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and assistance could be rendered immediately to restore animation; a physician living in the house, and all the means of restoring suspended animation kept always at hand. An arrangement is also put in operation, whereby it can be infallibly detected whether the watchers have slept at their post. This consists of an indicator, or a piece of clock work, to be moved every few minutes, which, if failed to be done. at the proper times, cannot be remedied. It is said that instances have occurred of lives having been saved by these means. Why should not some plan like this be adopted in this country? If only one life could be saved by it, it would amply repay the trouble and expense.

Frankfort is indeed a model city in every respect -is kept in the most perfect order, and provision made for every want of poor and rich.

CHAPTER XV.

Railroads in Europe-Fribourg--Basle--Val Moutiers--Sublime Scenery-Berne--Fribourg in Switzerland--Vevay-Lake Geneva--Castle of Chillon.

\HE railroads all through Europe are admirably

THE

managed, and every precaution taken to prevent accidents. The servants, at the stations and on the cars, (or carriages, as they are universally termed here,) are very numerous and attentive; all clad in a distinctive uniform, so that no difficulty is found in knowing who to address for any information or assistance that the traveler may require. The stations are, many of them, splendid buildings of much architectural beauty, very large and commodious, and the grounds around very beautifully laid out. Even the smaller ones are nearly all tasteful buildings, surrounded by flower gardens that would do credit to the taste of any country gentleman of wealth and refinement, in the adorning of a country seat. This is a feature connected with the railroads of Belgium, Holland, Germany, Prussia, &c., that is very striking and very pleasing, and almost as universal as if it was a necessary part of the very construction of the roads. These flower gardens sometimes extend a considerable distance on each side of the stations, along the line of the road, and give an air of cultivation that forms a bright feature in the character of

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the people, that pleasantly relieves the darker shades that rest upon them. There is one arrangement on all these roads for the prevention of accidents, that might, and ought to be immediately put into practice in this country. Wherever the railroad crosses the track of a country road, on the same level, there are gates placed on each side of the railroad, and a person to attend them, so that no accident can possibly occur from a vehicle crossing when a train is passing. This is so simple and cheap, and at the same time so efficacious a means of preventing this kind of accidents, which so frequently occur here, that I think the public attention ought to be called to it, and our companies compelled to adopt it. I hope that some of our public-spirited legislators may see this suggestion and attend to it.

At Fribourg, where we stopped to see the splendid Cathedral, said to be the most perfect, as a work of art, in Europe, although not the largest. We went into the market early in the morning, and found a rich display of the most splendid cherries we ever saw; they were truly delicious, and we not only had a feast on the spot, but carried away a basket full, which lasted us all the day. At this place we breakfasted, also, on most excellent trout, the first we had met with, and which are here very abundant.

At Basle we hired a carriage to take us to Berne, a distance of eighty-one miles, through the valley of the Birs, commonly called " Val Moutiers," which is grand in the highest degree, "passing between a series of narrow and rocky defiles, the most interesting and

romantic in the whole range of the Jura." The mountains rise, on either side, to the height, in many places, as near as we could judge, of two or three thousand feet, and this for many miles; there being only room between for the road and the foaming torrent of the Birs, with occasional open spaces of fertile land, enlivened by villages, mills and forges. As we passed along between these perpendicular, frowning mountains, which, in many places, actually overhang the road in a terrific manner, we could not restrain continual exclamations of delight, mingled, at times, almost with a feeling of terror. Our carriage was made in such a manner that it could be all inclosed, or thrown open as a barouche; part of the time we had a heavy shower of rain, but it soon passed over, and we threw open the carriage, so as to see all around. So fascinating was the scene, that we were fairly spell-bound, and stood up in the carriage, most of the time, for several hours, gazing from height to height with ever increasing rapture, as changes in the road would bring us into view of some particularly sublime, terrific, or picturesque portion of this amazing scene; and these changes were continually occurring in never-ending variety; each step that we advanced seeming to open upon new wonders—frequently causing us to halt for a more leisurely survey, and with regret passing on again, but casting lingering looks behind, unable to tear our gaze away, until some new wonder would seize upon us, and again absorb all our attention. It was our first introduction to Swiss mountain scenery, and it burst

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upon us with complete suddenness, surpassing, in effect upon our minds, any thing that we had supposed would be produced by the Alps themselves, and almost produced a conviction that we had nothing left to see that could surpass it in grandeur. When we came to the Alps, however, we could tell a different tale; but I must not anticipate. I will only add, that this pass of the Jura has its own peculiar sublimities and beauties, which, not even the surpassing "Alps on Alps" can ever make us forget, or cease to remember with admiration.

Berne is a peculiar looking city-the second stories of the houses projecting over the streets so as to form arcades below, in which are the stores. The armorial bearings of this city and canton, is the bear, figures of which animal are represented everywhere-on columns, pumps, houses, signs, &c., as well as in the live animal, numbers of which are kept at the city's expense, for the admiration of the citizens and of strangers. There is also a curious clock here, on one of the churches, that has many fantastic figures, that come out, cut various ridiculous antics, march around, strike the hour, &c., in a very funny manner, to the amusement of the crowds, who, it would appear never tire at this puppet-show. It is as ridiculous and foolish as the celebrated mechanical clock at Strasburg is sublime and scientific. Fribourg is romantically situated on the verge of a perpendicular precipice, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet high, overhanging the small river Saarine, which winds along in serpentine form at the bottom, as if