referred to, the path crosses the gorge in which the river flows thrice before the village of Zermatt can be entered, although we were close to it as soon as we left Tesch. At Zermatt we encounter a repetition of the dirty wooden houses of Stalden and Randa; the inn, however, kept by "Doctor" L'Auber, as he is called on the spot, is a very comfortable halting-place, considering the out-of-the-way corner of the world into which we have strayed. The village stands in the centre of a plain, hemmed in by dark pineforests and immense glaciers. At a height of more than 4000 feet above the sea-level, and amidst eternal snow and ice, vegetation maintains an almost tropical character.

ZERMATT (Italian, Proborgue) is the centre and startingpoint of numerous excursions among the magnificent mountain scenery of the Pennine Alps. Guides are to be found at Zermatt, but the engagement of a reliable and effective one is not always an easy matter. The good ones know no French and only a bad German, while stories are told of incompetent pretenders who have conducted travellers among the snows of Mont Cervin and then left them to their own ingenuity to find a way out. Herr Lauber's advice should be taken in this matter:

"Several persons waited upon us as soon as we were arrived, and offered their services as guides. One of them, named Joseph Brantschen, showed us a certificate signed by several naturalists, who recommended him to travellers. We engaged him, partly on account of his apparent good humour, and had no reason to repent our choice."-(M. DESOR.)

Three valleys open near the village, each with its appropriate glacier. On the east is the Findelen glacier, on the south the Görner glacier, and on the west the Zermatt glacier, all mere tongues of the immense ice-sea which surrounds the group of which Monte Rosa is the centre. The pass of Mont Cervin, or the Matterhorn, a difficult and dangerous road, which leads down to Piedmont by the Val de Tournouche, and joins the road to Aosta at Chatillon, presents at its summit, 11,000 feet above the sealevel, a scene of surpassing magnificence. On one side the eye ranges over the valley of the Rhône to the opposite Bernese Alps, the Jungfrau, Eigher, and Mönch; on another side takes in the views of the Breithorn and Monte Rosa,

and to the south overlooks the innumerable peaks by which the Alpine formation finally subsides to the plains of Upper Italy. The obelisk-like Matterhorn, in close proximity to the traveller at this point, completes by its imposing aspect the impression of wonder and admiration which such a scene cannot fail to excite.

The best view of Monte Rosa is gained by ascending the Riffel, a range on the east side of the valley of Zermatt, and climbing the summit of the Rothe Kulm-a day's work. The way to the Riffelberg lies due south, and leaves the Visp just above the village of Zermatt. The path passes through a hamlet called Wiegelmatten, and crosses a torrent called the Torrent of the Findel, which comes down from the glacier of the same name. The ground, which for a short time is level, soon begins to ascend, and becomes very steep. The Matterhorn is visible on the right along the whole of this ascent, and, indeed, almost monopolises the landscape. Bad guides will point out the extreme southern limit of the chain of the Riffel, from which there is a good view of Monte Rosa, as the end of the excursion. The true view, however, has to be reached by another hour's good walking. We are now in a narrow valley, with a prospect only to the south. The steep western hill on our right, ending in a peak, is the true Riffelhorn; that on the east, to our left, is the Rothe Kulm, by ascending which we obtain an entire panoramic view. The hill is one heap of slaty blocks, without a particle of decayed rock in which the humblest plant might take root. The view from the Rothe Kulm is, in the number of the highest mountains which it commands, not to be equalled in the scenery of Switzerland. Within a circle of perhaps fifteen miles in diameter, the various peaks of the mountains, although of irregular distances, seem to range themselves about the Riffelberg as a common centre, and fill the horizon with a vast continuous range of snowy barriers, worthy to be the confines of a world. The magnificent Monte Rosa group, consisting of the Cima di Jossi, the Weissthor, the Greater Monte Rosa, the Lesser Monte Rosa, the peaks Castor and Pollux, and the Breithorn, fill up the entire eastern and south-eastern horizon, the true Monte Rosa rising to the height of 15,100 feet above the sea, or 7000 feet above the eye of the beholder. On the south-west is the Matterhorn, nearly 1800 feet above the sea; next

to this comes the Höhenenghorn; and beyond it still, in the west, the Dent Blanche: then to the north-west and north the view is crowded with innumerable nameless peaks, and beyond these the Bernese peaks, possibly the Jungfrau, Aletschorn, and Bietschorn, just as visible as those of the Pennine chain. It would be ridiculous to attempt any eulogy of such a scene, but as very little account has hitherto been made of the excursion, it may properly be mentioned that travellers who have visited the Riffelberg and looked upon its surrounding peaks agree that nowhere among the Alps is a fascination so irresistible, a grandeur so awe-inspiring, encountered as on its summit.

