1807.] Letters on the present Slate of Switzerland. 



529 



fi-equeiitly related this incident with the 

 llrongell emotions of K;r.ititude. 



The nioiialteiy ot' tlie capuchins, 

 ercttcd in the thirteenth century far tlie 

 convciiiei.ce of paliengers to Gennaiiy 

 or Italy, is now no more. 'I'o this iiio- 

 nadery, which ferved as a place of enter- 

 tainment for more wealthy travellers, was 

 attached an hofpital, for the gratuitous 

 rslief of the poor waiideier, a chapel 

 for divine fervice, a llnrehoufe for tlie 

 goods paffiiig this way, a good liable and 

 a liay-loft, with fodder for tlie mules and 

 otlicr bealts of burden, wIiicIj amounted 

 before the revolution to the number ot' 

 1200. In the bad I'eal'ons the lay-bro- 

 thers went out, with (Iol^s trained for 

 the purpofe, in qutll of unfortunate 

 futlcrcrs, and were the means of la\iiig 

 many a life, which woidtl othcrvvife have 

 been loft in thele dreary heights. But 

 during the war, the conltant jjalfmg and 

 repaliing of tnjops, and the bloody con- 

 telts which enfucd for the maintenance 

 of thefc politious, occalloned this nian- 

 fion to be totally defcrted. Tlie build- 

 ings were fcveral simes plundered, and 

 the inhabitants, after being ihippcd of 

 every thing, were driven away. The 

 place then remained empty, unt.l the 

 winter of 179*?, when the French put in 

 a picquet of 50 men ; wiio, notwithlland- 

 iug they were provided with wood for 

 firing, burnt up the doors, windows, 

 beams, and, in Ihort, every thing which 

 might have ferved as a Iheltor. In the 

 year 1800, the parilh of Airolo had a 

 miferable hut bailt for three patrolcs to 

 puard the few mercluindizcs then com- 

 mencing to pafs that way ; but the 

 hardlhips under which thtle people la- 

 boured during tlie revolution had impo- 

 verilhed them fo much, that they are 

 not able to reftore it to its former con- 

 dition. 



The inhabitants of this whole eountry 

 beheld their houfes burning, their goods 

 plundered or deftroyed, their cattle led 

 away to the llaiigliter-hoiifes, their bealls 

 lof burden j)ut in rei|uiiition, and their 

 ]>roviiion confumed or lavilhed away by 

 hoftile bands. 



Tiicy often found themfclvcs compell- 

 ed to leek a flicker, with their families, 

 in caverns and rocks, leaving their cot- 

 tages to the fin'y of a niercilels army. 

 At the infurre^'tion of the inhabitants in 

 the Ijiviner \'ale againll the French, the 

 Jaige and beautifid village of Airolo was 

 completely deiolatcd, the lick and old 

 being all m4rdured by the curajjed fol- 

 djery, 



In 1800, when the ammunition of 

 Money's divifion was to be tranf irted 

 over the Alps to Italy, the inhabitants 

 were obliged to lupply the place or' bealls 

 of burden, in confequence of the deficien- 

 cy in the latter which the war had occa-« 

 lioned. For every hundred weight .jey 

 carried, they \vere to receive a portio • of 

 bread and fpirits ; but of this poor allow- 

 ance they were frequently deprived, from 

 negligence or deligii. The conveyance 

 laded for three weeks, and the roads 

 were covered with thcie un nappy people, 

 who proceeded in ranks bending under 

 tiieir heavy burdens. Ti«e llrongell m a 

 led up the column, and were loUowed 

 by women, children, and old men ; 

 many of whom were cither too young or 

 too old for any labour, and who all 

 marched barefoot over the pebbles. They 

 were under the command offome Frencli 

 fubalterns, to whole c.ipricc and hard 

 treatment they were frequently victims. 

 What would have been the feelings of 

 the ancellors of theils new Swifs, who had 

 wielded the fword wiih fuch valour and 

 glory in former times, at feeing their 

 poflerity compelled to fubmit to the lalh 

 of a foreign cent.irion. 



The wretched conlcquences of th fe 

 Lardlhips are felt, in fouie meafure, evea 

 to this day. Bread and every necell'ary 

 of life, which during a whole year were 

 fcarcely to be had for money, are now 

 returning to their nfual llate ; and the 

 tratlic over the Githard between Italy 

 and Germany, which had entirely ceal'ed 

 at one time, is now reviving more and 

 more every day. 



Leaving the village of L'Hopital o'l 

 the Gothard, I returned to Bern by the 

 Grimlel, Ilatbli, Grindelwald, and Lau- 

 terbrunnen ; a tour whicli, if it had not 

 been fo often before deferibed, I would 

 certainly relate to you in a particular 

 manner. 



A fine road through a beautiful coun- 

 try, on the way from Bern to this city, 

 brought ine in a few hours to Murten, 

 one of thofe clallic fpots in the old Swifs 

 hidory, rendered famous by the defeat of 

 Charles the Bold of Burgundy. He alone 

 was ahnoft the only one, out of many thou- 

 fands, that efcaped from tins fcene of 

 llaughter to Xozeroy, in the Franche 

 Cointe. After the niiinner of their fore- 

 fatherj, the victors collected the bones 

 of the llain, and put them into a houfe, 

 from thence called the charnel-houfe, in 

 which were many infcriptions comme- 

 morating the victoiy. In 1798, General 

 Biunc Iwd this houfe confumed, and a 



tree 



