which is often applied to Genoa. I went one evening to the theatre, after Sir Humphry had retired to bed, and was much amused by a magnificent ballet, Carlo di Borgogna, which, however, ended in a very tragical manner, the heroine being struck dead by lightning amongst rocks and snow, and precipitated into a roaring torrent. The theatre is quite new, and is splendidly decorated.
18th. We quitted Genoa this morning, and drove through the whole town round by the harbour and lighthouse, from which spot the city is seen to the greatest advantage, the white and magnificent buildings and churches rising one above another above the thick crowd of masts, whilst behind the city the hills appear almost covered with country villas and gardens, which in some measure make up for the want of wood. On one or two of these hills are fortresses, which were nearly concealed by the dark and lowering clouds. We drove for some way through a long and very populous suburb on the sea-shore, and then turned off into the valley; and upon reaching the top of a very steep hill, took a last view of the Mediterranean. We reached Ronco, a small and dirty village, but with a decent inn, in a very heavy shower of rain, and having dined there, we afterwards continued our journey to Novi, a small common-place town, where we remained for the night.
19th. We quitted Novi early, and dined at Alexandria, passing over the plains of Marengo, now fine and flourishing corn-fields. In spite of the thick clouds, we now and then caught a glimpse of the white snow on the distant Alps. Alexandria is a small, and apparently not a very strong fortress. After dinner we drove on to Asti, the birth-place of Alfieri, but as much or more celebrated for its fine wines.
20th. We left Asti, and reached Piorino by dinner-time; the roads were very bad, and became still worse between the latter place and Turin. Some time before we reached Turin we came to the Po, which is here not quite so large as the Neckar, but is deep and muddy. Turin lies flat, and has not the appearance of a great city from a distance. A fine bridge over the Po leads into the Piazza del Po, a noble square, forming the entrance into the town. The streets are all built at right angles, which gives to the whole city a neat and regular appearance. We remained here during the 21st, which was a completely wet day, the rain beginning in the morning and continuing without intermission.
22nd. Quitting Turin, the road for the first eight or ten miles was excellent, but afterwards was not so good. St. Ambrosio, where we dined, is a small and dirty village. Every body already speaks French, and the Piedmontese-Italian, which we met with at Sarzana, and heard spoken till we reached Turin, is now quite lost in patois of French and Italian. From St. Ambrosio we had a wet drive to Susa, a small town, prettily situated at the foot of Monte Cenisio or Mont Cenis. Our road lay through a valley bounded on each side by snowy Alps, mostly hidden in the dark grey clouds, which towards evening fell in a heavy shower, and then sailed away up the mountain, leaving the evening finer than could have been expected, and promising a fair day for the ascent of Mont Cenis to-morrow.
23rd. I have now crossed Mont Cenis, one of the highest and most celebrated alpine passes, and I have been much disappointed; though I have seen it not only in the dark and veiling gloom of an approaching storm, but have also gazed upon its bleak and rugged rocks, its frozen lake, and its fields of snow, glittering in the redoubled splendour of the returning sunbeams after the storm had passed away; for I must confess that it cannot bear comparison either with the pass of the Löbel, or the Tauern. It has not the brilliant vegetation of either of these to relieve the eye during the long ascent, nor is the wanderer struck with the fine views that meet him on the Austrian passes, either during the ascent, on the summit, or on the descent. After leaving Susa and the lower vallies, all is bleak and dreary, rock or snow; the road is very good, and often defended by very stout bars. Ascending higher, we reached the Case di ricovero or houses of refuge, small square cottages built on the road side at short distances from one another, and which afford shelter to travellers during the storms that are very frequent here, and are generally accompanied by tremendous winds. During our ascent we were visited by a storm of hail and rain, which lasted for about an hour. Nearly on the summit of the mountain is a hospital, with a few other houses, and two or three inns, and the whole bears the name of Les Tavernes. We here passed the boundary of Italy, and entered into the duchy of Savoy. In front of the little village is a small lake, which was still frozen, and the people at one of the inns told me that in summer its banks are haunted by large, but harmless serpents, which are very good to eat. About half a league beyond Les Tavernes we found ourselves on the summit of the pass, and looked down upon Lans-le-bourg, at the bottom of a wide but barren valley. A few snowy mountains appeared in the distance, but they were neither remarkable in form or height. The road on the French side is by no means so long or so steep as that on the Italian side, though it often winds round very unnecessarily. We descended to Lans-le-bourg in less than two hours, and remained there for the night.
24th. Quitting Lans-le-bourg we followed the valley, which becomes more beautiful as we advanced further to St. Michael. The sides are frequently covered with fine woods, from amongst which many grand and lofty cascades come rushing down into the Ose, which foams and hurries on in its rocky bed by the road side. Near St. Michael is a large and strong fortress, which quite commands the road in the valley. From hence we drove on through St. Jean, a small town, prettily situated and surrounded by some fine rocky scenery, to La Chambre, a paltry little village, with a miserable inn, where however we were obliged to spend the night.
25th. We quitted La Chambre early, and drove on through Aiguebelle, where we quitted the valley, and passed on through a more open and hilly country to Maltaverne, a very good inn, with one or two small houses near it. The surrounding country seems very well cultivated, and appears to be very productive.
26th. We left Maltaverne this morning early, for Aix-aux-Bains, passing through Mount Melian, a small town on the Ose, the same river which we followed from the foot of Mount Cenis, and which we here left a broad and navigable stream. Three leagues further we passed through Chambery, the capital of Savoy, an old town, with dirty and narrow streets, at least those through which we drove, but beautifully situated in a valley, and surrounded with magnificent hills and woods. A very fine road up a long and steep hill, brought us in a couple of hours to Aix, which is a very neat little bathing place, and which appears, from the list of last year, to have been much frequented during the season. The springs, which are warm and cold, contain chiefly sulphur and alum. Near the village is the lake of Bourget, which is pretty, though not on a grand or imposing scale. I took a sketch of it from a stone pier which is built out to a short distance in the lake, and then returned to read to Sir Humphry, who seemed pleased with the sketch, and said he should like to have it introduced in a future edition of "Salmonia," it being one of the lakes which he speaks of in his last dialogue.
27th. Quitting Aix, we passed through a finely cultivated, though not very pretty country, the nearer hills being rather barren, and the distant view obscured by clouds, as it has been for the last day or two, to Frangy, a small country village, where we passed the evening, as Sir Humphry did not wish to go on any further.