Note (A.) page 109, line 18.
_Aromatic plants._
Near the summits of these mountains, and in the highest region of
vegetation, is found the _gennipi_, a plant of the camomile genus, and
which, next to the _sang du bouquetin_, or wild goat (which, as an
inhabitant of these places, though now a very rare one, is worthy of
mention), is the most powerful sudorific, and of high estimation in the
treatment of pleurisy.
Note (B.) page 127, line 21.
_The Devil's Bridge--Pont du Diable._
We cannot too much admire the boldness and skill with which this
extraordinary work has been achieved in such a country, and one knows
not in what age. The marvellous histories believed concerning it by the
credulous peasantry are scarcely to be wondered at. Suffice it to say,
that its dimensions are a single arch of twenty-four feet in the span,
fourteen wide, and seventy-two above the surface of the stream; but in
this circumstance alone (considered without reference to the wild
sublimity of the surrounding scenery), there is nothing extraordinary to
English eyes, who may view the whole width of the Thames at London
embraced by three arches of such stupendous dimensions.
Note (C.) page 131, line 17.
_Mont Cenis._
Upon the plain of Mont Cenis are found large masses of the gypsum, or
alabaster, from which the plaster of Paris is made. The more sheltered
parts are bright with the flowers of the _rhododendron ferrugineum_,
which I have in another part of my work described. Quantities of the
beautiful little blue butterfly, called the argus, are seen here, and
(though not so common) that fine fly, named _l'Apollon des Alpes_.
Besides the great wild goat (_le bouquetin_), there are in these
mountains the chamois, with the marmottes, which require bold and active
chasseurs to be got at: they are shot by single ball. The whistling sort
of cry of the marmotte resembles that of some birds of prey. It is the
signal they give upon being alarmed. When fat, they are considered as
rather delicate food. We saw one unfortunate little animal of this
species in a tame state, belonging to a peasant boy, who had taught it
to shoulder a stick like a firelock, and to twirl itself about in a
manner difficult to describe, that he called dancing. He sung at the
same time, to animate the poor creature's reluctant exertions, a little
_patois_ song, in which the words _dansez a madama_ were frequently
repeated. The tune haunted me for some time afterwards, and was really
not inharmonious.
Note (D.) page 159, line 2.
_Consists in their vineyards._
There is something awfully striking in the sudden devastation
occasioned by the summer storms, too frequent in these climates. In the
same garden where at noon you had been walking under the shade of
pergolas (i. e. latticed frames of wood, the roofs of which were fretted
with innumerable and rich clusters of grapes) surrounded by fig and
peach trees full of fruit, you would often find in the evening the whole
ground strewed with broken branches, their fruit quite crushed, and
hardly a leaf left upon them.
Note (E.) page 231, line 19.
_Ague and fever._
We were induced, by the opinion of several persons to whom we related
this indisposition, to believe that it was most probably brought on by
the sudden transition from the intense heat of the shores of the Lago
Maggiore to the equally intolerable cold of the Simplon. Mr. B. was not
provided with that additional clothing which might have obviated the ill
effects of the latter. The complaint, however, went off very quickly in
the subsequent health-inspiring air of Switzerland.
Note (F.) page 237, line 8.
_Mont St. Bernard._
Before Bonaparte formed his magnificent passage across the Simplon, one
of the principal roads from Switzerland into Italy lay over this grand
mountain. Our line of road did not permit us to visit it, which we much
regretted. It was always highly interesting, from the histories, both
ancient and modern, which belong to it. By this route it is supposed
that Hannibal led his army over the Alps; not by softening the rocks
with vinegar, but by refreshing his fatigued troops by a mixture of it
with water. He is said also to have founded here a splendid temple,
dedicated to Jupiter. It is certain that several remains of antiquity,
medals, inscriptions, sacrificial instruments, &c. have been found here,
and are preserved in the museum at Turin. That the modern Hannibal, with
or without vinegar, led his army over the St. Bernard, we too well know.
