Having made the necessary arrangements in the evening, our carriage was
in readiness at an early hour next morning. It was something like an
English _sociable_, but had a leather cover which could occasionally be
drawn over our heads, and of which we more than once experienced the
utility, in protecting us from the very sudden and violent showers which
we sometimes met with. As soon as the rain was over we drew back the
cover, and enjoyed the romantic prospects which surrounded us. From
Geneva we ascended continually through a wild but not uninteresting
country to Bonnevilie, a distance of about five leagues; here we
breakfasted, and remained two or three hours to allow our horses to
repose from the fatigues of the road. This little town has nothing
particularly worthy of remark, and its appearance is dull, although it
is the chief place of one of the three divisions which are formed of
Savoy. Here is a bridge of stone (which is not usual in this country,
where timber abounds, and where many of the rivers are so rapid, as to
oblige the inhabitants to remove the bridges, at the commencement of
autumn) over the river Arve, the course of which we followed for several
leagues through the valley of Cluse, so called from the little town of
that name. This long and narrow district is surrounded by lofty
mountains, and the traveller is often at a loss to guess which way he
can proceed, until some sudden turning discovers an outlet, barely
sufficient to admit the passage of a carriage, and by various windings
he arrives in the valley of Magi an, which presents a still more
interesting variety of objects, amongst others the cascade of Nant
d'Arpennas and many other inferior ones, which tumble from the
mountains, and increase the rapidity of the Arve. About a league beyond
the fall d'Arpennas is an excellent view of _Mont Blanc_, which crowned
with all the horrors of a perpetual winter, presents one of the most
sublime, and majestic spectacles, which it is possible to conceive. To
describe the contrast between its snowy summit, and the cultivated
valley beneath, so as to convey any just idea of the scene, to those who
have not themselves seen it, would require all the descriptive powers of
a _Radcliffe_. We arrived to a late dinner at the hotel de Mont Blanc,
at St Martin, which is a large single house situated about a quarter of
a league from the little town of Salenche, of which I do not recollect
having heard any thing remarkable, except that the right of burgership
may be purchased for forty-five livres. The windows of our hotel
commanded a most astonishing extent of mountain scenery diversified by
the windings of the Arve through a well cultivated valley. The hotel was
sufficiently comfortable, but the bill was extravagant beyond any
precedent in the annals of extortion. We had occasion to remonstrate
with our host on the subject, and our French companion exerted himself
so much on the occasion, that at last we succeeded in persuading the
landlord to make a considerable reduction in his charges, which were out
of all reason, making every allowance that his house was so situated, as
not to be accessible during the whole year. We were afterwards told that
he would have considered himself amply paid by receiving the half of his
first demand, and I found it is often the practice to ask of the English
at least double of what is charged to travellers of any other nation.
Appearances were so much against our landlord, that one might say to him
in the words of the epigram, _"If thou art honest thou'rt a wondrous
cheat."_
The carriage road ends at Salenche; and we, therefore, made the
necessary arrangements to proceed on mules, and sent back our carriage
to Geneva. It was the first time I had travelled in a country only
_accessible on foot or by mules_, and I cannot but add my testimony to
that of all those who have ever made excursions into these mountains,
respecting the very extraordinary and almost incredible safety with
which the mule conveys his rider over tracks, which were any one to see
suddenly, coming out of a civilized country, he would think it the
height of folly to attempt to pass even on foot. There are, however,
places where it is expedient to climb for one's self, but as long as one
remains on the back of the mule, it is advisable not to attempt to
direct his course, but to submit one's reason for the time to the
instinct of the animal. Our guides assured me that they had never known
a single instance of any one's having had reason to regret having placed
this confidence in them; and, indeed, it is by having the command of his
head that the mule is enabled to carry his rider in safety over passes,
which one is often afraid to recall to one's memory. Several of the
mules in Savoy are handsome, but one of our party, who had crossed the
Fyrenean mountains, thought the Spanish mules were much more so; the
ordinary price of a mule here, is from fourteen to twenty Louis d'Ors.
The distance between St. Martin and Chamouny, is little more than six
leagues, but from the extreme inequality of the ground and the
intricacy of the paths, occupied a very long space of time in passing.
