precipitous mountain, which, together with the green plants that hang round it, form a striking contrast to the gloomy gorge from which it flows. I advanced into this cleft as far as I was able, and was greatly tempted by its presiding spirits to take one of their deadly baths. No water-kelpy could have desired any thing more delicious in aspect and transparency than the rock-imbedded pools that lay immediately below; but a cold of fearful intensity lurked within their depths, and the stranger who rashly plunged into them would run a fair chance of losing his life. From this bridge the road wound up a steep acclivity in a zigzag direction, which, in about half an hour, I found to terminate in the little mountain city of Eaux Bonnes. How strangely is this placed! It really looks as if it had scampered away from the civilized world, and could proceed no further, from having in its vagrant haste blindly entered a cul de sac of mountains, from which there was no escape. It principally consists of hotels and lodging-houses; and during the season, which lasts for the summer months, it is crowded by the influx of fashionable visitors. You would have thought that the whole Parisian world had congregated in the different hotels; and I found, as I had expected, that a shelter for so wandering and unsettled a being as myself could scarcely be procured. At one house the sum of five franks the night was asked for a wetched bed-room, with an aperture which its owner poetically entitled a window. I believe this is not an unusual demand; but after a further search I succeeded in obtaining one for two franks: it was, however, but a sorry apartment, situated in the roof of the house.

Every body breakfasts and dines at the table d'hote, the charge for which is not unreasonable-four francs a head for an elegant déjeuné and dinner, inclusive of wine. You can have no idea what a lively scene the place presented at ten and five, the hours for feeding: all the inhabitants were then lounging about; and as the clock struck, innumerable garçons sallied from their respective hotels, and sent into the air a hundred iron-tongued calls, which were duly bandied about by the surrounding mountains. The French are essentially a sociable people; and there is one custom at these watering places that is very agreeable to the solitary traveller: as soon as the table d'hote is over, the greater part of the company adjourn to another room called the Salon de la Musique, where they find a pianoforte and cards; some lady then usually places herself at the instrument, and

the rest of the party sit down to whist, or amuse themselves by dancing or conversation. These meetings are ren dered particularly pleasant by the free and easy manners, and perfect goodbreeding of the French.

I arrived at Eaux Bonnes about midday, and had no sooner provided myself with a lodging than I went in search of its well-known cascades. For this purpose I entered upon the mountain side that slopes downwards from the little town, which is covered with beech trees of great age, wrinkled and distorted into a variety of grotesque forms, and is accommodated with walks variously interlacing each other. Below speeds the torrent Valencia, leaping through a wild vegetation, and shepherding her bright fountains' down a hundred falls towards the Vallée d'Ossau. Two of these are very remarkable the Gros Hêtre, and the Eaux Bonnes; the former about a mile up the stream, and the latter immediately below the entrance of the town. It was to the latter that I now bent my steps, and I found it well worthy of a visit: the torrent bounds rather than falls down a slope of rock, in two magnificent curves, with incredible rapidity and stunning noise, the broken water being received in a circular pool, begirt with cliffs, and literally canopied by rainbows! It is

The sheeted silver's waving column ;'

and in its undulations unlike any other cascade I have ever seen. I remained

so long at the foot of this wild fall, that I had not time to pay my devoirs to the spirit of the Gros Hêtre; but I wandered up the course of the stream, and encountered numerous cascades of minor importance."

Again

"When at Eaux Chaudes I had inspected my map of the Pyrenees, and thereon seen marked a certain Lac de l'Ours in the neighbourhood of Gabas; the name looked well; the Lake of the Bear promised a wild and solitary scene, and I had half resolved, in the vagrant freedom of pedestrianism, to undertake a pilgrimage to it. The only difficulty in the execution of this project was my ignorance of its situation and dis.. tance; but while I was hesitating as to the wisdom of proceeding under the sole guidance of my map, the colossal landlady entered the room, and I questioned her as to the facility of its access, and whether I could visit it by the daylight that yet remained

She answered, it was a long way distant, that the road to it was a ladder of broken rocks, an ascent that was most difficult and laborious, and that it would be impossible to go there and return before sunset; but,' she added,

there is an old man below who is on the point of starting for the lake, and he will, no doubt, be happy to act as guide, should you wish it.' This was most desirable; and I instantly expressed a wish to be introduced to him, and accordingly in about two minutes he entered, and cheerfully volunteered his services. He was one of a party who were tending a herd of three hundred cattle on the higher mountain pastures, and he was about to return, with his donkey and a supply of bread, from a foraging excursion to these lower regions. His appearance was agreeable: he wore a highland garb, the round cap of Bearn, a jacket which he now carried over his shoulders, kneebreeches and leggings, all of the same rough woollen materials, and of a russet-brown colour; long black hair flowed down his back, he was exceedingly deaf, and appeared of extreme age. He said I must make up my mind to sleep in his cabane, and be content with black bread and milk, his only fare; and he warned me of the probability of a mist on the morrow that might obstruct my plan of ascending to the lake. I, nevertheless, joyfully accepted these conditions, being quite ready for any adventure, and equally indifferent as to food and lodgings. Accordingly, we sallied forth at about half-past one for the wild residence of

