V A L 



able than tlieir indolence ; fo that they may be confidered, 

 in regard to knowledge and improvements, as fome centu- 

 ries behind the Swifs, who ai-e an enlightened nation. The 

 peafants feldom endeavour to meliorate thofe lands where the 

 foil is originally bad, or to draw the moit advantage from 

 thofe which are uncommonly fertil- : having few wants, and 

 being fatisfied with the fpontaneous gifts of nature, they 

 enjoy her bleffings without much conlidering in what manner 

 to improve them. 



The Upper Vallais is fovereign of the Lower Vallais, 

 and comprifes feven independent dtxains, or commonwealths ; 

 namely Sion, Goms, Brieg, Vifp, Leuck, Raren, and Si- 

 ders ; of thefe, Sion is ariftocratical, and the others demo- 

 cratical. They are called dixains, becaufe the Upper Val- 

 lais being divided into feven, and the Lower into three dif- 

 tricls, each divifion is a dixain, or tenth of the whole. 



The bilhop of Sion was formerly abfolute fovereign over 

 the greater part of the Vallais ; but his authority is at prc- 

 fent limited to a few particulars. He has the fole power 

 of pardoning criminals, and figns the warrants for execu- 

 tion ; the money is coined in his name, and with the arms of 

 the republic. In his afts he ftyles himfelf bifhop of Sion, 

 prince of the German empire, and count and prxfeft of the 

 Vallais : in days of high ceremony he dines in public, and 

 is waited upon by the firft noble of the Vallais, who is here- 

 ditary treafurer. He nominates alfo the baihfs or governors 

 of the two bailliages of Martigny and Arden, and poffefTes 

 confiderable influence from his patronage of churcli pre- 

 ferment. Upon a vacancy in the fee, the canons of the 

 chapter of Sion prefent from their own body four candi- 

 dates, one of whom is appointed bilhop by the landfrath, or 

 general diet. 



The feven dixains form, conjointly with the biftiop, the 

 republic of the Vallais, and all affairs are tranfafted in the 

 diet, called landfrath, which meets twice every year at Sion. 

 This aflembly confifts of nine voices ; the bifliop ; the lands- 

 hauptmann, who is chofen or confirmed by the diet every 

 two years ; and the feven communities. The bifliop pre- 

 fides ; the lands-hauptmann collefts the votes ; and all refolu- 

 tions are decided by the majority. Each dixain, although 

 it has but one vote, fends as many deputies as it pleafes ; 

 they generally confiil of four ; a judge, a banneret, a cap- 

 tain, and a lieutenant. The judge and the lieutenant are ap- 

 pointed every two years : the two others hold their offices 

 for hfe. 



In all civil caufes of a certain importance, an appeal lies 

 from the inferior courts of juftice to the diet in tlie Lift rc- 

 fort. Thus, by the inftitution of this fupreme council, the 

 communities in this country are firmly united, and form in 

 conjunftion one body politic, or republic, for the general 

 affairs of the nation- In other cafes, each of the common- 

 wealths is governed by its own particular laws and cuitoms. 



Both the Upper and Lower Vallais were formerly de- 

 pendent upon the bifliop of Sion ; but the inhabitants of the 

 two diftrifts united in order to limit his power ; and, having 

 fucceeded, quarrelled for fuperiority. A bloody war en- 

 fued ; which terminated in 1475, by the total defeat of the 

 Lower Vallaifans. Since that period, they have continued 

 fubjeft to tlie Upper Vallais, with the enjoyment, however, 

 of fome confiderable privileges. 



The inliabitants are generally of low ftature, and thofe 

 of that part of the Vallais in which the capital (fee 

 Sion) is fituated, are very fubjeft to goiters, or large ex- 

 crefcences in the neck, which frequently increafe to an 

 enormous fize, and what is more extraordinary, idiocy is no 

 lefs prevalent. The weather in this inclofed vale is exceed- 

 ingly fultry and oppreffive. This languid heat is probably 



12 



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one of the caufes which occafion the inconceivable indolence 

 of tlie inhabitants : much, however, muft at the fame time 

 be attributed to the richnefs of the foil, which precludes the 

 neceflity of labour by almoft fpontaneoufly producing the 

 fruits of the earth. In faft, the people alTift nature very 

 little : they fuffer the vines in the vineyards to trail upon 

 the ground ; whereas, if the branches were properly fup- 

 ported, the owner would be well rewarded by the fuperior 

 quantity and quality of the produce. 



