INTRODUCTION. 31 



neighbours, they give him the best of their own 

 production, give it with a kindness far exceeding 

 their limited resources, and commensurate only 

 with the warmth of their feelings, and the frank 

 and open-hearted character of their national 

 hospitality. 



Adjoining the Canton of Geneva is the Canton 

 of Vaud, one of the most extensive of the vine 

 growing districts of Switzerland, supplying their 

 neighbours of Berne, Fribourg, and the Orisons, 

 with their inferior wines, considered by them as a 

 necessary of life, and which in general would hardly 

 be esteemed equal to the good cider of our coun- 

 try. 



It is doubtful if, indeed, it would command in 

 the' markets of Philadelphia and New York, 

 where superior foreign wines are abundant, as 

 good a price, unless purchased for the purposes 

 of adulteration, by the American brewer of 

 wines. 



Among the vines of the Canton of Vaud, the 

 best may be considered as that of La Vaux, 

 near Vevey, and the Vin d' Yvorne. It is proba- 

 bly in the district of La Vaux, between Lausanne 

 and Vevey, that the vine lands of that country 

 have attained the maximum of their value. So 

 profitable in the agriculture of the Cantons is 

 the vine, that in the capricious inconstancy of 

 his climate, the Swiss Vigneron considers him- 

 self indemnified for his excessive labour, by one 

 good crop in five years. This, to be sure, is an 

 unfavorable calculation, but 'tis by no means unu- 

 sual for three successive years together to in- 

 tervene between what they consider as their fa- 