my

old man of the mountain.' Our labour commenced by climbing a path which greatly reminded me of the Faulhorn, so alpine was the character of the surrounding scenery: it led through gloomy pine-woods, over roaring torrents, and up rocky and precipitous ascents; but our pace was not fatiguing, as my companion had attained his sixty-ninth year, and he drove before him a donkey of about the same age, possessed with a strange spirit of contradiction, and with an appetite perfectly marvellous. Ascending by the side of the stream, we suddenly came upon a surprising scene of havoc and desolation: an avalanche of snow, set in motion by the warmth of the previous spring, had fallen headlong down a steep gully in the mountain, torn a path through the forest, and finally settled at the bottom of the gorge, damming up the waters with its icy mass and the wreck of trees. Its destructive bulk had diminished during the heats of summer; but the open gap, the shattered rocks

and firs, and a remnant of snow that yet impeded the torrent, bore evidence of the catastrophe. Some little way from this scene of devastation we mounted a crumbling ridge, without a blade of grass to enliven it; but having gained the summit, we stood upon a plateau of velvet green, surrounded by wooded heights, and studded with mossgrown rocks. No enthusiast could have desired a more suitable spot for the worship of Dame Nature, and I felt almost inclined to turn hermit, that I might sit me down there as her votary; upon reconsidering the matter, however, it appeared more prudent to leave the wolves and isards in the uninterrupted enjoyment of their possessions.

His

"We here halted for a time, as the old man's bones began to ache, and the donkey was seized with an appetite too ravenous to be resisted. A conversation accordingly commenced between the highlander and myself, but it was carried on with some difficulty. deafness would have been proof against the thunder of the avalanche, and his French was sadly confounded by patois. I succeeded, however, in satisfying his inquiries-whether there were mountains and wolves in England-whether my country was very far distant-and whether I was the eldest son; and then I sent forth a protest, at the top of my voice, against an assertion he made, that 1 must be very, very rich; although I doubt not, that the sum I had then in my possession would have been a fortune in the eyes of the poor highlander.

66

Hitherto we had been climbing the roots of the Pic du Midi de Pau, as if we had meditated the ascent of that mountain, but at this point we turned to the right, and bore down towards the bank of the torrent, where the ass had to be unpacked previous to its being driven through the stream, since the slight pine bridge that was thrown across was not of sufficient breadth or strength to sustain it. After this passage we began the labour of the excursion; my highland guide having here thought proper to protect his naked feet by immersing them in a huge pair of sabots or wooden shoes. We ascended by a crooked path of rock through wild firs, and immediately opposite to the Pic du Midi; so you may well imagine the grandeur of the scenery. This famous mountain is barren and precipitous, soaring aloft in a huge cone, and having a notch in its impending crest, like a pair of gaping jaws, with which it would seem eager to grasp the heavens. I should think it impossible to find a better point for viewing it than that afforded by this ascent; and to

those who, being struck by its singular form and wild aspect, as seen from the Pare at Pau, may wish to view the giant nearer, I could give no better advice than that they should undertake a pilgrimage to the Lac de l'Ours.

"Among the rocks of this wilderness we met three young mountaineers conducting a white steed to the country below. As a matter of course, they took off their caps to me, for such even is the universal custom among these sons of nature, and then they laughed and joked with the old man, with whom they seemed on terms of familiarity, probably belonging to the same settlement. I was very much struck with the magnificent appearance of one of them: he was upwards of six feet in height, with dark curling hair, full expressive eyes, and with a mouth that disclosed a row of teeth as white as they were regular. He inquired where I was going, and then wished me every delight and happiness: such is the innate politeness of a Frenchman, even in his most uncivilized condition.

