tamatuititatitots. THE TOURIST IN SWITZERLAND.—II, From the note book of our Travellin g Corres- pondent. The valley of the Rhone has become wider, and in the centre of it stand two towering rocks, the highest seven hundred feet above the valley. Around the base and on the lower slopes of these rocks, the town of Sion is built. On the top of the highest, a castle has stood, ever since the 13th century—the castle of Tourbillon. Its location rendered it the impregnable fortress of the old prince bishops of Sion, whose rule for many cen turies extended over all this portion of Switzer land. On the lower eminence stands a pile of build ings forming a very pretty picture. It is a mon astery. The buildings extending downwards to wards the town, almost meet some of the houses built on the steep rocky side of the eminence. The town has four or five thousand people, and is a neat looking place. Many of the buildings are fine, large and expeasive, though now old and dilapidated. They tell of the wealth of the place three and five centuries ago, when the Bishops were wealthy and powerful, drawing tribute from all the country round. We read of the Bishop of Sion as one of the important potentates called by the Emperor Charles V., to attend the Diet of Worms and other councils held in the days of Luther. There are a few modern-looking houses in the town, while the orchards and shfubbery in the suburbs give it an air of comfort. We observe in one of the gardens a good-sized swing for the children, which looks as though the children here [were like those in our own country—fond of fun. The hotel, "The Golden Lion," gave us a good dinner, and we were soon off for the cars, the first we had seen since we touched Lake Maggiore in Italy. The embankment for extending the rail way up the valley we had followed for many miles during the day, but judged that the road did not pay or it would have been pushed farther. We had noticed along the valley large rounded mounds, apparently of earth, 100 feet high or more, and covered with vegetation, located at different points along the valley, sometimes di rectly in the centre, but generally near one side and opposite the gorges in the mountains, down which the streams came to join the Rhone. We judged they must have been, in former ages, the deposit from glaciers that filled these laterical valleys or gorges, and that the large tumuli in the centre of the valley, were at one time the end of a great glacier that filled the whole Rhone valley. MARTIONY We are soon approaching a round tower on the mountain side, to the'South of the road. It is built of stone, partly ruined but repaired and evidently occupied. Its base is five hundred feet above us, and it must be from 150 to 200 feet high. The cars come to a halt, and we are at the town of Martigny. A look at the map shows us what the tower was built for. At Martigny, the river bends at a right angle, sweeping around the base of the high mountain opposite, which' seems to be the end of the mountain wall we have! been following all day, forming the Northern bar rier of the valley. For sixty miles, the Rhone has run a comparatively straight course South west. It now bends at a right angle short around to the Northwest, and in 25 miles more empties into the Lake of Geneva. This old tower is built right at the corner, and commands a view of the valley down to the lake and up to Sion. Back of it, comes in another valley, whose stream, the Dranse, joins the Rhone at this point—so that in the old feudal days this Robber tower commanded the whole country. It is called La Batia, and was built in 1260 by . the Bishops of Sion. It was used not only as a stronghold, but as a prison, and dark deeds, deeds of persecution, suffering and anguish would wail out from the old walls, if walls could speak. Here at Martigny, travellers leave the cars for Mt. Blanc, twenty-four miles to the South. The road is too narrow for carriages, so that the trip must be made on mule backs. The weather being quite cold and the prospect of fatigue quite certain, we concluded to go on to Geneva, and if the weather permitted, to ascend to Mt.' Blanc from that point by the stages; though! the route across from Martigny, over the Tete Noir and the Col de Balme, is far more pictur esque and desirable. It is from here, too, that tourists start for the' St. Bernard pass, one of the most wild and ro mantic which cross the Alps, and whose hospice, 7,600 feet above the sea, is said to be the high est habitation on the globe. Reader, don't do as I did, be so near to St. Bernard and not go to it, so near to Mt. Blanc and never feel its cold. If you , have a sick wife with you, who can't endure the trip, leave her in good hands in Geneva,und take at least two or'three days,,,so as .to be able to say that you have-slept in , hot-summer, between the feather beds of the St. Bernard Hospice, with the white snow covering all the ground around you; that you have.crossed the Mere de Glace, Alpine stock in land, and have heard the Alpine born echo in the vale of Chamouni. TOURISTS Whole troops. of tourists got into our train here at Martigny. Many had green veils tucked around their hats. Each one carried an Alpine THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1869. stock, branded around the upper end with the names of the various passes that had been crossed and the notable places