-i,
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dies, who supported the diar with his arm,
where it might be in danger of overturning.
Before arriving at the Lake of Chede,
there is a village above the road, called
Passy,, whidi is supposed to have been the
ancient Vatiscum, mentioned by Pliny, as
in the country of the Centrones. Boman
antiquities, and ex voto inscriptions, have
been found here, and a large gold medal
of the emperor Trajan, equal in weight to
four napoleons. A Boman paved road,
considerably above the present road to
Servos, was carried along the side of the
mountains, the remains of which are still
to be seen. It led from the country of
the Centrones (which comprised the Tarentaise)
into the Vallois. The hill on which
Passy stands is under the Aguille de Varens,
and slopes down to the south. It is planted
with vines and fruit trees, which, owing to
their sheltered situation, flourish here even
in the face of the eternal snows of Mont
Blanc. These are nearly the last vines in the
valley, going to Chamouny, which produce
what is called by the inhabitants good wine.
A little farther we passed a vineyard, which
served to shew the power of man to triumph
over the inclemencies of the seasons.
The culture of this vineyard, owing to the
caprice of a wealthy proprietor, had been
entirely neglected for several years, and
the vines, left to the sole care of nature,
were become so dwarfish, that the leaves
resembled in size those of the gooseberry.
About three miles from Sallenches, we
stopped to see the Cascade of Chede, which
has been much too highly praised ; the
same may be said of the small Lake of
Chede, which is a mile beyond.
The most dangerous part of the road,
which is carried a considerable height above
the valley, is the passage of a ravine,
and the Nant Noir, a mountain torrent,
rendered black, by passing over rocks of
dark schist. This ravine, which is wide
and deep, is partly filled up with masses of
rock, that have fallen down from the mountains
above. The road and bridge had
lately been destroyed by an inundation,
and we were obliged to make a considerable
detour on foot, while our voiturier
conducted the char through the water.
This spot has been the scene of many fatal
accidents. From hence the road descends
to Servos, which is situated in a deep part
of the valley, that was once a lake, called
the lake of St. Michel, from a castle of that
A A 2
LJill