1541 



ZULLA. 



ZWOLL. 



land, they rise several feet above the level of the sea. But the western 

 shores are very low, so that a great portion of the adjacent countries 

 is defended from the encroachments of the sea by dykes. Along the 

 eastern shores the sea has sufficient depth for vessels of moderate 

 size, and in general also for large vessels. But along the western shores 

 several shoals occur, the most extensive of which are near the Texel 

 and at the entrance of the Y ; and at low tides there is so little water 

 in them that the larger merchantmen were formerly obliged to dis- 

 charge a portion of their cargo at the Texel before they could sail to 

 Amsterdam. It was to obviate this disadvantage that the Helder 

 Canal was cut [HOLLAND, North.] 



ID ancient times the site of the Zuider Zee was a low swampy marsh 

 drained by the Yesel, which was not then, as now, an arm of the 

 Rhine. But after the Roman general Claudius Drusus, about B.C. 1 2, 

 had caused a canal to be made from the Rhine to the Yssel, a portion 

 of the water brought down by the Rhine was discharged by this canal 

 into the Yssel. In A.D. 1219 a great portion of the low country was 

 inundated by \he sea, after continued north-western gales, which broke 

 down the dykes that protected it against the water. The last great 

 inundation took place in 1282, and gave to the Zuider Zee the form 

 and depth which it still preserves. Since the completion of the drain- 

 age of the sea of Haarlem it has been recently proposed to attempt the 

 drainage of the Zuider Zee by means of steam-engines. 



ZULLA. [ADCUE.] 



ZORICH, one of the Swiss cantons, is bounded N. by Schaffhausen 

 and Baden, E.-by Thurgau and St. Gall, S. by Schwyz and Zug, and 

 \V. by Aargau. The territory of Zurich lies in the basin of the 

 Rhine, all it* watercourses flowing northward into that river. The 

 area is 684 square miles. The population in 1S50 was 250,698, of 

 whom 6690 were Catholics and the rest were Protestants of different 

 sects, the great majority being CalvinisU. There are no high moun- 

 tains in the canton ; but several ridges of hills, some of which attain 

 a height of 2700 feet, run from south-east to north-west, screening 

 valleys through which flow the principal rivers of the canton, the 

 Thur, the Toss, the Glatt, and the Limmat The Lake of Zurich, the 

 rastern extremity of which belongs to the cantons of Schwyz and 

 St. Gall, is long and narrow ; it runs through the middle of the canton, 

 extending for about 25 miles from south-east to north-west, with a 

 breadth of one to two miles. The banks are strewn with thriving small 

 towns and villages, and country-houses. The surrounding country, 

 rising in gentle slopes on both sides, is planted with vineyards and 

 orchards, intermixed with fields. The Limmat, a rapid clear stream, 

 issues out of the lake at its north-west extremity, intersect* the town 

 of Zurich, and is joined by the Sibl, a river coming from the south, 

 which baa its source in the canton of Schwyz. 



Agriculture ia diligently attended to. The principal products are, 

 corn, bad wine, fruit, and pulse. Horned cattle are numerous ; sheep 

 and goats are kept in small numbers. Considerable tract* of ground 

 are covered with forest*. 



More than one-eighth of the population of the canton is occupied 

 in manufactures. The cotton and silk manufacture* are by far the 

 most important. [SWITZERLAND.] The canton of Zurich carries on 

 an active trade, especially with Italy. The Swiss-German is commonly 

 ipoken ; but the written language is the high German, which is also 

 spoken by educated persons. The canton of Zurich is a representa- 

 tive democracy ; all citizens who have attained 20 yean of age enjoy 

 the elective franchise, except bankrupt*, paupers, and criminals. The 

 Great Council or Legislature consists of 212 members, who must be 



at least 30 years of age, and of whom 33 are chosen by the Great 

 Council itself to complete its number. The Council appoints the 

 executive council, which consista of 19 members for six years, and is 

 presided over by the burgmeiater. The Great Council appoints also 

 the members of the court of appeals, of the criminal court, and those 

 of the ecclesiastical council. The canton returns 13 members to the 

 National Council of Switzerland. [SWITZERLAND.] 



Zurich, the head town of the canton, is situated at the north-west 

 extremity of the lake, and is divided by the river Limmat into two 

 nearly equal parts ; of which the one on the right bank is called the 

 Grosse Stadt, and the other the Kleine Stadt. The Grosse Stadt is 

 built on the slope of a hill ; the Kleine Stadt lies on more even ground 

 between the Limmat and the Sihl, just above the confluence of the 

 two rivers. Both towns are surrounded by ramparts and ditches, 

 with 'bastions and ravelins. The streets are mostly narrow and 

 irregular, the houses high, massive, and ancient looking, and the 

 general appearance is that of a town of the middle ages. There are 

 however several modern and handsome constructions, especially in the 

 Kleine Stadt. The munsterhof, or cathedral, is a fine old building of 

 the llth century. The other remarkable buildings of Zurich are 

 the franenmiinster, once a nunnery, built in the 13th century; the 

 Prediger church ; the church of St. Peter, with its handsome tower 

 and clock ; the town-house ; the orphan asylum ; the Wasserkirche, 

 with the town library annexed to it ; the new university ; the Casino, 

 or assembly-rooms ; the Wellenberg tower and dungeon, in a small 

 island in the middle of the river, where state prisoners were formerly 

 confined ; the arsenal ; and the new police- and guard-house. The 

 principal promenades are the Liudenhof, in the Grosse Stadt; the 

 Katzbastion, from which there is a splendid panoramic view ; Gess- 

 ner's avenue, at the confluence of the Sibl and the Limmat ; and the 

 Hohe promenade on the ramparts of the Grosse Stadt. Zurich is the 

 seat of a University, which has four faculties : divinity, medicine, 

 law, and philosophy, with eight ordinary professors, besides super- 

 numeraries ; and is attended by about 200 students. There is a 

 botanical garden, a zoological cabinet, and several collections of 

 mineralogy. Zurich has also a gymnasium, a school of industry, and 

 a veterinary school, besides several private institutions for education. 

 The town library contains 45,000 volumes. 



Zurich is a thriving busy town, and one of the most commercial 

 and industrious in all Switzerland. The population amounts to 17,010. 

 Zurich was formerly one of the three cities in which the Swiss Diet 

 assembled. Zurich lies 63 miles E.N.E. from Bern, 12 miles W. from 

 St. Gall, and about 60 miles N. from St. Got hard, which is the most 

 direct road from Zurich to Italy. A railway forming part of a 

 line to Basel runs from Zurich to Badeu in Aargau. Wintertkw, the 

 only other town of importance in the canton, is situated in a plain 12 

 miles N.E. from Zurich, and is one of the handsomest and neatest 

 towns in all Switzerland. The population is 5311, who are occupied 

 chiefly in manufactures and trade. In the town are sever.il hand- 

 some buildings, a public library, and cabinets of medals and ornitho- 

 logy. The site of the ancient \'ilodurum, where the Romans had n 

 furtified encampment, is at Uber Winterthur, on the road to Frauen- 

 feld in Thurgau. Many remains of antiquity have been found on 

 the spot 



ZUTPHEN. [GCELDERLAND.] 

 ZVORNICK. f BOSNIA.] 

 ZWEIBROCKEN. [DEUX POSTS,] 



ZWOLL. [OVEKYSSKL,] 



THE END. 



nUDBVtT AKD IVAKI, lEIXTTRf, WIIITErKlAU. 