visited. The green veils were to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun upon the ice fields, when crossing the great Glacier, the Mere de Glace, where these travellers had been during the day. Some of the men had knapsacks strapped on their backs, revealing how they had been doing the Mt. Blanc and St. Ber nard region on foot; the true way to enjoy Alpine travel if you have the strength to endure the fa tigue. A school of nearly one hundred boys and girls got on the train. They had been touring it also, at least for the day. The girls wore flat hats and carried their picnic baskets, while the boys —many of them—carried their Alpine stocks and had knapsacks on their backs. Their cons& quential air told plainly that they had been for the day full-grown tourists. Just.think of a school pic nic among Glaciers and in view of Mt. Blanc) It certainly puts all our American excuraions far in the shade. They are all aboard now, and we start again down this glorious valley. We bid good-bye to the, old tower on our left, remembering that it has formed a prominent fea ture in the landscape for six, hundred years,,look ed upon by crusaders, watched by gallant knights, honored by cowled monks, feared by pious re formers, a landmark for the tramping armies of France gas they dragged their cannon over the Simplon route for battle in Italy. On our right, the high mountain range is cut off almost perpendicularly, 'revealing wonderfully twisted and folded stratus in its rocky layers near the top—telling of fearful convulsions in nature in bygone days. Presently a.. fine waterfall comes into view, tumbling grandly out from the rocky hillside, a few yards from the road. The Fall is one hun dred and fifty feet high, the water descending in one unbroken leap, about twenty five feet in breadth. Some, of the water is caught by cross seams in the rocks and runs down in white foamy streams on either side of the great fall. This is said to be the largest body of water in 'any one cascade in Switzerland. A trough near the base of the fall carries off a portion of the water to run a little factory near by. ST. DiATJRICE The town of St. Maurice next comes into view. It lies in a flat between the river and a wall of perpendicular rocks, which rise five hundred feet, with little shelves of vegetation here and there, and the slope back'covered with underbrush to the top. It is a very ancient town, said to have been founded by the Romans in the second cen tury. The buildings have an ancient look. The cathedral tower is square, and massive, built of rough stone, with a short dumpy spire,,surround ed by four smaller spires at ' the corners of the tower. Right against the perpendieular wall of rock, and higher than the top of the cathedral spire, is stuck a house, apparently the dWelling place of somebody. There is a little shelf in the rock, apparently a foot or two broad, with some bushes growing' on it; but no room to stand a house upon. How hey get up and down 'with out a windlass or derrick, we could not conceive: Certainly there is no accounting for taste in the selection of a site for a 'dwelling-house. Ah old Roman toweistands 'upon the edge of the - river as we leave the town. The mountain crowd's the tower so closely, that the railway is cut through 'the rock at its base, and we emerge into the day light upon he river bank to look back upon a beautiful pintuie. At the tower,' an old . stone bridge of a single arch spans the Rhone. The town' beyond partly appears as one looks udder the high arch. The river has a high strong wall of masonry on each side, to keep its rushing tofrent from tearing away town, and tower, and bridge. The high mountains on either side come down and make'so narrow a valley, that you wen der where there is any room for the town. 'it a moment, the scene . is shut out by a turn in the stream, and we find ourselves in a wider valley. JOHN FAREL The'towns of Bez-and Aigle, are soon passed. They have a home-like, country look, with pretty gardens and orchards, flowers and fruit,in,profu sion—pretty shaded cottages and white fences. Here John .Farel, in the days of the Reforma tion, taught school, after being driven out of France by persecution. When he had gained-the confidence of the people as their pions an4.l 'bene volent school master, he began, to, preach to them Christ, as the One of whom to ask pardon „for, sin, and not the priests. Rapidly the infection of his holy life and holy teaching spread among these honest simple people. They embraced the Pro testant faith by hundreds. These pretty groves about Bea and Aigle, with the grand old mountains looking down on either side, were the scenes of many of his meeting,* in which he unfolded Christ to eager listeners. ; As night approaches we emerge upon the shores of Lake denevit at Villeneuve station, where we leave the rail and are conveyed to Hotel Byron. This we find to be a new first class hotel, one of the very best we have met in Europe. Its location upon the shores of the lake, with the towering mountains behind it and a lovely flower garden in front, with delightful Walks laid out almost to the waters edge, inakes it a charmingspot after tea, we look at the register of the Hotel, - to see who is here; very few 'Hotels in Europe keep a regis ter, and it is often with difficulty you can find who are stopping in the same house with you. Here is written