of crystals of garnet. The view up and down the vale of the Ticino and over the snowy mountains on the opposite side of it is extremely grand. 23 Airolo (Germ. Eriels) - Inns: Tre Re, good; Post. Airolo lies on the 1. bank of the Tessin, near the junction of the branch flowing out of the Val Bedretto with that rising on the St. Gothard. It is 3794 feet above the sea-level, and its inhabitants, both in habit and language, are Italian. The situation at the foot of St. Gothard, and the consequent transit of travellers and goods, are its chief sources of prosperity. It possesses a relic of antiquity: the stump of a tower called Il Castello, and Casa dei Pagani, built, it is said, by Desiderius King of the Lombards, A.D. 774. The Lombard kings constructed a line of similar forts from this all the way to Como, many of which will be passed by the traveller in descending the valley. The summit of the Pass may be reached from Airolo by a light carriage in 2 or 3 hrs.; by the old road a pedestrian might reach it in less than 2. Several mule-paths also concentrate here. 1. That leading up the Val Bedretto to the Nüfanen Pass (Route 35), and to the Gries (Route 29): 2. Over the Lukmanier into the Grisons (Route 78); 3. A summer path, and difficult, up the Val Canaria, past the beautiful waterfall of Calcaccia (?), and over the Sella-Grat to Andermatt, in 5 hours.*

The Val Bedretto terminates about 2 miles below Airolo, at the mouth of the picturesque glen of Stalvedro,which is guarded on the rt. by a Lombard tower of King Desiderius, near Quinta This pass was defended Sept. 1799, by a body of 600 French against 3000 grenadiers of Suwarrow's army for 12 hrs., after which they effected their retreat over the Nüfanen into the Vallais. The part of the valley of the Ticino traversed by the road from this to Biasca is called Val Levantina -Livinen Thal in Germ. A few miles lower down the river threads another defile, named after a toll-house within it * Any personal information respecting these three passes will be acceptable to the Editor.

Dazio Grande. It is one of the most picturesque scenes on the whole route. It is a rent in the Monte Piottino (Platifer), nearly a mile long, and so narrow that in ancient times the path down the valley found no access to it, but was carried over the mountains, high above the river on either side. The carriageroad threaded the depths of the gorge, supported for a great part of the way on arches and terraces, and crossing the river thrice on bridges. During the storms of 1834 and of 1839, the swollen Ticino swept away nearly the whole of these costly constructions, the defile was rendered totally impassable, and travellers were compelled to find their way by the long-abandoned footpath over the heights. A new line is now constructed at a higher level above the river, out of the reach of inundations, to replace that which has been destroyed;-a proof of the immense difficulty of maintaining a road over the Alps. The descent is less rapid than the old line; it passes 3 short tunnels.

Cheval de renfort, Dazio to Faido, 4 fr.; and Faido to St. Gothard, 6 fr.

Chestnut-trees first appear soon after quitting the defile of Dazio, and vines are cultivated at

37 Faido (Inns: Angelo, very good ;-Sole)—the principal place in the valley, a small town of 615 Inhab. A revolt of the people of the Val Levantina, in 1755, against their tyrannical lords and masters the cowherds of Uri, to whom they had been subject since the 15th century, was terminated on this spot by the execu tion of the ringleaders, whose heads were fastened to the trunks of the vast chestnut-trees, in the presence of 3000 men of the valley. The troops of the Confederation had previously surrounded and disarmed this illstarred band of rebels, and afterwards compelled them, on bended knees, to sue for mercy. The revolt was, perhaps, not to be justified; but one thing at least is certain, that the freedom which had been the boast of the Swiss republicans was, down to the end of the last century, denied by them to the states dependent on them, who groaned under

a bondage more intolerable than that of any monarchical despotism! A footpath runs from Faido over the Lukmanier (Rte. 78) to Dissentis.

Through a highly cultivated tract the road reaches another fine defile full of chestnut trees.

