B E R 



and accordingly, it bears this animal in its aniT!, and a'.attys 

 maintains one. It was built by Berchtold tlie 5th,_ duke of 

 Z^ringen, and was, from its foundatiin, an imperial city. 

 Upon his death in I3l8, the emperor Frederic II. cor^ferrtd 

 upon the inhabitants confiderable privileges, and compiled a 

 code, which forms the bafis of their prefent civil law. The 

 liberty which this city enjoyed, attracted many perfons from 

 the adjacent count:-y, who found a fure afylum from the op- 

 prefllon of the nobles. Although Bern, from its foundation, 

 was engaged in perpetual wars with its neighbours, and for 

 fome time with the houfe of Aulhia, yet it continued to 

 aggrandife itfelf by degrees, and confidcrably enlarged its 

 territory. 



This is a regular well-built town, with fome air of 

 magnificence. The principal ftreets are broad and long, 

 not llralght, but gently curved ; the houfes are built of a 

 greyifh ftonc upon arcades, and are modly uniform, and of 

 the fame height. On each fulc are piazzas, with a wall 

 raifed four feet above the level of the ftreet, which are very 

 commodious in wet weather. A dream of the Aar runs in 

 a clear current, and along a ftone channel, through the mid- 

 dle of the llreets, which furnidics feveral fountains not lefs 

 ornamental to the place than bene'icial to the inhabitants. 

 The river Aar almoil furrounds the town ; winding its courfe 

 over a rocky bed much below the level of the dreets, and 

 forming by its deep and craggy banks a kind of natural 

 rampart. The dream that paffes through the town ferves 

 to keep the ftreets always clean ; for which purpofe crimi- 

 nals are alfo employed in removing rubbidi, both from the 

 ftreets and public walks. The more atrocious delinquents 

 are chained to waggons, while thofe who are condemned 

 for fmaller crimes, are employed in fweeping the light rub- 

 bi(h into the rivulet, and throwing the heavier into the carts 

 or waggons, which their more culpable companions are 

 obliged to pudi or draw along. Thefe wretches have col- 

 lars of iron round their necks, ^'ith a projefting handle in 

 the form of a hook to each, by which on the flighted of- 

 fence or mutiny, they may be feized, and are entirely at the 

 command of the guard, whofe duty it is to fee them perform 

 their work. People of both fexes are condemned to this 

 labour for months, years, or life, according to the nature 

 of their crimes. The public buildings at Bern, as the hof- 

 pital, the granary, the guard-houfe, the arfenal, and the 

 churches, are magnificent, and announce the riches and 

 grandeur of the republic. The cathedral is a noble pile of 

 Gothic architefture. Handing upon a platform raifed from 

 the bed of the river, and commanding a mod extenfive 

 view. The arfenal contains arms for 60,000 men, and a 

 confiderable quantity of cannon, which is cad in the town. 

 The Bernefe value themfelves on the trophies contained in it, 

 as well as upon the quantity, good condition, and orderly 

 •arrangement of the arms. Here is exhibited the ftatue of 

 William Tell, who, with an arrow, is faid to have druck off 

 the apple pL-iced upon his fon's head by the governor Grif- 

 ler, and by that means faved his life, which occafioned the 

 beginning of the Swifs republic. The granary always con- 

 tains a large provifion of corn, fupplied in confequence of 

 particular treaties by France and Holland. The charitable 

 ini^itutions in this town are numerous, and well regulated. 

