repute are Patek, Philippe, and Co., 22, Grand Quai.

The town, so fortunate in its position and in the attractiveness of its scenery, is unfortunate in its climate, the summers being hot and relaxing, and the winters vigorous in consequence of the Bise, a cold north wind which prevails for several months.

FERNEY, the residence of Voltaire, is distant about 5 miles from Geneva, on the French territory. An omnibus runs thither hourly in summer, by the road to Gex, passing over a height which commands one of the best views of Mont Blanc. It was in 1759 that Voltaire quitted his country house, “Les Délices," and went to reside at Ferney. He found only a few wretched hovels, but from that date, whether owing to the activity which he displayed, or the numerous society which was attracted there by his renown, Ferney increased rapidly; so that in 1777, when he left for Paris, it counted 1,200 inhabitants. The chateau, built under his direction, is situated on a height to the left of the high road. The facade, which fronts the road, instead of looking out towards the best view, is long, without depth, and has no architectural pretensions. The saloon and sleeping chamber of Voltaire, which, until 1845, had been permitted to remain in the state in which he had left them, were then appropriated to a new destination.

In the garden is shown the berceau under which he used to dictate his letters to his secretary. The theatre, formerly on the left side of the court, has been pulled down; the Church, upon which is the inscription, "Deo erexit Voltaire," is now a store-house. At Pregny, on the road from Geneva to Ferney, is

the splendid villa of Adolf Rothschild, with fine grounds and a pavilion from which there is a superb view of Mont Blanc. Admission on Tuesdays and Fridays by ticket, to be had at the large hotels at Geneva gratis.

The LAKE OF GENEVA, or Lake Leman, is 45 miles long, and varies in width from 1 to 8 miles, containing an area of about 260 square miles. The Rhone flows with considerable rapidity into it at its eastern extremity. It rises several feet during the summer months, owing to the melting of the snow on the heights beneath which the Rhone makes it way. It is also subject to sudden currents and risings, which as rapidly subside, and are probably due to atmospheric

causes.

Steamers leave Geneva several times a day by both shores of the lake. The first place reached going by the north bank, is VERSOIX, a village which was formerly the territory of France. Here the Duc de Choiseul, Minister of Louis XV., designed the foundation of a city, which should prove a rival to Geneva. The next place is COPPET (Hotel: Croix Blanche), a little town built on the margin of the lake, on which it has a port. The chateau, remarkable for the souvenirs which it calls up, is on a height which commands the town. It is a large plain building, erected on the site of a feudal castle, which, in 1536, sustained a siege against the Bernese, and was in part destroyed by fire. The learned Bayle lived here many years as a tutor in the family of Count Dolina. The minister Necker also passed here in honourable retirement the latter years of his life. His daughter, Madame de Stael, who long inhabited it, is buried at this place in a monumental tomb, with her father, her

mother, and the eldest of her

sons.

NYON (Hotel: Ange), was called by the Romans Novidunum, or Colonia Julia Equestris. The Castle, formerly of great strength, was built in the twelfth century. At a little distance is the Chateau

de Prangins, part of which, La Bergerie, is the property of Prince Jerome Napoleon. Close by, we observe a promontory, on which is Promenthoux. On the opposite shore, we see Yvoire. To the left, we see part of the range of the Jura, with the heights of the Dole, and the Noir-Mont; we next pass ROLLE (Hotel: TeteNoire), the birthplace of La Harpe, tutor of the Emperor Alexander I. His obelisk stands on a small island on the lake. About 3 miles to the north, above Rolle, is the Signal de Bougy, a point from which a magnificent view of the lake and surrounding country is obtained. We then proceed to MORGES (Hotel des Alpes), a manufacturing town, with a harbour. The castle is now a magazine. A short distance to the north is the Castle of Vufflens, standing on an eminence. When the weather is clear, Mont Blanc is seen on the right, through a gap in the mountains. We next reach OUCHY, the port of Lausanne (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"). Byron wrote the "Prisoner of Chillon" in the Anchor Inn, being detained here by "stress of weather," thus, as Moore well observed, "adding one more deathless association to the already immortalized localities of the lake."

"Rousseau, Voltaire, our Gibbon, and de Stael:

Leman! these names are worthy of thy shore."

Ouchy and Lausanne are connected by railway-35 trains

daily, in 6 minutes; fare, 25 cen

times.

LAUSANNE (Hotels: see "HoTEL LIST"), capital of the Canton of Vaud, and, after Geneva, the most important in French Switzerland.

ARRIVAL. Omnibuses and porters from the hotels meet the trains.

Cabs, 2 francs the course.

The ground on which it stands is irregular and broken; hence, it seems a confused labyrinth of streets, houses, churches, terraces, and gardens, distributed as it were by chance. The government, as well as private individuals, has made the most laudable efforts to improve and beautify the town, and great ameliorations have been effected.

The situation of Lausanne is more than sufficient to compensate for any defects of its construction. Its elevation above the lake makes it healthier than Geneva, and places it in view of a very extensive range of delightful scenery. From the terrace of the cathedral, the mountains to the east and south present their most majestic aspect. Villages without number cover the lands, which everywhere display the riches of a most varied culture. The Jura encloses a great part of the landscape.

The CATHEDRAL is one of the largest and finest Gothic churches in Switzerland. It was commenced in 1235, and was consecrated by Pope Gregory X. in the presence of Rudolph of Hapsburg. It is 333 ft. long. The view from the terrace of the cathedral, embracing the lake and mountains of Savoy, is very fine.

