Chap. XIL] LETTEE8 FEOM ABROAD. 137 



Prom Innsprack we took a drive up the Bremer and crossed the 

 Lake Constance, and came to Zurich. From Zurich we came to Lucerne. 

 From Lucerne we went up the railway to the Bigi : there was so much 

 snow that we eould not get to the top, but only one-third the way up. 



The mountains about here are covered deeply with snow. Filatus is 

 snow a long way down. All the mountains up the lake are well covered, 

 which makes the views intensely beautiful. We went up the lake to 

 Fluelen, and have returned to table d'hote. The lake never looked so 

 lovely, and, what is best of all, we are not troubled with numerous tourists. 

 We are still like the premature swallows. I enjoy my rest excessively; 

 and as I have nothing to do, not even to settle accounts or railway 

 tickets, it is a thorough rest to me, which I feel I want.* We have been 

 at least 1600 miles in fourteen days, which is more than 110 miles a day. 



I hope the tall boy (the gardener) does his work in the garden, for soon 

 all the succulent plants must take a promenade. Write to me to H6tel de 

 France, Bordeaux. I have seen a glorious sunset over Filatns, also a sun- 

 rise. We have had a fish in the lakes of Zurich and Lucerne, without 

 being troubled with any weight of fish to carry afterwards. With best 

 love to boy and girl. 



Dxtring this visit my father visited Clermont in France, and 

 was interested with the geological formation of that place. One 

 of the mountains at Clermont is an extinct Tolcano, and from 

 there he bronght home a Eoman coin. This Eoman coin was 

 " found," he writes, " in digging the foundation of an observatory 

 on the top of the Domo, about 5000 feet high, the centre of a 

 huge series of extinct volcanoes at Clermont, in the centre of 

 France." My brother has kindly allowed me to take a woodcut 

 of the coin, which is here given. 



Fiti. 6a. Boman Coin found at ClennoDt. 



On the 17th of August he wrote the following letter to the 

 ' Times ' on " A Homicidal Eiver." 



The river Lea was as famous for its annual deaths half a century 

 ago as it is now. For several summers 1 resided on its banks, and on 



* When they came to sundry towns, it should be observed he had to 

 attend to weighty matters of business ; but, although he was travelling at the 

 rate of 110 miles a day, even this was a rest comjiared to his mental work in 

 London. 