We still continued to follow the course of the Arve, which, according to
the opinions of some writers, is believed to have, at one period, formed
a lake between the mountains which encompass this valley; a conjecture
which the marshy appearance of the ground seems to render probable.
These mountains abound with an animal which is mostly an inhabitant of
the Alps, the marmot, and there are a vast abundance of wild
strawberries. The river is most considerable at this season of the year,
being supplied with the meltings of the snow and ice. About two hours
after our departure from St. Martin we passed over the `_Pont des
Chèvres_, which, from the extreme slightness of its construction, seems
hardly secure enough to permit the passage of a goat; and it is rendered
more formidable to the nervous traveller by its vast height from the bed
of the rocky torrent over which it passes.
We went a little way out of the regular track to see the beautiful
cascade of Chede, which is by M. Bourritt ascertained to be sixty-seven
feet in height. A number of peasants attended us from a cottage, where
we left our mules, and one of them carried a plank to serve as a bridge
over a neighbouring stream, and levied toll on us for permission to pass
over it. We returned in about a quarter of an hour to the cottage, and
paid, as we thought, very liberally for the trouble the peasants had in
holding the mules during that short time; but where expectations are
unreasonable it is impossible to satisfy them; and that was the case
here. One old woman, in particular, exclaimed against us. She said, "_We
were English, and ought to give gold._" Such is the idea entertained,
even in these secluded mountains, of the riches of the English, that a
sum, which would be received with thanks from the travellers of almost
any other country, would be considered as an object of complaint if
given by an Englishman; and the thoughtless profusion of some English
travellers is a subject of regret to many persons, who, although less
opulent, are still desirous of visiting foreign countries, as the
inhabitants of the Continent, in general, receive from some of our
fellow-subjects such an idea of the opulence of their country, that they
think it impossible to charge all who come from thence too
extravagantly. We next proceeded to the lake of Chede, which is not far
distant. It was first discovered by M. Bourritt, when hunting a wolf
amongst these mountains, as he mentions in his Itinerary, which contains
much useful information, and is a necessary appendage to the traveller
in these wild districts. This lake, considering its limited extent, is a
handsome object. Here is a curious species of moss which gives the banks
a singular appearance. We stopped to breakfast, as well as to refresh
our mules, at a little cottage-inn near the village of Servoy, in the
neighbourhood of which are mines of lead and copper, together with many
large buildings and furnaces for the preparation of the ore. We here met
another party also going to Chamouny. They had preferred travelling in
little carriages drawn by mules, which they were obliged to quit
continually, by the uneven nature of the road; and they did not arrive
till some time after us. We here found that one of our party was mounted
on the mule which had lately had the honor of carrying the Ex-Empress
Maria Louisa, who passed this way on her tour to Chamouny. She is said
to have appeared very thoughtful; but the guides praised both her
courage and her beauty.
We breakfasted with the other travellers, under the shade of an orchard,
near the inn; and the repast was much more luxurious than we could have
supposed from the rustic appearance of the place. As soon as the guides
informed us that they were ready to attend us, we continued our journey
to Chamouny, making another little detour to visit the _glacier des
Bossons_. Here we were astonished at the singular appearance which was
exhibited by a vast number of _pyramids and towers of ice_, many of them
upwards of 100 feet in height, and which remained at this season almost
in the centre of a valley richly cultivated and well inhabited.
The definition of the word _glacier_ has given rise to several
arguments. I shall therefore insert that given by the celebrated M. de
Saussure, in his Tour amongst the Alps, of which he was one of the first
and most able explorers. He says, "The word _glacier_ designates any one
of those cavities, natural or artificial, which preserve the ice, or
guard it from the rays of the sun." This glacier is only three quarters
of a league from Chamouny, or the priory, where we soon arrived. The
valley of Chamouny is about eighteen English miles long, and hardly one
in breadth. It is as varied a scene as can possibly be imagined; and no
where can the contrast between nature in its wild and in its cultivated
state, make a more forcible impression on the mind.
Many of the farms here are very neat. They sow the grain in May, and
reap in August.
