SWITZERLAND. 4$ 



»n the stated days for shooting at the mark ; furnish himself with 

 proper clothing, accoutrements, powder and ball ; and to be always 

 ready for the defence of his country. The Swiss engaged in the ser- 

 vice of foreign princes and states, either mei'ely as guards, or as 

 marching regiments ; in the latter case the government permitted the 

 enlisting of volunteers, though only for such states as they were in. 

 alliance with, or with whom they had entered into a previous agree- 

 ment on that article. But no subject was to be forced into foreign 

 service, or even to be enlisted without the concurrence of the magis- 

 tracy. 



By the new constitution, no canton is to have more than 200 troops 

 that receive pay, nor to embody more than 500 militia, without the 

 consent of the landamman. In 1809 the army consisted of 15,000 

 men, besides near 30,000 in foreign service. 



Religion.. ..Though all the Swiss cantons form but one political re- 

 public, yet they are not united in religion. The cantons of Lucernj 

 Uri, Schweitz, Unterwalden, Zug, Freyburg, and Soleure, are catho- 

 lics ; those of Bern, Zurich, Basil, and Schaffhausen, Calvinists ; and 

 those of Appenzel and Glairs, of both religions. Of the six new can- 

 tons, Leman and Tesino, are catholics ; and the Grisons, Aargau 8 

 St. Gall, and Thurgau, of both religions. The catholics are under 

 the jurisdiction, in ecclesiastical matters, of the bishops of Basil, Lau- 

 sanne, Sion, and Coire, and the abbots of St. Gall and Einsidlen. The 

 republic of Valais, though formerly the scene of cruel persecutions 

 on account of its affection to protestantism, is catholic. The inhabi- 

 tants of the principality of Neufchatel are chiefly Calvinists ; but all 

 sects of religion are tolerated These differences in religion formerly 

 created many public commotions, which seem now to have subsided. 

 Ulric Zwingli, or Zwinglius, born at Wildhausen, was the apostle of 

 protestantism in Switzerland. He was a moderate reformer, and dif- 

 fered from Luther and Calvin only in a few speculative points ; so that 

 Calvinism may be said to be the religion of the protestant Swiss. But 

 this must be understood chiefly with respect to the mode of church, 

 government ; for in some doctrinal points, they are far from being 

 universally Calvin istical. There is, however, too much religious- 

 bigotry prevalent among them; and, though they are ardently attach-* 

 ed to the interest of civil liberty, their sentiments on the subject o£ 

 religious toleration are, in general, much less liberal. 



Literature. ..Calvin, whose name is so well known in all protest 

 tant countries, instituted laws for the city of Geneva, which are held 

 in high esteem by the most learned of that country. The ingenious 

 and eloquent Rousseau, whose works the present age has received 

 with so much approbation, was a citizen of Geneva. Rousseau gave 

 a force to the French language, which it was thought incapable of re- 

 ceiving. In England he is generally known as a prose writer only, 

 but the French admire him as a poet* His opera of the Devin de. 

 Village, in particular, is much esteemed. M. Bonnet, and Mess, de 

 Saussure and de Luc, also deserve to be mentioned with applause* 

 Haller, a native of Bern, deserves the highest eulogy, as a poet, phy-= 

 siologist, and a philosopher. Lavater, so celebrated for his essays 

 On physiognomy, and some other works, was likewise of this country. 



Universities. ...The university of Basil, founded in 1459* has a very 

 curious physic-garden, which contains the choicest exotics ; and ad~ 

 joining to the library, which possesses some valuable manuscripts, is 

 a museum well furnished with natural and artificial curiosities; and 



Vor„ I. 3 U 



