&c. where there is little or no snow."
Mr. C. proceeds to shew that this malady is occasioned by a calcareous matter called in Swiss Tuf; and adds, "This stone resembles very much the incrustations at Mallock in Derbyshire, which dissolve so completely in the water as not to lessen its transparency; and I think that the particles of this substance so dissolved, resting in the glands of the throat, occasion the Goitres, and during the course of my travels in different parts of Europe, I have never failed to observe, that where this Tuf, or calcareous deposit is common, Goitres are equally so. I have found an abundance of tuf, and also of goitrous persons in Derbyshire, the Valois, the Valteline, at Lucerne, Berne, Fribourg, in parts of Piedmont, in the valleys of Savoy, at Milan, and at Dresden. I also observed that at Berne and Fribourg, the public fountains are supplied from sources where there is a vast quantity of this calcareous deposit. General Pfiffer has informed me, that there is but one spring at Lucerne, which is free from tuf, and that those who reside in its vicinity, are much less subject to the goitres than the rest of the inhabitants. A surgeon also, whom I met at the baths of Louesch, informed me that he had frequently extracted from different goitres small pieces of tuf, which is also found in the stomachs of cows, and the dogs of this country are also subject to this malady. This gentleman added, that, to complete the cure of young persons attacked by this complaint, he either removed them from waters impregnated with tuf, or recommended them to drink only of water that had been purified. The children of goitrous parents are often born with these swellings; but there are also instances of children born with goitres, whose parents are free from them."
That celebrated naturalist, M. de Saussure, attributes Goitres not to the water, but to the heat of the climate, and to the stagnation of the air, and he informs us, he has never seen Goitres in any place elevated 5 or 6,000 toises above the level of the sea, and that they are most common in valleys where there is not a free circulation of air. "But it may be observed, that in these elevated situations, fountains are too near their sources to dissolve as much calcareous sediment as by the time they reach the plain. Some say, that strangers are never attacked by the Goitres, but the truth is, they are only less subject to them than natives of the country. In fine, we may observe, that if snow water occasions the Goitres wherever they abound, there should also be snow water, which experience proves not to be the fact. If the concentration of heat and stagnation of the air are necessary to their formation, it would follow that they should not abound in those places where the air circulates freely, which is not less contrary to fact than the former supposition. If waters impregnated with tuf, or certain calcareous substances, produce the Goitres, it will follow, that in every place where they abound, the inhabitants should drink of waters so impregnated, which seems consonant to the truth of the fact." The same causes which occasion the Goitres, have probably a considerable operation in producing the number of idiots, as they are always in most abundance where the Goitres prevail. Such is the intimate and inexplicable sympathy between the body and the mind. When the Goitres become large, they produce a difficulty of breathing, and render the person so affected, extremely indolent and languid. These idiots are treated with great regard by the rest of the inhabitants of the country, who even consider them, in some degree, peculiarly favoured by Providence—thinking that they are certain of eternal happiness, as not being capable of forming any criminal intentions. Exaggeration is the common fault of travellers, and, to judge from the accounts given by some who have visited this country, a stranger would be led to suppose, that all its population were either idiots, or afflicted with Goitres. The fact, however, is, that the inhabitants of the Valais are in general a strong and healthy race, but that these two unfortunate maladies are here in greater frequency than in any other country.
Our next stage, after leaving Martigny, was St. Maurice, which derives its name from an abbey, founded by Sigismund, king of Burgundy, about the commencement of the sixth century, in honour of a saint, who is said to have here suffered martyrdom, having refused to abjure Christianity at the command of the Emperor Maximin. Its more ancient name is said by antiquarians to have been Agaunum. This place is very justly considered as the key of the Lower Valais, of which it is the chief town. Its bridge over the Rhone is of one arch, of 130 feet, which is thought to be the work of the Romans, and by its boldness, does not seem unworthy of a people whose edifices are so justly distinguished for their elegance and durability. Here is also a curious Mosaic pavement, and the antiquity of the place is proved incontestably by the many ancient medals and inscriptions which have been found here at different periods. It must, indeed, have been always remarkable as a military position, and it is difficult to imagine one of greater natural strength, or more easily defensible by a small force against superior numbers. The road, which is extremely narrow, passes for a considerable length under a mountain, which is absolutely inaccessible.
Having passed the bridge, we entered the territories of the ancient canton of Berne, but now of Vaud (as I think there appears to be but little doubt that it will be speedily acknowledged as such by the Swiss diet). Here our passports were demanded, but more in compliance with old regulations, than from any mistrust of us; and one of our party having forgotten his passport, the officer was perfectly satisfied with his leaving his name and address.
The Rhone is here of astonishing rapidity, and its waters have quite a milky hue, from the vast quantities of melted snow with which they are supplied. On quitting the lake at Geneva, the river is of a transparent blue colour, which is attributed partly to its having deposited its sediment in the lake, and partly to the nature of the soil over which it there passes. The rest of our stage was through a picturesque country, and the road was excellent.