hes of
light, and then indeed entombed within the great mountains, like frogs
in granite.

Here indeed--minus the dreaded sea above us--was an experience of the
horrid discomfort of the insanely wished-for Channel Tunnel, and I
heartily prayed the scheme might never be accomplished. We entered the
tunnel at about 12.7 p.m., and emerged at about 12.35, having been about
half an hour in going through. Yes! we have really pierced the great
Groge range of the snowy Alps at a height of some 8000 or 9000 feet, and
can form some faint idea of the God-given power of Man over Nature.
Hovering on the outskirts of this thought, there comes a far-off glimpse
of the infinite greatness and goodness of God; and where indeed could
such a reflection more fitly come than here, amid the grandeur and
beauty of these mighty, snow-clad hills, rearing their icy summits to
the skies; the wild passes, with their solemn rocky chasms and narrow
defiles; the rushing torrents and sparkling cascades; the cloudless blue
sky; and the innocent bluebells and primroses lying so trustfully at the
feet of the great frowning rocks above--all working together like the
moving light and shadow in such perfect majestic harmony?

One feels--

In beauteous vale, on Alpine snow-clad heights,
In splendours of the days or glories of the nights,
In frowning rocks o'erhanging depths below,
On mossy banks where sweet flowerets grow,
We see God's power and love infinitely wide--
"Thy Truth, most mighty Lord, on every side."

As a tunnel, Mont Cenis is of no very extraordinary length; but, being
composed of almost solid rock, the boring operation for so great a
distance must have proved exceedingly difficult, the width being
twenty-six feet, and the height nineteen feet. Some 2000 men were
constantly employed at each end for nearly nine years. The steep ascent,
of some 8000 feet, is another marvellous feature. The total cost was, I
believe, about three millions of pounds sterling. The boring machines
were worked by compressed air. The men who accomplished this great work
should not be forgotten--their names were Sommellier, Grandis, and
Grattoni.

Before leaving the tunnel there was an evident feeling that we were
already descending, and when at length we emerged a grand and wonderful
panorama burst upon our view, all the more beautiful and refreshing
after our late dark imprisonment, which made us dread the very thought
of a Channel Tunne