306 SWITZERLAND. 



CHAP. XXVI. 



By the statement of this gentleman it appears 

 that the annual quantity of the two precious me- 

 tals used in the trade of Geneva and the whole 

 of Switzerland may be taken at the value of about 

 three hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling, 

 supposing the estimate to refer to gold and silver 

 of the fineness of our standard. There is good 

 reason to believe that this is the case, because it 

 has been asserted by some persons well acquainted 

 with the fact, that the greater portion of the gold 

 is obtained by melting English sovereigns. This 

 is said to be the most advantageous for the manu- 

 facturers, because ours is almost the only gold 

 coin on which no charge is made for seniorage. 



It would appear extraordinary, not to say sus- 

 picious, that a country of such contracted popu- 

 lation, and generally so poor as Switzerland, should 

 use so large a proportion of the precious metals ; 

 but it is to be recollected that the watchmakers 

 and jewellers of Geneva are competitors, at the 

 fairs of Leipsic, Frankfort on the Maine, Bruns- 

 wick, and Frankfort on the Oder, with those 

 dealers in the same articles, who attend there from 

 Paris, London, and Birmingham. The number of 

 watches made in Neuchatel is to be accounted 

 for by the relation of that canton with the king- 

 dom of Prussia, in consequence of which, their 

 fabrics are favoured and diffused through its 

 several provinces. 



Though watches, jewellery, and plate to a large 



