this we were surprised by entering a large chamber, perhaps 200 yards round, with a gallery at the top; the whole was surrounded by festoons of lamps, and below it was a rich star of fire, which showed the depth of the mine off to great advantage. A band of music was playing, and mines were exploded at the bottom with really tremendous noise. Altogether, this scene pleased me more than any I have seen here, or perhaps anywhere. "Wednesday, August 23.--At 5 we started in the carriage, with Devon's servant, for the second _chasse_ (of chamois); we found ourselves among a long train of other carriages also going there. We passed through the _chasse_ of Monday, and went about 3 miles further on foot. We found that of 60 chamois which had been collected in the toils, 40 had escaped; so the _chasse_ was but of about an hour's duration before they were all killed. The stands of shooters were confined, so we were made to climb up a little mountain, or rather a large rock, from which we had an excellent view of everything. The scenery was superb and wild. Before, behind, and everywhere, were immense mountains of solid and shagged rock, 9,000 feet high above the sea, with nothing like vegetation but patches of stunted firs, which did not, even so, reach halfway up their height, and looked like moss. It made a contrast with the tameness of the _chasse_, where about 16 chamois were driven about and killed out of little boxes, in an enclosure of a few acres. It was not so fine in that respect as the deer _chasse_. The King asked us again to dinner, near a small house in the valley of the deer _chasse_ (Wimbach). The table was put on a platform under a sycamore-tree in a glorious situation. {86} I was unexpectedly called upon to sit next to Prince Schwartzenberg, and always called _milord_, which probably was the original mistake. The whole business went off very satisfactorily. The King's manners are most affable, and made everything comfortable about him."