picturesque defile-the road hanging over the precipice. A steep ascent carries the road out of the Val Travers; and at the top of the ridge, nearly under the castle of

23 Rochefort, a beautiful view opens through the gap of the defile, over the lake of Neuchâtel, and the Alps along the horizon.

12 NEUCHÂTEL (Route 44).

ROUTE 50.

YVERDUN TO GENEVA, BY ORBE, WITH EXCURSION TO THE LAC DE JOUX.

153 stunden = 51 Eng. miles. The daily diligence performs the journey from Neuchâtel to Geneva in 16 hours.

2 Orbe-(Inn: La Maison de Ville)-a picturesque and ancient town of 1927 inhabitants, built on a hill nearly insulated by the Orbe, which is crossed by a bold arch. It was the Roman station Urbigenum, and a place of importance in the middle ages, under the Burgundian Kings, who had a Royal Castle here. The fair but cruel Brunehilde, Queen of the Franks, took refuge here, with her grand-daughter, but was soon put to death. The 3 sons of Lothaire I. met here, in 855, to divide his kingdom. In 1475 the Swiss took Orbe by assault; but the Castle, whose venerable and extensive ruins, especially the solitary towers of antique structure, are still a conspicuous object in the view of the town, made a lengthened resistance. The garrison yielding step by step, disputed the possession of each chamber, stair, and passage. The last remuant were pursued into a tower, which the Swiss set fire to, and the few who fell into their hands alive were thrown over the battlements. "The circular tower of the Castle, not unlike the celebrated Irish towers in construction, though of very different proportions, should be attentively examined."

There is a high-road into France

from Orbe, along the 1. bank of the Orbe, by Jougne and Salius.

.

About 2 miles above the town, near Mont Charand, is a cavern, with stalactites, called Grotte aux Fées; not far from it is a cascade of the Orbe.

An interesting excursion may be made from Orbe to the Lac de Joux.

The carriage-road thither turns away from the river at once, and proceeds through Romainmotier, under the singular mountain called Dent de Vaulion, to Le Pont, on the Lac de Joux. The vale of the Orbe is one of the most beautiful in the Jura, and the pedestrian may find a foot-path along its banks, up to its source, in the cliff below Pont.

Pont, a little village, named from a bridge across the channel which connects the Lac de Joux with the small Lac des Brennet, is the best head-quarters, as it has a tolerable inn. It is prettily situated, at the S. base of the Dent de Vaulion, one side of which is a sheer precipice of bare limestone 2000ft. high-the other a steep slope, or inclined plane, covered with verdant turf. It requires a steady head to look from the top over the verge of the precipice.

About 3 miles Ñ. of Pont, and the same distance above Vallorbe, is the source of the Orbe, which rises at once a copious stream, supplied, it is supposed, by subterranean conduits from the Lac de Joux.

The valley in which the Lac de Joux is situated contains two other lakes, Le Ter and Brennet, and is entirely shut in by high hills; so that, although these sheets of water are fed by all the streams of the valley, they have no visible outlet above ground. There are, however, large cavities and orifices in the beds of these lakes, called entonnoirs, through which the waters escape. These fissures are sometimes rendered incapable of carrying off the waters from internal obstructions, and thus inundations are caused in the valley. A tunnel, of no very great extent, might drain

the lake entirely. The source of the Orbe is about 700ft. lower than the surface of the lake. The scenery of the Valley de Joux is most romantic, and will alone compensate for a visit. Along the S.E. side of the lake rises the imposing mass of the Mont Tendre, 5730ft. high: its lower slopes are well wooded. The view from its summit, extending to Mont Blanc on the one side, and to Soleure on the other, will repay the trouble of the ascent. There is a path down the opposite side of the mountain, leading, in 2 hours, to the village of Mont Richer. An unfortunate English gentleman, named Herbert, who was drowned in a well near the chaIets of the Mont Tendre, in 1837, is buried at Mont Richer. Henri Chenu, fruitier, is said to be a good guide for the Mont Tendre. There is a cross-road along the N.W. shore of the Lac de Joux from Pont to Les Rousses, on the great post road from Dijon to Geneva. Another road, winding round the shoulder of the Mont Tendre, runs direct from Pont to Aubonne, on the way to Geneva, rendering it unnecessary to return to Orbe.