Giornico (Germ. Irnis: Inn, La Corona, dirty); a village of 700 Inhab. A high tower: the Ch. of Santa Maria di Castello, whose substructure is said to exhibit traces of a fort, attributed to the Gauls (?), and the Ch. of San Nicholas da Mira, regarded by the vulgar as originally a heathen temple. Both these churches are certainly examples of the earliest form of Christian buildings, and highly deserve the attention of the architect and antiquary. “Service is not performed in St. Nicholas, though it is kept in repair. The architecture is of the rudest Romanesque style, and the E. end offers, perhaps, the most unaltered specimen of the choir raised upon substructions that can hardly be called a crypt, found in the ancient Lombard churches of Italy, distinguished by staircases, whereas it here subsists in its primitive form. The whole neighbourhood is exceedingly picturesque, and deserving at least of quite as much attention as many places which enjoy much more extended reputation."-P. "The number and height of the church-towers on the side of the Alps, even on spots where wealth and population appear most scanty, are among the most striking features of this country. Instead of being surmounted by spires, as in the Roman Catholic valleys of the neighbouring Grisons, they are here piled story upon story in the Italian fashion, sometimes reaching even to an eighth tier, and ending in a ridge roof."-J. F.

Half way to

3 Bodio a heap of large rocks (Sassi Grossi) serves as a monument of the victory gained here in 1478 over the Milanese by the Swiss, who had made a foray across the St.Gothard as far as Bellinzona, under pretext of redressing the injury done by the Milanese, in having felled some trees belonging to canton Uri. The winter

had set in with severity, and the main body of the Swiss had returned across the pass with their plunder, leaving behind only about 600 men under Captains Stranga of Giornico, and Troger of Uri. The Milanese, 15,000 strong, pressed forward to expel the highland invaders, who, resorting to stratagem to counteract the preponderance of numbers, laid the flat land in this part of the valley under water, and placing themselves behind it, awaited their enemies at the foot of some rocks. In the course of the night the water froze hard, and next morning, while the advance of the Italians across the ice was naturally slow and faltering, the Swiss, provided with crampons to cross their native glaciers, rushed down upon them in a furious charge, and at once put them to the rout. Their confusion was increased by vast masses of rock hurled from the cliffs above by parties stationed for the purpose, and the slaughter was enormous. According to some accounts 1400, according to others 4000, of the Milanese fell on this occasion.

The Val Levantina terminates a little beyond Pollegio, at the junction of the Blegno. After crossing that river the traveller reaches

1 Biasca (Inn: Union, poor and slovenly), which also contains a very ancient church, situated on the slope of the hill. A chain of chapels, or Via Crucis, leads from it up to the Chapel of St. Petronilla, whence there is a pleasing view.

In 1512 an earthquake shook down from the mountain of Val Crenone, near the entrance of the Val Blegno, so vast a mass of earth and rock that it arrested the course of the river, and extended high up on the opposite side of the valley. For nearly two years, so great was the strength of this dam that the waters accumulated behind it into a lake many miles in extent, inundating numerous villages, and driving out the inhabitants by the rising flood. At length, in 1514, it began to flow over the barrier, which, being thus loosened and weakened, suddenly gave way about Easter. The deluge

thus occasioned swept off everything before it-towns, villages, houses, and trees, as far as Bellinzona (a part of which was destroyed), and the Lago Maggiore. The accumulated débris of rocks and mud which it carried down with it covered the cultivated land with desolation, and marks of the ruin thus caused may be still traced along the valley. Various causes, conformable with the superstitious notions of the times, were assigned for this catastrophe. Some attributed it to the vengeance of God against the sins of the inhabitants of Biasca, called forth by the power of a Papal Brief; others traced it to the influence of “certain magicians from Armenia." It is satisfactorily accounted for by the supposition of an earthquake, since at the same time a similar fall took place from the opposite side of the mountain, which buried the village of Campo Bagnino, in the Val Calanka.

11 Osogno. About 8 m. below Biasca the Moesa is crossed, and our road falls into that from the pass of the Bernardin (Route 90), near the battle-field of Arbedo, which was as fatal to the Swiss as that of Giornico was to their opponents. An account of it, as well as a full description of 31 Bellinzona, is given in Route 90.

ROUTE 35.

PASS OF THE NÜFENEN (NOVENA) FROM OBERGESTELEN TO AIROLO.

