Chap. III. 
through 
S W I S S E R LAND 
to Bern. The Town oF Lmfanne is fituated on three 
Hills, fo that the whole is Afcent and Defcent, and 
that very fteep, chiefly on the Side on which the Church 
fl:ands, which is a very noble Fabric^. The South Wall 
of the Crofs was fo fplit by an Earthquake about thirty 
Years ago, that there was a Rent made from Top to 
Bottom above a Foot wide *, which was again fo clofed tip 
ten Years after by another Earthquake, that now one 
only fees a Crack where the Breach was. This extrava- 
gant Situation of the Town was occafioned by a Legend 
of fome Miracles wrought near the Church ; which pre- 
vail’d fo much On the Qedulity of that Age, that by it 
the Church, and fo in confequence the Buildings near 
it, were added to the old Town, which flood on the 
other Hill, where there was a Town made on the 
Highway from the Lake into Switzerland., to ivhich the 
chief Privileges, particularly the Judicature of Life and 
Death, flill belong. Between Geneva and this lies the 
Lake, which at one End is called the Lake of Geneva^ 
at the other the Lake of Latifanne. I need not mention 
the Dimenfions, which are fo well known, only in fome 
Places the Depth has never been found. The Banks 
of the Lake are the moft beautiful Plots of Ground 
that can be imagined, for they look as if they had been 
laid out by Art 5 the Sloping is fo eafy and fo equal, and 
the Grounds are fo well cultivated and peopled, that a 
more delightful Profpecfl cannot be feen. The Lake is 
well flock’d with excellent Fifli, but their Numbers 
fenfibly decreafe, and one Sort is quite lofl. It is to be 
afcribed not only to the Ravenoufnefs of the Pikes that 
abound in it, but to another Sort of Fifh that they call 
Moutails, which were never taken in the Lake till 
within thefe fix Years laft pafl. They are in the Lake 
of Neufchdtel, and fome of the other Lakes of Switzer- 
land', and it is likely, that by fome Conveyance under 
Ground, they have come into Channels that fall into 
this Lake. The Water of the Lake is all clear and 
frelh. It is not only a great Pond made by the Rhone, 
that runs into it, but does not pafs through it un- 
mix’d, as fome Travellers have fondly imagin’d ; be- 
caufe fometimes a foft Gale makes a Curling of the 
Water in fome Places, which runs fmooth in the Places 
over which that foft Breath of Wind does not pafs, the 
Gale fhifting its Place often ; but it is believed, that 
there are alfo many great Fountains all over the Lake. 
Thefe Springs may very probably flow from fome vaft 
Cavities that are in the neighbouring Mountains, which 
are as great Ciflerns, that dilcharge themfelves in the 
Vallies which are covered over with Lakes. And on 
the two Sides of the Alps, both North and South, there 
arefo great a Number of thofe little Sea^, that it may 
be eafily guefled they muft have vafl Sources, that feed 
fo conflantly thefe huge Ponds. 
One Hill not far from Geneva, call’d Maiidit, or 
Curfed, of which one Third is always cover’d with 
Snow, is two Miles perpendicular in Height, according to 
the Obfervation of that incomparable Mathematician 
^nd Philofopher, Nicolas Ratio Dnilier, who, at twenty 
two Years of Age, is one of the greatefl Men of his 
Age, and feems born to carry Learning beyond what 
it has yet attained. 
But I will now entertain you a little with the State of 
Bern ', for that Canton alone is above a third Part of 
Switzerland. I will fay nothing of its Beginning or 
Hiftory •, nor will I enlarge upon the Conftitution ; 
which are all well known. It has a Council of two 
hundred, that goes by that Name, though it confifls al- 
moft of three hundred *, and another of twenty Jive, as 
at Geneva. The chief Magiftrates are two Advoyers, 
who are not annual, as the Syndics of Geneva, but for 
Life, and have an Authority not unlike that of the Ro- 
man Confuls, each being his Year by Turns the Advoyer 
in Office. After them there are the four Bannerets, who 
anfwer to the Tribunes of the People in Rome', then 
come the two Burfars or Treafurers, one for the ancient 
German Territory, the other for the French Territory, 
or the Country oi Vaud ', and the two lafl, chofen of 
the twenty five, are called the Secrets ; for to them all 
Secrets relating to the State are difcovered ; and they' 
have an Authority of calling the two hundred together 
Von, II. NtTMB. 109. 
when they think fit, and of accufing thofe of the Ma- 
giftracy, the Advoyers themfelves not excepted, as they 
lee Caufe though this falls out feldom, 
3. The whole Canton of Bern is divided into feventy 
two Bailiages ; and in every One of thofe there is a Bai- 
liff named by the Council of two hundred, who mufl be 
a Citizen of 5m;, and one of the tim hundred, into 
which Council no Man can be chofen till he is married. 
Thefe Bailiages are Employments both of Honour and 
Profit, for the Bailiff is the Governor and Judge in that 
Jurifdiclion ; fince though he has fome AiTeffors, who 
are chofen out of the BailiagO, yet he may by his Au- 
thority carry Matters which Way he will againft all 
their Opinions, and the Bailifls have to their Own life 
all the Confifcations and Fines ; fo that drinking being 
fo common in this Country, and that producing many 
Quarrels, the Bailiff makes his Advantage of all thofe 
Diforders ; and in the fix Years of his Government, ac- 
cording to the Quality of his Bailiage, he not only lives 
by it, but will carry perhaps twenty thoufand Crowns 
with him back to Bern, on which he lives till he cari 
carry another Bailiage : For one is capable of being 
twice Bailiff j and though fome have been thrice Bai- 
liffs, this is very extraordinary. The Exadlions of the 
Bailiff are the only Impofitions or Charges to which 
the Inhabitants are fubjedted ; and thefe, falling only 
on the Irregularities and Diforders of the debauch’d^ 
makes this Grievance, though in fome particular Cafes 
it preffes hard, yet not fo univerfally felt ; for a fobef 
and regular Man is in no Danger. Many in this Can- 
ton are Lords of Caflies or Manors, and have a Jurif- 
didlion annex’d to their Eftates, and name their Magif- 
trate, who is called the Cajiellan. In Matters of fmall 
Confequence there lies no Appeal from him to the Bai- 
liff ', but beyond the Value of two Pifloles an Appeal 
lies ; and no Sentence of Death is executed, till it is 
confirmed at Bern. There lies alfo an Appeal from the 
Bailiff to the Council at Bern. There are many Com- 
plaints of the Injuftice of the Bailiffs ; but their LavV 
is fhort and clear, fo that a Suit is foon ended ; two or 
three Hearings are the moft that even an intricate Suit 
amounts to, either in the firft Inftance, or in the fecond 
Judgment at Bern. The Citizens of Bern confidef 
thefe Bailiages as their Inheritance ; and they are courted 
in this State perhaps with as much Intrigue, as was ufed 
among the Romans in the Diftribution of their Pro- 
vinces : And fo little fignify the beft Regulations, when 
there are radicated Difeafes in the State, that though 
there is all poffible Precaution ufed in the Nomination 
of thefe Bailiffs, yet that has not preferved this State 
from falling under fo great a Mifchief by thofe littlo 
Provinces j that as it has already in a great Meafure cor- 
rupted their Morals, fo it may turn in Conclufion to 
the Ruin of this Republick. All the Eledlors give their 
Voices by Ballot, by which they are free from all After- 
game in the Nomination of the Perfon. All the Kin- 
dred of the Pretenders, even to the renhoteft Degree, 
are excluded from Voting, as are alfo all their Creditors 5 
fo that none can vote but thofe who feem to have no 
Intereft in the Iffue of the Competition : And yet there 
is fo much Intrigue, and fo great a Corruption in the 
Diftribution pf thefe Employments, that the whole Bu- 
finefs, in which all Bern is continually in Motion, is, 
the Catching of the beft Bailiages, on which a power- 
ful Family will have its Eye for many Years before 
they fall. For the Counfellors of Bern give but a 
very fmall Share of their Eftates to their Children 
when they marry them ; all that they propofe is to 
make a Bailiage fure to them ; for this they feaft and 
drink, and fpare nothing by which they may make a • 
fufficient Number of Votes ; but it is the Chamber of 
the Bannerets that admits the Pretenders to the Compe- 
tition. When the Bailiff is chofen, he takes all poffible 
Methods to make the beft of it he can, and lets fev/ 
Crimes pafs with Impunity, that produce either Confif- 
cations or Fines : His Juftice alfo is generally fufpefted. 
It is true, thofe of the Bailiage may complain to the 
Council at Bern, as the oj 5 preffed Provinces did ancient- 
ly to the Senate of Rome and there have been fevers 
Judgments againft fome Bailiffs j yet as Complaints are 
7 M no% 
