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those of a more expensive class, which indeed is the very aim and object of the landlord. The wisest course is to select a wine which is the growth of the country.’
    Vandalism of various kinds was frequently attributed to the English, as in the village church of Hindelbank, where there was a monument to Madame Langhans, who died in childbirth. ‘It is by a sculptor, named Nahl, and represents her with her child in her arms, bursting through the tomb at the sound of the last trumpet. Its merit, as a work of art, has been much exaggerated. The chief figure is injured by the loss of the nose, which Glütz Blotzheim asserts (it is to be hoped unfoundedly) was the wanton act of an Englishman.’
    Perhaps the famous scratching by Byron of his name on a pillar of the Castle of Chillon could also be classed as vandalism but, when I visited the place, a frame had been put around it. Baedeker lessens the heinousness of this act by telling us that Victor Hugo and Eugène Sue also scored their names there.
    The orderliness of Switzerland has become proverbial, but the criminal statistics of the district around Locarno, Murray writes, ‘show a large amount of crime in proportion to the number of inhabitants’. On the other hand certain villages in Piedmont ‘encourage a pride of birth and birthplace … their characters are distinguished for honesty and industry, and few communities have a higher moral tone. Crime is almost unknown among them, and if disputes arise the magistrate elected by themselves hears the complaint, and effects an amicable settlement. Their educational attainments are of a higher order than is usually found in such a class, especially in such a place.’
    In Switzerland proper, according to Baedeker, the traveller in the Bernese Oberland ‘should possess a considerable fund of patience and of the smallest coin of the realm. Vendors of strawberries, flowers, and crystals first assail him, and he has no sooner escaped their importunities than he becomes a victim to the questionable attractions of a chamois or marmot. His admiration must not be engrossed by a cascade, be it ever so beautiful, or by a glacier, be it ever so imposing and magnificent; the urchin who persists in standing on his head, or turning somersaults for the tourist’s amusement, must have his share of attention. Again, if the route happens to pass an echo, a pistol shot is made to reverberate in one’s ears, and payment is of course expected for the unpleasant shock. Swiss damsels next make their appearance on the scene, and the ebbing patience of the traveller is again sorely tried by the national melodies of these ruthless songsters. Then there is the Alpine horn which, although musical when heard at a distance, is excruciating when performed close to the ear. The fact is, the simplicity and morality of the aboriginal character in these once sequestered regions has been sadly corrupted by modern invasion. These abuses had become so crying, that the attention of Government was directed to them, and commissioners were sent to inquire into the matter. Their advice is, “Give to nobody”; the remedy therefore lies principally with travellers themselves.’
    Locomotion for the traveller on certain routes was far from easy. The hotelkeepers between Andermatt and Como ‘generally provide good carriages with trustworthy drivers. Extortionate demands, however, are occasionally made, especially on the Italian side, a spurious printed tariff being sometimes exhibited. Though the government has curbed the importunities of guides, drivers, and landlords, the boatmen and carriage-drivers of Brunnen are still noted for the exhorbitance of their charges.’
    The romance of travel, and its possible dangers, is highlighted in Murray when he comes to Novasca: ‘… this spot offers to the traveller some of the most sublime horrors encountered in the Alps. Here a grand cataract bursts out from a