AND THE JURA. 41 



partly worn out of the limestone rock. The grey perpendicular 

 wall to the south, worn and blackened by long exposure to ele- 

 mental warfare, reminded me forcibly of the scars of our Yorkshire 

 and Westmoreland hills, but are on a far grander scale than even 

 the finest of these. Owing to the sudden turn which the river is 

 forced to make, only a small part of its course is seen here, and even 

 much that might be visible, and does make itself appreciated by one 

 of the senses (that of hearing), is quite hidden from the eye by most 

 luxuriant vegetation, covering every spot upon which a square yard 

 of earth can find lodgment. So completely is this the case, that a 

 large tree often seems to hang almost in the air, its roots being im- 

 bedded, as it were, in the very rock itself, and so bidding defiance 

 to the accidents of tempest and the attacks of man. 



When I had once descended to the noisy and troubled river, it 

 required only that I should follow it in its course to return soon to 

 the road from which I had diverged. Once more in the direct . 

 route, I soon reached the village of Vallorbe ; but by this time the 

 valley had ceased to be romantic, and, although still pretty, pre- 

 sents nothing very remarkable in its widening expanse. The vil- 

 lage, however, is one so entirely Swiss, and so very picturesque, 

 as well at a distance as when viewed in detail, that I must just al- 

 lude to it en passant. The houses are, as usual, square, with the 

 roof projecting very much, so as to shelter completely from the wea- 

 ther the galleries running round the exterior on the first floor, and 

 the staircases, which are also outside the house. Wood seems the 

 only building material ; for not only were the walls made of it, but 

 even the shelving roof was covered entirely with wooden tiles, if 

 one may so call the oblong thin boards laid one over another, and 

 forming an admirable and waterproof covering. Each house is 

 separated from the rest by a greater or less space, according to its 

 importance ; and although there was a degree of regularity, and the 

 whole made something like a street, yet this seemed rather the ef~ 

 feet of accident than intention, so absolutely independent did each 

 building appear to be of all the rest. The church, a plain brick edi- 

 fice, stood apart, and overlooked the small family of whose members 

 it, doubtless, formed the effectual bond of union. 



After passing this pretty village I left the valley, and crossed its 

 northern boundary by a pass of no great elevation or interest ; and 

 after traversing another valley, naked and barren, and only charac- 

 terised by some iron founderies, which did not possess attraction for 

 me, I arrived at the foot of a hill, on the top of which stands the 

 French frontier town of Jougne. As this town lay in my road, I 



VOL. X., NO. XXVIII. 6 



