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2 1 4 AIGUË BLANCHE.
i I
F m L
IL
About two miles before arriving at
Aloiitiers, we passed Aigue Blanche, a neat
town, with one principal street. The
bottom of the valley is here formed of
dark calcareous tuffa, which is quarried
for building-stone ; it is light and durable.
A little beyond Aigue Blanche the
rocks advance on each side and close up
the valley, leaving only a deep chasm,
not many yards wide, through which the
river rushes ; the road is carried along
the side of the precipice, above the river,
but is secured by a parapet wall. This is
of the j^ieat gorges I have before
mentioned ; it may be said to cut off entirely
the lower part of the valley from the
upper. You might imagine that it formed
lit non juinenta solum, sed elephant! etiam deduci pos-
sent.” His. lib. 21.
From the above account it is clear that Livy supposes
the rock was decomposed, or softened, by pouring
vinegar on its surface, when it had been heated by
die burning of an immense pile of wood heaped against
i t ; but it is quite impossible that any quantity of vinegar
which the army might have brought with them over the
Alps, could be sufficient to effect any great change in
the hardness of the rock, when poured upon it, whereas
a small quantity, closely confined, might be adequate to
rend the whole mass.
m
MOUTIERS. 215
the termination of the route, as the river
turns suddenly and appears lost. After
passing this gorge we descended to Moutiers,
situated in a small plain, but surrounded
by such precipitous mountains,
that a stranger, who should arrive here in
the dark, would, the next morning, find it
difficult to conjecture by what way he had
entered, or how he was to escape.
We arrived at the principal inn about
five o’clock. The house was spacious and
the dining room handsome ; but we were
told there was nothing to be had for dinner,
as it was fast-day, Friday. On expressing
our disappointment, the landlady
smiled and shook her head, and looked
unutterable things, but scarcely spoke a
word. We could not imagine the meaning
of this dumb shew ; but we found out at
last, that though it was a day to fast from
flesh, she had not proclaimed a fast from
the bottle. Armstrong has said, that when
men are under the influence of wine,
What is difficult and what is dire
Yields to their prowess and superior might.”
It was far otherwise with our hostess, for
to her every thing was impossible. At
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