V A L 



Val, Le, a town of France, in the department »f the 

 Var ; 3 miles N. of BrignoUes. 



Val di Compare. See Teaki. 



Val de Morea, a town of Spain, in the province of 

 Leon ; 12 miles E. of Ponferrada. 



Val de Prades, a town of Portugal, in the province of 

 Tras OS Monies ; 16 miles E.N.E. of Mirandela. 



Val Richer, or Fa/ de Richer, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Calvados ; 12 miles N.W. of Caen. 



Val Rolando, a town of Naples, in Lavora ; 15 miles 

 S.E. of Sora. 



Val de Salas, a town of Spain, in Galicia ; 22 miles 

 S. of Orenfe. 



Val de Santiago, a town of Portugal, in the province of 

 Alentejo ; 27 miles S.W. of Beja. 



Val de Tracers, a dillridl of the principality of Neuf- 

 chatel, about 18 miles in circumference, and containing 

 about 3500 inhabitants. It is fituated between Neufchatel 

 and Pontarlier. 



Val di Trompia, a valley of Italy, in the BrelTan, con- 

 taining 19 parifhes, and about 13,000 inhabitants, chiefly 

 employed in the manufafture of iron. 



Val de Vacas, a town of Spain, in the kingdom of Se- 

 ville ; I o miles from Lucena. 



Val de Uxo, a town of Spain, in the province of Va- 

 lencia ; 17 miles S.E. of Segorbe. 



VALA, in Ancient Geography, a town of the interior of 

 Thrace. Ptolemy Alfo, a town of Africa, in Mauri- 

 tania Tingitana. Ptol. 



VAL AD A RES, in Geography, a town of Portugal, in 

 the province of Entre Duero e Miiiho ; 5 miles S.W. of 

 MelgafTo. 



VALAGODE, a town of the iHand of Ceylon ; 60 

 miles S. of Candy. 



VALAIS, or Vallals, an independent republic in 

 alliance with the thirteen cantons of Switzerland, and which 

 has formed a particular league with the feven Catholic can- 

 tons, for the defence of their religion. This traCl of coun- 

 try ftretches from E. to W. about 100 miles, and con- 

 tains 100,000 inhabitants, profefling the Roman Catholic 

 religion. It is divided into Upper and Lower Vallais ; the 

 ormer reaching from the Furca to the Morge, below Sion, 

 which is its capital ; and the latter, from that river to St. 

 Gingou, fituated upon the lake of Geneva. From the 

 mountain of Furca, its eailern boundary, two vaft ranges 

 of alps inclofe the Vallais : the fouthern chain feparates it 

 from the Milanefe, Piedmont, and part of Savoy ; the 

 northern from the canton of Bern. Thefe two chains, in 

 their various windings, form feveral fmall valleys, watered by 

 numerous torrents that rulh into the Rhone, as it traverfes the 

 whole diftrid, from the Furca to St. Maurice. A country 

 thus entirely inclofed with high alps, and confiftingof plains, 

 elevated valleys, and lofty mountains, may be naturally fnp- 

 pofed to exhibit a great variety of fituations, chmates, and 

 produftions. Accordingly, the Vallais prefents to the cu- 

 rious traveller a quick fuccefhon of profpefts, as beautiful 

 asdiverfified. Vineyards, rich paftures covered with cattle, 

 corn, flax, fruit-trees, and forefts, occalionally bordered by 

 naked rocks, crowned with everlafting fnovv. 



The productions of the Vallais vary according to the 

 great diverfity of climates by which this country is diftin- 

 guifhed. It lupplies more than fufficient wine and corn for 

 interior confumption, and exports a confiderable quantity of 

 both ; the foil in the midland and lower diftrifts being ex- 

 ceedingly rich and fertile. In the plain, where the heat is 

 colleAed and confined between the mountains, the har- 

 veli is ufually tinifhed in July ; whereas, in the more elevated 



VAL 



parts, barley is the only grain that can be cultivated with 

 any fuccefs, and the crop is feldom cut before November. 