in broad. hand : George B. Mc- Clellan, wife, children and-servants. A man of taste certainly to linger in such a lovely spot. Further down we come to the name E. K. Smith, Burlington, N. J., U. S. A. We send our cards to his room and soon hear his tap at our door. No words that I can pen in this letter can des cribe the luxury of the next hour or two. We were old school mates ; had studied together five of six years in boyhood, and separated when we graduated, he to go into the ministry and Ito work and delve as a merchant. Old days, old studies, old professors, old classmates all came up in review, and on the shores of this glorious lake we were boys again for one evening. It was the old story. • He was worked to death almost, his nervous system all broken down under his severe labors, as principal of St. Mary's Hall, at Burlington, and was out recruiting his wasted energies; enjoying this first respectable holiday in twenty years of labor, as it was mine, also. • •What we had each been seeing in our travels took a secondary place; but we exchanged valu able hints about routes and things not to be miss ed in our journeys. From our window we see the old castle of Chil lon in the uncertain evening light and we drop to sleep enjoying the prospect of the next morn ings examination of its poetic halls and dungeons and tow,ers. G. W. M. OUR IRISH PRESBYTERIAN VISITORS. Mu. EDlTou.—The United Presbyterian, of Pittsburg, recently contained the following item: "Rev Messrs. J. S. and' W.-- Ml.—, of the Presbyterian Church of. Ireland, are at present in our city. They come among us on a mission from their respective congregations, for help in removing pressing debts incurred in building houses of worship. They are excellent brethren, standing high in their Church at home, and in all respects worthy of the warmest fra ternal attention. Their cause, too, is one that commends itself to the liberality of our people." Any of our Presbyterian papers in this city might make, an announcementaimilar to that con tained in the first sentence of, the above para graph. For some time past, and, indeed, ever since Gladstone carried his resolutions for Irish Disestablishment and Disendowment, we have had such visitors among us, appealing to the liberality of our churches. Now, sir,,have they any such claims, on us- as the above paragraph puts forward? : (2.) In general, every minister of the Irish General Assembly' (and no others have come among us,) receives from the British Government a sum in gold equal in amount to the- average salary paid 'our New England pastors in currency. New EnglTnd, too, pays more liberally than do other sections of the country. (1.) Ulster Presbyterians have grown richer by the war, which has left us-much poorer. They evinced . very little sympathy for us during the struggle, which created such a demand fot their linnen and cut off our cotton. • They come to us because they have purely fabulous ideas, of our 'resources, and any amount of assurance: in claiming our aid. (3.) Irish Presbyterians have less claim on our aid while taking aid from. Cmsar also. Other bodies in Ireland (Seceders; Covenanters, Metho dists, Baptists, Wesleyans,) do without. Gover nment aid, but only the Baptists and Methodists ask our help. (4.) The churches represented by these Irish brethren are not poorer, but richer than the average churches of America, hut also far more stingy. They need to be thrown upon their own resources, in order to the development 'of these congregations, made up of well-to-do farmers and prosperous linen manufacturers, whoa dole out £5O to £7O a year to their ministers, and our gifts will only encourage their meanness. ; (5.) In particular; (to illustrate general facts,) take 'two gentlemen who have recently asked aid in this city. One, when questioned,,confessed that there was no pressing need for American liberality. His people were prosperous; his sup port was sufficient; their,house of worship and manse were good. They only wanted to raise money for a permanent fund, which, with its ac cumulating interest, might. exempt them from any of the future contingencies of Disendowment. Another, on' a recent Sabbath evening, prefaced his appeal fora collection with the naffannounce mOnt that bis congregation was neither poor nor needy. (6.) The public have a natural dislike to giving when a large per-tentage is sliced off- to pay the expenses. How is it in • this case ? These ,breth ren.. come here, travelling, from city to city, as sight-seers, and generally end on the prairies (we suppose it will be San Francisco hereafter.) They, of, course, deduct the entire' expense of their' expensive- trip—such a one as only, a few of our. best-paid pastors could take—from what the congregations to whom they appeal, contribute. How much 'reaches the manse and building funds at home ? Have we not a right to ask.? Be it noted, that, in making, these remarks, I have no wish to reflect on those Irish .Presby r terian clergymen—several of them, known to me,—who have visited, us for pleasure and to enjoy reunion with friends long separated : from them, and who' have paid their own way,without presenting themselves in forma pauperi.s., Nor are my remarks prompted by any hostility ; to,the Irish. Presbyterian Church. She was the Church of my childhood, though not of my fathers, and deserves only my profoundest respect. As