Of the baths of Loësche, in the Upper Valais, we also heard much; but of
these, as well as the Grand St. Bernard, I can only speak from the
description of others. Notwithstanding the difficult roads which lead to
the baths, they are much frequented, and are, we were told, justly
celebrated for their salutary effects. It must be truly curious to see
water too hot to bear the hand in, of the temperature of 43 degrees of
Reaumur (boiling water being 80), springing from the earth in the midst
of this icy country; a phenomenon, however, with which those travellers
who have frequented still colder parts of the world are perfectly well
acquainted. This water has the peculiar quality of restoring faded
flowers to life and freshness, and of preserving them so for some time,
when one would rather imagine that it would boil them. I do not here
mean to offer a poetical allusion to female beauty, but merely to relate
a literal fact. The mode of bathing is too singular not to mention,
although I cannot say much of its delicacy. There are four square open
divisions, in which twenty or thirty persons of both sexes (attired, as
properly as may be, in flannel dresses) bathe all together. They sit
very comfortably for half an hour, with a small desk before each, upon
which they have their books, and little planks are seen floating on
the water, full of holes, in which fragrant flowers and branches of
verdure are inserted.
Note (G.) page 238, line 12.
_A celebrated waterfall--Cascade of the Pisse Vache._
There are several of the same name in Switzerland; but this, I believe,
is reckoned the most remarkable. In the neighbourhood of these
mountains, one sees with pleasure the industry of man repaid by
considerable fertility. The cottages are comfortable, and surrounded
with orchards of various fruit-trees. The natural and ungrafted cherry,
called _mérise_, is much cultivated in these parts. It is from this
fruit that the famed _kirschenwasser_, or cherry-water, is made, and
which is not only an agreeable cordial, but a valuable medicine among
the peasantry, subsisting, as they do, so much upon a crude and milky
diet, not easy of digestion. It was offered to Mr. B. during his
illness, by a rustic host, with strong commendations.
Note (H.) page 268, line 17.
_Glaciers._
The height of these glaciers, at their utmost point, is 9268 feet above
the level of the sea. Voltaire might well say,
"Ces monts sourcilleux,
Qui pressent les enfers, et qui fendent les cieux."
But there is another point of view in which the natural philosopher will
contemplate these stupendous mountains with admiration and gratitude: I
mean as being the immense and inexhaustible reservoirs of those
springs and rivers which make so essential a part in the beautiful and
beneficial economy of nature. In these particular regions will be found
the sources of the Rhone, the Rhine, and the Tessin, with a multitude of
other rivers; and some idea of the enormous quantity of water that they
produce may be formed from the known fact, that the magnificent lake of
Geneva (measuring above twenty-six square leagues) is raised ten feet
and a half, by the mere melting of the snows during the summer.
Strawberries of the finest flavour may be gathered almost at the very
edge of the ice, and the adjoining woods are full of wild flowers.
Note (I.) page 271, line 14.
_Mines of gold, silver, and lead._
It has been thought by some, that it is not so much from the poverty of
the state as from a moral policy that the exploration of these dangerous
productions has been purposely discouraged. This is the nobler reason of
the two. Haller (the favourite poet of the Swiss) in his poem on the
Alps, exclaims, "The shepherd of the Alps sees these treasures flow
beneath his feet--what an example to mankind! he lets them flow on." And
he feels a security in the rude simplicity of his country, that holds
out nothing to tempt the invasion of avarice or ambition--
"Tout son front hérissé, n'offre aux desirs de l'homme
Rien qui puisse tenter l'avarice de Rome."
_Crebillon, dans Rhadamiste._
Note (J.) page 273, line 11.
_For which this place is celebrated._
Among other interesting objects to be seen here are the cabinets of
natural history of Monsieur de Saussure, so well known for his
scientific and enterprising researches, and of Monsieur de Luc.
Petrifactions of the _oursis_, or sea hedgehog, and of the _corni
d'ammon_, are preserved in this collection, which were found in the Alps
of Savoy, 7844 feet above the level of the sea.
Note (K.) page 275, line 12.
_Powerless and inadequate._
It will not, I am sure, be unacceptable to the reader if I here
transcribe part of the beautiful description to which I have alluded.
Speaking (in Letter 23) of the exhilarating but soothing effect of the
mountain air, he says--"Il semble qu'en s'elevant au-dessûs du sejour
des hommes, on y laisse tous les sentimens bas et terrestres; et qu'à
mesure qu'on approche des regions ethereés, l'ame contracte quelque
chose de leur inalterable pureté: on y est grave sans melancholie,
paisible sans indolence, content d'être et de penser. Les plaisirs y
sont moins ardens, les passions plus modereés. Tous les desirs trop
vifs, s'emoussent; ils perdent cette point aigue qui les rendent
douloureux; il ne laissent au fond du coeur qu'une emotion legère et
douce, et c'est ainsi qu'un heureux climat, fait servir à la felicité de
l'homme, les passions qui font ailleurs son tourment." Without being so
unfortunate as to possess Rousseau's irritable temper and fiery
passions, any person of sensibility must be forcibly struck by the
truth of these remarks, in passing through the same scenes.