The air now became sharp and chilly; we had left the shelter of the pine woods, and had entered the open regions of pasture, where nothing met the eye but huge rocks, gorges deep and dangerous, wherein the snow yet lay unmelted, and a wild expanse of grass bedecked with the purple flower of the Iris. About five o'clock in the day, my aged guide and his donkey came to a sudden pause in the midst of an assemblage of granite boulders; but my eye unacquainted as yet with mountain dwellings, did not comprehend the object of our delay; the old man, however, began to unpack, and upon observing a pile of stones that appeared to have been artificially arranged, I was told that it was the hut where I was to pass the night. This wild habitation, composed of pieces of rock, roughly piled together, to the height of four or five feet, was covered in by rude planks of pine wood, which in turn were kept in their places by an outer layer of stones. Stooping low, I entered, and found two highlanders asleep, covered with bearskins and heavy cloaks, upon a raised platform, composed of the leaves of the fir which occupied the whole cabane, with the exception of a narrow strip at the end, where a wood fire was burning, before which I eagerly seated myself, and was soon joined by my venerable guide, who invited me out to eat some black bread, and drink a bowl of milk

with him after our fatigues. Upon issuing forth, the air felt both cold and wintry, and was strongly contrasted with the temperature to which I had been lately accustomed, whence I in- . ferred the great elevation of my present position. I perceived that we were among barren summits and dreary hills of grass, and at length I discerned the tawny cattle hitherto lost to my careless eye, from the immensity of the slopes upon which they were feeding. The dews now began to fall, and the mists to boil up from the deep gulf below, and ere I had finished my rude repast, they came careering along the mountain sides, and shortly involved us in a premature night.

"There is nothing, certainly, in elevated regions more calculated to startle and rivet the stranger, than the aspect and conduct of the clouds when viewed for the first time; but to appreciate fully the novelty of their appearance, he should be placed in some elevated valley, in which there is nothing to remind him that he stands at any considerable elevation: he must then surely be amazed when he views the mist, instead of falling imperceptibly from the sky as seen from below, sweep. ing bodily towards him in wild and tumultuous columns. How well have its mystic freaks and unearthly appearanco been described by the magic pen of Byron

4 The mists boil up around the glaciers, the clouds Rise curling fast bencath me, white and sulphury.*

"Yet it is requisite to view them with the eye rather than the imagination, to become fully impressed with the strangeness of their appearance; there is some.. thing so colossal in the vast size of their convolutions, when compared with the specks of cattle on the mountain side over which they are sweeping; something so wild in the manner in which they whirl around, and such stateliness in their more sober movements, now weaving their flimsy texture into an impenetrable veil, and now separating to give the overshadowed ground another gleam of sunlight."

After an unsuccessful attempt to pass the mountains to Luz, in which Mr. Paris encounters considerable danger, a new hazard presents itself:

"I had walked for about an hour through the darkness of this solitary region, when I found myself marching abruptly into the midst of a recumbent

At

flock of sheep. To be attacked by the dogs was the work of a moment; and as they were five in number, their assault soon wore a most menacing aspect. the critical moment, however, when the angry animals seemed inclined to make a dash upon me, the shepherd came roaring from his cabane, and order was immediately restored. Although in no tranquil mood, I could not help admiring the obedience and sagacity of my noble assailants: they walked quietly away without any suppressed growl or skulking demeanour, seeming to say that they attacked me with no particular malice, but for the purpose of summoning their master, who would now inquire my business. The Pyrenean dog ranks among the noblest of his kind, and is as remarkable for docility as for strength and courage: he is not the drover of the flock-to drive it here and there, or to keep it together; on the contrary, he walks in advance, and leads it to the mountain side, or towards evening to the cabane of the shepherd. His principal duty, however, is to defend his fleecy charge from the wolf or bear; and should either venture an attack, he unhesitatingly gives battle, and generally comes off the victor. These fine animals will always salute the passing stranger, as he journeys over the mountains, but will seldom, I believe, do more than menace; lifting a stone will keep them at a distance; or should they come to closer quarters, a blow over their legs with your stick, as the guides affirm, will immediately command respect. At night, of course, their attack may be dangerous."

At Partecosa, the inquisitive character of the Spaniard strikes our traveller, and he is struck by the American delineation with which the scrutiny is exercised::

"Never have I seen any thing at all approaching the determination with which they stared at us; I would have wagered them against the American who looked the bark off the tree, and we naturally began to inquire whether there might not be something very extraordinary in our appearance; nor was their intent gaze all we had to encounterthey stood around us in a circle earnestly talking with each other, and commenting upon every mouthful we eat, and how we eat it. We were not, however, the least abashed, for hunger quashes diffidence, and indeed we felt some pride in exhibiting ourselves at feeding time."

We cannot leave this truly delightful volume without a longing to tra

verse the country it pictures. The little vignettes which are drawn and engraved on wood by the author, are done with taste and feeling, and occasionally present us with effects of mountain scenery grander than any thing we see in the Tyrol or the Swiss. There is a character of truthfulness about the descriptions, which every reader will be struck with; and the veriest seeker after amusement may read the description of escapes and adventures in this little ramble with an interest which few, very few works of fiction could present any thing to vie with. That Mr. Paris may write soon again, and that we may be among his readers we sincerely wish, and with this must say our goodbye.