a be- liever in " the Establishment principle" of Drs. Begg and Gibson, I think she is right in accept ing the aid the State. If its loss will develop the liberality and generosity of her members, in their dealings with her hard-worked and, ill-paid ministry, I shall rejoice to see her lose it. In reprobating the begging tours of some of her ministry, I speak for many of her children who reside among us, who have felt their faces blush and their ears tingle for shame, in view of the utterly needless meanness of most, if not all, of these appeals. I beseech the readers of this article not to encourage such appeals by giving one cent to them. If we have anything to give, let it be to the persecuted and truly needy churches of Bohemia, whose representatives are even now among us, and whose claims have been endorsed with a full knowledge of the facts by the two General Assemblies. A PRELUDE TO, VAOATION. BY CHARLES A. SMITH, D. D It is said that the very sight of a sea-shell will sometimes recall with such power the mem ory of the sea 'that its murmurs seem to fall dis tinctly upon the ear, and you are transported at once, as if by magic, to the sandy beach, and gather all the inspiration that comes from the surging and dashing waves. Whether in all cased the presence of one of 'these conchological reminders of old ocean's roar and turmoil would secure all the advantage, and save all the ex pense of a visit to Long Branch or Atlantic City, lam not prepared to say. Perhaps it is a, ques tion that commends itself , quite as strongly as many others to the consideration of those eco nomic philosophers, who are intent upon discov ering the ways and means by which the largest possible enjoyment may be combined with the smallest possible outlay. Everybody knows, or ought to know, the empire which the imagina tion hold's, not only over the determinations of the will, but over the functions of the physical man also—sothat health and disease come and go at its bidding. The laW of association that binds the shell to the sea - forever, 'and conveys through it the music of the sea to the ear and the soul, is !established beyond all controversy. But, whether this law can, under any circum stances, be made so to quicken and stimulate the imaginative faculty, as to -render unnecessary the use of the bath, and to be equivalent for the fresh breeze that snatches health for the invalid from the leaping spray, is a problem yet un solved. Pending this question, it may without hesi tancy be affirmed, that to read of cool zephyrs on a hot 3nm:tier's day, is as invigorating as any thing can be, with the exception of the zephyrs themselves. So I write for those who amid city . walls, and with fan in hand, have not yet en joyed the exquisite'relief afforded by fine scenery, and a temperature suggestive of the bracing, wel come air of early autumn. We are off for the hills of Berkshire—not the Berkshire of England, but of Massachusetts— which boasts of a greater area than its British namesake, and a surface quite as beautifully va ried and and well-wooded, and in place of the Thames has the head branches of the Hoosick and the Houstanic, which furnish valuable water power ; while for Windsor forest and park, Williams' College, with its saored memories, is at least a fair and full equivalent. But before we wander among the hills and along the streams, let us gather the frag ments of pleasure that fell to our lot on the way, so that nothing may be lost.. I' know very little about the Rhine with its vine-clad slopes; but I kncw a great deal about . the Hudson with its palisades,' and mountain gorges, and richly car peted acclivities, and the dense woods, and the vistas that reveal the'secluded, cheerful looking homes of culture and taste, and the dibtant mountain range that has penciled an imperisha ble line of beauty on the sky. Ina gallery of paintings, very much of the effect depends upon the light that falls on the pictures, and the rela tive position of the beholder; and so you change from place to place in order to obtain the best Possible view. And so very much of the inspi ration of this bright verdure, and these thick forests, and the abrupt lofty hills that are so near to each other as to mingle their deep shadows and make them more dense, depends upon your mode of travel. If yon want to study nature in her grandest and gentle;st moods, eschew the rail road—for it will afford you only one-sided glimpses, and through the oft repeated scream of the whistle, and thechook-e-te-chook of fast re volving wheels, neither bird song nor music of rippling cascade will greet your ear. It was our good fortune to take passage on the Drew, one of a noble line of steamers that are worthyof the river on which they float. The boat itself is a study. It moves so quietly on the water as to suggest no hint of the vast ma chinery'and the mighty force"by which it is pro pelled. The table is excellent. And the beds are as clean and elastic as beds can be. Now we are out in' the stream, and quickly pass the liinits of the city, and leaVe its (knee sweat ing population far behind. ' Take off your hat, and bare your forehead to this gentle wind ihO, brinis the scent of clever-fie:lds, ' and tells of busy bees'and garnered honey: How refreshing it is. How it calms the inpatient' nerves; and exhilarates the feelings. The sun has finished his work for the