526 
im, but content myfelf with fimply fating, 
that the predominant colour, fometimes 
faint and fometimes ftrong, is that grey 
mifty purple, which has fometimes been 
reprefented with confiderable truth and ef- 
fect upon the canvas. | 
From Bourge, we proceeded, amidit a 
thick fnow,towardsNantua, Oxen are more 
2nd more abundantly ufed in draught as we’ 
ome nearer to Genéve: the carts which 
are ufed for the carriage of goods are, I 
thould imagine, not above two-thirds fo 
wide, and certainly two-thirds longer, 
than thefe of England. Like the caravans 
over the Great Defert, they travel in large 
companies; we frequently meet fixteen, 
eighteen, twenty of thefe long-backed 
carriages in ftring together, each drawn 
by a fingle horfe, with about half-a dozen 
drivers attending them. “This mode is 
probably adopted by the carmen, that 
either may render affiftance to the other in 
cafe of accident: where the road is fo 
bad, that a fingle horfe is unequal to the 
draught, we have more than once feen two 
or three unyoked from the neighbouring 
carts, and added to that which is in dif. 
trefs: the others, in their turn, receive 
the fame affiftance. Villages now became 
Pore thickly fcattered around us, and po- 
pulation obvioufly increafed. 
The road from Bourge'to Nantua lies 
through the village of Cerdon, where we 
changed horfes, and were informed, that 
as a heavy mountain was before'us, extra 
cattle would be neceffary. We had no 
fooner left the village, than we began to 
aieend ; and the impreffion which this moft 
perilous of all roads made on my mind, 
mo time or circumftance I think can ef- 
face. The afcent was oftentimes fo fteep, 
that had any of the horfes refufed dratt, 
er made a falfe ftep, the carriage muft 
have run backwards till fome piece of 
rock ad overturned it into the ;gulph be- 
low ; the road, which muft have been cut 
with great labour up the fide of the moun- 
tain, although in fome places wide evough 
.. for two carriages to pafs, frequently (per- 
haps in con/equence of the drifted fnow), 
Gid not leave us above two feet on either 
fide of the wheels ; nor is there the flight- 
éft defence again the precipice ; fearcely 
a ftone or a bufh to mark the limits of fe- 
eurity } It may give you fome faint inade- 
quate idea of this monftrous range of crags, 
that when to appearance we had afcended 
half way of their vilibie altitude, the lofty 
_ timbers which we had left in the valley were 
almoft loft upon us ; we looked over them, 
and they were reduced to little tufts of 
brufh-weod, while the larch, which co= 
An Exeurfion through France to Geneva: 
[July ts 
vered part of the hill on the oppofite fide 
of the vale, appeared like the little 
maidens hair of the meadow. After 
looking down this dreadful and immediate - 
declivity, fo diftant that all was confufion; 
we turned our eyes upwards, and the 
naked over-hanging rocks feemed not te 
have loft one inch of their height fince 
we had begun to afcend them: ithe fnow 
was drifted againft the edge of the precis 
pice—had the wheel touched its treacher- 
_ous furface, inftant and inevitable de- 
ftruction muft have enfued. After we had 
fcaled Mont Cerdon, the road ran among” 
hills and vallies; but the evening fell fait 
upon us, and probably relieved our eyes 
from the fight of fimilar dangers., As 
the moon: rofe, I recolleét remarking the 
contraft between the black rocks: which 
feemed to enclofe us on every fide, and an 
extenfive level fin'face of what appeared to 
be turf, lying at a confiderable diftance 
immediately under our feet. “There was 
a ferenity and peacefulnefs fpread over the 
lawn that were uncommonly ftriking, and 
we were furprifed that no hut was peep~ 
ing out to enjoy them. “After a ‘time our 
furprife fubfided, for defcending the moun- 
tain, we heard therippling water ; and the 
moon increafing its light, fhewed us, that 
what we had miftaken for grafs, was 2 
lake, along the fide of which we had been 
inconfcioufly travelling. We much re- 
gretted, being fo unfortunate as to pafs 
the Lac de Cerdon in the night time 5 but 
at feven o’clock, we reached Nantua, and 
forgot our regret at the Hotel d’Angle- | 
terre, one’of the cleaneit, and in every re 
fpect the moft comfortable inn, that we 
have found in the courfe of the journey. 
We determined to reach Genéve the 
‘following day :—Rofe at five, had a good 
fire and coffee prepared for us, and were 
in the carriage by fix o'clock ; it was a | 
lovely day and-a lovely ride. arly in the © 
morning, we paffed the Lac de Nantua, a 
narrow winding piece of water, not very 
rich in furrounding beauties: the road, 
however, runs by the fide of a water-fall, 
which, when it thaws, muft havea fing © 
effect. Between Bellegarde andCoulonges, 
about three miles diftant from the former, | 
Mont Blanc prefented to us a éront of © 
immeafurable magnitude; the furround= — 
ing hills, awed by his majeftic prefences | 
feemed to fhrink into dittlenefs: and ‘infig- 
nificance. A light fleecy cloud curled 
round the brow.of the mountain, which © 
looked like another Olympus, the fabled 
tefidence of Jove; I really could pees f ‘ 
help fancying, that the old thunderer wa 
then “holding a council of the gods and | 
| goddelics 
-. 
