XXXVI.

SWITZERLAND-LAUSANNE AND GENEVA.

WE left Brieg in the afternoon, and after a hard, fatiguing ride, arrived early the next morning at Lausanne, where we tarried a while. The contrast between this place and the cities on the other side of the Alps was very favorable to the former. We could see that we had passed from a region of filth and indolence to a quiet, industrious, well-ordered country; and Protestant Switzerland, though denied the natural advantages of Papal Italy, seemed to us a paradise compared with the lazy monks and dirty streets of the cities of the pope. Near the hotel at which we took breakfast is the old house of Edward Gibbon, and the garden of our hotel was once the arbor in which he wrote the last page of his work, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." We wandered over the town, saw whatever was to be seen, and again entering the diligence, started for Geneva. The road winds along the shores of Lake Leman, and at every turn brings some new scene of beauty to the view. The lake itself, as one says, "lies in the shape of a half moon, with the horns curved towards the south, and is the largest lake in Switzerland, being fifty-five miles long." The waters are clear, and reflect, as in a polished mirror, the sky, the birds which hover over or fly across it, and the tiny ships which float upon its surface. The banks rise gradually, covered with objects of beauty, from the

water side to the towering mountain, and the eye rests upon a scene of delightful magnificence, wander which way it may, from the lone rock in the sparkling deep, on which stands the Castle of Chillon, the prison of Bonnivrad, up to the old snow-crowned summit of Mont Blanc.

Nothing could be more delightful than the appear. ance of Geneva, as we entered it one afternoon, weary and hungry. The people were in the midst of a great national festival. Arches spanned the streets; flags of various colors were suspended from the windows; mottoes, wreaths, and evergreens adorned the public and private buildings, and music was sounding in every street. The inhabitants, dressed in gala day attire, filled the streets; cannon sounded from the neighboring hights; bells sent out a merry peal from every tower; and all the various signs of some great fête met us at every step we took. The occasion of all this, we werc told, was the occurrence of the annual shooting match, which calls together multitudes from all parts of Switzerland. This festival is conducted somewhat on the following plan: The people of the various cantons come together, and spend a whole week in target shooting. Prizes of from five francs to five thousand francs are awarded; and on this occasion it was estimated that forty thousand persons from abroad were in the city. The shooting ground was laid out in an open square, inclosed on all sides by temporary buildings, erected for the purpose. On the front side was a stupendous wooden arch, under which the masses enter the grounds. This arch was gayly decorated with flowers and festoons, giving it quite a fairy-like appearance. On the right, as we entered, was a long pile of buildings for the sale of fancy articles, such as visitors would wish to carry

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away with them to their distant homes. On the left was a monstrous eating-house, rough, but neat and comfortable, and which, some one said to us, would seat five thousand persons at once. In the background, opposite the entrance, were the buildings for the shooters. This was divided into different compartments, each having a clerk, who kept an account of the shots fired. The targets were in the rear, at a distance, as I was told, of four hundred and fifty feet. The Swiss carabine was employed by the marksmen, and they used it with wonderful accuracy. In the center of the open square was a small circular oratory, or glass house, a sort of crystal palace, in which were the prizes. The building being of glass, the prizes, which were hung up, could be seen. Here were purses, through which the shining gold could be seen, silver and gold plate, splendid watches, musical instruments, and such like. The number of competitors was very large. A hundred guns were cracking at once, and this was kept up for days together. Some fire many times during the week, thus increasing the chance of obtaining a prize. As far as I could see, the whole affair was an honest sort of competition, and much more reasonable than the fête days of Italian saints.

The difference between a Protestant and a Catholic country was more apparent here than at Lausanne, and the more we saw, the more fully were we convinced of the value of the religion of the Bible. Our stay in Geneva lasted but a few days, and these were spent delightfully. One of the first objects of interest was the house in which Calvin lived, situated in an obscure street. We entered the dark and dismal gateway, and knocked at the door of the room which was once the study of the reformer. Up these very stairs, and into