day, and the gorgeous colurin crimson and purple has left the clouds to their unborrowed, sober hue. Now the full moo n flings its mild rays upon river and forest, and the soft light dances in the rippled water, and bum" like a beautiful veil upon the landscape, conceal ing yet revealing. Go to bed if you will, and court upon your pillow the visions of dream. land—but I'll stay on deck, and look out up on these dim outlines of trees, and massive rocks, and quiet cottages sheltered beneath the hills; and upward through the cloudless Nothing disturbs the deep serenity of the night, save the solemn sweep of the ponderous wheel, whose movements are so steady and majes tic that they sound like the bass in some grand hymn of nature. Now and then along the shore, the. railroad train speeds gracefully by, waking the echoes , of the hills, and many a weary human sleeper, with its sharp, shrill, discordant music. Opposite Catskill you pass the place where Church paints his pictures. He owns a some what rugged farm here, which he intends to cul tivate and beautify at his leisure. It is a well selected spot for inspiration, if one had a soul that can be swayed by nature's grandest and most lovely forms. In front of the estate of the artist, and near the *river, is the home of Mr. Gillette, the brother of the church historian. Sunrise finds you at Albany, that ancient Dutch city which can boast of bricks shipped from Holland,- and exhibit many- a fire-place surroun ded with tiles that were baked and painted on the other side of the ocean. There is a staid sobriety here that laughs at emulation, and winks know ingly at progress. Though the law-makers of the State are building' a new capitol that will in volve an expenditure of ten millions at least. Church architecture has also improved greatly of late years. It is relief to look upon this steady, deliberate growth, in contrast with the expensive enterprise that is ever pulling -down and build ing up. Albany is favored with good schools and preaching. The Astronomical Observatory and GeOlogical Roonis are worth visiting. If you want a good meal you can obtain it at the Delevane House, which was designed •by its founder, whose name it bears, as a monument to the cause of temperance; but has fallen from that high moral position. A ride of fifteen minutes brings you to Troy, and thence in two hours you reach Williamstown, through a landscape beautifully diverified, and dotted with small manufacturing villages. At the depot the students are, in waiting for their friends, and now pleasantly , settled in our tem porary homes, we are ready for the Sabbath, and the baccalaureate, and all the coming exercises of commencement week. ON THE WING In my next I will tell you about Dr. Cuyler, and his theme, and other matters. We have been gratified to notice in an account of the recent commencement of Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., that the performance of this young lady elicited so much approbation. One of the principal New York journals speaks of it as follows': "The very best piece of the morning was 'Our National Triangle,' by Ella Mary Liggett, a prairie flower, from Leaven worth, Kansas. All through her address she drew mirth-provoking illustrations, and in a gen teel way, rapped Horace Grreeley's ' Political Economy,' tossed a few words at his Salt Es says,' and declared, in eloquent terms, her favor for Liberty, Union, and Free Trade, the 'Na tional Triangle.' During her splendid address she was frequently interrupted by applause, which was deafening when she concluded." Miss Liggett, as some of our readers may be aware, is a grand-daughter of the late Daniel McMillan, of Xenia, Ohio, one of the most loved and honored in the Eldership of the R. P. Church, and well known for the excellence of his per sonal character, and his great liberality in sus taining all our operations. Her father, Rev. J. D. Liggett, is a highly respected minister; at Leavenworth, Kansas, and we are glad to know that his labors have been greatly blessed. We trust Miss L., who is emphatically one of " the seed of the righteous," may have " help of GOD " to fulfill the cheering auguries with which she thus enters on her career. The College where she has received her education stands among the foremost of the Female Literary In stitutions in our land, and we hope she will add to its fame. We have been pleased to n otice that while the course of instruction it furnishes is so complete in English literature, the Sciences, Ancient and Modern Lan2maa-es and various ac- coriplishments, particular attention also is paid to the health of the pupils. The paper from which we have made the preceding extract men tions, " that the members of . the present gradua ting class are all strong in body, possessing ad mirable physiques, and it seems so to happen that the strongest in body even of these take the honors. All who were present this 11l °nip; concede that Miss Ella Mary Liggett, of Leaven worth, Kansas, and Miss Annallaria•Glidden. Portsmouth, Ohio, made the finest addresses of the day, and both: of these ladies possess a power' ful physique, and arQ . perfect pictures of health. The Czar of Russia . has'' conferred hereditary nobility on the Biblical scholar, Tischendalf. "Abyss In which the everlasting stars abide." MISS ELLA. MARY LIGGETT.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers