i6 HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



road-makers with perpetual diversion and employ- 

 ment during the early spring months. There is one 

 thing to be said of mountain roads, that in most 

 places their inclination assists the act of drainage, 

 but even on the highest mountain passes, occasionally 

 the road is level for a considerable distance when 

 passing through elevated valleys. 



The principal roads over the Alps are as follows : 



The Mont Cenis, 6825 ft. 



The Simplon, 6636 ft. 



The St. Gothard, 6808 ft. 



The St. Bernard, 8200 ft. 



It will be seen that the St. Bernard is the highest, 

 and it was in consequence of this fact that Napoleon 

 decided to make other roads more suited to the 

 passage of his artillery which, being at a less altitude, 

 were less likely to be blocked by snow and ice. 



The celebrated passage of the Alps was com- 

 menced by Napoleon, May i6th, 1800, and occupied 

 four days. The St. Bernard had been reported by 

 Marescot, chief of Napoleon's engineers, as scarcely 

 possible for artillery. " As you admit that it is possible, 

 let us start, then," was the energetic reply of Napoleon. 



The part of the road which most tried the troops 

 was that from St. Pierre to the summit. The artillery 

 carriages were taken to pieces and packed on mules, 

 the ammunition was also transported ; whilst the 

 guns themselves, placed in the trunks of trees 

 hollowed out, were dragged up the mountain by main 

 force, the soldiers receiving 1200 francs for each 

 cannon so conveyed. At the hospice each soldier par- 

 took of the hospitality of the monks. Since then 

 there is a new road. The old road must have been 

 very bad, otherwise the guns might have remained 



