1802.] 
‘Gay before yeflerday, a French family: tra- 
- -werfed part of the mountain,returned in aif 
appointment, and this. morning fet off. by 
the circuitous route of Bourge, which we 
muft purfue at the expence of two extra 
days. ‘Travelling improves upon us: we 
were this-day four long hours in coming 
eleven {hort miles, and of courfe had abun- 
‘dant leifure for enjoying the beauties of 
the countiy. Oxenare here very common, 
‘ly ufed for draught; \yefterday they made 
their fir appearance to us: they are 
yoked by the horns, and Ican hardly con- 
' ceive a mere unealy mode of management 
for the poor animals, who cannot. walk 
with their natural gait, or hold their heads 
ivtheir natural. pofirion. Indian corn 4s 
grown here on aconfiderable fcale, and 
the eaves of the houles:in feveral of the 
villages through which we have pafied, 
- projeét ten or twelve feet from the piane of 
the walls. You will {mile at my coupling: 
two fuch remarks as .thefe,. but they are 
not fo unconneéted as you, may tmagine : 
when the corn'is cut, it is tied up in 
bunches, and fufpended from light rafters, 
horizontally placed, under the fhelter of 
thefe eaves, where it remains in a ftate of 
progreffive deficcation—it is a hard word, 
but I hope you will excufe it—tiil it is re- 
quired for ufe.. From: this circumftance 
-of publicly-expofing their corn, one au- 
gurs favourably ofthe honelty of the peo- 
ple: if thus expofed in. England, I doubt 
there is too much reafon to fear, that half 
of it would be ftolen the firft night. 
The firt view. of Mont Jura,.on the 
‘ road from Mont fous Voudrais to Poligny, 
is very ftriking: from eafy, though very 
lofty, eminences, the eye is all at once led 
along a valt femi-circular chain of hills, a 
mighty amphitheatre of mountains, whofe 
declivity is naked and abrupt. Thefe 
mountains were covered with {now, the 
fky was ‘partially clouded, the air feverely 
frofty, and the fun, where its rays were 
not obvioully iotercepted, shone brilliantly, 
and prefented to us. a. very ftrong oppofi- 
tion of light and fhade on various portions 
of the fcene before us. The village of 
An Excurfien through France to Geneva, 
519 
cuit of Bourge en Breffe; we determined 
to make a grand pufh. On Wednefday, 
therefore, as there was but little {now on > 
the grotnd, and that was frozen fo as to 
improve the roads, by having Alled the 
ruts, we were in the carriage very early, 
and did not ftir foot out of it till the clock 
{truck fen at night, when we found our- 
felves at Bourge, a diftance of about fixtys 
three. miles from Poligny. No prepara- 
tion was made for us, as De Buck could 
{carcely get his tumbling bidet along the 
road. We did not,fit down to dinner till 
half paft eleven o’clock, atier which we 
enjoyed our Burgundy till one, and I-fcit ~ 
no difpofition to ufe my.pen and ink. 
Leaving Mont Jura; we. bore a little of 
from the mountains, and the road wound 
by the fide of them at a confiderable dit. 
tance during almoft. the whole of that 
day’s journey, which, though a very fa- 
tiguing, was avery delightful one; the 
form: of the bills varying with every turn 
of the wheel, and the ftriking oppofition 
of deep fhade and brilliant light, iorcibly 
contrafted by the fun-beams, which were 
reflected from large maffes of unfillied 
fnow, added much tothe romantic richnefs 
of the feenery. 
feemingly inaccefiible precipice, ftand the 
tottering ruins of an ancient caftle, and 
in the vailies are {prinkled- frequent -vil- 
lages, on both of which the imagination 
may repofe with pleafure; the difmantled 
towers, and the proftrate ftrencth of the 
one, may be contemplated with no lefs 
complacency, than the prefent fecurity and 
{fnugnefs.of the other. Onafcending fome 
of thefe hills, the horizon was only bound. 
ed by the weaknefs of man’s vifion, which 
could penetrate no farther; thefe are not 
views which delight me: one is bewilder- 
ed by the confufion and diminutivenefs -of © 
the objects, but I particularly remember, 
that twice, when we were on no very loity 
ground, the landicape was exceflively 
beautiful. I fuipect there-was an optical 
deception in the cafe : the valley below. us 
appeared to be of a concave fhape, and in 
whichever direction the eye extended it~ 
Here and there, on fome ~ 
> 
_ Poligny is nafty, poor, and without any 
| appearance of comfort, but its fite is. eli- 
\ gible and. pretty : immediately under the 
_Jofty perpendicular precipices of Jura, it is 
{creened by them borh from the north and 
* eaft winds, and on its front commands a 
‘\Wwery extenfive valley to the fouth and wef. 
\ Geneve, Monday, Dec. 21.— Thanks to 
\the moon, who has been very kind to usy 
we are here atlaf&t'!» You will like to hear 
felf, the diftant ground feemed gently to 
rile, and as the {phere of vifion was not 
large, the effect was extremely pleaf 
ing. ‘Towards evening,. the’ air being ns 
clear and trofty, we had a fine view of the 
f-tting-fun ; but a fun-fet among the 
Alps! who is“to defcribe it? A ‘man’s 
pen muft be dipped in the rich colours 
which’adorn the iky, and play refle&ted on 
: the mountains: the fcene is only to be 
omething of our operations fince we left conceived by an actual view of it: I thall 
‘Poligny. Being obliged to take the cir- not attempt what a thouland have faikd’ 
s iN, 
»T 