The uncleannefs of the common people is difgufting be- 

 yond exprclTion. Although the Lower Vallais exhibits as 

 much uncleanlinefs, its natives are not altogether fo indo- 

 lent as thofe of Sion and its environs. This imputation of 

 indolence will not hold good with refpeiSt to all the inhabit- 

 ants of the Upper Vallais : for in the eafteni part of that dif- 

 trift, the foil, tliough far inferior, was much better cultivated, 

 and the people feemed induilrious. Some phyfical reafons 

 may be alligned for this difference ; for there the weatiier is 

 not fo fultry, the water is not unwholefome, the air re- 

 markably faiutary, and none of thofe goitrous perfons or 

 idiots were obferved common in the midland parts. See 

 Martigny and St. Maurice. 



VALANTIA, in Botany, was originally fo named by 

 Tournefort, in honour of his pupil Sebastian' Vaillant, 

 fee that article. The latter, as Linnaeus remarks, was dif- 

 fatifified with this appropriation, and wifhed, on that ac- 

 count, to fet afide all names of botanifts, as applied to ge- 

 nera, becaufe he perceived the Valantia of Tournefort not 

 to be diftinft from Cruclata of the fame author. He was 

 fo far correft ; but there have been feveral fpecies referred 

 fince to Valantia, which appear to conftitute a good genus, 

 whofe limits the writer of this has attempted to define, in the 

 Flora Graca and its Prodromus, and which will here be ex- 

 emphfied. — " Tourn. in Mem. de I'Acad. des Sc. for 1706. 

 t. 3." Sm. Fl. Grxc. Sibth. v. 2. 28. Prodr. v. i. 95. 

 Linn. Gen. J43. Schreb. 723. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 4. 947. 

 Mart. Mill. Dift. v. 4. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 5. 434. Dill. 

 Gen. 147. t. 8. Mich. Gen. t. 7. Julf. 197. Lamarck 

 Illufl;r. t. 843. ( Galium hifpidum ; Gaertn. t. 24.) — Clafs 

 and order, Tetrandrla Monogynia. ( Polygamia Monoecia ; 

 Linn.) Nat. Ord. Stellata, Linn. Rubiacea, Juff. 



Gen.Ch. Cal. Perianth none. Common Receptacle Xhxee- 

 flowered, varioufly fhaped, enlarged after flowering, con- 

 taining the folitary fruit. Cor. fuperior, of one petal, flat ; 

 that of the central flower with four, of the lateral, or male, 

 ones with three, deep ovate fegments. Stam. Filaments in 

 the central flower four, in the lateral ones three, thread- 

 fliaped, curved, alternate with the fegments, and half as 

 long ; anthers roundifli, of two cells. PiJ}. Germen foli- 

 tary, inferior, concealed in the receptacle, belonging to the 

 central flower, with the rudiments of two feeds ; ftyle in the 

 central flower only, deeply divided, fcarcely fo long as the 

 ftamens ; ftigmas obtufe. Peric. formed of the enlarged 

 permanent receptacle, gibbous, inflated, of one cell. Seed 

 generally fohtary, fometimes two, ovate, concealed in the 

 receptacle, fmooth. 



EfT. Ch. Corolla of one petal, flat, fuperior. Common 

 receptacle three-flowered, Cngle-fruited. Lateral flowers 

 male, three-cleft. Seeds concealed in the receptacle. 



Obf. The above hmitation of the genus before us ex- 

 cludes V . pedemontana, Willd. n. 4; humifufa, Willd. n. 6; 

 taurica and cherfonenfis, Willd. n. 9. and 10.; with V./lpa- 

 rine, articulata, Cruciata and glabra, of Linnseus, all which 

 eight fpecies belong, if we miftake not, to Galium. Will- 

 denow has already properly removed from this genus V. hy- 

 pocarpa, which is, as Browne and Purfli make it, a fpecies of 

 Rubia, very remarkable, however, for its apparently fupe- 

 rior 



