lih I
been brought from the continents of Europe
or Asia, (with the exception of the
potatoe from America,) yet no attempt has
been made, that I know of, to increase the
variety of our fresh-water fish, by importing
them from foreign countries.
CHAPTER II.
ANCIENT CASTLES ROUND THE LAKE OF ANNECY.
CHATEAU MENTHON, THE BIRTH-PLACE OF
ST. BERNARD. ---- VALLEY OF THONES. PEASANTRY
OF SAVOY, AND RELIGIOUS PROCESSIONS.
»
N u m e r o u s castles, more or less in ruins,
are seen on the eminences that command
the road on each side of the Lake of Annecy,
or in the embouchures of the valleys that
open towards it. Their date and early
history are lost in the obscurity of the barbarous
ages that succeeded the downfall of
the Roman empire in the west. Chateau
Duing, where we resided, is a building of
comparatively modern date, except the
tower on the south end, which formed part
of the ancient castle. The walls of this
tower are immensely thick, and seem able
to resist the ravages of time for several
thousand years to come. There are historic
traces of Chateau Duing as far back
as the ninth century. It defended the