_Sharpe's London Magazine_, (No, 3.),
Contains a pleasant article under the above title, describing the
present state of Ferney, the residence of Voltaire, an engraving of
which appeared in our No. 384. We would willingly have made the journey,
and written our description in the Poet's _salon_, could we have "stayed
time;" but as the old dials quaintly tell us, time "tarryeth for no
man," and we were then compelled to adopt the most recent description.
Such of this last "Visit to Ferney" as relates to the Château will
therefore be interesting, as a supplement to our previous
illustration:--
"The road leading from Geneva to this celebrated spot is delightful,
bordered on each side with superb villas, and presenting picturesque
points of view only to be found in the environs of that enchanting city.
A handsome avenue conducts the traveller to the château, the
architecture of which is nothing very remarkable. After mounting three
steps, and crossing a narrow vestibule, we entered the _salon_, which in
its day received most of the wits and celebrated personages of Europe:
for as a contemporary of Voltaire observed, 'to have been admitted at
Ferney, is to have taken out a patent for genius.' The appearance of
this salon is far from brilliant: a few indifferent pictures, some old
red tapestry, and antiquated furniture compose the whole of its
ornaments. To the left we entered the chamber of Voltaire.
"On one side of the apartment an humble mausoleum has been reared, the
sanctity of which was not however respected by the sabres of the
Austrians. The inscription on the top (a happy inspiration of the
husband of Mademoiselle Varicourt), contains these simple words: 'Mon
coeur est ici; et mon esprit est partout.' The most elaborate panegyric
could not have conveyed a finer eulogium.
"On entering, the spectator is struck with the view of a bed of simple
materials, and which was pillaged by the Austrians. Hung round the room
are the portraits of Frederick, of Catharine, of Lekain--one of Voltaire
himself, taken at the age of forty, and full of expression, with a
number of _silhouettes_ of the celebrated men of the day.
"The window of this apartment looks upon the gardens, and upon a little
wood, which has undergone many changes since the death of Voltaire. Time
however has hitherto respected a long and thick row of elm trees,
whither he was wont to repair at sunrise, and where he usually meditated
and recited aloud the scenes of his tragedies when finished, to any one
whom he could find. His jealousy of criticism on such occasions is
matter of record.
"The gardener at present belonging to the château was there during the
latter period of Voltaire's life, and related to us with much _naïveté_
several anecdotes, not generally known, of his master.
"Where the thickly-spreading branches of the elm trees present the
slightest opening, the spectator enjoys one of the most beautiful views
that can be imagined. In the distance, that giant of the hills--Mont
Blanc, crowned with its eternal snows, rises majestically. At the base
of the mountain the eye is gratified with the sight of variegated
plains, smiling with verdure, and cultivated with the most industrious
care. The Rhone with its silver stream floats through the beautiful
country that surrounds Geneva, which may be said to describe an
amphitheatre just above the lake.
"A spacious park, not far from the château, usually formed the
termination of Voltaire's rambles: in its cool shades he delighted to
indulge his poetic meditations. To this place he was in the habit of
driving daily in a little open calèche, drawn by a favourite black mare.
The space which separates the park from the château, and which forms a
gentle acclivity, is planted with vines."
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