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VERM1GLI0.

of sternness, pushed it away contemptuously, and deli-vered himself in this wise :—‘ You have no passport.You must go back to your country. At any rate youcan enter no further into the Imperial and Boyaldominions.’ Here was a serious crisis. We felt ouronly chance was to temporise. ‘Very well,’ we re-plied, ‘ if you must refuse our servant permission toenter Austria , at least there can be no objection to hisgetting something to eat next door before he returns.’This concession the officers did not deny; and enteringthe inn we ordered breakfast, and prepared to wait forbetter weather. A scout was posted outside by thedouaniers to prevent Francis from giving them the slip.In the meantime we of course again enquired after thePresanella, and, almost to our surprise, everyone inPizzano was acquainted with the name. ‘ Oh, yes ! ’said our host, ‘ a German Herr Professor from Vienna tried the mountain a year or two ago, and found itquite impracticable. The final peak is like the stove inthis room, and all ice.’ ‘Well,’ said I, ‘ but the stoveis easy,’ and climbed to the top. Staggered by thisargument, he offered to bring the man who had accom-panied the Viennese Professor in his attempt. In duetime a native made his appearance, who satisfied usthat he really knew where the mountain was, and couldlead us to its foot; which was all we wanted.

The name of our predecessor was at the time un-known to us, but I learnt afterwards 1 that he was Dr. Frenchmen

only. So long as this distinction is maintained, members ofother nations are liable to be occasionally required to prove their dis-qualification for the privilege of carrying about one of the minute descrip-tions of their own persons, which seem to give our neighbours so muchpleasure.

1 From an aitide, Die grosseren Erpeditionen in den Oesterreichischen