The lake of Geneva is only about 190ft. lower than that of Neuchâtel. The road from Orbe traverses the high ground, or water-shed separating the two basins. An attempt was made, in 1639, to connect the two lakes, and through them unite the Rhine with the Rhone, by means of a canal cut between the rivers Orbe and Venoge. It was finished as far as Entre Roche, a distance of about 12 miles; but difficulties, either in the levelling, or occasioned by the interference of private interests, prevented its being carried farther. The plan of completing it has been revived in 1838. It lies about a mile and a half to the E. of the road.

1 La Sarraz is an ancient town, romantically situated on the Venoge. About 4 miles farther is Cossonez,

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from which town roads branch off to Lausanne and Morges.

4 Aubonne-(Inn: Couronne)— an ancient town of 1667 inhabitants, with an Eastern-looking castle. Byron says of it -"The entrance and bridge, something like that of Durham: it commands by far the fairest view of the lake of Geneva (and of Mont Blanc behind it); a grove, on the height, of very noble trees. Here Tavernier, the Eastern traveller, bought (or built) the château, because the site resembled and equalled that of Erivan, a frontier city of Persia. Here he finished his voyages." Aubonne is less than 3 miles distant from the lake.

1 Rolle, on the high-road from Geneva to Lausanne (Route 56).. 63 GENEVA (See Route 53).

ROUTE 53.

DIJON TO GENEVA.

25 French posts 110 Eng. miles. Diligences run daily.

DIJON. Inns: Hotel du Parc, in a sort of park outside the town;H. de Cloche in the midst of the town.

Dijon, the ancient capital of the Dukedom of Burgundy, owes its origin and name to the Roman town Dibio: it is now chief town of the department of Côte d'Or, and contains 26,000 inhabitants.

The Church of St. Benigne merits notice, but, like the other ecclesiastical edifices in the town, it has not recovered the injuries it sustained in the Revolution. "The Church of Notre Dame is a very fine specimen of the purest and earliest Gothic, and very interesting for the boldness of its construction. It was much studied for this reason by the celebrated VauThe façade of the building exhibits a remarkable effect of light and shade. On this façade still stand the clock and striking figures brought by Philip le Bon from Čourtray."-P.

ban.

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The Museum contains a collection of second-rate pictures, and some very interesting relics of the middle ages. In it are also placed two very curious monuments of Jean Sans Peur and Philip le Hardi, Dukes of Burgundy, formerly in the Carthusian Church. They were taken down and pulled to pieces at the Revolution, but have been repaired "and restored with great skill. The alabaster figures of mourners by which they are surrounded are, perhaps, the finest specimens of sculpture of the sort now existing.

"There are some valuable private collections here, particularly one formed by the late M. Baudot, where, amongst other objects, may be seen the Bauble of the celebrated fraternity called 'La Mêre Folle.'

"A day may be well and agreeably spent in this fine city.' -P.

2 Genlis. This village is often mistaken for the residence of the celebrated Madame de Genlis ;-she, however, lived at another Genlis, in Picardy.

14 Auxonne-(Inn: Hotel du Grand Cerf)-a fortress on the

cated; if discovered concealed, they are confiscated with a fine. From recent information (1838), it appears that watches may now be introduced by paying a duty of 4 fr. apiece.

