CHAPTER I. THE ALPS AND THE ANDES. WHEN it is considered that so small a part of the whole of France has any pretensions whatever to beauty of scenery, it seems strange to many ears that the epithet "Belle" should be applied to that country. This apparent contradiction has been explained, in a manner no doubt quite satisfactory to the natives, by saying that it is not the physical or picturesque character of the land which is alluded to, but rather the moral excellence of the people, the solidity of their principles, and the worth as well as permanence of their institutions, social and political, which entitle the nation to be so called. Some ascribe the term to the splendid achievements" les belles choses"-of the armies of France. Others say that "La belle France " means the fine, rich, noble, productive, populous, warlike, country; that the term in discussion has nothing to do with its beauty, either moral or physical. Be this as it may, I must confess that I, |