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lages and castles. 3. The lake of Neufchatel, in the west of Switzerland, about 20 miles long and 4 broad.

There are many small lakes in the interior, the principal of which are the lake of Zurich, in the canton of the same name, which discharges itself through the Limmat into the Aar; the lakes of Zug and Lucerne, in the cantons of the same name, through the last of which the river Reuss passes; and the lakes of Brientz and Thun, through both of which the river Aar passes. In the southern part of the canton of the Grisons is the lake of Lugano which discharges itself through the small river Tresa into the lake of Maggiore. The lake of Maggiore lies partly in Switzerland, but principally in Italy. It receives the Tesino, Maggiore, and several other rivers from the eastern face of the Lepontine Alps.

Face of the Country.] The southern part of Switzerland is covered with mountains, whose barren, inaccessible summits pierce the region of perpetual snow. The northern cantons contain an agreeable mixture of lofty mountains, rugged rocks, green hills, fertile vales, beautiful pastures and finely cultivated fields. The lakes and mountains of Switzerland everywhere give a wonderful sublimity and beauty to the scenery.

Climate. The climate is very different in different parts. In the proper Alps it is cold, rough and unfriendly; in the southern vallies the climate resembles that of Italy, and in the northern cantons that of the neighboring parts of France and Germany, yet on account of the many mountains and lakes it is extremely variable.

Soil and Productions.] The soil in the vallies is deep and in some parts very fertile, particularly on the Aar; in the mountains it is very thin and so barren that cultivation is very rarely attempted. The vine is cultivated with success, principally in the cantons of Berne, Schaffhausen and the Pays de Vaud. Of all kinds of fruit there is an abundance, and corn, hemp and flax are cultivated to a considerable extent though not in sufficient quantities for the supply of the country. But the principal occupation of the Swiss farm is the raising of cattle, particularly horned cattle, and most of the fertile land is used for meadow and pasture. In mineral productions Switzerland is not so rich as might be expected from its mountainous situation. For salt it is almost entirely dependent on France and Germany.

Natural Curiosities.] The glaciers of the Alps are immense fields of ice, unrivalled in their extent and magnificence. The peaks and ridges of the higher summits are overspread with perpetual snow and ice, which reach often a great distance downthe mountains, even to the borders of the cultivated vallies. These immense masses resting on an inclined plane, and often feebly supported, sometimes slide down the declivities, and in a moment overwhelm the villages and hamlets below. They are usually intersected by numerous deep fissures and chasms, which present to the eye a thousand fantastic shapes of walls and pyramids, houses and temples, cascades and torrents. In some places the ice is

of a splendid white; in others of a beautiful azure, and everywhere transparent and dazzling.

Chief Towns.] Geneva, the largest town in Switzerland, is situated at the western extremity of the lake of Geneva, on the confines of France and Savoy, and is divided by the Rhone into three parts connected together by beautiful bridges. Nothing can be more agreeable than the environs of Geneva. There are beautiful and interesting walks around the city in every direction, and the lake, the hills, the distant Alps covered with eternal snow, and above all, Mont Blanc, rearing its lofty head to the clouds, give a wonderful beauty and sublimity to the prospect. The number of inhabitants is 22,800. This population would naturally place it among European towns of the third or fourth rank, but it has acquired a celebrity equal to that of the first capitals. It owes this degree of reputation principally to its industry, and the civil and religious habits and institutions of its people. The great occupation of the inhabitants is watch-making, which employs nearly 7,000 individuals; and a great part of the continent is supplied with watches from this place. Education has always been conducted here with the greatest care; and for this purpose there is a university with 22 professors and usually about 1,000 students.

Bâle or Basil is in the N. W. corner of Switzerland, on the Rhine, which divides it into two unequal parts, connected together by a bridge 600 feet long. It has 15,000 inhabitants, and a flourishing commerce maintained chiefly by the manufacture of silk ribbons. Berne is situated in a beautiful and fertile country on the Aar, which forms part of the town into a peninsula. It has 13,000 inhabitants. Zurich is a walled town on the Limmat, which here issues from the lake of Zurich and divides the city into two parts. It has 11,000 inhabitants, and a flourishing commerce maintained by the manufacture of silk and cotton goods. Lausanne, the capital of the Pays de Vaud, is delightfully situated on three eminences a mile from the north shore of the lake of Geneva. It has long been the resort of strangers, who are attracted hither by the picturesque scenery presented by the lake and the surrounding mountains, by the institutions for education, and by the polished character of the society. It contains 8,000 inhabitants. Schaffhausen is 50 miles E. of Bâle, on the N. bank of the Rhine, over which there is a wooden bridge of very ingenious construction. The transit trade of this place has been for many ages considerable, owing to its situation about a league above the celebrated cataract of the Rhine, which requires that all the articles brought down the river should be landed here and conveyed round the falls. The population is 6,000. Lucerne is situated in a romantic country, on the Reuss, where it issues from the lake of Lucerne. It is on both sides of the river, and its two parts are connected by four bridges. The population is nearly 7,000. Neufchatel is pleasantly situated on the west bank of the lake of Neufchatel and contains 5,000 inhabitants. St. Gall, the capital of the canton of the same name, is the centre of the com

merce and manufactures of all the surrounding cantons. Cotton and linen stuffs are made here of an extreme fineness, and the inhabitants have carried spinning and other machines to almost as great perfection as the English. The population is 9,000.