This is a very fine

9 hours 29 Eng. m. neither a difficult nor pass. The way is tolerably clear, and by travellers accustomed to mountains might be found without a guide. It is a horsepath, ascending the vale of Eginen, as in Route 29, but, before reaching the Gries Glacier, turns to the 1., and crossing the ridge of the

3 Nüfenen, 7260 ft. above the sealevel. Unlike the summit of the Gries, which is covered with a glacier, this pass has grass on its very top, which commands a fine view of the S. side of the Bernese Oberland mountains. There is at times a good deal of snow on the other side. The path

descends into the Val Bedretto. On the S. slope of the pass one of the branches of the river Ticino takes its rise. The path descends along its 1. bank to the

1h. 40m. Hospice al' Acqua, a house of refuge to accommodate travellers, 5000 ft. above the sea, dirty and full of fleas, 3 hours' walk from Airolo. A path crosses the valley from this S. into the Val Formazza to the Falls of the Tosa (see p. 93). The Val Bedretto, from its elevation, has but an inhospitable climate; long winters, and frosts not uncommonly in the height of summer, morning and evening. It is clothed with forests and pastures, from which its 612 inhabitants derive support in summer; while in winter the males migrate to Italy, to seek employment as servants. It is flanked on either side with glaciers, and is dreadfully exposed to avalanches (§ 18). The masses of fallen snow often remain unmelted on the margin of the Ticino till the end of September. At

1 Bedretto, the principal hamlet, the church-tower, which has been once swept away, along with the parsonage, is now protected by an angular buttress, directed toward the side from which the avalanches fall, so as to break and turn them away. The valley leading to Airolo is very pleasing. In the lower part of the valley a scanty crop of rye is grown.

2 Airolo, in Route 34, p. 108.

day, it is far better to stop at Frutigen, where there are good inns, than at Kandersteg.

N.B. Chars hired at Thun, to go to Kandersteg, return the same day imposition is practised on travellers by stating the reverse of this, in order that those who let the carriages may exact improper charges. At Frutigen there is a competition of inns, and means of conveyance.

:

The first part of the route lies along the beautiful shores of the lake of Thun. Near the tall tower of Strättlingen it crosses the Kander by a lofty bridge. That river originally avoided the lake altogether, and, flowing for some distance parallel to it, behind the hill of Strättlingen, joined the Aar below Thun. Owing to the quantity of mud and gravel which it brought with it, and the slight inclination of its channel in this part of its course, it converted the surrounding district into an unhealthy marsh, and gave rise to a project, which was executed in 1714 at the expense of the canton, of turning the river into the lake of Thun. This was effected by cutting a canal, 3000 ft. long, and 272 ft. broad, into which the river was turned; and which, seen from the bridge in crossing, has much the appearance of a natural ravine. By this change of course the land on the banks of the Aar has been drained and made profitable, while the deposit of sand and stones brought down by the river into the lake has so accumulated as to form a delta around its mouth, extending already nearly a mile from the shore, and annually increasing.

The road passes the mouth of the Simmenthal (Route 41), guarded on one side by the Stockhorn, and on the rt. by the Niesen, two noble mountains, between which the valley opens out a scene of exceeding beauty, with the castle of Wimmis standing as it were in its jaws. On the margin of the lake rises another picturesque castle, that of Spietz. Skirting the base of the pyramidal Niesen, we enter the valley of Frutigen, which is remarkable for its verdure and fertility,

and may be said to exhibit Swiss pastoral scenery in perfection. At

Mühlinen (about way from Thun to Frutigen) is a nice little Inn (The Bear), kept by an Englishwoman, At Reichenbach the Kienthal opens out to the S.E. (Route 26). The lower part is soft and beautiful, but after 24 hours' walk it becomes thoroughly Alpine. Ascending by the side of the Kander we reach

43 Frutigen (Inns: Helvetia, good, clean, and cheap, best in the valley; Post, and Ober- and Unter-Landhaus, good; mules and chars may be hired here), a village of 900 Inhab.: its houses are for the most part not older than 1826-7, at which time nearly the whole of the buildings were destroyed in two consecutive conflagrations. Behind it the valley divides into two branches; that on the W. leads to the Adelboden'; that on the E. (down which flows the Kander) to the Gemmi.

The road passes under the castle of Tellenburg, the residence of the amtman, or bailiff of the district, and, crossing the Kander, proceeds up its rt. bank to

24 Kandersteg (Inn: Ritter (Knight); beds bad, and other complaints, "discomfort and extortion." G. M. S.) Chars may be had here to Frutigen, a ride of about 2 hrs., for 74 fr.; also good mules to cross the mountain to the baths of Leuk, at about 8 fr. each, and 11⁄2 fr. to the mule-boy—a journey of 6 hrs. Kandersteg is the last village in the valley: its scattered habitations contain about 700 individuals. It is beautifully situated 3280 ft. above the sea, at the N. base of the Gemmi. Wood cut in the mountain forests around is here set afloat in the Kander, and thus conveyed into the lake of Thun, where the logs are collected and separated by the various proprietors.

