42 MEMOIR OF BARON HALLER. 



execution of them. His return to Berne spread 

 the liveliest joy throughout the canton ; and a short 

 time after, being, as we have seen, a memher of the 

 sovereign council, he obtained, by lot, the situation 

 of Governor of the Mansion House ; so that on this 

 occasion at least, the lot conspired with the wishes 

 of the nation in recompensing a great man. 



Any other man than Haller would now have 

 sought retirement and coveted repose after such 

 long continued and arduous labours. And, indeed, 

 the abandonment of his professorship must have 

 been a great relief; but the Government of Berne, 

 overjoyed at having recovered her illustrious citizen, 

 for several years furnished him with a variety of 

 occupations, and induced him to undertake some 

 journeys which were both useful to his health and 

 to the public. In 1753 and 1754, he traversed 

 many of the cantons in search of salt-mines, which 

 were much required, and afterwards he was sent to 

 Kulm to examine some curious antiquities, of which 

 an interesting account was subsequently given by 

 M. Schmidt. The superintendence of the province 

 of Roche was conferred upon him in 1758, and in 

 1762 he was appointed Governor of the canton of 

 Aigle, to which he rendered important services. 

 He drew up an account of the salt-mines of this 

 district, and transmitted to the Royal Academy of 

 Sciences, a memoir on the best mode of preparing 

 salt by evaporation. He laboured hard to simplify 

 its preparation, to increase its abundance and purity, 

 and to reduce its price. He also drew up a code 



