Bakewell’s Travels inthe Tarentaise, &c. 
there is no other object worth notice in 
the canton of Berne: 'The rose- coloured 
tint‘on the snowy Alps, continued about 
fifteen minutes in the elear evenings: in 
October, remaining the longest on those 
‘mountains which bad the ¢reatest ole- 
yatioli; ‘and were situated on the western 
‘end of the line. : 
1. FQ29 49 & AIOPERLAND. 
“oWeremained a month in the Bernese 
Oberland, as the antumn was ancom- 
monly mild. "To ‘the delight received 
from the’scenery,; was added the satis- 
faciion of ‘observing the neatness, com- 
fort;and enjoymient, of the people. I 
could) not ‘compare ‘their situation with 
that'of the Savoyards, without reflect- 
ingion the cause whence this difference 
arose. “It certainly is not from the soil, 
or climate; for in both these respects 
Savoy bas the advantage. The supe- 
tiority of condition of ihe Bernese pea- 
santry ‘must'be sought in a fecling of 
independence, an exemption from all 
oppressive services or taxes, and a just 
goverment. “If history docs not) sufii- 
ciently convince us, that national mi- 
sery isthe invariable result of a des- 
‘potic ‘government, we may contem- 
plate the actual condition of ‘the people 
under the*domination of ‘Austria and 
Naples, or of Tunis or Constantinople, 
and we-‘stiall be fully sensible: of this 
trath:' On ‘tiie other band, the supe- 
ridrity which England has long enjoyed, 
and’stil enjoys, over all despotic Eu- 
ropeaw states, is’only owing to the su- 
perior Gegree’ of freedom we possess. 
With thesé striking facts before our 
eyes, it is\passing ‘strange that writers 
are still to. be found in Britain, who 
revile with ‘bitterness nations struggling 
to: be! ‘free, and) who would ‘make the 
interests, the happiness, and ihe una- 
lienable: riglits’ of the people, yicld to 
the arbitrary claims of a few imbecile 
families. “1 was partly lead into this 
train of thinking, by the conversation 
we had frequently at the public table 
with travellers returning from Italy: 
the oppressive and atrocious conduct of 
the Austrians’ to the people, was on 
every “tongue. © When ‘the Austrians 
were on their march to Naples, they 
displayed ‘all the hesitation and fear of 
felons abuat to break into a house ; but 
when treachery had made ‘every thing 
éasy tothem, their extravagance of joy 
knew no bounds. From that ‘moment 
the combined despots saw themselves 
independest of Britain, or regarded her 
only as am humble agent, ready to for- 
ward their further attacks on the liber- 
Mowtuty Mac. No. 301. 
601 
tios of Earope ;oand well’ might they 
think ‘so, for: we had aided them most 
essentially inthe subjagation'of Naples, 
and had willingly thrown away the op- 
portanity°of securing the peace of Eu- 
rope, At that) period, a single; sincere, 
and spirited remoustrance would have 
kept the Austrians at home.” But the 
evil genias who then directed our coun- 
ceils, was too’ much infatuated by ‘the 
smiles of despots, to perceive that the 
power of England would be diminished 
hy extinguishing the free states on the 
Continent, who alone’ :would be our 
sincere friends. 
ALPINE SCENE. 
From Grindelwald there is a ‘mule- 
road on the north, leading overamonn - 
tain, called the Sheideck, to Meyrengen, 
in the valley of Hasli. This road lies 
under the west side of the Wetterhorn 
and Wellhorn, and presents some as- 
tonishing ‘views of those mountains. 
Another road conducts the traveller 
over the Wengen Alp, into the valley of 
Lauterbrun. This passage, sométiines 
called that of the Wengen Alp-Scheidei?, 
is stated to be 6840 feet above the levek 
of the sea. It is a day’s journey over; 
the road is little frequented, and in'some 
parts is trackless without a cuide; if is 
occasionally difficult, and very rough. 
We were five hours in ascending, in- 
cluding an hour we rested ata cattle 
shed, in the neighbourhood of a spriug, 
and we were four hours in descending, 
The sky was without a cloud, and the 
air was of a delightful temperature, ¢e- 
nial and invigorating. ‘The highest 
mountains of this Alpine range were im- 
mediately above us, on our left, and the 
dazzling whiteness of the snow, con- 
trasted with the deep azure of ithe hea 
vens, was too powerful for the eyes long 
to rest upon. The. pines« became 
stunted in their growth as we ascended, 
and | disappeared entirely before we 
gained the summit of the pass, which is 
above the zone of treess The first part 
of the ascent may be said to be on the 
side of the Higer, and is diréctly under 
the lofty walls ‘of limestone, that form 
the middle region of that mountain, 
below ‘the line of perpetual... snow. 
When we had gained the ascent, the 
ihree giants of the Swiss Alps,» the 
Monk. Kiger, the Silver Horny and the 
Jungfrau, were only separated from us 
by a narrow chasm, or valley, nearly a 
mile iu depth, into which the avalanches 
were falling, in rapid succession, from 
one or other of these colossal misses. 
The noise was indescribably deep and 
I awful, 
