breakfast, bed, and service, we left Neuchatel by rail at nine o'clock, a.m., for Lausanne. About a mile from the former place we crossed the glen of Sorrières by a lofty viaduct, and proceeding along, were struck by observing on the road side three upright blocks of granite, eight to ten feet high, supposed to have been raised by the Swiss as a memorial of the victory of Grandson. At Grandson the railway passes through the enclosure of the ancient Castle. Many remarkable historical associations are connected with this venerable structure, which, though very interesting, we cannot stop to relate. The lake of Neuchatel was now by our side till we reached Yverdun, a town noted as containing the school house and residence of Pestalozzi, the founder of the system of education which still bears his name. From this town the railway proceeds through a fertile and thriving country, with fine views of the Jura range of mountains, then by two short tunnels, and through some green and pleasant valleys, without any extensive views, till it reaches Lausanne. CHAPTER VII. Oh, ye valleys, oh, ye mountains! By turns to come and visit ye.-COTTON. Who would grub out his life in the same croft, when he has free warren of all fields between this and the Rhine.-KINGSLEY. The view of Lausanne from the railway is very fine. The town with its high roofs, castle, and cathedral, is itself picturesque, and it is most picturesquely situated on the slope of a mountain which sinks gradually down to the shore of the Lake of Geneva. Sending our luggage by omnibus from the station to our hotel, we procured the services of a guide, and proceeded to inspect the "sights" of the town. First, to the Cathedral, taking the most direct way, by a flight of mean-looking wooden steps, one hundred and sixty four in number, ascending from the Market-place. The edifice is a very extensive one, and internally one of the finest in Switzerland. It is celebrated as the arena of a great disputation between Calvin, Forel, and others, the result of which was the separation of the Canton of Vaud from the Romish Church, and the suppression of the supremacy of Savoy. It contains several English monuments, one of which is to the memory of Henrietta, first wife of Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, late Sir Stratford Canning. Standing on the terrace of the Cathedral we had a fine view of lake and mountain scenery. We next visited the Hotel Gibbon, interesting from the fact of Gibbon, the historian having written the last portion of his great book, "The decline and fall of the Roman Empire" in the garden behind the dining-room of the hotel. Gibbon says, "It was on the day or rather the night, of the 27th of June, 1787, between the hours of eleven and twelve, that I wrote the last line of the last page, in a summer-house in my garden. After laying down my pen I took several turns in a 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 waves, and all nature was silent." We visited several places of minor interest, and dismissing our cicérone, leisurely wandered down the slope of the hill, past a beautiful English Church, to our hotel, the Beau Rivage, at Ouchy, on the shore of the lake of Geneva. A more magnificent hotel than this it would be difficult to find. It is immediately facing the pier, and is surrounded by an English park and garden, most tastefully laid out, commands splendid views of the lake and the Alpine scenery, and is, in fact, just the place for tourist enjoyment, being surrounded with everything that can gratify the taste or raise the spirits. And, I may be allowed here to say, that of the hotel accomodation provided throughout Switzerland, by the manager of this excursion, it is impossible to speak in terms too laudatory. We were saved all trouble and annoyance as to where and how we were to be lodged. At every place provision had been made at the very best hotels, at very moderate charges. For though there be some people so philosophical as to maintain that place and circumstance do not, or ought not to influence happiness, we found that few things contributed more to cheerfulness, and to our capacity for enjoyment, than being well housed and fed. We entered the hotel and found all the appointments of the first order. Dinner, at table d'hote, was ready soon after our arrival, and consisted of twelve courses, served with a celerity quite astonishing. The hotel capable of accomodating one hundred and forty visitors, was nearly full. After dinner I scrutinised more closely than I had hitherto had the chance of doing, my fellow-tourists, as they were likely to be my companions for some time. Near me was a young Frenchman, who might have sat to Mr. Sothern for his character of Lord Dundreary. He contrived by means unaccountable to me, to keep his eye-glass to his eye, until he had quite leisurely stared at every one in the room, and he amused those sitting near him, by his manner of expressing his wants, asking in drawling, lisping, sentimental English, "Will you please paath me the buttaw" and ever and anon breaking out into rhapsodies as to the charms of "ma belle France;"—his beautiful France. Near him was a young lady evidently bent on showing off her proficiency in the languages, scarcely finding time to eat, in her eagerness to get through her stock of information. It was pretty clear that the "finish" of some boarding school was now manifesting itself. In close proximity to this linguist, sat the Rev. Mr. A, a clergyman of the Church of England, whose agreeable manners and intelligent conversation, subsequently attracted my attention, and we became for the rest of the journey, close companions. Near my reverend friend was a Scotch-woman, whose haughty bearing, high flown language, tendency to embonpoint, afterwards gained for her the sobriquet of "the countess," by which name she was known the rest of the tour. She was of the real "touch me not" character, who looked as if she had never been pleased in her life, and never would be, except with herself. She evidently did not intend to compromise her respectability by "letting herself down," however much her icy manner might interfere with the general flow of good feeling. On the opposite side of the table sat a real jolly looking specimen of John Bull, one, whose geniality of manner, extensive knowledge, and happy knack of imparting it, enlivened the whole of his auditors, and when he afterwards left us at Geneva, it was with the regret of nearly all his fellow travellers. At one end of the table sat the "Napoleon of Excursions," Mr. Cook, having by his side his wife and daughter. Our manager was a perfect Job in the matter of patience, otherwise the incessant inquiries addressed to him, many of them needless, would have induced him to have marked out a track for himself. Another group arrested my attention; it consisted of a family of six persons :-father, mother, two sons, and two daughters. They had come all the way from "the land of stars and stripes," to gaze upon the beauties of Switzerland. From conversation I had with them during the tour, I found that the present troubled state of things in America, had something to do with their leaving home at this time. They proved good company, gave me many glowing descriptions of the scenery in America, particularly of the splendours of Niagara and the prairies. On the whole, a great majority of our party were of the agreeable kind, and though I have other members of it in my mind's eye, |