Chap. in. 
through the Stale fi/ V E N i c E, <&c. <58 ^ 
Time was all over covered with Snow, fo that they are a River which falls into the Rhine about half a Mile 
Forced to keep their Cattle within Doors for fix Months j below it. It is encompafs’d with Mountains, except 
yet the People faid, that thereabouts the Snow did not on that Side where the Rhine pafles through a pleafant 
lie all Summer, no not on the Tops of the higheft Valley of very fine Meadows and Pafture -grounds. The 
Mountains. Plere we obferved, that to draw their Sleds Inhabitants of Coire are Proteftants, except the Blfliop 
over the Snow, inftead of Oxen they made ufe of and twenty four Canons, who have no Share in the Go- 
Bulls, one Bull drawing a little Sled. About Takers we vernment of the Town, the Form of which is much like 
obferved them fowing of Duft upon the Snow, which to that of Zurich and Bafil ; the Citizens being divided 
they told us was to make the Snow melt the fooner : I into five Companies, each of which chufes fourteen Se- 
fuppofe it was rather for Manure. They ufe Stoves in nators, who compofe the Great Council of Seventy r 
all Places, and good Reafon they have, the Country be- The fame are chofen commonly again every Year on St, 
ing very cold. A great Number of Chamois or Cemp^ Martin‘s Day. The Leffer Council confifls of certain 
[Rup caprcs] are taken all over thefe Countries upon the Members of the Great Council ‘viz. five out of each 
high Hills, as though the People had not told us, v^e Company chofen every Year, and five Mafters of the 
muft needs have gathered, from the Multitude of Horns Companies for the laft Year, making up the Number of 
we faw Buck up in the Houles where we lodged. Bears thirty. This Council, with the Burgomafter regent^ 
there are, and Wolves enough, among the high Moun- (whom they call S tat tv ought) pdgt in criminal Caufes^ 
tains, but not very many. The Men generally wear Ruffs, as Adions of Debt are determined by the five Mafters- 
and long bufhy Beards. All the People (as far as we had of the Companies, and ten Members of the Council of 
Experience, or could judge of them, in that fhort Stay we thirty. But from them an Appeal lies to the leffer 
made among themj we found to be honeft, hearty and Council. The Grifons have befides Coire two Towns 
civil, and the common Sort very mannerly. Their more, viz. Mayfeld and Eylandts : Some of their Com - 
Houfes are built of Stone, and covered with Shingles mnnhks are Romanijis^ {ome Protefiants, but moft of the 
of Wood, the Walls thick, and the Windows very laft, the Number of which is computed at 17000 
fmall, to fence againft the Cold. They have no ftrong Fighting Men. 
Holds or fortified Places among them, nor will they March 29. We went from Coire to Walenjladt, feated 
permit any to be ereded, having fo much Confidence in upon a fmall Lake called the WallenJiatter'Sea : This, as 
their own Valour, that they think they need no other well as Sargans., through which w^e paffed, are Voghtiah 
Defence: Indeed their Country is fuch, as one would of the feven Cantons, The 30th, we ferried over the 
think, none of their neghbouring Princes fhould covet. Lake to Wefen^ and from thence travelled to Claris^ 
imlefs for the Security of his own Territories. We one of the thirteen Swifs Cantons : Here they ftrewed us 
paffed the Mountain of Bufalara in feven or eight the Horns of the Ibex., (which they call Steinhuck) not 
H ours. In the Top of the Mountain in the Midway, unlike, but fomewhat longer than Goats-Horns ; they 
hQt'^ttn Cherf and Zernetz.,k anlnncaWtd Furno. From told us, that they were found in JValUJland., and the 
Zernetz 'ViQ rodo. in the Valley of the higher Engadine, Archbiflaoprick oi Saltzhurg in Germany hut ol the 
through Zuotz.,a great and two otherVillages, and beforemeniioned Rupicaprce or Gymfes and Mures Alpini 
lodged at a little Place called Route. majoresy called Marmottoes, they have great Plenty^ as 
32. The are divided into three Leagues, each of well as of iht Merulie tor cpatee and Merulcs aqyuaticee 
thefe fubdivided in Communities, w'hich have each feveral of the Urogallus, or Cocks of the Wood, and the Lagopus 
Villages, fome more, fome lefs : The Lega Grifa has a white Bird like a Partridge, feathered down to the 
