous University, the Cathedral
and the fine church of St. Anthony Ar
irving at Milan We expected to fir d letters
| from America, but there were none. The
grand Cathedral of Milan, the third largest
church in the world, pleased US just as
much as St. Peter in Rome. 1t has already
over 1000 marble statues in the inside and
the outside, and there are inches for
| 5000 more. We assembled ON the cupola to
see the sight as usual. The front OF the
church seemed to us very beautiful, but
the Milan people think II is no account,
and they have made up their minds to
pull it down and build new one. We
| will carry to jackson a prospectus TO
| architects of the whole world for plans.
The best plan will be carried out. Tell
Mr.. Swan TO have one ready. This church
has forest of towers, oS in all. We
saw also the church of St. Ambrose which
is 400 years old. Milan is one of the
most beautiful cities We have seen. The
Gallery of VittorIo Emanuele is the finest
in the world, and the theatre La Scala i:
the grandest. From Milan we went to Arons
on the Lago Maggiore. There we took
| uuc 1sttlC StSdhACi, anu went nun Ohs
end of the lake to the other. Wei feal
We will not be able to make the boy
understand how beautiful that lake is
Let them imagine an immense pond, a
large as Kinds county, surrounded al
| around by mountains so high that the,
hide the sun until O'Clock, and they will
have an idea OF Lago Maggoire. Tn
J waters are SO clear that you can see tn
pebbles al the bottom All around the lax
on the slopes of the mountains, there ar
many little towns and innumerable vine
yards and villas-some perched up o
{ little peaks, others buried in little valleys
amid groves of walnuts and chestnuts.
At town called Pallanza we took tn
, stage for Domodossola, where lives oil
; lady Cesconi, who lived in Jackson severa
! years, and was chum of Grandma JUL
enne. To go there, there is a beautiful roa
of stone, as large as one of the Jackso
streets. The scenery all along is yer
grand. You can go along rushing torrent
with high mountains on both sides. Tn
! road is built on the slopes of the mountain
now on one side of the torrent, now on til
other. The road was built by Napoleo
the First, and it goes from Italy int
Switzerland, climbing as high as 1000 Tee
from the level OF the sea. Mrs. Cesconitrea
e ed US as well as If she had been our mother
e We remained with her six days. We di
s not intend to stay so long, but Father Du
r to went by himself to Switzerland in an
! other direction, and he remained ava
| for three days. When he came back it be
: gan to rain in torrents for some thirty
hours, until ii washed away the bridge
r around us, and we could not go either bach
ward or forward.
Now we must tell You how we got t
Switzerland. There Ia the railroad wit
the famous tunnel of the Gothard. Blu
few tourists, like ourselves, avail them
5 selves of that prosaic way of crossing tn
. Alps. Father Quito hired little bugg
with two fine horses, for fifty francs, or te
dollars, and with it we climbed up to tn
. very top of the Alps, on the road OF whc
We told you before. We passed many time
on the brink of precipices several hundre
: feet deep. Sometimes we would be wind
t ing around peak in such way that afte
a half an hours travel we would be almos
: in the very same place only few fee
higher. We saw innumerable waterfalls
q We had started at seven in the mornin
, from Mrs. Cesconi's, and the sun was shin
! ing bright and comfortable But by /
o'clock it began to become so cold that W
took to our overcoats. A while after tn
wind was blowing SO sharp, strong ant
cold, that we wrapped ourselves up i
blankets. Then a regular snow storm be
gan blowing into our faces. If you haC
looked at us then you could have seen o
US not even our noses. At last, at fou
o'clock, we arrived at the famous monas
terry Of st. Bernard. The good monks VIII,
built up here this magnificent building, CAV
us at once an elegant room, lighted Tor III
fire, and at $50 gave us as good Dime
as the Lawrence house itself could hav
prepared for US. Then they showed us TIN
enormous dogs. They are bigger than tn.
largest Newfoundland, full Of spirit, anc
very playful. How much we would hav,
wished to take along one of the youn,
pups. But we Were told that il taken away
from the snowmountains, especially to
warm climate, they soon loose their fin,
qualities. These dogs, ii people get buried
in the snow, as sometimes they do, can dis
them up, warm them, and help them un
til the monks arrive TO take them to theil
monastery. In a ten-foot feather bed, ano
covered with pillows, we slept last nigh
as sound as rock. We will continue thii
letter at some other place.