The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-23

| great white nirhteowns and cover their cal
. riaGes with sheets.
Tho whole exhibition IL prodigious et
eurdity, and recalls the observation Of III
George Cornewall Lewis, that were Il not 70
| fts pleasures life would be very endursbl
condition"
more hopeiessly uninteresting countr
than that from Nice to Lyons no one need wis
10 see. The Rhone 10 worthless river. shal
low. rapid. and full Of shifting gravel bars
The gravel shows itself all through the chan
mel Of the river. lying In great exposed bed
and swaths everywhere 1t IL no wonder COLDER
found its mouths "hopelessly inconstant" Tn,
whole length Of Il might be so characterized.
At Dion wo enter very picturesque dis
trict @The railroad olunges at once into deel
rocky outs and tunnels, and We continue u
ascend for three-ouarters OF an hour. when w
| reach tho summit OF the range OF lofty hills o.
the end OF tunnel two and half miles long
In March the hills were white with light fall
OF snow. About Dion the country is rough
and hilly and very picturesque The railroad
keeps along the borders Of q little stream
which winds through pleasant intervale. and
summit OF the high range Of hills we have To
| cross Dion was the birthplace OF Bossuet
An hour and o half OF this lovely country
| takes us across to Montbard. where Button
| lived and died. whore the land takes on q
more rolling character.
| In tho amiable period OF the French revolu-
ton Buttons lead CONN was turned into bull
let's and his ashes were scattered.
Switzerland.
We left strasbourg Monday. Dec. IL. and ran
down to Basic. on the west side OF the Rhine.
1t was foeey and we saw little Of the country.
We left Basic the next morning at 1880
and ran through to Berne. arriving at 2
o'clock. The weather was clear enough to give
us a good view OF the country. but not clear
enough to enable us to see the distant noun
tains. whose snowy tops and lofty peaks are
the glory Of Switzerland
The country bore q close resemblance to the
White Mountain scenery OF New Hampshire.
At Often about half way to Berne. the gorges
were continuous and tho tunnels long After
passing Often We enter moro level country.
wearing the appearance OF q plain In parts.
and over this kind OF landscape we entered
Berne where we find high hills skirting the
little River Aar. which runs in @ horseshoe
form round tho town.
Switzerland is model Of simplicity becom-
Ing In Government
Inc Lc2lsiAture ID coupObou Vi coudto oHu
House. the one containing forty-four members
and the other one hundred and twenty eight.
They are chosen for three years. the larger
body by the people. the smaller by the Cantons
or individual States Of the republic.
The members OF the two Legislative bodies
elect from among their own number seven
persons. who form the Executive Government.
They are called the Federal Council. and this
Council is chosen for three years
1t chooses President Of the body from
among themselv who thus becomes Minis
ter Of Foreign Affairs and head Of the State.
He Is chosen for one year. and cannot serve
two years In succession.
The other members serve as Ministers. The
Legislative body holds two sessions year.
each lasting from ten to twelve days. and the
members are paid $40 day.
The President receives $1,000. or 10000
francs. q year: the other members of the
Government 5000 francs. or $1,000.
This seems to DO the last degree Of economy
in government Yet the military establish
ment is kept on an efficient footing $4,000
men having been put into the field in ten days
during Louis Philippes time to resist Q move
mont OF that monarch. who insisted on the
extradition OF Louis Napoleon after his at
tempt at Strasbourg.
Visited both branches Of the Legislature
while In session. and found the President
making speech in the popular branch.
The members Of the Government or Coun-
oil. appear In both branches indifferently. and
there speak at WILL but without having vote.
The land is much subdvided in Switzerland.
with many small .proprietora The value Of
land OF good quality in good situations Is $500
an acre. going dowRto rs many francs
The price OF agricultural labor IL 80 cents o
day. the laborer finding himself
Apple orchards abound everywhere. but the
fruit is said to be deficient in richness and to
make only poor cider
The forests are carefully preserved. large
portion of them being evergreen.
No proprietor can cut his own forests except
under permission.
Our Minister lives on hill over the river. on
an abrupt elevation which entirely overlooks
the town and surrounding country. having the
Alpine range in his front and the Jura in his
rear. The weather was not propitious enough
however. to enable us to see either, though We
waited over a whole day to get the view.
The Minister'S establishment Is republican.
Nothing need be more lonely than bachelors
life In such place in winter.
The weather was cold and the whole coun-
try covered with such heavy white frost that
1t seemed like snow. We had NO change In the
weather during our two days stay. It was
cold and misty. and gave us o taste Of an old
New England atmosphere.
We found the famous Borne bears at the foot
OF the HILL in o deep and commodious stone pit.
The Belgian Minister. whom met at the Leg
islatIve Chamber. informed me that the town
was excessively dreary as o residence. there |
being no society and no entertainments, the |
Government officers being 80 poorly paid that |
nothing was expected of them. and the expeo- |
tation was not disappointed.
We left at IL on Thursday. Dec Is. under a |
clear sky. but still too dim to permit US to see
the snow mountains which we vainly strained
our eyes to discover. and at times 1t seemed |
almost successfully The bold outline of the
nearer hill ranges were, however always |
around US, and some OF them mounted to great !
heights. especially as we neared Lausanne