[Excursions.-a. Those who have time to spare should on no account omit to walk hence about 4 m. through a sublime gorge (see Route 27) into the remote Valley of Eschinen, running directly E. from Kandersteg, where, hemmed in by precipices and glaciers, they will find a beautiful clear lake,

which mirrors on its smooth surface the snowy peaks of the Blumlis Alp, at whose base it lies.-b. From the Eschinen lake, there is a path over the Dündengrat into the Kienthal, descending which you may reach the road to Thun between Reichenbach and Mühlinen.—c. Another path leads over the Furce into the Seefinenthal, and thence to Lauterbrunnen (Route 27), but it is difficult, especially from the side of the Kienthal. The valleys of Eschinen and Gasteren include scenery as grand and impressive as any to be met with in the central chain of the Alps.-d. The excursion from Kandersteg into the Lötsch Thal and to Tourtemagne is described Rte. 60.-e. "A path of no great difficulty leads W. in 4 or 5 hours, over the Bonder-Grat, to Adel-boden. From the summit fine views of the Kanderthal, the Eschinen-thal and lake, and the mountains above it. From Adelboden to Frutigen a walk of 2 or 3 hours, through a deep but rather monotonous valley. Above Adelboden is a fall of some magnitude.”—E. W.] Above Kandersteg the char road ceases; and in about 14 m. from the inn, the ascent of the Pass of the Gemmi commences in earnest. The path lies at first through forests, soon passing the boundary line of the cantons Berne and Wallis, and then emerges upon a tract of open pasture land, rendered desolate by the fall of an avalanche from the Rinder Horn in 1782. The path winds, for a considerable distance, among the fragments of rock brought down by it. Farther on stands the

3 Solitary Inn of Schwarenbach, originally a mere châlet, but improved it affords tolerable refreshments and sleeping accommodations, which, however humble, are doubtless often most acceptable in such a situation. The German poet Werner has laid in this gloomy spot the scene of a still more gloomy tragedy, The 24th of February.' The extravagant and improbable plot has no foundation in any real event which happened here.

About 2 m. above this the path reaches and winds along the E. mar

gin of a small lake called Dauben See, supplied by snow, not by springs, which often swell it so as to cover the path: for 8 months of the year it is frozen. Nothing can exceed the dreary aspect of the seared and naked limestone rocks which form the summit of the pass: they seem too barren for even the hardiest lichens. The culminating point traversed by the road is 7160 ft. above the sea level. From a rocky eminence on the 1. of the path, a superb view is obtained of the chain of Alps beyond the Rhone, separating the Vallais from Piedmont.

"Monte Rosa cannot be seen from the Gemmi, being completely hidden by the Weisshorn, a mountain of graceful form and magnificent dimensions from whatever side it is seen. The highest summits in the view, reckoning from the W., are these:-1. The Pigno d'Arolla, N.W. of the Collon; 2. the Collon itself, easily recognised by the deep cleft in its side; 3. the Dent Blanche, known to the inhabitants of the Val d'Anniviers as the Grande Couronne. Then come three or four minor peaks of the range at the head of that valley, among which is the mountain there called the Dent Blanche. Above this range are seen-4. the Dent d'Erin; and, 5. the Cervin: both peaks of bare rock, the former being from here the most remarkable. The series is terminated by-6. the Weisshorn, the loftiest and nearest mountain visible; and, 7. the Mont Fée, which is almost in itself a complete group of snowy peaks." It is one of the most striking views in Switzerland.

Near the verge of the descent stands a small shed, capable of affording only a partial shelter in a storm. A little lower down, the traveller finds himself on the brink of a precipice, from which a plumb-line might be thrown into the valley below, nearly 1600 ft., almost without touching the rock, so vertical are its sides. It is principally upon the faces of a buttress of this vast wall that one of the most extraordinary of all the alpine roads, constructed in 1736-41, by a party of Tyrolese, has been carried. Its zigzags have been very in