Arona we see the celebrated collossal statue of St Carlo Borromeo, Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, a native of Arona. It is 66 ft. high and is placed on a pedestal 40 ft. high. The head, hands, and feet are of bronze, the rest of the figure consists of sheets of copper sustained by masonry. It was erected in 1697.

From Arona, Milan is reached by railway in 24 hours, Turin in 3 hours, and Genoa in 54 hours. Diligences leave Arona daily to cross the Simplon Pass. The steamers go no farther than Arona.

ARONA TO MILAN, see Route 160.

Travellers for Lugano and Como continue their journey from Bellinzona. Passing through pleasant and fertile country, we reach

a

LUGANO (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"), beautifully situated on the north shore of the lake of the

same name. It is entirely Italian in character, with dingy and dirty arcaded streets, but its environs display all the richness of Italian scenery. The principal church, San Lorenzo, is built on an eminence, commanding a fine view. Another, Santa Maria degli Angioli, founded in 1499, is adorned with some remarkable paintings by Bernardino Luini. The town has a considerable trade in silk, being the principal entrepôt for traffic between Italy and Switzerland.

The lake, which is 20 miles in length, is very beautiful, and its shores present a great variety of scenery. Small steamboats ply between the various ports and Lugano. By sailing to Porlezza much of the lake may be seen, and from thence rail can be taken to Menaggio, on Lake Como. This is the pleasantest way of reaching Como. A new line has also been opened from

Luino on Lake Maggiore to Ponte Tresa on Lake Lugano, whence steamers run to Lugano.

Soon after leaving Lugano, the railway crosses the Val Tassino by a viaduct 130 feet high, passes through several tunnels, and skirts the lake. Passing near Mendrisio, we soon reach CHIASSO (17 miles), the last Swiss village, where luggage is examined by the Italian Customs officers. After leaving Chiasso we reach in less than two hours

COмO. For a description of Como and its Lake, see Route 163, and of Milan, see Route 159).

ROUTE 109.

LUCERNE TO INTERLAKEN BY THE BRUNIG PASS.

Distance to Brienz, 363 miles, to Interlaken, 43 miles. Steamers three times daily to Alpnach in 1 hours, thence dili gence to Brienz (or Meiringen) in 6 hours.

Fares-Lucerne to Brienz, 10.90 francs; coupe, 12.90 franes; to Interlaken, 13.70 francs; coupe, 16.40 francs; 40 lbs. luggage free.

Carriages-Two horses, Lucerne to Brienz (or Meiringen), 45.50 francs; all the way to Interlaken, 60 francs. From Alpnach to Brienz, 1 horse carriage, 25 francs; 2 horses, 40 francs.

of Mount Pilate. The pines along the heights of this mountain were formerly carried down to the lake by a curious channel called the Slide of Alpnach. It was removed in 1819. The church was built of timber so conveyed.

The ascent of Mount Pilate can be best made from Alpnach. Time, 4 to 5 hours; horse, 10 francs (see page 444).

SARNEN (16 miles) (Hotels: Obwaldner Hof, Aigle d'Or). It is agreeably situated on the lake of Sarnen, below an eminence called Landenberg, from the terrace on which we have a beautiful view. The bridge across the river is nearly 300 years old. In the church at SACHSELN, a short distance from Sarnen, are preserved the bones of St Nicholas von der Flue. Ascending the Kaiserstuhl, a steep hill, we reach

LUNGERN (26 miles) (Hotels: Brunig, Lowe), situated near the borders of the lake to which it gives its name, and at the comiencement of the Brunig Pass. This lake was reduced in size by one half in 1836 by draining it through a tunnel into the Lake of Sarnen, by which means a large tract of valuable meadowland was recovered. The road ascends by zig-zags through a forest to the summit of the Pass, at a height of 3,294 ft. above the

riage road, from which the views over the lake are very fine, we arrive in about an hour at

BRIENZ (36 miles) (Hotels: L'Ours, Weisses-Kreutz). This town is beautifully situated on the lake of the same name. From hence to INTERLAKEN steamers go three times a day, passing by the Giessbach shore, where we see the HOTEL GIESSBACH, a magnificent new hotel (opened in 1875), one of the best in Switzerland." It was burnt down in 1883, but has been rebuilt in magnificent style. It commands fine views of the falls and Lakes Brienz and Thun. Passengers are conveyed from the landing-place to the hotel by an ingenious tramway, the carriages of which are drawn up by water power. The tramway is chiefly constructed of iron resting upon stone piers. Its length is 660 yards, the gradient being 28 in 100.

