172 Switzerland. 



canton sent a delegate, had deliberative functions. 

 Almost immediately after the alliance was formed it 

 became fatally divided, especially when religious differ- 

 ences arose, and throughout the 16th and first half of 

 the 17th century continuous warfare existed between the 

 different allies. 



It must not, however, be understood that the peasants 

 in the different cantons were entirely free from the an- 

 cient tyrannies. With the exception of the three forest 

 cantons, which were truly democratic republics, the ma- 

 jority of the Swiss peasants, free in the eyes of the out- 

 side world, were mere serfs until the beginning of the 

 18th century, and secured their freedom only after many 

 revolts. 



After nearly 500 years of this loose federation, it was 

 reserved to Napoleon to proclaim the Helvetian Eepub- 

 lic one and indivisible in 1798, after a short struggle 

 of 74 days. This constitution feU with the fall of Na- 

 poleon, and gave place in 1815 to a re-organized federa- 

 tion, in which the former sovereignty of each canton was 

 re-established, the inviolability of the territory being 

 guaranteed by the European powers. Finally in 1848, 

 the seventh and last phase of reconstruction brought into 

 existence the "Bund," the Confederation of Switzerland, 

 very much after the pattern of the TTnited States, the 

 constitution then adopted being once more revised in 

 1874. 



The country is divided into 19 entire and 6 half states 

 or cantons, which are a imit towards foreign powers, but 

 have as much independence among themselves as our 

 States, each self-governing. A parliament {Bundesver- 

 sammlung) of two chambers, the Nationalrath of 145 



