SWITZERLAND.

THE Country lying at the foot of the Alps was in the earliest periods of
history denominated Helvetia, or the land of the Helvetians, from its an-
cient inhabitants, a tribe of German origin. It received its modern name
of Switzerland from one of its cantons, which was among the earliest
to enrol itself in the league which was entered into for the support of
national freedom in the 14th century. Switzerland extends from 45° 50′
to 47° 50′ N.L., and from 5° 50′ to 10° 30′ E. L. Its greatest length
from E. to W. has been estimated at 200 British miles; and its greatest
breadth from N. to S. at about 130 miles. Its figure, however, is pretty
nearly that of a right-angled triangle: having its right angle at Schaff-
hausen, and the two others at the Mont-du-Chat, and Munsterthal. Its
superficies is estimated by Schoch at 875.61, or 18,825 British miles,
but by Stein at only 696.33 German, or about 15,000 British square
miles. It is bounded on the N. by Baden and the lake of Constance; on
the E. by the Tyrol; on the S. by Lombardy and Sardinia and on the
W. by France.

The Swiss confederacy consists of 22 independent cantons: viz.

Hassel's Staatshandbuch, (II. 96), published in 1816, gives 1,714.

as the population of this country; and another work published at

same period, estimates it at 1,686,215: Balbi fixed it in 1826, at 1,980,000. From Jacob's late Report on the Corn Question, we learn that, by a census taken in 1821, the population of Switzerland was found to be 1,788,231; and in 1827 it was found to be 2,037,030, showing an increase of 253,799 in six years, being above 42,000 yearly. From Schoch's statistics, it appears that the canton of Geneva has the most dense population, being 9,776 souls to the German square mile; while the canton of the Grisons has only 522. Such differences in the relative population of different districts can easily be accounted for in a country like Switzerland, whose varied surface presents tracts of luxuriant fertility in the immediate neighbourhood of the most dreary and sterile districts.

CHAP. I.-HISTORY.

Early History.] When Switzerland was invaded by the Roman armies under Julius Cæsar, and subsequently under Tiberius-then commanding the legions of Augustus-that country was inhabited by the Tigurini, the Rhætians, and other German tribes. Cæsar, in a narrative which still continues to be admired for its historical fidelity and elegance, has transmitted to posterity a circumstantial account of the subjugation of these tribes to the suthority of Rome. Helvetia continued a Roman province until the empire was dissolved by the irruption of the Northern hordes. During this period the Roman language, manners, laws, coins, dress, and architecture, were introduced into Helvetia. Christianity is supposed to have been first preached in this country in the year 300. In 430 the Burgundians took possession of the southern and western districts between the Ursa or Reuss, the Rhone, and the ridge of the Jura; while the Alemanni conquered the northern and eastern parts between the Rhine and the Rhone. In consequence of these inroads and conquests, the language of the Swiss became blended with that of the German dialect of the Western Suabes; and the country received a new political constitution modelled upon that of the German nations. Every warrior received a piece of ground in fea-farm from his chief; one hundred of these farms constituted a cent; and justice was administered among the freemen of each cent by a judge or centgraf, whose court or place of judgment was called the Several cents formed a gau or county, of which the head-officer was called the graf or count; and these counts held allegiance to a duke. A: irst the counts held their gaus during life only; but they afterwards became bereditary, and the counts yielded only such allegiance to the king as sued their own purposes, while they compelled the free inhabitants of their respective gaus to acknowledge them as their liege lords. In 436. Cars, King of France, conquered the Alemanni; and in 534 his sms suited the Bargundians, and reduced Helvetia to a province of the Frankosà empire. In the division of Charlemagne's empire, which took Juce in $43, the Burgundian part of Helvetia fell to the lot of Lothar, mi De Armonian part to that of Louis the German, who shortly Herveris mined the Burgundian part also, under the name of Minor Burgundy a his Helvetian territories. Upon the death of Charles le Cris Luonoa of Stretlingen founded an independent kingdom of Minor Burguner, and ised the seat of government at Payerne or Peterlingen; but the Lemannen part of Helvetia continued subject to German sway, int va lesuvei by the emperor on the duke of Zähringen, who after

wards annexed a part of Burgundy to his possessions. The Swiss mountaineers have ever been distinguished for their ardent love of liberty and free institutions. Accordingly the peasantry began to form a fourth and independent class of the community in this country so early as the ages of the Crusades, and never afterwards relinquished their privileges as freemen. The dukes of Zähringen, and the counts of Savoy, Kyburg, and Hapsburg or Habsburg, were the most powerful lords of the country at this period; and the personal influence of the nobility was greatly increased when, after the death of Berthold of Zähringen in 1218, Alemannia reverted to the German emperor. To protect themselves against the tyranny of the powerful nobility, the towns of Zurich, Berne, Basel, Soleure, Uri, Schweiz, and Underwalden, which had purchased or received in donation their territorial rights from the German emperors, and called themselves towns or counties of the empire, united in a league of mutual defence, and destroyed the castles of several of the knights who had rendered themselves obnoxious by their robberies and oppression. But when, in addition to his own domains, count Rudolph of Habsburg, by the death of his uncle, count Hardmann, became liege lord of Kyburg also, in 1264, the whole country was compelled to acknowledge the rule of so potent a chief. The ambition of his son and successor, Albrecht, however, excited the country to shake off its ignominious yoke. Albrecht wished to unite the forest towns,' as they were called, with his Austrian possessions; and on their refusal to renounce their allegiance to the German empire, he instructed his governors to harass the independent citizens by every means in their power. Driven almost to despair by the tyranny of their rulers, thirty-three brave and patriotic men, among whom were Fürst of Uri and his son William Tell, Stauffacher of Schweiz, and Mechthal of Underwalden, assembled on the Rutli, a meadow on the banks of the lake of Lucerne, on the night of the 7th of November, 1307, and there solemnly swore to defend the ancient liberties of their country against Austrian oppression. The designs of these noble-minded men were somewhat prematurely revealed, by an incident familiar to every reader. Gessler, the Austrian bailiff or governor, in the wantonness of tyranny, had directed a hat to be set up on a pole, and ordered every Swiss to uncover his head when he passed before this symbol of the power of Austria. William Tell scorned to obey this order, and passed before the dreaded hat without uncovering himself. Gessler, incensed at this mark of disrespect, ordered Tell to be led to instant execution unless he should cleave, with an arrow, an apple placed on the head of his own son. Tell, who was an expert marksman, accepted of this fearful alternative, and hit the apple without wounding his child; but the governor's attention having been excited by a second arrow which Tell wore in his belt during this dreadful trial of his skill, he inquired what he meant to have done with it, as he would not have been allowed more than one shot whether he hit or failed. "This arrow,"

exclaimed the undaunted Swiss, “ was meant for your heart, had the boy fallen under my hand!" Gessler was too genuine a tyrant to allow the heroism of this answer to atone for its boldness; he ordered his guards to seize Tell and conduct him a prisoner to his own castle. On their way, while crossing the lake of Lucerne, a storm arose which threatened the instant destruction of the governor's barge, whereupon Tell-who was an

The four cantons of Schweiz, Uri, Zug. and Underwalden, were called the forest

towns.