42 MEMOIR OP BARON HALLER. 
execution of them. His return to Berne spread 
the liveliest joy throughout the canton ; and a short 
time after, being, as we have seen, a member of the 
sovereign council, he obtained, by lot, the situation 
of Governor of the Mansion House ; so that on this 
occasion at least, the lot conspired with the wishes 
of the nation in recompensing a great man. 
Any other man than Haller would now have 
sought retirement and coveted repose after such 
long continued and arduous labours. And, indeed, 
the abandonment of his professorship must have 
been a great relief ; but the Government of Berne, 
oveijoyed at having recovered her illustrious citizen, 
for several years furnished him with a variety of 
occupations, and induced him to undertake some 
journeys which were both useful to his health and 
to the public. In 1753 and 1754, he traversed 
many of the cantons in search of salt-mines, which 
were much required, and afterwards he was sent to 
Kulm to examine some curious antiquities, of which 
an interesting account was subsequently given by 
M. Schmidt. The superintendence of the province 
of Roche was conferred upon him in 1758, and in 
1762 he was appointed Governor of the canton of 
Aigle, to which he rendered important sendees. 
He drew up an account of the salt-mines of this 
district, and transmitted to the Royal Academy of 
Sciences, a memoir on the best mode of preparing 
salt by evaporation. He laboured hard to simplify 
its preparation, to increase its abundance and purity, 
and to reduce its price. He also drew up a code 
