2 26 Travels in Italy 



a proprte spese con tutta diligenza. This old road is passable 

 only by mules, and is that by which Mr. Dutens passed the Col 

 de Tende. I shall observe once for all, that the new one is a 

 most useful and princely undertaking. From within a few miles 

 of Nice, where it is not finished, to Limon cost 3,500,000 livres 

 (£175,000). It winds prodigiously, in order to pass the steepest 

 mountains in such angles as to admit carriages without difficulty. 

 The worst part is that which goes up to the Col de Tende; this 

 has not been made with equal attention as the rest, perhaps 

 because they have begun to execute a vast design of perforating 

 the mountain. At present, notwithstanding the goodness of 

 the road in summer, it is absolutely impassable in winter for 

 carriages, and with difficulty sometimes even with mules, owing 

 to the immense falls of snow. They have opened a cavern like 

 a vault of rock, about thirty trebulchi long, and wide enough for 

 carriages to pass, but it soon divides into two passages, one for 

 going and another for returning, which is found cheaper than one 

 large enough for both; the whole will be above five hundred 

 trebulchi, and will demand such an expense as leaves little hope 

 of seeing it executed in this century. Take the new road, how- 

 ever, for all in all, and it is a work that does honour to the king 

 and country. Descend into the rich and beautiful vale of Pied- 

 mont, a few miles before Coni, and between the Alps and 

 Apennines, which here separate, one range running from hence 

 to Calabria, I believe uninterruptedly, and the other to Con- 

 stantinople. Amongst the maps never made, but much wanted, 

 is one of the mountains of Europe, to show at one coup d'ceil 

 which are connected and which separate : this separation of the 

 Alps and Apeninnes so narrow that they would, on a map on any 

 scale, appear as one range ; they connect with all the mountains 

 of France, by Dauphine, Vivais, and Auvergne, but not with the 

 Pyrenees; I have myself travelled the whole range of those from 

 sea to sea. Quere, Do they connect with Germany, Poland, etc. "? 

 Perhaps they may with those of the hereditary dominions of the 

 House of Austria. This would make only two ranges of moun- 

 tains on the continent of Europe, the Alps and the Pyrenees; 

 for all the Spanish connect with the latter, unless those of 

 Norway and Sweden do not join the Russian, Polish, etc. — 

 Reach Coni, which is strongly fortified and well situated; but 

 as for inns, the croce bianca, which they speak of as being excel- 

 lent, afforded me a good room enough, but without a single pane 

 of glass in the windows, only ragged paper — and such a necessary 

 house ! — let me drive the recollection from my memory ! Here 



