1806.} 



vn the Prcfcni State of that Country. 



SIS 



111 folemn and attentive filcnce they 

 ftood, leaning on their guns. Here and 

 there a tear \vus ieen to trickle down 

 their nianly clieelcs. A wild accliima- 

 lion iil'ued from a thoufaud diilerent 

 mouths, " Yes, yes, we will Hand by you, 

 we will not forlake you ;" utter « hich 

 two warriors from the ranks l]c]jping 

 fbnvaixi, and (tietchiug out their hands 

 to the coninirtiider, he and all his people 

 took a folemn oath, after the manner of 

 tlii'ir ancellors, in the open field, and 

 kept then- words witii cjual fidelity. 



While Reding, on the 2d of iVIay, was 

 gone to Rotheuthurni, the defenders of 

 Schindeleggi fought not as Ihepherds, 

 but as foldiers grown grey in fervice. — 

 One, after receiving a feverc v/ouiid in 

 tlie tiiigh, and another in his body, con- 

 tinued tighling, until a thiid iliot in his 

 arm totally diiabled liiin fn>ni holding 

 Lis firelock. The troops of the cantons 

 had, according to a fpcciiic regiftring, 

 iij6 killed, and only 19o wounded, in 

 tiie dilTerent engagements. The lofs of 

 the French amounted, according to jiufi- 

 tivc information, to 2754 in killed only, 

 the number of ti;e wounded having never 

 been afcertained. Eut th.e houfcs of 

 Schindeleggi were raoftly reduced to uihcs 

 by the enemy. 



I «as led through a wild country trom 

 Sattel to Stein, the bath-j;lace of Wer- 

 ner von Stauflach, one of the founders of 

 the Swifs confederacy. An old chapel, 

 kept in conltant repair, marks the fpot 

 where his dv.elliug flood. I'Vom tiience 

 I returned to Zug, and, in order to come 

 to this place, took boat at Kupnacht, a 

 confiderable town in the canton of 

 Switzerland, celebrated for the death of 

 Gefler, who was killed there by William 

 Tell. In the hollow way where this hap- 

 pened, and where a chapel is I'till lland- 

 ing to point out the very fpot, a Swifs 

 fliarp-iliooter killed a luperior ollicer of the 

 French in the war of 1798. On traverf- 

 ing the two lakes that brought me to Lu- 

 cerne in three hours, I palled the little 

 inland of Altftadt, on which the obelilk 

 or Raynal formerly ftood. This little 

 obelilk, erc6tcd of granite, in honour of 

 the founders of the Swifs coulbdera- 

 cy, ill the midft of huge clilis, was 

 (h'uck and totally deftroyed by light- 

 ning in 1797, as if intended to forebode 

 the political ftorm that fliould ruin the 

 conllitution, the authors of which it had 

 io iuu^ kept I'acied iu remeBibrancc— 



The four iuicriptions are now preferred 

 by the family of the late general PiylicTi 

 whole faiuou.s Model of Uie mountains of 

 Snitzciiand is alio Itiil m their bands, 

 allhough a requilition of it tor the i'aris 

 Mufcuui was greatly apprehended during 

 the Revolution. 



Lucerne played no inconfiderable part 

 on this melancholy oecalion. It was tho 

 feat of the Directory of the Helvetic Jlil- 

 public one and indivihbie when. th« 

 Archduke Charles was advancing fo ra- 

 pidly wiih his armies. It liLid been be- 

 fore, during the wai- of the mountainous 

 cantons with the new Helvetic powers, 

 fet up as a barrier againlL thele their an- 

 cient allies and confederates, by whom it 

 was on that account lakcn and occupied. 

 On entering the town ihcy cut down the 

 tree of liberty, tore off the cap, colours, 

 and garlands, and dragged theln about 

 the lireets in ignominious triumph, ting- 

 ing the popular long, " \\ liere art 

 thou, Tcli ?'' After this tiiey opened 

 tiie armoury, taking away much aniilerv, 

 ammunition, fabres, and other weapon-!, 

 and, what wa; in unifon with the charac- 

 ter of thefe wiiirioi-s, they unconcornedlv 

 laid down then' arms before the door of 

 the main church, immediately on takino- 

 purftlUon of the town, and entered, to 

 return thar.ks to the God of arinie* t'or 

 the fuccclVfiil ili'ue of their undertaking. 

 A bold vigorous refolutiou on the part of 

 the Luceruers might have incioled this 

 devout army its defencelcfs priloners la 

 the church. 



The armoury juft now mentioned was 

 afterwards completely ftiipped by the 

 French of the valuable articles Itill re- 

 m-iiniiig, and contains now little worthr 

 of notice, except the armour (,{ Prince 

 Leopold, which he had on when llain at 

 the battle of Sempach. 'J'his place, 

 which witnelled another glorious victory 

 of the Swifs over the Germans, is but a 

 few miles from Lucerne, i vilited the 

 chapel that is liiU ftanding on the ground 

 which was the moft fliarply contelled, 

 and law the arms of the llain nobiluv, 

 with many other teftimonials, in its inte- 

 rior. Three crofl'es lhe\v \\Jieie there 

 was the greatelt ilau<ihter and bloodllied. 

 I alio read the lift of the Swifs, 201 iu 

 number, who fell on this day for their . 

 country, among whom the name of Ar- 

 nold von Winkelried is the molt confpi- 

 cuoiK. He literally pavcii a way with 

 hix owu botly throuj;h the enemy's lines. 

 Diii'inj 