 The holpitals are in general large, clean, and airv ; and in 

 the alms-houfc for the reception of 50 poor citizens, is a 

 curious edablidiment fimilar to one at Bade, which provides 

 for the reception of didrefled travellers, who are accommo- 

 dated with a meal and lodging at night, and each receives 

 fixpence on their departure ; if fick or wounded, they are 

 maintained till their recovery. The houfe of corredion is 



B E R 



conduced partly on the plan of the benevolent Mr. How- 

 ard, and in confequcnce of his fuggc'lion. The dellnqaer.li; 

 are feparated and didriS'jted in two houfes ; one c?llcd the 

 houfe of correcliou for greater crimes, and the other the 

 houle of labour fjr mifdemeanors. The prifoners aie alfo 

 difcriminated by the appellations of «' blown" and "blue," 

 from the colour of their clothes ; the former being appro- 

 priated to the houfe of correction, and the latter to the 

 houfe of labour. The men and wonv.-n occupy ftparatc 

 apartments ; and both are conllantly employed in cleaning 

 the dreets, and other fervile occupations, and at other times 

 in learning to n.adand write, and in acquiring the knowledge 

 of various trades, which may enable them to gain a mainte- 

 nance when their time of confinement expires. By thefe 

 means the expence of tlie eilablilhment is nearly fup;)orted, 

 and an honed liv.-lihood ad'iired to thofe who would other- 

 wife prove ufelefi or pernicious members of lociety. There 

 are four tables, at which the refpeftive feats are made of 

 didinction appropriated to good behaviour, and a larger or 

 lefTer ihare is didributed to each in proportion to their in- 

 dudry. After earning their food, the prifoners in the houfe 

 of labour receive 10 per cent., thofe in tlie houfe of cor- 

 reftion 8 per cent., for their extra-work. The torture at 

 Bern is now formally abohdied, by a public aft of govern- 

 ment ; and judice is wifely and impartially adminidered. 

 The folemnity ufed in pafdng cnpital fentencc on a criminal 

 deferves to be mentioned. When the trial is finidied, the 

 prifoner is informed of his condemnation by the " grand 

 fautier," or lieutenant of the police, and attended by two 

 clergymen to prepare him for death. On the day appointed 

 for execution, a large fcaftold, covered with a black canopy, 

 is condrufted in the middle of the principal ftreet. Tiie 

 avoyer, with a fceptre in his hand, is feated on an elevated 

 kind of throne between two fenators, and attended by the 

 chancellor and lieutenant of the police, holding an iron 

 itick, called " the rod of blood," all habited in their offi- 

 cial robes. The criminal, being brought to the foot of 

 the fcaffold, without chains, receives the fentence of con- 

 demnation, which is read aloud by the chancellor, at the 

 clofe of which the avoyer commands the executioner to ap- 

 proach, who indantly binds the arms of the culprit, and 

 leads him away to the place of execution. 



The public libraiy ii a fmall, but wellchofen coUefl^cn, 

 containing 20,000 volumes, to which additions have been 

 made by purchafe, and by the liberality of private contribu- 

 tors ; to this belong alio a few antiques, a cabinet of Swifs 

 coins and medals, fome curious manufcripts, particularly of 

 the thirteenth century, confiding of feveral fongs and ro- 

 mances of the Troubadours, written in that and the pre- 

 ceding ages, and fome other curiofities. The fniall figure 

 of the pried pouring wine between the horns of a bull, is 

 merely valuable, becaufe it illudratcs apafl'age of Virgil, and 

 has been mentioned by Addilon. 



To the account of the pubhc buildings of Bern, we may add 

 that of an elegant edifice, built by the voluntary fubfcription 

 of the nobility, funnfhed with accominodatiors for many pub- 

 lic amufements, fuch as balls, concerts, and theatrical en- 

 tertainments, wliich latter are feldom permitted in this city. 

 The walk by the great churcfi was formerly the only public 

 walk, and ncuch admired on account of the vie\y irom it, 

 and the peculiarity of its fituation ; being on one fide on a 

 level witli tlie dreets, and on the other Utr-e hundred feet 

 of perpendicular height above them. Befides tiiis, there is 

 now another walk on a high bank on the fide l 1 the Aar, 

 and at fon.e dillance from the to»\n This wolk •s.'inguiarly 

 magniliceut, commands a view of the river, the town of 



Bern 



