BERNARD, GREAT ST., Mons Joris, a famous mountain-pass. in the Pennine Alps, between Piedmont and the Valais. The pass attains an elevation of more than 8000 ft. above the sea-level; and almost on its very crest, on the edge of a small lake, which is frozen over 9 months out of the 12, stands the hospice, founded. in 962, by Bernard, de Menthon, a Savoyard nobleman, for the benefit of pilgrims to Rome, and now largely taken advantage of by travelers across the Alps. The hospice, said to be the highest habitation in Europe, is occupied by 10 or 12 St. Augustine monks, who, with their noble dogs of St. Bernard breed, have rescued many hundred travelers from death by exposure to cold, or burial in the snow, which in winter ranges from 10 to 40 ft. in depth. The humanity of the monks shortens their own lives very considerably, the rigorous cold— which has been known to be 29°, and is frequently as low•as 18° and 20" below zero F. — and the difficulty of respiration, often then to leave with ruined health before they have completed the period of their vow-15years. They enter on their humane mis sion at the age of 18. The hospice is a substantial stone-building, capable of affording
sleepingacc,ommodation to 70 or 80 travelers, and shelter to about aw. As many as 500 or 600 persons have taken advantage of the the monks in one day, and it is cal culated that 8000 or 9000 travelers are annually indebted to their kindness. The resources of the monks are mainly derived from voluntary subscriptions and gifts, but they draw some trifle from independent property. Formerly, they had much more from this latter source, but a forced contribution of £4800 to the government, of the canton of Valais impaired their revenues very much. The pass, which was traversed in early times by the Romans, Charlemagne, and Frederick Barbarossa, is celebrated for the passage of 30,000 French troops under Napoleon, in May, 1800.—LITTLE ST. B., which forms part of the chain of the Graian Alps, is the most convenient of Alpine passes, and is sup posed to have been the one by which Hannibal led his forces into Italy. It also pos sesses a hospice, which is situated 7192 ft. above the sea.