thers
are past. Travellers, in order to avoid this disagreeable delay, which
is the more vexatious, considering the excessive cold, begin the ascent
of the mountain early in the morning before the mules quit their inns.
But the great danger of travelling here when the sun is up, proceeds
from what they call the Valanches. These are balls of snow detached
from the mountains which over-top the road, either by the heat of the
sun, or the humidity of the weather. A piece of snow thus loosened from
the rock, though perhaps not above three or four feet in diameter,
increases sometimes in its descent to such a degree, as to become two
hundred paces in length, and rolls down with such rapidity, that the
traveller is crushed to death before he can make three steps on the
road. These dreadful heaps drag every thing along with them in their
descent. They tear up huge trees by the roots, and if they chance to
fall upon a house, demolish it to the foundation. Accidents of this
nature seldom happen in the winter while the weather is dry; and yet
scarce a year passes in which some mules and their drivers do not
perish by the valanches. At Coni we found the countess C-- from Nice,
who had made the same journey in a chair, carried by porters. This is
no other than a common elbow-chair of wood, with a straw bottom,
covered above with waxed cloth, to protect the traveller from the rain
or snow, and provided with a foot-board upon which the feet rest.

It is carried like a sedan-chair; and for this purpose six or eight
porters are employed at the rate of three or four livres a head per
day, according to the season, allowing three days for their return. Of
these six men, two are between the poles carrying like common chairmen,
and each of these is supported by the other two, one at each hand: but
as those in the middle sustain the greatest burthen, they are relieved
by the others in a regular rotation. In descending the mountain, they
carry the poles on their shoulders, and in that case, four men are
employed, one at each end.

At Coni, you may have a chaise to go with the same horses to Turin, for
which you pay fifteen livres, and are a day and a half on the way. You
may post it, however, in one day, and then the price is seven livres
ten sols per post, and ten sols to the postilion. The method we took
was that of cambiatura. This is a chaise with horses shifted at the
same stages that are used in posting: but as it is supposed to move
s