M is returned, and he fhrewdly suspects that neither Richard nor Lalande ever gave themfelves the trouble to explore in person the devastation that a falling mountain caufed, by its defcent on the village of Randan: an event which happened on the 12th of June, 1750. Here follows his account of it: "Continued heavy rains for "several days, fucceeded by a warm fun-shine, diffolving the vaft heaps of fnow which had lain "on the mountains contiguous to the village, "caufed fuch an inundation, as brought down on "a fudden vaft fragments of the foil and prodi

gious rocks, in fuch an abundance as entirely to "cover up the village, which confifted of thirty"fix houses, the chateau, gardens, and ftables of "the Seigneur, and the parish church; excepting "about 16 feet of its steeple, which still appears "above the furface. The windows of the belfry "are above eleven feet from the ground; not

66

even with it, as Lalande afferts *; nor is there

any poffibility of entering them without the "affiftance of a ladder. The peasants have cleared

out about seven feet of the arch of the vault of "this church; but it was too difficult and expen"five an undertaking for them to continue the "excavation. The space covered over appears to "be about 150 acres, including the village and "adjoining fields. The ground is raised above its "former level 36 feet in the highest part, floping "down to the river. Old trees are buried up to *Vol. ift, p. 8.

their heads, five or fix feet of their topmoft "branches only appearing above the ground. Stu"pendous rocks lie difperfed on all fides; fome "of them measure from eleven to thirteen feet "one way, by feven to eleven the other: this une"qual fuperficies is covered over between the rocks "with brush-wood, the fibres or feeds of which "have come down in the fragments of the moun"tain. The torrent of melted fnow which burft away from the hills formed two cataracts, over

turning in its courfe houses, trees, and rocks: "the channels they have left are nearly 16 feet

66

deep and thirty broad." As Lalande and Richard have faid very little of the catastrophe which befel this village and its environs in one day, I thought it worth while to give you this report of it, which you well know to be exact and authentic. Having nothing more that is curious to add, I conclude, &c.

VOL. I.

D

LET

St.Michael.

HE

ERE, at St. Michael, another deferted chateau, are we to pass the night; but the accommodations are fo wretched, that they have banished fleep from my eyes: the hardness and dirt of the bed does not invite me to reft. One would think old Keyfler had been doating, when he fays, "there is very good accommodation in "a fpacious inn at St. Michael," &c. Spacious it is indeed, but naked walls, and ill-paved floors; a few broken chairs, and ftraw beds; thofe without curtains being better in fome respects, by being lefs fordid; a larder affording no other provifion than stinking oil; bread four and black; and trout marinated after they ftunk. But what charmed poor Keysler, was certain moral fentences wrote over the doors; who inveighs with great ill-humour against the fallies of fancy, commonly infcribed by young people upon window-panes. It had been a difficult matter to have found any here to have wrote upon.-Our hoftefs made us fome reproaches for chufing to fup in our own room (although it was more for her intereft, as we pay confiderably dearer), intimating that it would be much better if we would eat at table d'hôte; for there was a great deal of company. You cannot imagine how much all our hofts have worried us to eat at their

table;

table; but I need not tell you, we had rather have a cruft of bread in the ftable with the horses, than forts of people that are totally

fit down with all

unknown to us: they may be "the best fort of people in the world." However, the last words of the hoftefs made me curious to learn who the company were: it confifted of a Seigneur of Milan, an Abbé of Florence, a finger from Venice, three Lyons traders, and a woman, wife to one of them.

Mauri

Our road to-day has been worse than any we have yet experienced. From Aiguebelle to St. Jean de Maurienne is one continued ascent and St. Jean de descent. We have passed several dangerous bridges, enne. composed of nothing but fir-trees thrown across very uncertain and loofe, the river running under them with great rapidity. About three weeks fince, one of these bridges failed, as the Lyons diligence was paffing it. None of the paffengers perished; but the baggage, to the amount of forty thousand livres, was loft, and all the horses drowned, before they could be difengaged from their harness. Some of the ftone bridges I think little lefs terrifying. than thofe of wood; one in particular near St. Jean de Maurienne, which is more like a fharp ridge of a house than a bridge; and fo narrow, the wall on each fide being alfo extremely low, that were the horses to take fright, you must infallibly be overturned into the river.-I forgot to mention, that we dined at La Chambre, a moft wretched La Cham place, and a very bad inn: it is about mid-way bre.

between Aiguebelle and St. Jean de Maurienne. This latter is a pretty, clean-looking little town. Lalande makes mention of this place, as being the fortrefs by which Hannibal marched into Italy, according to several writers; but as authors, you know, often differ, in fuch inveftigations, others will have it (and this he fays is the common opinion) that he croffed over the mountain St. Bernard. He (Lalande) gives a long quotation from the Memoirs du Marechal de Vielleville, defcribing a kind of mafque given by the inhabitants of this town to Henry the Second of France, in 1548. This you will fee in tom. i. p. 15.

Having already attempted to give you an idea of the bridges in Savoy, which, as you must have perceived, are not too much to be depended upon (though the prefent time of the year is elteemed the best and safest feafon for this journey), there is another kind of accident to which thofe who travel this road are also subject, that of being crushed to death by ponderous rocks, many of which feem fufpended by one corner only, and jutting out, hang over the road, threatening to part their hold at every moment. The foil about them is a loose grey fand, and feems strongly incorporated with lead ore. Many of these rocks have already fallen down into the road, others into the river: thofe which by their fall had quite interrupted the road, have been blown up by the peasants, fo as to leave fufficient room for a carriage to pafs. Several of thefe new arrivals are nearly cubical, and as large

as