V5S6 



Leticrs on the prcfenl Slate of Suntzerland. [Jan. 1, 



continued to c;fll the enemy, wliile tlicy 

 . were unable to ditjiiount it, of in any 

 iWiiy to jiijuiv, him. 'I'lie ludicrous parL 

 of tliis ulFair was tlicniiltakc nito \vliiLli 

 •tije Borncre troops t't;li, on feeing u 

 . trum})t't<;r iipproacli tVoni the camp of 

 ^the encwj. 'Ihcy imagined iie \\i\:> 

 . conic to fue for grace; and in an cxuio- 

 iina; tone cried out, " that it vv;is higii 

 "tjme tor them to think of :i(king par- 

 •don:" iallcad of which, the enemy, who 

 rhaii hitherto i^cen mifuccclsful in their 

 iTiiHrary operations, reiblved to try the 

 (Clfetts of impudence, and therefore fun:- 

 /moned the place to furiondcr. Xoliiing. 

 •could exceed the indipnaticni of the 

 foldiery on hndins; their <iirapi)ointment, 

 <and they wcie with difficulty relirained 

 from coininitting fomc act of railmefs. 



Whcre\er ilie enemy met with Kern 

 ;cannon, they fi»und to iheir aftonillnnent 

 witii what ohfiinacy they were niain- 

 .tained hy the cannon crs, who always 

 .preferred death- to a dei'ertrtm of their 

 poiis. In this lall eiipiL'enient, when 

 tijc Bcrneie were repulfed, one fmglc 

 •cannoneer was left ftandiii<; in the nndit 

 of his killed and wounded comn'.de?, 

 •dole l)y the cannon, which he refolved 

 ,to maintain to the very hill. In order 

 ■ not to die nin-cvensfcd, he broke olV a 

 pole from one of the wagtroiis, with 

 ■which he ilew four of thole preflins on- 

 ■ward, until the ihiull of a h.'iyonet in 

 •hi.s neck brought, him to the sjround. 

 '.J''.vf;n the drivers were aniinafed by the 

 •fame fpirit : — while the eneijiy by i.<:n;:- 

 •iiau were pnlliini: on toward.! tlic caii- 

 iion, one ke|)t his place imiuovciibly be- 

 •twcen his horfe;, ; a f/ldier of the Ulack 

 ]xii;ion plaulcd a bayonet al his brcuii, 

 and oiVered hini fjiuirier: " Iso," faid 

 lie, " no quarter from the enemies of my 

 .country,"- upon vwhicii he immediaiciy 

 fell pierced to the ■.'round. 



Alth<ni,rh the liciT.cfe .drsi:»oon.s pivc 

 canfe for many, heavy cumplaiiit*; diiring 

 this (liort war, yet there weVC'liinie who 

 roinained true to their country. On tlie 

 above-intiitioned day, when (ho artillery 

 which was to h;i\e flcfeiided .Soleurc 

 ■were left in the larch by tlie. drajzoons, 

 ■and eoiifeqiiently oWi^'ed to retreat for 

 fear of beinsi cut oH', wm\ itaniiard-bear- 

 er and a liuiile private? jVoni the Litter 

 ■liood manfuily at 1 heir, polls, and by 

 ••thftir individuLil exe.rtions4ccpt the enemy 

 ■otl for a conlidt-abie tiuiP. On the :ith 

 of Marc;), when many dragoons oven 

 tied to Berne, the conduct of the lirfl 

 •4it'iitenij:\r, Lewi;:, von Watenweii, com- 

 manding one divii in of tiie Aarau dra- 



goons, formed an honourable contrail 

 with that of the former; and received 

 on tiiat account, from Gcnerai Schauen- 

 hurc;, a free retreat for hiuifelf and his 

 rnen : while the olliers wc;e contemptu- 

 oullytreaLcd, and Itrijiped of iheiramis, 

 horfcs, and bapiizage, as a punilluncfit 

 for tncir cowardice. 



J-'rom Bern I made a fccond excurfion 

 into the Alps, proceediui by this route 

 o\ er the Semploii and the Swifs part of 

 the (jothard. 'Ihe road from Bern to 

 'limn, through a deligiitful country wa- 

 tered ihy the Aiir, 13 one of thofe 

 good canfeways wiiich owes its exiftenco 

 to the paternal vij.ilancc and care of the 

 old Benieie government. And jet this 

 road palfcs very near r>Iurlingcn, the 

 place where General l'".r!ach, a delcend- 

 ant from one of the oldeil and belt fu- 

 milies in 8wit'/.erlaiid, was cruelly man- 

 gled by foine aP.'allins, yet hearing the 

 Uiune of Swils. This happened as he 

 was repairing into the Obcriaiid, after 

 the firll unfortunate events of JMaich 

 l?t*o, in order there to make a frelh 

 and more vigorous r<^liftaiice. I was 

 fliewn the fioiie on which the worthy 

 .^teiger fat, impatiently awaiting death 

 after the f;Jl of his much beloved coun- 

 try : but death did not attend his call 

 In his own land, leaving him to fmd a 

 peaceful grave in a foreign foil. After 

 the occupation of Zurich by the Anltri- 

 ajis, he repaired to that city, and met 

 witn the nioft flattering reception from 

 tl'c Archduke Charles. Upon this com- 

 niandcr's lea\in!: Zurich, the Ruliian 

 generals cniulaicd crich other in paying 

 hini the higheil marks of diliiiii-tion. 

 The fatal e\en! oiliie battle of Zurich was 

 t(jo foN ere a iTi^oke for a man in his Itutc 

 ot' health, lie was wiilidilliculty removed 

 from Zuricli when the Ruihans left the city, 

 preferring to end his days in the [lace 

 that had given him birth, lie fell daii- 

 gcroully ill at Liiiilau, and was carried 

 to Augd.urg, v\hcre ho died; and v\a& 

 honoured with as fpleiulid a funeral as 

 that place hail e\cr witnelVcd. 



J-"roin Thun, one of the prettied towns 

 in bvvitzerland, 1 traverfeil the romantic 

 valley of I'ruligen, rich in paluires, and 

 waicrcii by the Kandel. It cnntains 

 fome mines,, that appciu- to he a conti- 

 nniidun of tlrife in tiio valley of Lau- 

 terbriir-nen. rnrtn Frutigen, one of the 

 beaiilii'ullelc villages in .Switzeilaiid, 1 

 was lead to the valley of Kandeliieg, 

 firaiglilei^ and wilder than the preceding, 

 I admired the lofty rocks fufpended, as 

 it were, in the air, and erowiied with 



