many little islands in the ocean. Bodies of vapor also hung, like a canopy, over a part of the lakes; but with us the sky was perfectly clear, and the sun went down in cloudless glory; and when the lust morsel disappeared, the Germans of the party doffed their beavers, and made him a low parting bow.

Zurich, Sept. 1.-Cooling as was the change of air on the Rhigi, after such a warm ascent, I never felt brighter than after my nap in that high position, five thousand seven hundred feet above the tide. By-the-by, the announcement at nine, of La lune! la lune !' produced a rush from the supper table, but the keen, bracing atmosphere soon compelled the ladies to retreat to their rooms. At fourand-a-half,' we were roused from our slumbers by a 'trumpet's martial sound,' announcing the approach of the 'king of day.' It was beautiful to watch the changing tints of the sky, for an hour before the sun appeared. Not a cloud was to be seen in the horizon, for we were far above them; but when the sun's dazzling rays began to be reflected on the hill-tops, and on the sea of vapor beneath us, and the mists began to roll away from over the lakes, gradually disclosing their varied outline, or lifting the canopy from the quiet towns, the scene was truly exquisite to look upon.

I left the 'Kulm' alone, at six, and came down in an hour and a half, on the side toward Goldau. This is the village that was destroyed in 1806, by the fall of a part of Mount Rossberg, when nearly five hundred persons, and property to the amount of half a million, were suddenly

buried under a mass of earth, which our Mr. Cooper ascertained to be equal in bulk to all the buildings in NewYork put together! From thence I walked along the banks of the Zuger See, to the curious old town of Zug. This lake is nine miles long. The road on its banks is lined with fruit trees, and I filled my pockets with nice fresh prunes for the gathering. Blackberries in profusion are there also. It was another delicious day, and I experienced none of the miseries so elegantly described by a scribbler at Alpnach:

"I wandered 'midst the untrodden ways

Beside the banks of Zug;

And there I met with scores of fleas,

And there with many a bug."t

There was ringing of bells, and firing of cannon, which made a tremendous echo across the lake, but for what cause I did not learn. At Zug I got dinner, and a direction to a by-path' across lots' of potato-fields to Horgern, on the Zurich See, where I was to take the steam-boat to this place. I was alone, and not a soul on the way could speak any thing but vulgar German. I was stared at as

if from the clouds; and albeit not conscious, like the third Richard, of any special deformity, yet,

"As I passed, the dogs did bark at me."

At one village, a cur at the first house commenced the salute, which was continued to the last, by every

"Mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,

And cur of low degree."

* See his calculation in figures, in 'Sketches of Switzerland.'
"She dwelt amid the untrodden ways

Beside the springs of Dove."- Wordsworth.

The folks did not know what I meant by Horgern, because I did not roll it out with their horrid nasal pronunciation. I stopped to fill my flask at a spring, and had the luck to learn of a farmer that I was going just the wrong way. At length, after achieving another mountain, a splendid landscape was spread out before me; the beautiful Lake of Zurich, bordered with vineyards, and neat villages, flanked by another range of snow-capped Alps. With staff in hand, and knapsack on back, as I approached

"The margin of fair Zurich's waters,"

I met a posse of 'fair Zurich's daughters,' and of course doffed my beaver to the fairest, whereat they were all vastly amused, and perhaps a little jealous of the favored one (a-hem!) but bon jour, or alack-well-a-day,' was all I could say, so I proceeded to the margin,' found there was no steam-boat, hired a boat, took in a lady, who applied for passage, and pushed off for Zurich. It was a lovely afternoon, and as pretty a sail as I have yet had. I had this morning seen the sun rise from the summit of the Rhigi; and now, after walking thirty-five miles in nine hours, under his hottest beams, I saw him set on the Lake of Zurich. This lake is nearly twenty miles long. As we came near the town, we passed several charming pleasuregardens, on the very margin of the water. Zurich is situated much like Geneva, being built on both sides of the rapid stream which flows out at the head of the lake. It is quite a large and city-like place, and evidently a flourishing one. I saw several large buildings in the course of

erection.

Zurich-Falls of the Rhine.

237

The walks and rides in its environs, and the

sail on its waters, are delightful in the extreme.

It was eight o'clock, P. M., when my boatman landed me on the dock, and it was with no little trouble that I found the Gastoff Zum Schwardt, or Hotel de L'Epee, for my pronunciation of the name would not pass. It is a good inn, near the lake, but always full, and very dear. Mine host politely gave me a ticket for the town museum and reading-room. I had sent my luggage here by diligence from Luzerne, and expected to meet my Rhigi com. panion; but he does not appear, and I must proceed in single blessedness to the Rhine and Germany, unknowing and unknown.

Schaffhausen, Sept. 2.-In the ride to this place, I had my first glimpse of the Rhine, at the village of Eglisan : and now I have been out to see the celebrated FALLS OF THE RHINE, near Schaffhausen. I came to them from above, and was disappointed; but I found the right view is from the bend, on the other side. The falls are certainly beautiful and picturesque, but not very grand or marvellous. If the falls even of the Androscoggin at good old Brunswick were in Europe, they would be quite a 'lion' in their way.

Having now 'done Switzerland,' you may ask, ' Have we not scenery at home, equal to any in that land of wonders?' And, at the risk, as Mr. Cooper says, of being called unpatriotic and spoiled by travelling,' I must say no at least so far as my knowledge goes. The 'Notch' at the White Mountains is equal in wildness and

grandeur to any scenery in Scotland; of course it exceeds any in England, and probably, the rest of Europe, which is saying a good deal; but Swiss scenery, i. e., among the higher Alps, you must bear in mind, is on a vastly larger scale than either. Think of mountains two or three times

as high as Mount Washington, in some cases rising almost perpendicularly, or overhanging valleys eight or ten thousand feet below, their summits tapering off in fantastic shapes, and pyramids of rock. It is scenery of a different character, probably, from any other; unique in its wild. sublimity. So also with extensive prospects. Our Catskill Mountain House is scarcely half as high as the Rhigi Kulm, and as to the relative merits and variety of the view, I would again refer you to Mr. Cooper's compariBut with these exceptions, we need not go abroad to discover the 'beauties of nature.' Our rivers and river scenery are as much superior to those of Europe as Niagara is to the Falls of Trenton: even the far-famed Rhine, if I may judge from this portion of it, is not worthy to be named with the Connecticut, far less with our noble Hud

son.

son.

The Swiss views, recently published, with letter press, by Dr. Beattie, are very correct as well as beautiful specimens of art. They will give you a much better notion of the country than any book I know of. You will perceive I visited most of the originals, having passed through the cantons of Geneva, Wallis, Waadt, Freyburg, Berne, Luzerne, Unterwalden, Schwyz, Zug, Zurich, and Schaff hausen, beside an excursion to Savoy and Piedmont.