 About Sion, the fig, the melon, and all the other fruits of 

 Italy, come to perfcftion. In confequence of this lingular 

 variety of climate, the traveller in the fame day may indulge 

 himfelf with ftrawberries, cherries, plums, pears, and grapes, 

 each of which is the natural growtli of the country. 



Both the hills and valleys of the Vallais breed cattle in 

 abundance, and yield plenty of game. The mountains are 

 fuppofed to contain lead, copper, and filver mines ; but the 

 produce, it is fuppofed, would not defray the expence of 

 working them. Here is hkewife pit-coal. The Vallais is 

 noted for two hot-baths of celebrated virtue, as thofe 

 of Brug, or Gleufe, and Leuck, the latter of which is 

 commonly known by the appellation of the Vallais bath. 

 In the upper tythings the prevailing language is the German, 

 but the inhabitants of Sion, in the Upper Vallais, with all 

 in the Lower, fpeak a corrupt French ; though in both 

 parts, efpecially in the chief burg, they apply themfelves 

 to the German, French, Itahan, and Latin ; being all' indif- 

 peiifably neceflary to them in their intercourfe with the can- 

 tons of Bern and Uri, Savyy, Piedmont, and the Milanefe ; 

 therefore a ftranger cannot but be furprifed at tlie fluency 

 with which the meanefl: people here fpeak thofe four 

 tongues. 



The ancient inhabitants of this country were the Lepantii, 

 Viberi, with the Seduni and Veragri, who fold their liberty 

 dear to Sergius Galba, general of Julius Csfar. In the 

 middle ages it came to be called Valefia, and in 1032, under 

 the emperor Conrad II., devolved to the German empire, as 

 a part of the fecond Burgundian kingdom. In the year 

 1035, that prince made over the Lower Vallais to the 

 counts of Savoy. The inhabitants of the Upper Vallais 

 refolutely maintained their liberties, as well againll the dukes 

 of Zaringen, who, in the year 1157, were by Frederic I. 

 appointed guardians of the bifliopric of Sion ; as againl the 

 bifhops of that fee, who affumed the title of counts of the 

 Vallais, and after that drove out the families of the barons 

 Tour and Raren, who had ufurped a dangerous authority 

 among them. In 1475, the bifhop of Geneva fell on the 

 Upper Vallais with a body of 18,000 men, confiftingof Lower 

 Vallaifans and Savoyards ; but the Upper Vallaifans, being 

 affifted with 3000 troops by Bern, Friburg, and Solothern, 

 their allies, defeated tiie biihop, and even made a conquefl: 

 of the Lower Vallais, which ever fince that time has been fub- 

 jedl to them. In the fame year, alfo, they formed a perpe- 

 tual alliance with Bern, which was renewed in 1643 ; and 

 in 1529, with the whole Helvetic body. In 1533 they en- 

 tered into a more particular union with the feven popilh 

 cantons. 



At an early 'period of the French revolution, the difaf- 

 fefted party of the Lower Vallais appealed to France to 

 emancipate their country from their fubjettion to the Upper 

 Vallais, but the French not having matured their fcheme of 

 fraternization, their petition was rejefted. 



In February 1 798, however, the people of the Lower 

 Vallais were enfranchifed, and admitted to an equality of 

 rights by the Upper Vallais ; but after the conqueft of 

 Bern, and the revolution of the greater part of Switzerland, 

 the inhabitants of the Upper Vallais rejected the new confti- 

 tution, took up arms, and defended themfelves with great 

 fpirit. After feveral bloody defeats, and the capture of the 

 caftle of Sion, which was ftormed by the French, the 

 natives fubmitted, and both diilridls were moulded into one 

 department, called the Vallais. 



There are no manufaitures of any confequence ; and in- 

 deed the general ignorance of the people is no lefs remark- 

 S able 