M. Desor, describing an excursion made by MM. Agassiz, Studer, Lardy, and other savants, members of the Natural Society of Helvetia, in 1839, says :-"We finished our breakfast of goat's milk at five o'clock; the weather promised most favourably, although the Matterhorn was concealed in a light haze. Having seen that all was ready-bâtons, hammers, veils, pipes, tobacco, and tinder, 'Partons' was the word. On leaving the village of Zermatt, we proceeded by a gentle ascent towards the forest of larches which to the south crowns the first terrace of the grand chain of Monte Rosa. Presently we perceived the needles of the Görner, or Zermatt glacier, and then the great vault out of which the Visp flows. At its issue the glacier has only a breadth of about ten minutes; its surface is covered with blocks of different kinds, brought down by the several glaciers which come down and mingle in this sea of glass. Its lateral moraines are large, especially that on our left. The thickness of the ice is in places more than eighty feet. But we must hasten on, and leave details for another day. Our guide, who appears to pique himself on his own method of exhibiting the glaciers, is also of this opinion. We follow him, then, by a path which passes through the forest on our left, and arrive in less than five hours on the top of the Riffel. From time to time we meet some Valaisians, who carry milk into the valley. They have passed the night on the mountain. On leaving the forest, the way, which thus far had been very steep, becomes more easy, and we are on a kind of plateau, covered with fine pasturages, which extends from the base to the crest of the Riffel. From this point even the view is magnificent; we have, however, still

T

to ascend. The route to the summit is painful, and the détours which we made on the steep side of the mountain before we could gain the summit occupied us two hours. We marched on, discovering at every step some new object of interest, but in silence; people do not talk much climbing these mountains. Some of the party began to drop off, but a good-humoured word from the guide and a little patience soon brought us all together again, and we advanced slowly and in silence to the last mountain, whence we should doubtless be able to see the foot of the grand chain. Suddenly a peak appeared high above the horizon, then another, and another. 'Which of these is Monte Rosa?' 'Ja, ja, das ist er!' exclaimed the guide, with a radiant air, as he pointed to the largest, to which our eyes were drawn. The guide regards the peaks as in some sort his property, and is proud when you admire them. At last, then, we are at the summit. In front of you the grand chain of Monte Rosa is displayed in all the majesty of its colossal peaks; at your feet is the glacier of Zermatt, occupying to the extent of a mile the valley, which separates you from these mountains, an immense sea of ice. At first we were bewildered: we turned to the right and to the left, still the same gigantic masses; then one would begin to count the horns, or look round to see if his neighbour was not affected like himself. None of us spoke. Only the guide hastened to inform us of the names which had been given to the various peaks, but no attention was paid to his instructions. When the first solemn moment of contemplation had passed, then each began to express his feelings to his companion. Presently I asked, 'Joseph, what are the names of these mountains ?' Poor Joseph was astounded, and thought Messieurs must have very bad memories, as he had already repeated every name at least twice. However, his amour propre was anything but wounded by our distraction. He began his chapter of names for the third time, with suitable pauses; for the thought had occurred to him that, as men of the plains, we might have obtuser intellects than those of his mountain race. Thus he descended so far as to explain that the Weisshorn is so called because it is white; the Breithorn, on account of its breadth, and so on with other equally nice points of etymology. Meanwhile our designer prepared to sketch this vast pano

rama, Agassiz standing by to take care that he did not correct Nature, as artists are too apt to do. From the spot on which we stood (the western side of the Riffel) the eye embraces all the principal summits of the chain, without speaking of the grand Matterhorn, which rises a little to our right, and is like the chef de file of the whole column. The names given to the peaks differ very much among the surrounding valleys; this is especially the case with Monte Rosa, and it appears that the people call by this name whichever peak is best seen from their own village."

From Zermatt to Vispach the road must be retraced. About eight hours' walking and a rest at St. Nicholas bring us to the end of the "Excursion to Monte Rosa."

The Simplon road leaves the valley of the Rhône at Glys. Travellers, however, usually pass Glys and proceed to Brieg, where there is a posthouse, and which is connected with the road of the Simplon by a short chaussée.

BRIEG (inns: Simplon, good; Poste, bad; good beer at the Billard) is a little town of 800 inhabitants, situated amongst fertile fields and embraced by the Saltine and the Rhône. The odd-looking château with tin cupolas is the residence of Baron Stockalper.

PASS OF THE GEMMI AND BATHS OF LEUK.

The Gemmi Pass is a high valley in the vast mountain range, which extends in a continuous chain from the lake of Geneva to Mont St. Gothard, and separates Berne from Valais. There are two paths, besides the new carriage-road completed in 1847, all leading up the magnificent gorge of the Dala. The road leads direct from Sierre, and thus does not touch the village of Leuk, but is carried through Imden and Varen. The paths lead, one on the left and the other through Leuk, on the right-hand side of the Dala torrent.

LEUK (Fr. Loeche: inn, Kreuz) is a curious little old town, with some picturesque ruins of a castle on a neighbouring height. No guide is necessary in ascending to the Baths, which are at the foot of the Gemmi, and stand further up the gorge. The path from Sierre is one of incomparable beauty, winding gradually within the mountains, and rising rapidly by a precipitous ascent, where at every step the view