96 U G I N E T O L H O P I T A L .
rection from the western side of the mountains
near Sallanches, to the frontiers of
France. The river Arley runs along the
upper part of the valley, and is joined in
its course by the Doron from the district
of Beaufort, and by the Isere from the
Tarentaise. The junction with the latter
river is at Conflans, where the Arley loses
its name in that of the Isere, though it
continues the same course as before, the
Isere meeting it nearly at right angles
from the south. There is a horse-road
along the upper part of the valley of Arley,
which passes by the town of Megeve, and
over the mountains, to Sallanches. This is
much the shortest route from Chamberry to
Sallanches. The journey may be accomplished
in one day from L ’Hopital ; but
the road is stony and seldom travelled;
and those who undertake it would do well
to have provisions with them, and be certain
with respect to the weather, as there
are no tolerable inns where they could sleep.
After our repast, we began to ascend by
a road cut in the side of a mountain, composed
of dark carbonaceous schist, with
veins of the mineral, called, by Werner,
slate spar : a new and safer road was
L H O P I T A L O N T H E I S E R E . 97
forming along the bottom of the valley.
Our road continued under the shade of the
slate mountains on our right, to L ’Hopital.
About a mile on this side that town, we
passed a large building, formerly a monastery,
placed on a finely wooded eminence
immediately above the valley. It was six
o’clock when we arrived at L ’Hopital,
though we were not seven miles distant in
a direct line from Faverge, which we passed
at twelve o’clock, the road making a long
détour round the mountains, forming nearly
half an ellipsis. There is a foot-path across
the mountains from Faverge to L ’Hopital;
and we were told that a stout man might
walk from one town to the other in an
hour and a half, though it is a journey
of six hours by the carriage road. We
alighted at the Hotel de l’Union, kept by
les frères Geuif, where we found the accommodations
good, and the charges fair,
without any attempt to impose. The elder
brother, who is the principal manager, is
an intelligent modest man, and very obliging.
We slept at this inn three different
times in our peregrinations, and can recommend
it to future travellers.
L’Hopital is a well-built town on the
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