134 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



of philosophical experiments, but in action, and that 

 action taking place on the most widely extended scale. 

 The whole of the south-eastern, or, as it may be termed, 

 the Alpine half of Switzerland, has suffered from these 

 floods. If a line be drawn from the Lake of Constance, 

 in the north-east of Switzerland, to the Col de Balme, in 

 the south-west, it will divide Switzerland into two nearly 

 equal portions, and scarcely a canton within the eastern 

 of these divisions has escaped without great damage. 



The cantons which have suffered most terribly 

 are those of Tessin, Orisons, and St. Gall. The St. 

 Gothard, Splugen, and St. Bernhardin routes have 

 been rendered impassable. Twenty-seven lives were 

 lost in the St. Gothard Pass, besides horses and 

 waggons full of merchandise. It is stated that on the 

 three routes upwards of eighty persons perished. In 

 the village of Loderio alone, no less than fifty deaths 

 occurred. So terrible a flood has not taken place since 

 the year 1834. Nor have the cantons of Uri and 

 Valais escaped. From Unterwalden we hear that the 

 heavy rains which took place a fortnight ago have 

 carried away several large bridges, and many of the 

 rivers continue still very swollen. I have already 

 described how enormous the material losses are which 

 have been caused by these floods. Many places are 

 under water ; others in ruins or absolutely destroyed. 

 In Tessin alone the damage is estimated at forty thou- 

 sand pounds sterling. 



A country like Switzerland must always be liable to 

 the occurrence, from time to time, of catastrophes of 



