Letter from Maria Tunno, Geneva, to Charlotte Susannah Raikes, 1820 September 20 : autograph manuscript signed.

Postscript at top of page noting that there are few English traveling, and that the dearth is much lamented, and they are always meeting Germans who she likes very much. Letter is lamenting the loss of letters between them and expressing grief at the idea that her letters are not reaching Charlotte Susannah as she travels and hopes she will not be accused of neglect; nothing that "I had so petitioned for a letter from you at this place, that you can little imagine my disappointment at not finding any, but the cause is too well explained"; explaining that the letters from her family in Paris are continually lost, and that four of poor Rosa's letters have been lost; she has heard from her mother, however, that Charlotte Susannah and her family are doing well, and hopes for confirmation; asking her to tell Charlotte that she and Augusta think of her when they see moss; it is very cold and they are "in sight of eternal snows" which are made bearable by the prospect of Italian winter; recounting their attempt to rise at four in the morning to dine "with the monks" at St. Bernard, but after being in an open charabanc (a horse-drawn vehicle) in the rain, they resolved to retrace their steps and make a long day in Geneva; describing their transportation issues, including "broken axletrees", "wheels off", "want of a vehicle altogether", "a missing lynchpin"; with "additional whip and spur" they were able to make up for the delays and reach the gates of Geneva, which would close at eleven; recounting that after the day's events they were not inclined to "bivouac" (stay in a temporary camp without cover), so they left their carriage at Brunswick with their baggage, intending to make a tour of the mountains but finding themselves without letters of introduction or garments; debating whether or not to make a visit to the Chartreuse (a mountain range) and Les Echelles (a village at the foot of the "Chartreuse massif") and return to meet their vehicle; describing taking pleasure in the scenery and expressing gratitude that her health and nerves allow her to cope with the fatigue and danger involved in traveling and mountain excursions; stating that "Nothing can exceed the grandeur, sublimity, and beauty of the scenes through which we have passed"; the Rigi (Mt. Rigi) was the first elevation upon which she truly felt the feeling which a mountain can excite; describing their encounter with thunder and lightning, and feeling as though they were in the cloud itself, and the lightning flashes were so bright that she was awestruck; describing the fear they felt because they were on mules, especially after they had read, at the foot of the mountain, that three weeks previously, "a party had been seriously hurt by lightning, and their poor servant struck dead upon the spot"; describing the feeling of making it to the top to see the setting sun, a feeling that could not be buried by fatigue; describing how the mountain range is striking to an English eye, and they remained a day at the summit in order to see a sunrise; reflecting on the character of a Mountaineer, and deciding that "to one who has been used to the atmosphere of human sympathy, independence would be but a bad exchange"; noting that the life of a Mountaineer would not be a life for her; stating that the sunrise was a magnificent sunrise beyond description; sharing her thoughts on the Gries Glacier, where they walked for half an hour using poles with iron hooks for stability, and it took some care not to fall, but she felt transported to the North Pole; describing the deep blue tints of ice, the chasms, the sound of the ice when struck, and the dark brown sides of the mountain where snow has drifted; describing how at Grindelwald they breakfasted at the foot of a glacier and ate figs, peaches, and grapes, the produce of the clime in which they found themselves (on the other side of the Alps); describing how they rode for nearly a mile under the arched vines and both sampled and collected fruit, which was later brought to their Cottage door; describing how the Cottage with its white outside looked like their English Italian Villa, but they did not envy the residences or their inhabitants, who were poor beyond measure; noting that when travelers expressed admiration, the common responses were "Paese della Miseria" (country of misery) and "Paese del Diavolo" (Devil's country); she thinks the brown cottage of the Swiss is a more gratifying object of contemplation; asks her to tell Charlotte that they gazed at the Jungfrau (one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps) but did not see Manfred, or the Witch of the Alps (a reference to Lord Byron's long poem, "Manfred") and they had a Chamois Hunter as their guide; noting that they have scarcely seen their carriage since entering Switzerland except when in the principal towns; stating that they were delighted with Berne and their view of the Alps, which she is sure Mr. and Mrs. Clarke would agree upon this subject, as well as her admiration of a clergyman, Mr. Wittenbach, who she refers to as a "delightful specimen of advanced life"; asking Charlotte Susannah to tell Mrs. Clarke that her drawing is favored by being placed in the "Chambre de Garcon" where she was "admitted to range"; stating that they regretted that their time in Berne was limited; describing how at the foot of a mountain, they were not able to procure side saddles or cushions, so they were obliged to consent to the luxury "of being carried in chairs on men's shoulders - six men are appointed to each person"; remarking that she and Augusta had two squires, two servants, and twelve men with them, and the Mountaineers sometimes shrieked; describing how they also had four female "songsters" who were beautiful on the water and wore costumes; noting that they have letters of introduction to interesting people, but are unsure of what they want to do with their time given their goal of getting to Florence before Christmas at Rome; remarking on meeting two old friends who returned from Constantinople, Sir R and Lady Liston; asking about the "disorganized state" of England and noting that she hopes that the Majority in both houses will "be in either case of finding the Queen innocent"; remarking that her mother and sisters are doing well at the seaside, and have taken a house for six months in Paris; informing Charlotte Susannah about where to send letters next as they travel to Milan in October, and then Rome in December.