"Prisoner of Chillon." His name may be seen here cut in the pillars in connection with those of Eugene Sue, Victor Hugo, and George Sand. Bonivard, prior of St. Victor, in his endeavors to free the Genoese from the tyranny of Charles V. of Savoy, became very obnoxious to that monarch, who had him seized secretly and conveyed to the Castle of Chillon, where for six long years he was confined in a dungeon. The floor round the pillar to which he was chained is much worn, and the ring in the pillar may still be seen.

"Eternal spirit of the chainless mind!

Brightest in dangerous liberty thou art, For there thy habitation is the heartThe heart, which love of thee alone can bind; And where thy sons to fetters are consigned To fetters, and the damp vault's dayless gloom, Their country conquers with their martyrdom, And Freedom's fame finds wings on every wind. Chillon! thy prison is a holy place, And thy sad floor an altar; for 'twas trod Until his very steps have left a trace Worn, as if thy cold pavement were a sod, By Bonivard! May none these marks efface! For they appeal from tyranny to God. "Lake Leman lies by Chillon's walls; A thousand feet in depth below Its mussy waters meet and flow; Thus much the fathomed line was sent From Chillon's snow-white battlement, Which round about the wave enthrals. A double dungeon-wall and wave Have made and like a living grave, Below the surface of the lake

The dark vault lies wherein we lay, We heard it ripple night and day; Sounding o'er our heads it knock'd;'

And I have felt the winter's spray

These heavy walls to me had grown
A hermitage-and all my own!
And half I felt as they were come
To tear me from a second home;
With spiders I had friendship made,
And watched them in their sullen trade;
Had seen the mice by moonlight play,
And why should I feel less than they?
We were all inmates of one place,
And I, the monarch of each race,
Had power to kill; yet, strange to tell,
In quiet we had learned to dwell!
My very chains and I grew friends,
So much a long communion tends
To make us what we are: even I
Regained my freedom with a sigh."

Steamers run every two or three hours on the other side of the lake, viz., from Geneva to Bouveret, from thence to St. Maurice by rail, in hr. The steamers stop at Thonon, Evian, etc. This last is noted for its bathing establishment. Twenty minutes from Evian is situated, amid groves of magnificent chestnut trees, the watering-place of Amphion: an iron spring here has gained much celebrity. place is much frequented by the GeneThe new railway to be opened this year (1870) between Lausanne and Pontparlier will shorten the time to Paris nearly three hours.

vese.

:

The

And wanton in the happy sky;

And then the very rock hath rocked,
And I have felt it shake unshock'd,
Because I could have smiled to see

The death that would have set me free."

In 1536, when the cantons of Vaud and Geneva had obtained their independence, the Castle of Chillon resisted for a long time, but it was eventually captured by the Bernese, aided by a flotilla from Geneva. Bonivard and the other captives obtained their liberty. Byron beautifully describes the effects of his imprisonment:

"It might be months, or years, or days-
I kept no count, I took no note-
I had no hope my eyes to raise,

And clear them of their dreary mote;
At last men came to set me free,

I asked not why, I seeked not where,
It was at length the same to me,
Fettered or fetterless to be,

I learned to love despair.
And thus when they appeared at last,
And all my bonds aside were cast,

and the German watering-places on the Rhine; via Neufchatel is the most interesting.

After passing Yverdun, a town containing over 5000 inhabitants, situated at the southern end of Lake Neufchatel, we arrive at Neufchatel, the capital of the can

ton.

Principal hotels are Grand Hôtel du Mont Blanc and Bellevue, both finely situated on the margin of the lake, and admirably managed. The views from the splen

did terrace of the Mont Blanc are most delightful.

Neufchatel contains a population of nearly 11,000 inhabitants. It is built on a steep slope of the Jura Mountains; it was originally a French province, belonging to the house of Chalons; when that house became extinct in 1707, it descended to the King of Prussia as the most direct heir. In 1806 it was ceded by Napoleon to Mar

607

times each day to Yverdun and Neufchatel.

The College, or Museum of Natural History, a modern edifice, situated on the borders of the lake, owes its fine collection to Professor Agassiz, now one of our professors at Harvard College.

There is a very good collection of modern paintings in the Palais Rougemont, and in the Museum Challande, which adjoins, is a fine collection of stuffed animals.

The charitable institutions of Neufchatel are numerous and well endowed.

An excursion should be made to the summit of the Chaumont: time, by carriage, 14 hr. The view from this point is most magnificent. A drive should be taken through the Gorge of the Seyon, a deep fissure through the Jura Mountains, through which the River Seyon escapes into Lake Neufchatel. A visit to the celebrated boulder-stone called Pierre à Bot, or toad-stone, should also be made. This is a granite boulder, containing about 14,000 cubic feet, supposed to have been floated on glaciers from the top of the Alps to the Jura Mountains, the latter being a limestone formation, lying about two miles above the town. The principal produce of the canton is wine; the sparkling is very good.

A large portion of the inhabitants devote their time to the manufacture of the works for watches: most of those sold in Geneva are manufactured here, Geneva buying the best. The principal seat of this trade is in the valley of Chaux de Fonds and Locle, both of which can be visited by rail in two hours. The first contains 17,000 inhabitants, the last 10,000.