Tiineteen Communities •, the Lega della cafa Dio, twenty- very Claws ; but of thefe they have greater Plenty 
one; dnz Lega Died Ditture, ten. EaCn Community ha's, among tht Grifons. The Inhabitants of the two Can- 
its chief annual Magiftrate, (whom in fome Places they tons of Glaris and Appenzel are mixt, two thirds Pro^ 
call Maefirale, in fome Places Landman) and a certain teflants and one third Rotndnifts ; for the reft, the Diffe- 
Number of Affeffors or Judges, calf d by them, rence of the Government of the feveral S'wifs Cantons 
Each Village chufes its Judges by Majority of Votes, may be reduced under three Heads ; the firfl; of thofe 
every Inhabitant, above the Age of fixteen, having his who have no Cities, where the fupream Power is lodged 
Suffrage. Thefe Magiftrates are chang’d every two in the People, viz. Uri, Swits, Underwalden, Zug, Gla- 
Years, but confirm’d every Year, and may be depofed ris and Appenzel the fecond of thofe which have Cities, 
by the People.^ The executive Power and Management that were fubjedl formerly to Princes, where the Form 
of publick Affairs is lodged in the Maefirale or Land’ is Ariftocratical, as Bern, Lucern, Friburg and Solotburn ; 
man, who afiembles the Lruizder. Every two Years the third of thofe, which have Cities which v/ere alv/ays 
they have two General Diets, one at Michaelmas Day, free, where there is a Mixture of both, being di- 
■when they chufe Governors of Places; the fecond at St. vided into certain Companies, by tvhom the Magiftrates 
John Baptifi's Day, when they take an Account of all are chofen yearly ; of this Order are Zurich, Bafil and 
their Officers. To thefe Diets each Community fends its Schaffbauffen. 
Commiffioners, fome one, fome two, who are to aft ac- The Canton of Glaris is divided into fifteen Difiribis, 
cording to the Inftrudions given them. Each League fome of which eleft five, others fix Counfellors, fome 
has its Head or Chief; as for Inftance, the Burgomafter more, others lefs, which make up the Senate or, Coun- 
of Coira is always^ Head of the League della cafa di cil of fixty, two Parts whereof are Protefiants, and the 
From ffie^Diet lies an Appeal to the Communi- Romanifis. The Sovereignty is lodged in the People, 
Dio. 
ties. The Grifons pay no Manner of Taxes ; the 
County of Chiavenna and the ValtoUne in Italy are fubjedt 
to them, whither they fent two Bailiffs before Pluers was 
deftroyed by the falling in of an adjacent Mountain ; 
now they fend but one to Chiavenna ; thefe are called 
Commiffario\. The ValtoUne is divided into fix Diftridls 
or Prtzfebiura, each of which has its peculiar Governor 
fent thither by the Grifons ; their Names are, Bormio, 
Lirano, Lellio, Sondrio, Morhegno and Pravona. The Peo- 
ple of the ValtoUne, and of the Country of Chiavenna, pay 
no other Taxes but only for the Maintenance of their 
Governors. 
March 24. We left Ponte, and travelled over very 
who meet every Year on the laft Sunday in April, all 
above fixteen Years of Age having their Votes to chufe 
by the Majority of Suffrages, i. The Landman. 2, 
The Stadhalter, or his Lieutenant. 3. A Treafurer. 
4. A Standard-bearer. 5. The Head Captain, and in 
Time of War a Lieutenant. 6. The Head Enfign. 
7. Three Secretaries. 8. The Apparitor. Each of 
which has his particular Station and Share allotted in 
the Government, with fuch Perfons as are joyned with 
them in Commiflion, for the further Elucidation of 
which, I will refer myfelf to Mr. Simler in his Swifs 
Republick. 
The Territory of Glaris is about twenty four Englijh 
high Mountains, in very bad Weather, it fnowing fo Miles long, the Number of Freemen, of both Relio-i- 
exceedingly, that we were fcarce able to open our Eyes; ons, about 2500. In the Cantons of Bafil, Zurich, 
yet by the Way we took Notice, that the People living Bern, Lucern, Schaffhaufien, Friburg and Solotburn, the 
among thofe cold Mountains were of a more fwarthy Citizens are only Freemen, the Inhabitants of the open 
Compledlion than thole below. March 25, We came Country being Subjedls under the Government of Bai- 
to Coira, the capital City of the Grifons, ftanding upon lifts, who in fome Places govern two, in others three, 
Vot.. II. 116. § N 
m 
