hern front of the summit of Mont
Cenis, _not only the plains of Piedmont are distinctly visible_ at the
opening of the lower end of the valley of Susa, which lies at your feet,
_but the Appenines beyond them can be seen_. To settle this important
point, the author made a sketch of both on the spot, on the 24th
October, the very time of Hannibal's passage, which is still in his
possession. How precisely does this coincide with the emphatic words of
Hannibal, as recorded by Polybius, showing to them the plains around the
Po, ([Greek: "ta peri ton Padon pedia,"]) and, reminding them of the
good disposition of the Gauls who dwelt there, he further showed them
the situation of Rome itself.[27] The Appenines, beyond the plain of
Piedmont, seen from Mont Cenis, might correctly be taken as the
direction, at least, where Rome lay. 4. The steep and rocky declivity by
which the _old_ road formerly descended to the valley of Susa, and where
the travellers descended in sledges, till Napoleon's magnificent
_chaussee_ was formed, which makes great circuit to the westward,
corresponds perfectly to the famous places mentioned both by Livy and
Polybius, where the path had been torn away by a recent avalanche, and
the fabulous story of the vinegar was placed. This place in Mont Cenis
is immediately below the summit of the pass, and may now be seen
furrowed by a roaring torrent, amidst dark ledges of rock; the
corresponding chasm on the southern side of the Little St Bernard is
_below_ the reach of avalanches.[28] 5. On the summit of Mont Cenis is
still to be seen a "_white_ rock" called the "Roche Blanche," which
answers to the [Greek: "leuchopetron,"] mentioned by Polybius, on the
summit of the Alps which Hannibal crossed, whereas there is nothing like
it on the Little St Bernard, at least of such magnitude as to have
formed a place of night refuge to Hannibal. 6. What is perhaps most
important of all, it is expressly mentioned by Polybius, that "_in one
day's time_ the chasm in the mountain sides was repaired, so that there
was room for the horses and beasts of burden to descend. They were
immediately conducted down, _and having gained_ the plains, were sent
away to pasture in places where no snow had fallen. * * * * * Hannibal
then descended last, with all the army, and thus, on the _third day_,
gained the plains[29]." This description of the distances tallies
perfectly with the passage by Mont Cenis, for it is only half a day's
journey