Sufa.

my

intervals exceedingly narrow, with three or four abominable steps. I was exceffively annoyed by the droves of cattle, and loaded mules; they are fo obftinate that they will not turn or incline themfelves the least out of their way. One of the latter gave me a horrid fright; for having lagged behind her companions, to fhorten her way, the chose to attempt stepping over the poles of my chair. You may be fure I screamed, for I never was in fo great danger of being thrown down the precipice; but chairmen were so alert as to lift the chair clear over a low breast-work, so as to leave room for my annoyance to continue her way. When thefe droves of loaded mules meet, it often happens the road is particularly inconvenient for them to pafs each other, and they run great risks of being pushed down the precipices. Those we met were chiefly loaded with rice; but thofe that overtook us, and which were in their way to Turin from Lyons, carried rich gold and filver stuffs, jewellers' work, &c.; fo that it is of the utmoft confequence that the road be kept in fufficient repair for the fecurity of these animals,

At Novalefe, our chaife and baggage were remounted: it is a very poor place, and the inn but indifferent. From hence to Sufa*, the road is

* I observed some gibbets between Novalese and Sufa, which have plates of tin nailed on them, with the crime and punishment of the malefactor, who had suffered there, set forth and engraved.

4

rough

rough and bad. We paffed by the famous Bru- Brunette. nette, which, although esteemed impregnable by the Piedmontefe, Monf. Richard thinks commanded by two mountains; but, however, hẹ makes a fhrewd reflection, and very apropos, namely," That it would be difficult to bring up, and plant a battery of cannon on these mountains:" which no doubt it is utterly impoffible to do. We walked down the defcent which leads to Sufa. As for the Arc of Triumph, which is in a kind of alley leading to the caftle at Sufa, I refer you to Lalande. His obfervation on the bas reliefs, &c. is extremely juft; but we could not find the infcription he mentions. A foldier, upon guard near the place, told us, a plate of bronze had been conveyed away (upon which it, probably, had been engraved) fome months before to Turin, and he fhewed a hollow in one of the pillars, which appeared to have held a plate of metal. The town of Sufa is not confiderable. From thence to Turin*, the road winds most pleasantly through a valley, with well dreffed fields on either fide. In the corn fields, are planted mulberry-trees, in rows, at a fufficient distance not to injure the corn. We lay at a wretched village, called Buffolia, Buffolia. on ftraw-beds, covering four planks, and these fupported upon ftone props, fimilar to what are ufed in England for corn ftacks. I find the pre

From Sufa to Turin are a few small croffes, to mark the places where affafinations have been committed. I think I did not perceive more than three or four of them, and these have been up fome years.

caution

brofe church.

caution of carrying our own sheets with us highly neceffary. Next day, we dined at a village called St. Ambrofe. From the inn, which is tolerably good, the abbey of St. Michael de la Clufe hangs upon the brow of a very high mountain; and as it is for the moft part in ruins, forms a fine point St. Am- of view. By the road fide, and near St. Ambrofe, ftands a small church, built in the Gothic taste, of brick; the mouldings and pillars, which are all of terra cotta, are very well executed. Certain friezes formed by vine branches, leaves, and their fruit, are particularly well fculptured, and of the fame materials. We paffed through Rivoli, where on a fharp rifing ftands the Royal Castle; here the present king's father ended his days. Should I happen to be informed of any thing particularly curious, in regard to this Prince and his imprisonment, during our stay here (more than what is mentioned by Richard and Lalande), it fhall certainly make a part of fome future letter.

Rivoli.

Royal

Cattle.

For the three leagues from Rivoli to Turin, the road is planted on each fide with double rows of most beautiful elms; it is extremely broad, literally ftraight, and forms one of the finest avenues (I suppose) in all Europe. The beautiful fields on each fide, which are for the moft part water meadows, are kept in as neat a state as it is poffible for the utmost care and attention to bring them to. Near the gate of the town, we faw the prince of Piedmont, who had alighted from his coach to walk; his fuite confifted of feven or eight pages.

only

only. He is a tall, thin, genteel-looking young man, and of an agreeable countenance.

The entrance into Turin is noble; the gate is Turin. of a folid, but magnificent architecture. The fortifications are in perfect repair, as M-- particu larly obferved; for as you know these matters are not quite within my province, all I can affirm is, the wall appeared to be strong and thick, the ditch very broad, and that there were several centinels, well-dreffed, parading backwards and forwards. The town feems to be extremely populous. I shall say more about it in my next letter. Although this is grown to a most unconscionable length, yet as I promised you fome anecdotes. relative to the bon Pere Nicolas, of the plain of Mont Cennis, I fhall infert them here, and if poffible crowd them into the cover.

Pere Nicolas's fanctity of life, his charitable and Pere Nimoral difpofition, at length reached the ears of his colas. fovereign, who fent for him to court. The King took fuch a liking to him, that, upon his entreaty, he granted a perpetual exemption to the Lanebourgians from the quartering of troops, and from furnishing either men or money for the milice, even in time of war. So little did Pere Nicolas confult his own interefts, that he never asked any thing for himself; and although he goes to court from time to time, and is always exceedingly well received by the King, he has never in any inftance fought his own promotion, but employs all the interest he can make to relieve his poor neighbours VOL. I. F

and

and parishioners from the difficulties they may be expofed to, either by the accidents of bad feafons, ftorms, or above all, a threatened tax, which, by his interpofition, they are free from to this day. The Lanebourgians themselves, through gratitude, immediately after the first favour the King was pleafed to bestow on Pere Nicolas, prefented him with the rent of the Lake for seven years. By this he became commodioufly circumftanced; but in the year 1737, he augmented his fund, and ferved his country at the fame time, by felling cattle to the Swifs army, which he bought up cheap from the Savoyards, who had much diffi culty to prevent their being taken from them by the Spaniards, fo were glad to get rid of them at any price. Pere Nicolas, who was much better acquainted with the different roads, paths, and cliffs of the adjacent mountains, than the Spaniards were, concealed the cattle by day in caverns and hollow ways, and by night drove them fometimes along the fides, or upon the beds of rivers, fometimes swam them across, and frequently made them defcend precipices. from 100 to 250 feet perpendicular height, by the narrow paths made by the goats and chamois, and which would have been absolutely impracticable to cows or oxen that had not been bred amongst fuch mountains. Thus, by his address, he escaped the out-posts of the Spanish army, who had not failed to guard all the paffes they knew of, in order that no communication should be kept up between the Savoyards,