Four days are gone by, and I have spent half a day at Chalon, and one at Lyons, the “silk city.” In this last half a day, I saw more manufactories than I ever saw in one town. It is said that machines to the enormous power of two hundred horse, are in some of these factories. From 50 to 60,000 hands are engaged in manufacturing silk daily. This is a very rich looking city, and must indeed, be very rich. It is no doubt an older city than Paris. If a man was brought here blindfolded3, after beholding4 its magnificence and wealth, he might easily be led to believe he was at the Capitol of France.
Another day is gone, and finds me not less fleeting5. I am away up the Rhone, at “Aix le Bain.” This romantic little town of a few thousand inhabitants, has the celebrity6 of chronology of 700 years before the Christian7 era. It points to some warm baths, which it is named after, as its grey hairs; and of which was its ph?nix. The Romans built it up on account of its feasibility of becoming a “national bath tub” of Gaul. Under the ground, as far as the ambition of a Roman chooses to go, these baths could be made profitable. There are now from eight to ten stone walled rooms, where all a man has to do to put the bath in readiness, is to open the door.
Some 200 or 300 Frenchmen were here passing away the summer, enjoying themselves fishing, dancing and gaming, for there is a very rich bank in a splendid Casino, to draw that class of France that live on excitement, I saw one American here who was broke. He wanted to relate his misfortunes to me, but I did not wish to hear them, as I was well posted before he tried to post me.
I am intercepted8 on all sides, as I step off the steps of the hotel, by donkey boys, who are indeed anxious to have me take a ride to a little old city not far away, but in Savoy. It is impossible to tell a good donkey from a bad one by his looks, and each boy assures me that his donkey is the best in Aix. By way of proving it to me, he gives me the word of an American that rode him the summer before; but were I an Englishman instead of what he took me to be, he would have had other testimonials more influential9. But what these little good natured plagues say is true, so far as the words of their patrons are to be trusted; it would be very indecorous to ride his little donkey three or four miles and have the little owner to run along behind all the time and whip and beat the poor donkey, and then get off and walk in without saying he was a “good donkey,” “the best you ever saw.” That pleases the little fellows. His donkey is worth 5 or $6, and to run down his little stock, would be no part of a gentleman.
August is not yet gone, but I am a long way from Paris. Here I am, at the “City of Watches,” Geneva, and lake Leman. Never did a better opportunity present itself to man, to make a good impression, than this beautiful day presents Geneva to me, her visitor. Not a cloud intervenes to Mount Blanc’s snow clad peak, fifty odd miles away, and it looks as if it was merely over yonder hill, to the right of Byron’s house, which is not two miles away. It reminds me of a still cloud, over a sun-set that indicates fair weather to-morrow. As Mount Blanc is covered with snow here in August, it makes another mountain of a lesser10 height that lies between here and Mount Blanc, appear as if its top was painted red. Mount Blanc, standing11 beyond, with her white capped peak, through the intervening heat of this hot day, the small one may well resemble a fiery12 painted mountain. This is the edge of Switzerland, and still the French is the prevalent language, which language seems destined13 to be universal throughout Europe.
After looking over some of the watch factories, I went to Mount Blanc on horses, and stayed two days at the a city at its base, and went across the country to Vevey, a small town on lake Leman. To my astonishment14 I saw two Americans here. One was Dr. Elliot, of Louisville, Ky., and the other Mr. N., of New Orleans. The old Dr. was very glad to see me. He and I had been sick companions together on the steamship15 Africa, where and when we both wished that we had never heard of Europe, but now that we were out of the slough16, and traveling over the Republican land of Wm. Tell in the very best health and spirits, and like the roe17 and buck18, we were happy in these Highlands.
Vevey is a very handsomely situated19 village, one would not forget it after seeing its picturesque20 groups of vineyards and rustic21 huts, interspersed22 with fairy-like palaces. It is a lively little place, and a great many English and rich Switzers come here in the dog days of summer.
