GENERAL HISTORY. 



[91 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Stvilzerland. — Federal Compact published. — Opposition of the Canton of 

 Bern. — Dissentions in the Cantons. — Interference of the Allied 

 Powers. — Diet assembled. — Compact amended and signed. — //* prin- 

 cipal Articles. — Geneva restored to Independence. — Its Constitution 

 and Union with the Swiss Confederacy. — Seven United Provinces. — 

 Meeting of the States General. — Speech of the Sovereign. — State of 

 Finances. — Dutch Colonies restored. — Catholic Netherlands. — Their 

 projected Union with Holland. — Prince of Orange constituted their 

 Provisional Governor. — His Address to the Belgians — Occupation 

 of Belgium by Troops. — Decree concerning French Settlers. — De- 

 cree respecting the Press. — Garrisons iti the different Towns. — 

 Session of the Dutch States General. 



■W\/'H1LST the greater part of 

 ^^ the subordinate states on 

 the European continent were wait- 

 ing, in suspense, and under pro- 

 visional occupation, the decision 

 of the great powers respecting 

 their future condition, the Swiss 

 confederacy was employed in set- 

 tling at a national diet the terms 

 on which they were hereafter to 

 exist as an independent commu- 

 nity. In the beginning of July, 

 a Federal Compact of the Cantons 

 was accepted by the Grand Coun- 

 cil. The sovereign cantons com- 

 posing the confederation, in num- 

 ber nineteen, were thus enume- 

 rated : Uri, Schweitz, Underwald, 

 Lucerne, Zurich, Claris, Zug, 

 Bern, Friburg, Soleure, Basil, 

 Schaffhausen, Appenzel, St. Gall, 

 the Grisons, Argovia, Thurgovia, 

 Tessin, and Vaud. 



The plan of confederation, con- 

 sisting of a number of articles, 

 was based upon a principle of 

 equality of rights among all the 

 communities forming the Hel- 



vetic body, which, however wise 

 in theory, as conducive to a solid 

 union, could scarcely fail of ex- 

 citing discontent in such of the 

 cantons as were reduced in their 

 relative importance, and espe- 

 cially those which had possessed 

 subjects. At the head of these 

 was Bern, long the most wealthy 

 and populous of the cantons, and 

 the sovereign of several dependent 

 districts which it had ruled as a 

 master. Not long after the publi- 

 cation of the federal compact, the 

 Avoyer and Council of the re- 

 public of Bern issued a proclama- 

 tion addressed to " their faithful 

 and dear subjects of the Canton," 

 which began with reciting the in- 

 fraction of the ancient Swiss con- 

 federation by the powpr of France 

 in 1798, and the restoration of 

 the legitimate government in Bern, 

 under the influence of the allied 

 powers, in the last December. It 

 then complained of the renewal of 

 all the former acts of injustice to- 

 wards the canton by the nev» 