1 La Vattay. In descending the mountain a sublime view is disclosed of the Alps, Mont Blanc, the lake of Geneva, and the intervening plain. There is another road to Geneva by St. Cergues (instead of Gex), "it branches off a little beyond Les Rousses, and is very preferable in every respect. This road has been made at a great expense by the Canton de Vaud within the last 10 years, and it is one of the finest works of the kind. In going from Geneva to Paris, it is particularly to be recommended, as the ascent is much less severe.

"Les Rousses to St. Cergues, 1 post; St. Cergues to Nyon.

"The traveller is recommended to mount the steep and picturesque streets of Nyon up to the fine old Château, once the seat of the Baillis de Nyon, in order to see the view from the Terrasse des Marroniers."

"St. Cergues is the spot from which the Dôle, the highest summit of this part of the chain of the Jura, can be most easily ascended. Mules and guides can be procured at the small inn of St. Cergues, which af fords tolerable accommodation for a night. The ascent of the Dôle from St. Cergues requires about three hours' march; but it is neither fatiguing nor dangerous. Perhaps there is no mountain in Switzerland which better repays the traveller for his fatigue; and no view more wonderfully extensive, and admirably diversified, than that which it commands."-R.

2 Gex. Ferney, Voltaire's residence (described in page 139), is passed 5 miles before reaching

2 GENEVA.-(Inns Hotel des Bergues, a grand establishment, recently built, facing the lake-expensive. Charges-Table d'hote at 1, 3f.; at 5, 4f., including wine; dinner

in private, 6f., without wine; breakfast, 2f.; tea, 14f. For 4 beds and a sitting-room overlooking the lake, 15f. a-day were charged in 1837; servants' board, 4f. a-day;-Couronne, a very good house, recently rebuilt, and also facing the lake, capital cuisine, and more moderate charges; a room on the 2nd floor, fronting the lake, cost only 3f. a-day ;L'Ecu de Genève ;-La Balance. At Sècheron, about 1 mile from Geneva, on the road to Lausanne, is the Hotel d'Angleterre, kept by Dejean, and nearer to the town on the same side the Hotel des Etrangers, which is well spoken of.)

Geneva, though capital of the smallest of the Swiss Cantons, except Zug, is the most populous town in the Confederation, since it contains 29,960 inhabitants. It is well situated, at the W. extremity of the lake of Geneva, at the point where "the blue waters of the arrowy Rhone" issue out of it. The river divides the town into two parts, and the intensely blue colour of its waters, alluded to by Byron, is certainly very remark able, and resembles nothing so much as the discharge of indigo from a dyer's vat.

The cause of it has not been satisfactorily explained. Sir Humphry Davy attributed it to the presence of iodine. The extreme purity lasts but for a short space, since a mile below the town it is polluted by the admixture of the waters of the turbid Arve, and retains the same dingy hue all the way to the sea.

Geneva, if approached from the lake, now presents a very imposing appearance, in consequence of improvements recently completed, for which it is indebted, in no slight degree, to the circulation of the gold of English travellers among its inhabitants. An entirely new quarter has started up on the rt. bank of the Rhone, called Quartier des Bergues, and displays a handsome front of tall houses, among which is the Hotel des Bergues, lined with a broad quay, towards the lake. A spirit of emu

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lation has been excited on the opposite bank by the sight of this modern rival. The unsightly houses which lined the margin of the lake have been refaced and beautified, while a broad belt of land has been gained from the water to form a Quai. This is connected with the Quai des Bergues by two handsome bridges, thrown across the lake, and united with a small island, formerly a part of the fortifications, now occupied by a very inferior statue of Rousseau. Geneva is still surrounded with ramparts and bastions, erected in the middle of the last century by the aristocratic magistracy of that period. It is divided into the upper and lower town; and this distinction, arising from the uneven nature of the ground, is perpetuated in the rank and condition of the inhabitants of the two divisions. The upper town consists almost entirely of the large and handsome hotels of the burgher aristocracy, heretofore the senators and magistrates of the republic. The lower town is the seat of trade and of democracy: its streets are narrow, its houses lofty, and it has something of the air of the old town of Edinburgh. A few of the older buildings are furnished with a shed or pent-house, called here, "Dome," projecting from the roof over the street, and supported by wooden props, and reaching from the pavement to the roof. About 25 years ago they were almost universal, but their number, of late, has diminished, and the whole row which lined the houses in the Rue Basse has been taken down by order of the govern

ment.

