528 



Letters on the present State of Switzerland. [Jan. 1 ^ 



were killed near Bern, and the other 

 two in the wood hy AUenluftcn. Their 

 murderers are fiill alive, and even known ; 

 but whether puniflicd, I know not. It" 

 you want a farther proof of thcfe honeft 

 people's attachment to their eovcrn- 

 nient, you will furely find it in tiic un- 

 affected exprelfion of a peai'ant, who, 

 on feeing the painted bears, tiie old arms 

 of Bern, afier they were torn down, 

 tfried our, " Bon hetf, tu revieiidi-us.'' 



From Bricg I was naturally induced to 

 crofs the Scrnplon, a mountain now ren- 

 dered famous for the adventurous raarcii 

 of the 102d and ■14th brigades, together 

 with fome companies of Helvetic infan- 

 try, under the command of General 

 Bethcncourt and iJie Quatreraerc Dif- 

 jonvai. On tliis march the column ar- 

 rived at a fpot where the [lalVage over 

 the precipice had heen cffc6ted by pieces 

 of wood only, ftuck at one end into the 

 hoilswb of the rock, and reftiiip; with the 

 otiicr on crofs beams. Tiiis fingular 

 brivlgc had been curried av ay by a crag 

 that had precipitated itfelf from an im- 

 luenfc licij;lit into the imiietuous toirent 

 below, and no Acliif;c of it was now re- 

 maining, but the holes in the rock where 

 the beams iiad been fafiened. One of 

 tiie foidiers volunteered his fcrvices to 

 iiep over the place, by fettiug his foot 

 in thefe holes, and carrying a rope acrols 

 %he ?ibyfs, which lie nnght fallen at the 

 other end. Having etfecled his purpofe, 

 and lirctched the rope tight acrofs, the 

 general fct the example of palling over, 

 ful'pended by his arms and hands on the 

 yope ; in wincii lie was followed by the 

 whole army, one by one, with their anus 

 ^nd knapfacks. 'J'lic live dogs that at- 

 tended them were not equally fortunate : 

 feeing their matlers on the oppofite fide, 

 they plunged into the gulph in order to 

 fwim o^ er : — three were fwallowed up 

 in the Ibcam, and feen no more; the 

 two others being fuiViciently (bong to 

 ftem the tide, readied the lliore, and 

 (^limbed up the perpendicular rocks. 



On this very rock, which threatened 

 to Hop the progrefs of the Trench, I 

 read the names of the general and tliq 

 fiaff othcers infcrihed, 



The attention of Bonaparte having 

 J)Cen directed to this mour,tain as a mi- 

 litary pofition, he was induced to have a 

 road made that fiiould run as far as 

 Ceacva. A hofpipe is alfo to be erctted 

 here, in imitation of the one on the 

 , Great St. Ht rnhard ; and in the mean 

 tiiucj tnp f^iii'ilunl aud four lay brotiter^ 



have made a fort of provifory refidcnce 

 on the Stockalberg. 



From Simplon I dircfited my courfa 

 over the Swiiij part of the Gothard, and 

 vilited the Pfatfcnfpruiig cafcade, Pont 

 de Diable, Schollenen, Urner cave, and 

 Urfeline vale ; tiie defcriptions of which 

 in other books will have delighted you as 

 much as it has me. The Pont de Diable 

 was twice ruined in the revolutionary 

 war. The folitude of this fubliine fcene, 

 which Nature had exalted far above the 

 ordinary buttle of this lower world, and 

 which feemed to be totally ifolated by 

 inaccefllble rocks, was profaned by the 

 carnage and hoiTors of \sar. In thefe 

 caverns and ahylfes, the Germans, Rul- 

 fians, and opjirelfed inhabitants, engaged 

 the French by turns, and filled the 

 depths of tlie recefs with human bodies. 

 The latter had vainly attempted to ren- 

 der the inidge impaffablc, by deftroying 

 the front arch ; tlie intrepid RuHians, 

 with Suwarrow at their head, croffed it 

 fighting upon poles bound together by 

 the fcaifs of the officers. The bridge is 

 not yet reliored to its original (late. 



Here, in the neighbourhood of this 

 bridge, it was that after the concludon 

 of the liloiidy work, one of the Kol'aks 

 heard, in the ftillnefs of the night, a (oft 

 moaning that feemed to rife out of the 

 immeiife abyfs. Stepping to the brink, 

 he called, but received no anfwer, — yet 

 the moaninn; continued. Without deli- 

 beration, the honeft Koiiik began to de-i 

 fceiid from one ledi^e of the rock to tiie 

 otiicr, the depth of above 200 feet, wlieix 

 he difcoveritd a French officer wounded 

 ?nd aiinoft dying on tiie ground. Tiie tafk 

 pf humanity is underltood by all men in, 

 the remotelt corners of the earth, witiiout 

 the u(e of words. The inliabitant of' 

 Dnieper loll no time in relieving tbe dif-i 

 trcfs, even of an enemy. The lick man 

 beins: too much wounded to make nfe op 

 his legs, tiie Kofak dilcncnmbcred liiin- 

 felf of his anus, tool; liim ujnm his 

 back, and began to afceiid with his bur- 

 den. He had not sionc far before a piece 

 of rock, « Inch he thought fccure, givin<^ 

 way, lie was rolled down an immenfo 

 difiancc, and a Icvcre gatii cut in iiis 

 leg ; but, regardlefs of the Ibeaniing 

 blood, he once more attempted tomonnt 

 the al'cont, and at Icngtii fucceeded, 

 witli iniinite trouble, in his generous pur- 

 pofe. The otbcer on duty liighly com- 

 mended this noble action, and took care 

 of the wounded man, who was quai'i 

 tered »t lli\ir/, and after his recoxery 

 (ietiueutiy 



