Excursions in Switzerland Author:James Fenimore Cooper Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: DIJON.—GENLIS. 9 got so far, before she was stopped, however, as to have expatiated on the warm attachment of the travelling heroes to France, and on their ut... more »ter detestation of the Americans. Dijon has some remains of the middle ages; but of what interest are such things to one who is within forty leagues of Switzerland, and who is actually in sight of the Jura ? LETTER II. tienlis. — Mountain Ranges.—Auxonne. — Frontier Fortresses.—Distant view of Mont Blanc.—Ascent of the Jura.—Saliiis.-—Novel Scenery.— Pontarlier.—Mountain Barrier.—Chateau le Joux.—Toussaint.—Napoleon.—Varying Scenery.—Frontier of Switzerland —Appearance of the Country. —Picturesque Valley.—Mountain Pass.—Val Travers.—Swiss Cottages.—Solitary Pedestrian.—Arrival at Neufchatel. MY DEAR , This was the 17th of July 1828, and on the 18th July 1826 we first put foot in France. We were about to quit it that day two years. How much is there to admire in that great country; how much to shut the eyes to in disgust! The first relay, after quitting Dijon, was at an insignificant hamlet, called Genlis. Struck by the name, and by the sight of a herd of cows, and of that of a small chateau near the post-house, by a queer association we were led to inquire if this was the spot where Mesdames de Sillery et de Genlis took the baths of milk. The good woman of the house It is now some eight years since these savages awakened the hopes of certain French statesmen, and yet the republic still holds quiet sway over Louisiana, and the Osages; and Charles the Xth—where is he? America has never yet been told the half that is meditated against her on the other side of the Atlantic, for little besides silly and fulsome panegyrics have been repeated at home; little else, it is to be feared, being found acceptable. ...« less