The museum, near the cathedral, contains a cabinet of natural history, and some interesting relics of the Roman and Celtic periods.

The chateau, or castle, erected in the thirteenth century, now the council hall of the canton, was

once the residence of the bishops of Lausanne. It is a picturesque tower, with turrets at its four angles.

The house which was inhabited by Gibbon, and in which he completed the later volumes of the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," stood in the lower part of the town. Both the house and garden are entirely changed. The site of the summer-house, where the great historian used to write, is now occupied by part of the wall of the Hotel Gibbon. It was in this garden that the historian experienced that tender melancholy which he so affectingly confesses in his autobiography :"It was on the day, or rather night, of the 27th of June 1787, between the hours of 11 and 12, that I wrote the last lines of the last page in a summer-house in my garden. After laying down my pen, I took several turns in a berceau, or covered walk of acacias, which commands a prospect of the country, the lake, and the mountains. The air was temperate, the sky was serene, the silver orb of the moon was reflected from the waters, and all nature was silent. I will not dissemble the first emotions of joy on the recovery of my freedom, and perhaps the establishment of my fame. But my pride was soon humbled, and a sober melancholy was spread over my mind by the idea that I had taken an everlasting leave of an old and agreeable companion, and that whatever might be the future fate of my history, the life of the historian must be short and precarious."

The boulevard of Montbenon, to the west of Lausanne, and just outside the town, is a pleasant promenade, sheltered by avenues of fine trees. The heights are covered with vineyards, which produce a white wine of a high character.

ENGLISH CHURCH, Christchurch, Avenue de Grancy, services 11 and 4. There are also Scotch and Wesleyan Churches.

As we proceed the mountains come more and more into view, and present a grand and imposing appearance. We soon arrive at VEVAY (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST").

ARRIVAL. Omnibuses from the hotels meet the trains.

Cab hire. One horse, 1 franc 50 cents. the course; hour, 1 franc 50 cents.; 1 hour, 3 francs. ENGLISH CHURCH, at St Claire's Church. Sundays 11 and 4.

This place is charmingly situated near the mouth of the Veveyse. It is immortalized by Rousseau, who has laid here the scene of his Nouvelle Heloise. There is a delightful view from the Church of St Martin, which stands on an eminence ("Terrasse du Panorama") outside the town. Ludlow and Broughton, who took part in the_trial and condemnation of Charles I.,are buried here. Omnibus from Vevay to Chexbres to meet the trains on the railway between Geneva and Berne. Time to Chexbres, 1 hours. Some distance above Vevay, to the north-east, is the Chateau de Hautville, from which a superb view may be had, and beyond it the Castle of Blonay. To the east of Vevay, and near by, is the school Bellerive, patronized by many English and American families. Beyond it is the Tour de Peilz, supposed to have been erected by Peter of Savoy in the thirteenth century, and formerly used as a prison. A few miles further, we pass CLARENS, a charming village, celebrated by Rousseau, and by Byron. At Clarens and the numerous villages in the neighbourhood are numbers of Pensions, which are greatly frequented. (Prices from

66

5 to 10 francs per day). MONTREUX (Hotels: see 'HOTEL LIST") is a favourite resort for consumptive patients. About a mile and a half beyond Montreux the massive and gloomy CASTLE OF CHILLON is seen, standing on an isolated rock, connected with the shore by a bridge. This fortress of the middle ages is of one the most striking features in the scenery of Lake Leman. From Lausanne to Vevay it is never out of sight, except where the nature of the road excludes the eastern shore from the view. It is the subject of innumerable sketches and photographs, and during summer it is daily delineated by amateurs. Amedeus IV., Count of Savoy, built the castle in 1238. It was at once the defence of his state, an arsenal, and a point from which to undertake new conquests. After two centuries and a half, when the fortune of war had subjected the Pays de Vaud to the Bernese rule, the castle served as the residence of the Baillis of Vevay. In 1733 it was converted into a state prison, and served as such till the revolution of 1778. It is now an arsenal, and in part a prison.

It was in a dungeon of this castle that Bonnivard, the heroic defender of Genevan liberty, languished six years, chained to a pillar. The ring of iron to which he was fastened is still to be seen, and the pillar worn with the grating of his chain.

were consigned to a living death, and with no other communication, even with their keepers, than through a hole pierced in the vaulting of their prison.

The castle presents, at a little distance, the aspect of an irregular mass of buildings, over which a large square central tower keeps guard. Two soldiers stationed at the entrance, a concierge and his family, are usually its sole inhabitants. One of the gendarmes or the concierge will show the interior of the castle to strangers.

About a mile from the castle, nearer Villeneuve and in front of its port, is seen a little island, almost level with the water, on which some poplars have been planted. Besides that in front of Rolle, this is the only island in the lake. It is mentioned by Byron in his of "Prisoner Chillon:"

"And then there was a little isle
Which in my very face did smile,
A small green isle, it seem'd no more,
The only one in view;
Scarce broader than my dungeon floor;
But in it there were three tall trees,
And o'er it blew the mountain breeze,
And by it there were waters flowing,
And on it there were young flowers
growing,

Of gentle breath and hue."

A little more than two miles beyond Chillon is VILLENEUVE, an old town of 1500 inhabitants. The neighbourhood abounds in fine walks and drives.

Continuing on by railway from Vevay and Villeneuve, MARTIGNY may be reached in a little over two hours. The towns on the route after leaving Villeneuve are Aigle, 13 miles from Vevay, a favourite summer resort, with several good hotels (see "HOTEL LIST"), once a Roman cavalry station. BEX (GRAND HOTEL DES SALINES), a place much