604 
of the land belonging to.a few great-pro- 
prictors, who let it tothe peasantry, and 
-they being merely tenantss feel but little 
interest.in its improvement. 
The Vallais, though wanting men for 
the proper cultivation of its soil, yet, 
like. many of the. other cantons of 
Switzerland, still submits to a disgrace- 
-ful traffic in buman flesh, by agreeing to 
furnish a cerfaiu number of mercenary 
troops to any government that will pay 
for. them. The Wallais supplies the 
French government with 1600 men. 
SEMPLON ROAD. 
October 13, 1820, we left Bricgg, at 
nine o'clock, to ascend the Semplon, 
taking two; additional horses to the 
chariot we had hired at Lausanne. 
It is truly remarkable, that the most 
striking object which is seen in ascend- 
ing the Semplon has not hitherto been 
noticed, that I know of, by any tourist: 
this is the view of the southern. side. of 
the Swiss range of Alps, that divide the 
Vallais from the canton of Berne. Every 
one who has been at Berne knows the 
conspicuous figure these mountains make 
from thence, but on ascending the Semp- 
lon, you are almost four times nearer 
them than, at Berne, and all the most 
Jofty summits) of the Swiss range, with 
a host.of snowy pinnacles on this side of 
them, and the glaciersfrom whence they 
rise, are immediately before the eye of 
the traveller, if he will turn back to look 
at them: a more sublime spectacle can- 
not be imagined. 
The road up the Semplon, and along 
its. summit, is surmounted by moun- 
tains that rise much above it; some of 
them are covered. with perpetual snow. 
Near the top of the road is a large un- 
finished building, intended for an hos- 
pice, by Napoleon. We passed several 
scattered. cottages, with gardens, or- 
chards, and pastures, before arriving at 
the village of Semplon. This village, 
though 1700 fect below. the highest part 
of the road, is one of the highest large 
villages in Europe, being 4836 English 
fect above the Jevel.of the sea. The 
descent from the Semplon, on ihe 
Hialian side, is far grander and more 
striking than thaton the side of the 
Vallais, . Precipices of granite, of ama- 
zing height, havg immediately over the 
road, and dark profound chasms open 
beneath it, on the right, throrgh which 
the torrents are roaring and foaming, 
and rushing on to: the plains of Ttaly. 
The Semplon_road is forty-two miles in 
Jengih: from Gliss to Domo d’Ossola, 
and about nine yards wide; it is. every 
~ 
Bakewell’s Travels in the Tarentaise, &c. 
where as safe aud commodious, as. thie 
roads round: Londow.” A. mail) cored 
would ¢cross\it in six bours. Phe ascent 
is nowhere more than ove footia twenty- 
nine feet. There are ten houses of; re- 
fuge built by. the ‘road: side; to. afford 
shelter to travellers, in case of sudden 
storms. ‘Twenty-two bridges arethrown 
over the ravines and torrents, and, ten 
galleries are pierced through the rocks. 
The largest gallery, that of Gendo, is 
157 yards. long. ‘This read cost ‘the 
French government twelve million: li- 
vres, or about four hundred and cighty 
thousand pounds sterlivg. faioa3 
The view of the rich valley:of D’Ocella, 
in descending into. Italy, is inaconceiva- 
bly fines Sach is the extraordinary 
fertility of the soil, that the-earth seems 
over-burthened with produce ; the seene 
forms a most striking contrast; tothe 
sterile grandeur of the overhanging rocks 
in the defiles of the Semploni., ‘The 
change of climate, too, is, almost Jike 
enchant{ment; for» you descend inva few 
hours from the vegetation of Lapland, 
to a country abounding with! vines, figs, 
and pomegranates; nor can: the traveller 
see for the first time, without-deep, emo- 
tion, a land rendered interesting to binr 
by so many early associations» with’ bis- 
tory and poctry. ‘its Heat 
LYONS. nei tor 
Approaching to Lyons the» soil twas 
more highly cultivated : barley was itr 
full ear, (April 17,) and veady to blooms 
the foliage of the trees was expanded, 
and numerous nightiugales were singing 
_in the bushes by the road side. 
Many gentlemen’s houses, with: :ex- 
tensive gardens and vineyards, )an- 
nounced our proximity to an ‘opulent 
city, as we proceeded.» As’ Lyons» is 
one of the principal omanufacturing 
towns in France, I shall state the ad- 
vantages of its situation, aud other cir- 
cumstances, which may enable the reader 
to compare it with the large mann- 
facturing towns in Great Britain. » Phe 
magnificent ‘rivers, ‘yie) Rbéne»and ‘the 
Saone, whieh flow on the’ north» and 
south side: of this city, offer» natural 
facilities for ecommerce, which are. pos- 
sessed by few towns so) far removed 
from the sea. Lyonsis built-at the ex- 
tremity of anextensive/and fertile plain, 
but immediately under a range of moun- 
tains that shelter it-from!the north and 
north-east. ‘Their sides ave richly adorm-. 
ed with wood; aud thus form a beautiful 
back ground to the view of this: eity 
seen from the south. “Numerous villas, 
placed on the different exinences, afford ! 
p deligtstial 
ell 