Mountain Passes.] There are several roads or passes across the Alps from Switzerland to Italy, the principal of which are, 1. The road over the Great St. Bernard between its two main summits. On the most elevated point of this passage (which is 8,038 feet above the sea,) is a Bernardine monastery and hospital, founded in the 10th century. The monks entertain all strangers gratis for three days, and in foggy or tempestuous weather, they send their servants to all parts of the mountain, in order to be at hand to give succor to travellers who may have lost their way. The French army under Bonaparte crossed this mountain, with its artillery and baggage, in the year 1800. 2. The road over Mount Simplon. which was finished in 1805 at the joint expence of France and the kingdom of Italy, in the reign of Bonaparte. It was a work of great labor and occupied several years. It is 36 miles long, 25 feet broad, and passes over 264 bridges, and through no less than six galleries, or passages cut through the superimpending rocks. The highest point of the road is nearly 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. 3. The road over Mount St. Gothard, which is from 10 to 12 feet broad, and well paved with granite. In one place it passes over the Devil's bridge which consists of a single arch over the Reuss, resting on each side on peaks of rock at so great an elevation above the torrent as to appear a work almost superhuman. In another part there is a gallery or subterraneous passage cut through the rock, 200 feet long, 12 feet high and 12 feet broad.

Population, Language, Religion, &c.] The population is 1,750,000. A majority of the inhabitants speak the German language, the French prevails in the southwestern provinces, the Italian in the canton of Tesino, while in the country of the Grisons more than half the population speak the Romansh or ancient Rhaetian language. The religion is partly Catholic and partly Protestant. The Protestants on the whole are the most numerous and consist principally of Calvinists, although there are many Lutherans. Common schools are universally established, and there are universities at Geneva and Bâle, and colleges at Berne and Zurich.

Government.] Switzerland is a federal republic, the 22 cantons being united under one government for the protection of their liberty, independence and security against the attacks of foreign powers, and for the preservation of internal tranquillity. The affairs of the confederacy are entrusted to a diet composed of ambassadors from the respective cantons. The diet is empowered to declare war, to make treaties with foreign powers, to adopt the necessary measures for the internal security of the confederacy, and to regulate the organization of the military contingent. When the diet is not in session the direction of affairs is entrusted to a substitute. The substitutes are the cantons of Zurich, Berne and

Lucern, each alternately, for two years at a time. The diet assembles in the capital of the canton, which for the time being, is the substitute. In the decision of all questions each canton has one vote. There is no standing army, but when an army is wanted, each canton furnishes a certain number of soldiers according to its population, the contingent being two men for every 100 souls. Each canton also contributes to the public treasury a fixed proportion of the revenue. All powers not expressely delegated to the diet are reserved to the cantons respectively, each of which is an independent state, having its own constitution. Some of the cantons are aristocratical and others democratical republics. Neufchatel belongs to the king of Prussia, but has a republican constitution.

Manufactures and Commerce.] The Swiss are a very industrious people, particularly in the northern and western cantons. The principal manufactures are cotton and silk goods, which are of a very fine quality and employ many laborers; and next to these in importance are paper, lace, linen, and watches. With these manufactures and with cheese, butter, and black cattle the inhabitants carry on an active trade with Germany, Italy and France. The principal places of trade are Geneva, Zurich, Schaffhausen, Basil, Berne and St. Galle.

GERMANY.

Situation, and Extent.] Germany is bounded N. by the North sea, the kingdom of Denmark (from which it is separated by the river Eyder) and the Baltic; E. by the Prussian provinces of West Prussia and Posen, the kingdom of Poland, the free city of Cracow, and the kingdoms of Galicia and Hungary; S. by the gulf of Venice and Italy; S.W. by Switzerland, and W. by France and the kingdom of the Netherlands. It extends from 45° to 55a N. lat. and from 5° 40′ to 19° 20′ E. lon. The area is computed at 256,000 square miles.

Divisions.] Germany, or the country united under the Germanic confederation, embraces the greater part of the dominions of the king of Prussia, about one third of the dominions of the emperor of Austria, the dutchies of Holstein and Lauenburg, belonging to the king of Denmark; the grand dutchy of Luxemburg belonging to the king of the Netherlands; the kingdom of Hanover, of which his Britanic majesty takes the title of king; together with 30 independent states, governed by native German princes, and four free cities. The extent, population and reve aue of each are given in the following table.

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