Note (L.) page 291, line 21.
_Lake of Morat._
This lake in severe winters freezes sufficiently to bear the heaviest
loads. There is a popular and vulgar idea in the country, that whoever
falls into this lake can no more be recovered; but another quality
attached to it (of rather superior probability) is, that its fish are of
so excellent a nature, as to sell, in time of Lent, at two _creutzers_ a
pound dearer than those of any other. One cannot see without surprise,
and even a degree of indignant concern, that the ancient chapel,
containing the bones of the Bourguignons, slain by the Swiss (then the
allies of Louis XI.) in 1476, should be no longer in existence. These
remains of mortality were, when we beheld them, thrown upon the ground,
totally unsheltered from the air, in a most careless and irreverent
manner. Formerly (I have heard) the inhabitants of Morat used to
celebrate the anniversary of this national triumph with feast and song.
Voltaire, in his "Mélange de Poesies," alludes to this triumph of
liberty in some truly elevated lines.
Note (M.) page 293, line 2.
_Tan-coloured wood._
This is the cleft fir of which the cottages here are constructed. They
have galleries running round the outsides, protected by the projecting
roofs. Sometimes thatch is used; but in the more mountainous parts of
the country they are tiled (if I may be allowed the expression) with
pieces of slit wood, which are kept firm by the weight of large stones
lying upon them: the whole having a most picturesque appearance. The
wide projection of these roofs not only secures their galleries from the
snows, but affords convenient shelter for their fire-wood and various
other articles. A granary is sometimes built over the dwelling-rooms at
the top of these houses, which is rendered attainable by means of a sort
of bridge (moveable, I rather think), upon which we ourselves witnessed
the singular spectacle of a cart and horses conveying a load of grain to
this exalted store-chamber. These wooden fabrics, although one would not
suppose so, are warmer than those of brick or stone; but then, in case
of fire, its ravage is dreadful, from the quantity of turpentine
contained in the fir planks.
Note (N.) page 295, line 24.
_The Alps._
The Alps of Switzerland are certainly the highest points of Europe. But
however elevated these mountains may be, and removed as they now are, a
hundred leagues from the sea, there can be no doubt of their having once
been covered by its waters. This is clearly demonstrated by the fossile
maritime remains which are found in some of their highest parts, as well
as by those of shells, fishes, and animals, now only existing in other
quarters of the globe. What astonishing changes the surface of our earth
has undergone in periods anterior to the Mosaic history, may be
contemplated from the circumstance of the petrified trunk of the
palm-tree, and the bones of elephants, being found in Siberia.
Note (O.) page 308, line 1.
_William Tell._
Although the limited time for our tour did not permit us to visit either
the Lac de Thoun, or the village of Kussnacht, both of them consecrated
in the eyes of the Swiss, by the chapels built there in memory of
Guillaume Tell, travellers must not leave Switzerland without some
mention of this renowned patriot. It was at the latter place that the
tyrant Ghessler fell by his hand. There is (we were told) a tolerably
painted representation of the occurrence on the walls of the chapel, and
under it the following inscription in German verse, the French
translation of which is this:
"Ici a eté tué par Tell, l'orgueilleux Ghessler. Ici est le berceau de
la noble liberté des Suisses, 1307. Combien durerâ t'elle? Encore long
tems, pourvu que nous ressemblions à nos ancêtres."
Note (P.) page 215, line 13.
_The rhododendron._
This is the _rhododendron ferrugineum_, which is not much cultivated in
our gardens.
Note (Q.) page 216, line 18.
_Over the doors._
What a stupendous conception must the reader form to himself of this
range of mountains, when I tell him, that the ascent and descent make
together forty-two miles.
Note (R.) page 312, line 25.
_Soleure._
Near Soleure is the hermitage of St. Frêne. No traveller, I am assured,
should miss seeing this beautiful and romantic spot. That we
unfortunately did so was owing only to our not having been previously
aware of its existence.
Note (S.) page 332, line 12.
_Avenue as usual._
I ought (in justice) to have recollected, when I exclaimed so much
against them, that in forming these roads, convenience, not taste, was
consulted. No one can be more grateful to the powers of convenience than
myself; but it is difficult to reconcile a lover of the picturesque to
so cruel a divorce between the _utile et dolce_.