We must caution travellers against taking the advice of interested drivers to press on to Interlaken without spending the night at Giessbach. The illumination of the Falls is a sight the tourist should by no means miss.

The falls of the Giessbach have a character as well as beauty altogether peculiar; six of them can be seen at one glance, descending in succession from the wooded heights of the mountain above. In the tourist season they are illuminated nightly by coloured port-fires, and then present a singularly beautiful appearance. The middle fall is seen from a small gallery carried directly behind it, and the cataract rushes close before the spectator. The falls above, on the higher declivity, are very fine, though inferior in grandeur to the more impetuous Reichenbach.

INTERLAKEN (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST ").

ARRIVAL. Omnibuses and porters from all the hotels meet the trains at the central station. ENGLISH CHURCH, in the choir of the old monastery, near the east end of the Hohereg.

The space between the Lakes of Thun and Brienz is occupied by the valley of Interlaken, one of the most beautiful spots in Switzerland. Surrounded by lofty mountains, it is nevertheless open, and might almost be called a plain. On the east and west it looks towards the two lakes, and on the south towards the valley of Lauterbrunnen-its boundaries thus giving it a triangular form. "The beauty and fertility of this valley are extraordinary. The greenest and most luxuriant meadows, the richest and most variegated foliage, orchards red with fruit, gardens enamelled with flowers, form altogether a picture of singular beauty." The plain is strewed with picturesque eminences, rocky and overspread with fine timber; and along the right side of the Aar the bank rises gradually up to the mountains which shut in the valley. The immediate environs present the picturesque in most various aspects, and the peaks of the Silberhorn, Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau are the boundaries of its horizon. The climate is mild, and in summer the heat is often intense; but in the hottest sun the fine avenues of walnut-trees offer some measure of shade.

Interlaken has, in later years, changed its physiognomy and aspect. It is no longer a Swiss village, but a settlement of foreigners. The wooden houses, with their long inscriptions from the Psalms, their high-pitched roofs and oval windows, have been replaced by fine hotels and

The

comfortable habitations. indigent have been sent away to Unterseen, and the village is now almost exclusively occupied by foreign tourists and residents. The number of summer visitors is estimated at 50,000. The hotels are sprinkled about amid the trees upon either side of a broad avenue which extends almost from lake to lake.

The principal street and the resort of foreigners is the Hoheweg, an avenue shaded by fine walnut. trees, on one side of which are the hotels and shops, on the other a broad level meadow. From this street there is a fine view of the Jungfrau. A little to the north of the Höheweg is the Kursaal, a chalet with reading, refreshment, and concert and ball rooms, surrounded by gardens. Music every day, 7 to 8 A. M., 4 to 5 and 8 to 10 P. M. The expenses of this establishment are paid by a tax of 50 cents. per day charged by the hotel-keepers in the bills of each guest, or for families of two or more persons 1 franc per week each person.

Favourite walks.-To the Kleine Rugen, three quarters of an hour, 2,425 ft.; to the Heimweh-Fluh, half an hour; from which points there are fine views. Farther away, 2 hours by carriage, is ST BEATENBERG, a village with hotels and pensions, much resorted to by persons suffering from nervous maladies, from which there are fine views, including the chain of the Bernese Alps. Another excursion is to the Falls of GIESSBACH, described above.

In the neighbourhood of Interlaken there are great numbers of excellent pensions, at which the charges range from 5 to 9 francs per day.