-iIlI''i i i ' J i d i i i
lltimunii'
.„j„;i 111'
'! ]1i!;i
ill!
m iyijil,i! „
34
with great iirmnefs and fecurity, draw or condu6t a kind of fledge, called Lege, one of tlie
coiilants ftanding behind, and the other fitting in front by way of conduftor, with his feet
paddling among the fnow to moderate the velocity of its defceiit.
Thofe who objeft to that velocity, which is extreme, may be drawn by one man only,
who, as well as the reft, has his Ihoes froft-fhod for that purpofe.
There is aJfo a fmall detachment of foldiers quartered at this town, commanded by an
officer, who is in great meafiu-e entrofted with the police of the place, and whofe right
extends to the civil department. He is looked on as chief raagiftrate, as far as relates to
accommodating differences between the ftranger and the inhabitants, with full power to
fee juftice immediately adminiftered, as far as a certain point limited by the laws of the
country.
Here I arrived late in the evening, and fet out early the next morning with ray guide,
in order to avoid the inconveniences and dangers attending this formidable pafs. I preferred
taking a mule, having been, as a mountaineer, accuftomed from my youth to thofe
animals, and of courfe knew that they were not only fure footed, but prepared for tlie
occafion.
On quitting Limon the road continues through a plain or valley of about two miles
and a half in length, previous to our beginning the afcent, keeping clofe to the Borbo, a
thick, muddy torrent, which defcends with vaft impetuofity from tlie iides of tlie Col, with
a moft hideous and frightful noife, hurling with it enormous mafles of granite and primitive
rock-ftone of various kinds, which it has previouily loofened from the fummit of the
mountains where it takes its fource. This torrent caufes vaft ravages during tlie melting
of the fnow, although the inhabitants of this valley have endeavoured to guard againft it
as much as poflible.
From hence I could not difcern the peak of this tremendous mountain, it being
entirely concealed by an enormous rock of greyifti Hone, compovmded of quartz and
fpar, or faxum grifeum quartofum, ferving as its bafe. This rock, which does not at firft
appear of vaft extent, is, neverthelels, of extreme depth; for immediately on leaving the
valley of Limon, we began the acclivity by a rapid and rugged afcent, cut in the northern
Jide of the mountain, and for half an hour continued nearly in the fame direilion, clofe to
the edge of a frightful precipice, at the bottom of which runs the Borbo.
In our route I remarked feveral huge mafTes of rock projeiiling from the fides of the
pr^ipice, which appeared to form the bafis of anotlier mountain, the top of which feemed
35
to be entirely a kind of aibeftus ftone, leaning on the north-eaft fide of the Col, whilft
the pieces of rock appeared chiefly compofed of a fpecies of greenifli ferpentine, and a
deep red granite, fpotted witli black and white, of a flmilar kind to thofe in the vicinity
of Mont Dauphin, in the Cottian Alps. They accumulated confiderably as we drew near
a fmall miferable hamlet formed of wretched habitations, or, more properly, huts, which
bore the appcarance of extreme diftrefs, the inhabitants of which chiefly ferve as guides,
and are miferably poor and difirefled, exiiUng, during tlie winter, like the Tartars, on the
flefli of mules, which periih by the falls of Ihow from tlie mountains and the hurricanes,
which arc far more tremendous liere than on Mont Cenis, &c. Thefe poor creatiires
divide, fait, and dry thofe animals as we do hogs, &c.
The traveller muft not expeft to meet with die fame comfort and cleanlinefs which
charaiterife the inhabitants of the Pennine and Lepontine Alps, nor that cheerfulnefs and
adlivity fo natiu-al to thofe who live in the neighbourhood of Mont Cenis, &c. I have
remarked that this difference extends from the confines of Brian^on to Genoa; for, except
their fidelity, ftrifi honefty, and goodnefs of heart, they pofitively appear to be a different
fpecies of people.
It is certain that the inhabitants of this branch of the Alps are remarkably poor, great
bigots, and indolent in the extreme; which may, I think, be in a great meafure owing to
the poomefs of their paft^re land, which being neither fo good nor fo extenfive as in Switzerland
and Savoy, neither creates nor encourages an equal degree of emulation: added
to this, their total want of mtereourfe with any of the inhabitants of the fame chain, except
the Pcovengals and Italians, who are moft of them extremely fuperftitious.
Immediately on leaving this miferable hamlet the afcent becomes more rapid, and tiie
danger increafes during the avalanges, or falls of Ihow, which take place in April, and
fomctimes May. The fnow detaching from the fides of this mountain, rolls with a quicknefs
which is inceffantly accelerated by its mafs; and, as it continually enlarges as it rolls,
drags every thing with it in its defcent, overwhelming and deftroying whatever intercepts
I have frequently witneflid thefe tremendous falls or avanlages, and have even been
nearly expofed to their di-eadful efFeils, having fo often crolTed the Alps at different places.
The 27th of April, 1785, was the lafl: time I traverfed them at that inclement feafon, and
only ten hours previous to the following mclancholy event. Two muleteers, with fixteen
mules heavy laden with their merchandize, &c. fet off from Tende, about three miles from
ii ii