After staying at Vevey a couple of days, I hired a carriage and plodded23 on over this hilly land to Switzerland’s Capital, Bern. Bern is a very dull looking place, and most especially so for a Capitol. The second story of the houses hang over the pavement, so you can walk the town without getting wet. The language generally is German, so you see the close alliance of languages in Switzerland.
Five days more; I am in the Great Oberland, among the towering Alps. I traversed the whole of the valley of Interlaken, to the almost hidden village of Interlaken. The hotels are all small, generally not more than ten rooms, and are called pensions; queer name to create an appetite with.
English come here in summer for cheap living; there is also some Americans with patience enough to stay a short time and strengthen their means, that are most too frequently consumed at Paris, Brussels, or Vienna. As you leave the village to take a tour in a carriage up the great valley, you pass the ruins of an ancient castle, which once was the court of an ancient and noble race, whose ancestors are not to be traced, whose names was Unspunnin. A young knight24 belonging to another court scaled the walls and stole away Ida, the last male descendant’s daughter, and made her his bride. Many years of bloody25 strife26 followed, after which the young knight came forth27 to Burkard, the lord of this castle and father of Ida, with his infant son in his arms and offered himself up, when the old man went into tears and made Rudolph’s infant son heir of his numerous estates.
Farther up the valley a place is pointed28 out where a great murder was committed, and a noble young knight was the doer of the deed. He could never rest afterwards, so he fled from the sight of man, and has never been heard of since. In the immense vallies of perpetual glaciers29, the snow has lain for thousands of years, and where the mountains drip upon the glaciers below, crevasses30 are made through and under. It is supposed that this knight crept into one of these and there froze up his heart, unseen by father, mother, sister, brother, friend or acquaintance.
This part of Switzerland is unlike any other part. It is nothing but mountains and small lakes. The lakes are as apt to be found on the tops of mountains as in vallies. From these large basins of water on top of mountains, are crevasses running through side rocks, and falling off makes the crevasses through and under the glaciers as I have described.
But here is a specimen31 of the intelligence of the Switzers of olden time. It is a little old town with a wall round it, and a hill close up to the wall all round. The walls could have done no more good than the hill if there was any spunk32 in the builders. The lake of Lucern comes up to this bigoted33 little spot. Its appelation is in honor of this important lake of catfish34 and suckers. It has a piece of art, too, a lion sculptured in the side of a rock outside the walls. It is the most natural artificial lion I ever saw. Here is Zurich, the prettiest city in Switzerland, notwithstanding Byron’s praise of Geneva. Here is the famed “Zurich waters.” The people here have not that staring stupidity so characteristic of the Swiss in other towns. They are all going along about their business as if they had lived among strangers all their lives. It is a thriving town, and they manufacture silks here on quite an extensive scale. In conclusion, Switzerland is a Republic, and all parts, except the ruggedest mountains, is in the highest state of cultivation35. Wine and wheat are among their chief studies. They are devout36 christians37. Every mile of their highways there is an image of the Son of Mary hung high up by the roadside, denoting his suffering, patience and forbearance. The Swiss are not a homely38 people. Their country is too mountainous for railroads.
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1
surfeited
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| v.吃得过多( surfeit的过去式和过去分词 )；由于过量而厌腻 | |
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crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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blindfolded
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| v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗 | |
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4
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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5
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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celebrity
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| n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望 | |
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7
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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8
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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9
influential
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| adj.有影响的，有权势的 | |
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10
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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11
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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steamship
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| n.汽船，轮船 | |
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slough
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| v.蜕皮，脱落，抛弃 | |
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roe
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| n.鱼卵；獐鹿 | |
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buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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19
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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23
plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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crevasses
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| n.破口，崩溃处，裂缝( crevasse的名词复数 ) | |
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31
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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spunk
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| n.勇气，胆量 | |
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bigoted
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| adj.固执己见的，心胸狭窄的 | |
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34
catfish
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| n.鲶鱼 | |
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35
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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36
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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37
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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38
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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