MEMOIR OF BARON HALLER. 59 



Hayne, the celebrated professor of eloquence at 

 Gottingen, has stated that he did much to improve 

 and simplify the language, and enriched it with 

 many new and happy expressions. He was also 

 master of French, English, Dutch, Italian, Danish, 

 and Swedish, and communicated in all these lan- 

 guages with his foreign correspondents. These 

 were numerous, as were his intimate acquaintances 

 and friends, in which list may he enumerated the 

 celebrated names of Worlhof, Bonnet, Gesner, and 

 Tissot, Zimmermaun, Zin, Mecket, Hubert, and 

 Sproegel. He was celebrated for the power of his 

 memory, which scarcely allowed any thing which 

 he had once heard or read to escape. On one oc- 

 casion, being with Tissot in company with an officer 

 who had served under the celebrated Charles XII. 

 of Sweden, and who was giving a recital of his 

 campaigns, thus fighting his battles o'er again, but 

 who forgot the names of a great many places and 

 positions, these were supplied so readily and accu- 

 rately by Haller, that the old soldier could not be 

 persuaded that the Baron had not visited and ex- 

 amined the country he seemed so well to know. 

 We may add, that it was generally allowed at 

 Berne, that no one was a sounder politician, or more 

 intimately acquainted with the general politics of 

 Europe, and still more with those of their own 

 republic. 



As the author of so many and great works, the 

 habits of Haller could not fail to be most active, 

 and his life much occupied and devoted to their 



