"The moment in which, from the heights of the Jura, I discovered the lake of Geneva, was one of ecstacy and ravishment. The view of my country, that country so dear to me, where my heart had overflowed with torrents of delight; the Alpine air so salutary and so pure; the soft air of my native soil, sweeter than all the perfumes of the East; this rich and fertile land, this unique landscape! the most beautiful with which the human eye was ever struck! delightful abode, to which I had never found an equal in the world! the aspect of a free and happy people, the sweetness of the season, the serenity of the climate-a thousand delightful recollections, which awakened all the feelings I had tasted there; all this threw me into such transports as I cannot describe, and seemed to give back to me at once the enjoyment of my whole existence !'"

Traversing Switzerland, in the direction of Geneva, they stayed a moment at Avenche, thus noticed by Leila: "This morning we reached Avenche, the ancient Aventicum. We went to see the column erected to the young princess, Julia Alpinula. How exquisitely touching are the recollections of history! I looked upon its venerable aspect, seemingly worn rather by grief than time. I thought upon her purity and filial devotion, and I felt her immortality."

They had now reached the beautiful, the romantic lake of Geneva. Every one who has seen the grandeur of this lake and the surrounding scenery-the sublime majesty of the distant Juras-the dreamy Alps, hovering in the sky, unsubstantial as a vision, spiritual, heavenly in beauty—the luxuriant shores of the Pays de Vaud, its hill-sides covered with the richest vine

yards, among which numerous towns and villages smile in all the attractions and loveliness of Paradise-the afar off mouths of the blue and rapidly gliding Rhone— the rich shores of the Chablais-every one who has seen the unequalled beauty and magnificence of this panorama, has felt its syren-like influence, in withdrawing the imagination from contemplating the harshness, and roughness, and impurity of the world, and in exalting communion with the pure spirit of nature, to fill the heart with the genius of a higher and holier existence. Moving amid these ennobling scenes, Leila imbibed a still deeper love for solitude: and soothed by their exquisite softness, or exalted by their ethereal majesty, she spent many hours in their contemplation. Her study and her closet, she made of the mountain torrent, the placid lake, the crystal stream, or the embowering copse. And elevated and refined by their sublimity and sweetness, we hear her saying, "I have almost forgotten the world, and were not such feelings, perhaps, selfish, I could wish never to return to it, but live and die among contemplations upon the beauties and harmonies of nature. I love to be alone. The deep emotions which throb in my bosom, while I gaze upon the beautiful earth and sky, I could not express-indeed, were they expressible, their value must be diminished. Thankful I am that my heart is so deeply susceptible of impressions of loveliness and sublimity."

Embarking at Geneva, our travellers began their voyage along the interesting shores of this beautiful expanse of water. Leaving Hermance, Nerni, and Evian behind, they arrived at Meillerie; to which Rousseau

has contributed interest, by his "Nouvelle Heloïse.” With this village, and its situation, Leila was delighted: in reference to it she says, "After dinner we ascended the heights [of Meillerie]. It occupied us upwards of an hour. The caverns echoed and re-echoed with the wild screams of the terrible eagle of the Alps. A torrent, formed of the melting snows, rolled its turgid waters at a short distance from us. Below us, and on the left of the torrent, grew a large wood of oaks. Behind us, was that part of the Alps called the Glaciers; a chain of rocky precipices separated it from the part of the heights on which we stood.

were thick forests of black pines

:

On our right hand,

and beneath us, lay

the smiling lake, fawning upon the beach, and separating us from the luxurious shores of the Pays de Vaud, beyond which towered the magnificent Juras. All was silent grandeur and exquisite loveliness."

Thence they passed to the singularly beautiful village of St. Gingoux, respecting which Leila says, "I was enraptured with Meillerie; but, in comparison, this village is of surpassing beauty."

Montalegre, Hermance, Nerni, Lausanne, Meillerie and its heights, the castle of Chillon, Clarens, the range of Alps above Boveret and St. Gingoux, the mountains of Savoy and the Valais, the blue lake, all these formed a panorama of images of ideal loveliness, which found their way to the inmost soul of Leila. In her own language, "This would seem the abode of idealism; I can scarce believe that what I see is real. It impresses my mind as a familiar scene which was once dear to my imagination, and, lost in the spirituality of a vision, is

now brought before me, in its sublime magnificence a creation too powerfully bright for reality."

Crossing the stream of the Rhone, at the eastern extremity of the lake, they continued their voyage, and soon came up to the Chateau de Chillon. Around this castle an undying interest is thrown by the remarkable Bonnivard, it being the place of his imprisonment for several years. A visit to it is thus described by Leila: "The castle of Chillon is situated between Clarens and Villeneuve. Opposite it are the heights of Meillerie and the Alps. In situation and everything else it is striking and romantic. An irregular mass of towers and pointed roofs, it rises from out of the waves near the eastern extremity of the lake. The water, which washes its walls, having been sounded, is found to be eight hundred feet deep, French measure. Immense mountains enclose and overhang it, and greatly contribute to impress the beholder with awe, while he recollects the scenes of which its walls have been the theatre. The access to it is by means of a draw-bridge. Its white walls make it a very conspicuous object, and being large it may be seen along the lake for a great distance. Descending below the level of the lake, you come to a range of prisons; an involuntary shudder crept over me as I entered these dark, chilly abodes of cruelty. There is one which is pointed out as the principal place of confinement for the early Reformers; how I felt my heart dilate with thankfulness to God, that those days have passed away from the earth. In later years it was used as a place of confinement for prisoners of state. It is supported upon pillars, to which rings for the captives

are attached; their names are engraved upon the stones. A narrow cell is adjacent to this dungeon, and still beyond this is another one, very dark and lofty, and supported upon arches. Across one of these arches is a black and mouldering beam, upon which the condemned prisoners were formerly executed. I felt a cold thrill of terror as I looked upon it. We were told, also, that a secret spring communicated with the lake, by means of which the whole of the dungeons could be filled with water, and so rapidly that all possibility of the captives escaping would be certainly prevented. Bonnivard has left the traces of his footsteps in the pavement of the prison in which he was confined. I was very, very glad, to quit these dungeons of cruelty and suffering; and I felt an indescribable sense of liberty, when again I inhaled the free and salutary air of the Alps."

Leaving Chillon, they landed at Vevay. "Vevay," she says, "is a pretty town. Sweet and lovely in simplicity, it is the kind of abode which is often present in my imagination. The market-place is a spacious square, beautifully interspersed with trees. From thence you have a fine view of the blue lake, the mountains of the Valais and Savoy, and the picturesque valley of the Rhone."

Going onward, they visited Ouchy, and thence proceeded to Lausanne, about a mile distant. Their purpose was to see the house and garden of Gibbon. We again quote from Leila's journal: "After dinner we walked to Lausanne, and proceeded at once to our great object of interest, the residence of Gibbon. We were shown the avenue of old acacias on his favorite terrace,