We remarked several small chapels and crosses where promises of
_indulgence for thirty days_ are held out to those persons who shall
repeat there a certain number of prayers. One of these chapels, more
spacious than the rest, was constructed by a bishop of Sion. The village
of Chamouny is not large, but contains several extremely good inns,
which, since the opening of the Continent, have had their full share of
English travellers, whose names, in the books of the hotel where we
lodged, more than doubled those of all other nations who had visited the
various grand scenes with which this country abounds; and the most
lucrative employment here is that of a guide. Strangers are often much
imposed on by them, and should therefore be careful to get recommended
to such as will conduct them safely to all that is curious. We met a
party who had been deceived by either the ignorance or laziness of their
guides; and who, we found, after spending two or three days in exploring
this neighbourhood, had seen but a small portion of what is worthy of
attention. The air here is of a very wintry temperature. This, however,
is not astonishing, when we consider that this place is situated 500
toises, or 2,040 feet above the lake of Geneva, and 3,168 feet above
the level of the sea, but 11,532 feet below the summit of Mont Blanc.
Chamouny is the chief place in the commune to which it gives name, and
which is inhabited by a remarkably hardy and intelligent peasantry. I
was informed that the Austrians obliged this district to furnish 100
cows, a vast quantity of cheese, butter, &c. &c.; but the inhabitants
were so much rejoiced at being released from the French yoke, that they
did not complain of these exactions. As far as I could judge, the wish
of the young men here seems to be, that Savoy should form a canton of
Switzerland; but the old men, who formerly lived under the government of
the King of Sardinia, wish for the restoration of the order of things to
which they were long accustomed; and it seems most probable that the
King of Sardinia will be restored to that part of this ancient patrimony
of his family which has not been ceded to France. The Savoyards complain
of this division of their country. The part assigned to France is the
most valuable district, and forms above a third of the duchy: in it is
situated its ancient capital, _Chambery_. It is, however, not probable
that the wishes of the Savoyards will be consulted as to these points,
which will be determined by the Allied Powers on the grounds of
_political expediency_.
I also made inquiries concerning the state of taxation in Savoy, and
found, that under France the inhabitants were obliged to pay more than
three times the sum which they had paid to Sardinia. The imposts were
here the same as in the rest of France, no distinction having been made
between this mountainous country and the other more productive
departments. Doors and windows are amongst the articles taxed, and the
stamp duties are very heavy.
Having refreshed ourselves sufficiently to encounter fresh difficulties,
we determined to visit _Montanvert_, and the _Mer de Glace_, two of the
most distinguished objects of curiosity which this place boasts of.
Having provided ourselves with guides and mules, we set out accordingly;
and, after quickly passing the narrow valley, began to ascend mountains
which abound with chamois, and which, by their height and irregularity,
seemed to render our arrival on their summit an event not speedily to be
expected. We had more reason than ever to be astonished at the
extraordinary security with which our mules carried us up such abrupt
ascents, which in many places more resembled a flight of steps, hewn
roughly in a rock, than a practicable road, and there were in many
places hardly any marks to shew which was the preferable way.
After a continual ascent of between two and three hours, we were advised
to send back our mules to wait our return in the valley, and to continue
our way on foot, which we did accordingly, being provided with long
sticks, pointed with iron, to assist us in climbing the remainder of the
ascent. Our arrival on the summit amply repaid us for the toil which it
had cost us: the view is not to be described;--before us lay the _Mer de
Glace_ (sea of ice) extending to the length of four leagues, and being
about three quarters of a league in width; which is one of the most
sublime spectacles in nature.--Around us were mountains much more
elevated than those which cost us so much trouble in ascending, which
consisting of granite, dispersed in the most majestic forms, and being
the perpetual abode of frosts, storms, and tempests, leave a most awful
impression on the mind. It is impossible to behold these stupendous
scenes without, in the language of the Psalmist, 'ascribing unto the
Lord worship and power.'
Although we had ascended not less than 3000 feet, yet, to our
astonishment, Mont Blanc appeared _nearly as elevated_ as when we viewed
it from the Galley. It is unquestionably the highest mountain in the
three old quarters of the world (being exceeded in height only by the
Andes); and I shall insert here the calculations of its elevation, and
of that of some other mountains:
English feet.
Chimboraco, the highest of the
Cordilleras 20,608
Mont Blanc, above the level of
the Mediterranean, according
to Sir G. Shuckburgh 15,662