The travelling physician, and he it is who stands next on our muster roll, is a different style of traveller from either of the preceding. Not journeying pour se destraire, like Lady Chatterton; nor braving the dangers of flood and precipice, like our Cambridge friend, in search of the grand and the picturesque; his life has been passed among men and cities; his career made travelling not an end but a means, less an amusement than an occupation. Adopting the duties of a travelling physician at his outset in life, partly on reasons of health-the climate of England being pronounced fatal to him-he starts on his first tour with Lord

"In the month of September, 1819, I was introduced to his lordship, and I shall never forget the impression that my patient made upon me. I saw all the features of consumption traced upon his face, and I must have expressed this by my own (one of the most treacherous ever allotted to man) for as soon as we left the room, the surgeon said to me, I see you think it is all over with him. You are right, I am afraid; but still he may live some time.'

If I had none of those bashful, fearful feelings, which some anticipate in their first introduction to those of a superior rank, still I had very different sentiments after this interview from those which I had previously entertained. I found his lordship mild and condescending, affable in his manners, and he wore an agreeable smile upon his face which was at the same time captivating and dignified. I thought that I could trace even in the lengthened mien and haggard appearance no ordinary marks of intel

lect. There was something, however, restless about him; an agitation of mind, evinced by his bodily movements, and a certain decision in his tone, which perhaps bordered upon obstinacy. His was a mind which evidently would not remain a moment unoccupied. There was no approach to a state of rest. Such was my first impression, and it was a true one. This was the feature in the composition which alone brought us into contact, for the feverish brain had destroyed the outer man, and was now gnawing the vitals. It was arranged that I should leave the party in London and proceed solus to Dover, where they would join me the following day. I got to Dover, and into the heart of the town without perceiving it, so dense was the fog, at six o'clock in the morning, in the month of September. I went to bed, it was Sunday morning, and when I had refreshed myself with a little broken sleep, and with a good breakfast, I began to reflect upon the nature of things in general, and my own affairs in particular. My first idea was naturally to commence my journal. I began by philosophising upon my present situation. It was certainly a new one to me. I was placed in circumstances, which I could hardly, in the probability of events, ever have anticipated. When I began seriously to reflect, therefore, how I came to be so, it produced a mental excitement, which those only can understand, who, like myself, have suddenly passed into such opposite states; nor can even they appreciate it, unless, at the same age, they have possessed the same enthusiasm as myself. I had lately recovered from an alarming illness, and my nerves still vibrated under its effects. I had quitted Edinburgh under disadvantageous circumstances, having been obliged to resign an official situation in the infirmary, which, at that period of my medical career, promised to be most conducive to my success. Upon quitting Scotland, I knew not whither I was going, nor what means I should find to carry into effect what was then indeed the one thing needful, viz., the restoration of my health. My funds were not ample, hardly sufficient, indeed, to take me to Lisbon, could I find no other port where .I might drop my anchor. I was far from being destitute, it is true, but my pride would not allow me to apply to friends for pecuniary assistance. I had received letters from my father, who was in France, authorising me to draw upon him for a hundred pounds; but the last time we parted we had an altercation upon that subject, and I had almost resolved never to apply again to that

source. It was an impious resolution, begotten in pride and reared in ingratitude.

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Such were my feelings two months previous, and they were wrought to ex cess by the little power my fever left me to resist them. How differently did I find myself situated at the present moment. I was at once turning my professional studies to account, and putting into my pocket what I had been putting into my head. I was about to work out my temporal subsistence; and how easy, how amiable did the task appear! The same excess of feeling, which once depressed me beyond what was absolutely probable, now raised me above all possibility; for no one ever so little reduced to practice the golden rule of Horace- aquam servare mentem.' I imagined myself, therefore, at once launched into fashionable life, and was travelling physician to an English nobleman, about to set out upon his travels. How sweetly smooth did the future appear to me; my success I considered certain. I had the first interest, which would protect and patronize me in future. I imagined myself already practising in St. James's, my carriage waiting at the door, until I had dismissed my morning patients. This, and similarly extravagant misconceptions of my real situation worked upon my imagination, always prone to look forward to a brilliant future-always paying the price of its ardour in the disappointment of the present. How different did the thing really appear when placed in its true colours. What was I, and what was I about to do? A youth, who with some hundred more of his companions had got a medical diploma, and, by a lucky concatenation of events, was allowed to accompany a family to the south of France, who might repay themselves for the inconvenience such a guest might cause them, by some trifling services which he might render them.'

This extract will put the reader sufficiently au courant to the manner of the doctor and his intentions; he I will see that he has to deal with a shrewd, ready-witted son of the north, whose natural quickness is no bad compensation for his ignorance of the world. The difficulties of a new position, the strangeness of a novel situation, have already struck him; but one can see in the few brief words he lets fall, that he is prepared to meet the roughs of life, and in the adage of his country

To put the stout heart to the stiff brae."