The feuds arising between the high and low town were not few, nor void of interest; indeed, they would fill a long and amusing historical chapter: they often led to bloodshed, but the democrats below generally brought their exalted neighbours to reason by the simple expedient of cutting off the water-pipes, taking especial care to guard the hydraulic machine

which furnished the supply to the upper town, and which is situated in their quarter.

Although Geneva is a great focus of attraction for travellers of all nations, 30,000 being the number which is calculated to pass through the town annually, it possesses few objects of interest to the passing stranger. As a town it is not very prepossessing; it has no fine public buildings, and scarcely any sights. It is owing to its beautiful environs, to its vicinity to Chamouni, to the charming scenery of its lake, and to its position on the high road from Paris to Italy, that it has become a place of so much resort.

The Cathedral, or Church of St. Pierre, is of an extreme simplicity of architecture. The Corinthian portico added on the outside is a blemish where it is placed, but its interior possesses interest as a very early and uncorrupted specimen of the Gothic of the eleventh century. It contains the tombs of Agrippa d'Aubigny, the friend of Henry IV., and grandfather of Mad. de Maintenon, and that of the Comte de Rohan, a leader of the French Protestants in the reign of Louis XIII.

The Musée Rath, so named after its founder, General Rath, who left the reversion of his fortune to it, is a neat building, close to the Porte Neuve; it contains a collection of pictures and other works of art, of no very great merit, the greater part by native artists. Among the Genevese painters, Topfer, Guignon, Hornung, and Calame, deserve to be mentioned.

The Musée d'Histoire Naturelle, in the Grande-Rue, is chiefly interesting to the student as containing the geological collections of Saussure; the fossil plants of M.M. Brogniart and Decandolle, and the collections of M. Necker. It is principally filled with the native productions of Switzerland, and contains specimens of the chamois, of the Bouquetin, the dog of St. Bernard, of all the fishes of the rivers and

lakes of this country; among them the ferra, the lotte, and a trout weighing 431bs. from the lake of Geneva.

There is the skin of an elephant, which lived a long time in a menagerie in the town, but at length becoming unruly was shot.

There is also a cabinet of antiqui ties; some of them found in the neighbourhood, such as a silver buckler, discovered in the bed of the Arve, inscribed "Largitus Valentiniani Augusti;" some instruments of sacrifice found near the rocks of Neptune in the lake, &c. &c. Also

the lantern carried by the sentinel who, in going his rounds, discovered the Savoyards scaling the walls in 1602 (see p. 134).

The Reading-room, in the upper story of the museum, is well supplied with the best European journals, including the Times, John Bull, Atheuæum, &c. Strangers receiving a "carte d'entrée" from a member are liberally admitted for a month.

The best and most fashionable club in Geneva is that called the Cercle de la Rive.

The Public Library attached to the College, a scholastic-looking building, of no architectural pretensions, behind the cathedral, founded by Calvin, contains 40,000 volumes, and the following curiosities :-3 folio volumes of autograph letters of Ca!vin (there is one addressed to Lady Jane Grey while a prisoner in the Tower); many of Calvin's manuscript sermons; several volumes of letters of Theodore Beza; the manuscript of the "Noble Leçon," a work of the ancient Waldenses. The account-book of the household of Philip le Bel, written with a style upon waxed tablets, but now almost effaced; a translation of Quintus Curtius, taken along with the bag. gage of Charles the Bold, at Morat. The discourses of St. Augustine, a MS. on papyrus of the 7th century. The library is opened only 3 times a-week-Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 1 to 4.