The next place of any importance on our route is Bienne, about one mile from the head of the lake of the same name, and at the foot of the Jura range. It contains a little over 6000 inhabitants, of whom 700 are Catholics. There is an interesting collection of antiquities, which may be visit

Fourteen miles farther is situated Soleure or Solothurn, the capital of the canton, the Solodurum of the Romans, and one of the oldest cities on this side of the Alps. It entered the Confederation in 1481. In the 17th century it was one of the strongest cities in Europe. Its fortifications were removed in 1835. The cathedral church of St. Ursus was erected between 1762 and 1773. The clock-tower is the oldest edifice of Soleure. A German inscription puts its date 500 years before the birth of Christ!

The Arsenal, which contains nearly 900 suits of armor, as well as a large assortment of offensive weapons, is well worth a visit. On entering the door of the second floor, an imitation sentinel presents arms to you.

The Museum contains a fine collection of Jura fossils, and is rich in minerals.

The house No. 5 Rue de Bienne was inhabited during the last years of his life by Thaddeus Kosciusko, the celebrated Polish patriot; the "Thaddeus of Warsaw" of our youth, the adjutant of General Washington, the hero of Dubienk, the Russian prisoner at St. Petersburg, a citizen of the French republic, a founder of schools for the instruction of negroes in Americawhat an eventful life, and what American would not stand by his last resting-place. His entrails were interred in the churchyard of Zuchwyl, a mile distant, on the other side of the Aar; his body was conveyed to Cracovie, where it lies in the cathedral, close to those of his friends Poniatowski and Sobieski.

A very beautiful excursion in the vicinity of Soleure is that to the Weissenstein, a mountain about 4000 feet above the level of the sea. It requires about three hours to make the ascent. There is a very good hotel at the top, and many invalids remain there during the entire summer, on account of the delightful air and the goats'-whey cure, highly recommended in certain diseases. The view is most magnificent. The chapel of St. Varena should be visited either going or returning: it is a small cave cut in the rock, representing the Holy Sepulchre. St.Varena, who accompanied the Theban legion, dwelt here after her return. It is said she suffered some temptation from

the devil, who repeatedly tried to carry her off. Notice the holes made in the rocks by her finger-nails, with which she clung to her solitary residence!

Twenty miles farther we arrive at Olton, where there is a fine buffet, and where strangers to the road, and unacquainted with Guide-books, are sure to get "mixed up;" every body changes cars going to every place; trains are starting for Zurich, also for Lucerne, for Basle, for Berne, for Neufchatel, etc., etc., and all different cars. There is, however, plenty of time; still, the confusion is great. There is one general rule which you must follow, viz., in coming out of the buffet, if going to Lucerne or Berne, turn to the right; if going to Zurich or Basle, turn to the left, to find the respective trains.

many, and Switzerland. The city originated in a fortress built by the Emperor Valentinian; it entered the Helvetic League in 1501, and has been the scene of the signing of several treaties, viz., between Maximilian and the Swiss in 1499, which put an end to the war between the Swiss and the Suabian Confederation; between the French Republic and Prussia in 1795, and between France and Spain in July of the same year. Its principal manufactures are paper and ribbons.

The principal objects of attraction are, first, the Cathedral, which can be seen in every direction: it was commenced in 1010, and finished in 1019, by the Emperor Henry II.; was restored after the fire of 1185, and again in 1356, after an earthquake, which destroyed the greater part of it. It

Basle is situated on the banks of the Rhine, is the capital of the canton, and contains 45,000 inhabitants; the principal hotel (and a very fine one it is), Trois Rois, overlooking the banks of the river. The city during the Middle Ages was one of considerable importance.

A very singular custom formerly prevailed in Basle, viz., of keeping their clocks one hour in advance of those of other cities of Europe. Various reasons are given for this curious habit, which was a part of the religion of the people. One reason was, that they were lazier than other people, and adopted this custom for the purpose of keeping themselves up to time. Another, that the attempt of an enemy to surprise the city was defeated by the town clock striking one instead of twelve: the conspirators in the town, thinking they were an hour too late, failed to keep their appointment. The citizens, in grateful recollection of the event, ever after kept the clock an hour ahead of time. Another reason was, that the clock was struck by lightning, and the hands forced forward, and the superstition of the people refused to have them changed. Perhaps the quality of the clocks had something to do with the origin. For the last sixty years, however, they seem to have gone all right.

Basle is divided by the Rhine into Great and Little Basle, which is connected by a wooden bridge: it owes its importance to its situation on the frontier of France, Ger

of bishops, consisting of 500 members, met for the purpose of elevating the Church to its pristine purity. They commenced their sittings in 1431, and, after seventeen years' discussion, were all excommunicated by the pope, Eugenius IV. Notice in the choir the tomb of the Empress Anne, wife of Rudolph of Hapsburg, mother of Albert I., from whom is descended the present rulers of the empire of Austria.

The cathedral is open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays, between 2 and 4 P.M. The Museum contains some very fine paintings, but is most noted for its drawings by Holbein the Younger. There is also a Cabinet of Antiquities, containing Greek and Roman statuettes, etc., etc. The Library is situated in the same building: it contains 85,000 volumes and 4000 MSS. Among others are some by Luther, Melancthon, Zuinglius, and Erasmus. The University, Arsenal, and Hotel de Ville are the other prominent objects of attraction.

If going to Schaffhausen and the Falls of the Rhine instead of going to Basle, take the cars for Zurich at Olten-railroad all the way to Schaffhausen. On arriving at the town, take the omnibus-fare 1 fr.— or carriage to the Schweizerhof, about twenty minutes' drive. The position of this hotel, which is one of the best in Switzerland, is most magnificent. It was formerly the Hotel Webber. It is situated on the right bank of the River Rhine, immediately in front of the falls, at a height of 1500 feet above the bed of the river. Prepare to