Grisons. 
—— 
Boundaries. 
Extent. 
‘Natural 
divisions, 
1. Posterior 
-Rhine. 
“Road over 
the Splu- 
gen. 
518 
fragment, of nearly the same size, grazed the parasol of 
a young lady to A standing beside the cutler. A 
part of the stone was found upon the pavement reduced 
to powder. A similar accident happened to a cutler at 
Strasburg, who was killed by the explosion. 
Our readers will find some curious facts relative to 
grindstones, and to their sudden explosions while they 
are at work, in the Encyclopedie Methodique, art. Tour- 
neur; Collection Academique, tom: xiii. p. 45, 48, 413. 
and tom. xii. p. 109; Mem. Acad. Par. 1762. Hist. p. 
37; and Id. 1768. : i 
" GRISONS, the Upper Rhetia of the ancients, is the 
name of a republic which was formerly independent, 
but since the year 1798 it has formed one of the nine- 
teen cantons.of Switzerland. It is bounded on the 
north by the canton of Glaris, from which it is sepa- 
rated by a chain of mountains, and by the German dis- 
tricts of Schweiz, and the Voralberg, in Suabia ; on the 
east by the Tyrolese ; on the south by the Valteline, 
and the. Ticino ; and on the west by the canton of Uri. 
This canton is the largest in Switzerland, It contains 
140 square geographical miles (15 to a degree), and 
comprehends no fewer than 60 Spry oe and_ lateral 
vallies. From its most eastern part at Kinstermunz on 
the Inn, to the Mountain Badus. at the source of the 
anterior Rhine, is 32 leagues ; and from its most north- 
ern part at the Mountain Seesa Plana, to its most south- 
ern part near the Mountain St George, is 23 leagues. 
The natural divisions of the Grisons form five great 
vallies, viz. the valley of the posterior Rhine, the valley 
of the anterior Rhine, the valley of the Inn or the 
Engadin, the valley of the Albula, and the valley of 
the Landquart, or the Prettigau. 
1. The valley of the Posterior Rhine includes the 
vallies of Rhinwald, Schams, Via Mala, and Domlesch. 
The Rhinwald is about eight leagues long, and is sur- 
rounded on all sides by lofty mountains. It is acces- 
sible only by one road, which passes through the defile 
called Roffien, which leads into the valley of Schams. 
The surrounding mountains, of which the Avicula and 
the Piz-val-Rhin are 10,280 feet high, are covered 
with enormous glaciers, and the valley is exposed to 
frightful avalanches. The winter continues nine months. 
The grass does not begin to grow till the end of June, 
and it is necessary that the hay be got in before the 
beginning of September. This valley is inhabited by 
Germans of the Suabian colony, which the Emperor 
Frederick I. sent, at the end of the 12th century, to 
ensure a. passage into Italy over the Splugen. The 
two principal roads for crossing the Alps pass through 
the Rhinwald; one of them over the Splugen, and 
the other over the Bernardin. In taking the road over 
the Splugen, eighteen hours are necessary to.go from 
Coire te Chiavenna. From the village of Splugen, the 
road:follows the brook Hausle all the way to the inn 
on the summit of the hill.on the Italian side, which is 
a distance of three leagues. The height of the road is 
here 6170 feet; but that of Tombo-horn, the neigh- 
bouring summit of the mountain, is 9795. The gorge 
called the Cardinell is truly horrifying and dangerous. 
The road then follows the impetuous course of the 
Lira, and the traveller arrives in two hours. at Isola, 
In two hours more, after passing through the valley of 
St Jacques, and by Campo Delcino, where the custom- 
house officers examine all baggage, he reaches: Creston, 
and then Sta Maria, which is only a league from Chi- 
avenna. General Macdonald crossed this. mountain in 
1800, between the 27th of November and the Ist.of 
December, and lost many men and horses by the ava- 
lanches, The northern side of the Splugen is chiefly 
GRISONS. 
composed of gneiss and micaceous schistus. Very fine 
white ml Fey occurs near the summit of ne, anal 
It stretches between the micaceous schistus from 
south-west to north-east. The inhabitants of the vil- 
lage of Splugen make very fine articles of it. There 
were once two roads over the Bernardin, but the short- the B 
est is passable only in summer. The longest is kept im. 
repair by the commune of Hinter-Rhein. At the high. 
est part is a Hospice, which is three hours distant from 
the village of Hinter-Rhein on the north, and two 
hours from the village of Bernardin, in the valley of 
Misox, on the south. The small lake of Muesa, with 
several islets, is situated on the summit of this mountain. 
The water that runs from the southern face of the 
glacier of the Rhine throws itself-into this lake, which 
again forms the brook of Muesa, and) after running 
through the valley of Misox, joins the Tesino at Bellin« 
zone. This mountain is com of gneiss. It was 
crossed in 1797, on the 7th March, by the French army 
under General Lecourbe. 
In entering the Rhinwald from the valley of Schams 
by Roflflen, the road passes the villages of Suvers, 
Splugen, Medel, Ebi or Planura, Noveina or Noufé-« 
nen, and Hinter Rhin. The church of Hinter Rhinx 
is 4770 feet above the level of the sea. From the very 
bottom of this valley, which extends itself with a singu« 
larly wild aspect, the horrible rocks of Avicula 
and Legh prayer tte magician of Rhinwald and the 
source terior Rhine may be distinctly seen, 
and can be woken three prec from Hinter-rhin. 
From a station a little way beyond the chalets of Tes« 
sini upon Zaport, may be seen the basin formed by the 
rocks of the Black Muschelhorn, and by a ridge of 
mountains about two long, from which 13 tor« 
rents descend, At the bottom of this basin lies 
pore of Rhinwald. The torrent of the glacier i 
rom a magnificent vault of ice, and receiving the 13 
re a ee forms the true source of 
e posterior Rhine. On ing this deep gorge, it re« 
ceives 16 torrents before chine } sama After this 
it escapes through the gorge of len, receives other 
six brooks from the valley of Schams, throws itself into 
the abysses of the Via Mala, and, still farther enlarged 
in the valley of Domlesch by ten tributary streams, 
particularly the Albula, it joins itself at Reichenau to 
the anterior Rhine, which is considerably less in size, 
though enlarged by nearly 30 torrents. The Via Mala 
is one of the most frightful defiles in Switzerland. | It 
extends two leagues from Tousis to Zilis. See Via 
Mata. : 
The valley of Schams, which is two leagues » Vall 
aaa Sch 
contains eight or nine considerable vi 
of the Rhine. It is lower and more fertile than the 
Rhinwald, and is one of the richest and most populous 
in Switzerland. See Scnams. ak : 
The valley of Domlesch, or Tomleasca, is formed? by 
the posterior Rhine, after its junction with the Albula, 
and before it falls into the anterior Rhine. It is.about 
two leagues long and one wide, and is the most tempe- 
rate in the Grisons. It derives much ofits celebrity 
from the picturesque and cultivated mountain of Hen-~ 
zenberg, about two | i stretching along 
the west side of the lee northern entrance to 
the valley is-scarcely 100 wide; and on the south 
it is shut up by the Beverin andthe Mouttnerhorn, be» 
tween which the river forees. itself with great fury. 
Soon after it receives the black stream of the Nolla, 
and half a league lower that of the Albula. The valley 
of Domlesch contains yo fewer than 22 villages; and 
12 ruined and inhabited castles, some of which are rex 
ee ee ee 
cen is.Picemeiee 
