H E L V 
the fame fate. The confequences of your obftinacy 
(hall be held out as an example to the whole world.” 
Intimidated by this threat, Schweitz and the upper dis¬ 
trict of Underwalden complied with the injunction ; but 
the meflage of the Swifs directory, having been read to 
a general aflembly of the lower diftriCt, excited indig¬ 
nation and horror; and they unanimoufly refolved to be 
buried in the ruins of their country rather than furren- 
der their fellow-citizens in fo dilhonourable a manner. 
About fifteen hundred took up arm's, and, without the 
fmalleft hope of foreign afiiftance, prepared to refill the 
whole force of the French, and to die rather than fur- 
vive their expiring liberty. Having intrenched them¬ 
felves on the borders of the lake-and at the entrance of 
the valley of Stantz, with their women and children, 
they firmly awaited the attack. The French advanced 
to the aflault in feparate columns ; fome eroding the 
lake in armed veflels, and others marching over the 
mountains. 
On the 3d of September hoflilities commenced ; the 
invaders were repulfed in different onfets, and two vef- 
fels being funk, with five hundred men, the French 
were intimidated and refufed to proceed, until a party, 
encouraged by the promifes and urged by the threats 
of Schawembourg, difembarked, and forced the in- 
trenchmerits. At the fame time two ocher Columns 
landed at different points, and the corps, rufiling from 
the mountains, fell upon their rear. The fmall but he¬ 
roic band, fliut up in a narrow defile, and furrounded 
by a force ten times their number, fuftained the affault 
w ith unparalleled courage. “ Then began,” fays an 
eye-witnefs of this defperate conflict, “ the battle and 
the carnage. Our ruftic heroes fire on every fide, fight 
foot to foot, rufh among the enemy’s ranks, flay and are 
flam- Thefe mountaineers were feen prefiing French 
officers to death in their nervous arms; old men, wo¬ 
men, and children, roufed by the noble example, and 
catching,the enthufiafmof their fons, hufbands, and fa¬ 
thers, appeared throwing themfelves into the midft of 
the French battalions, arming themfelves with clubs, 
pikes, pieces of mufkets, nay, # the very limbs of the hu¬ 
man body, ftrewing the ground with carcafes, and fall¬ 
ing with the JfatisfaCtion of having fought to maintain 
their native land free from a foreign yoke.” The French, 
exafperated with this incredible refiftance, put to the 
fword not only their opponents on the field of battle, 
but involved all whom they met in indiferiminate 
/laughter; and the valley from one end to the other be- 
came a prey to pillage, flames, and carnage. Two hun¬ 
dred natives of Schweitz, hearing the cannonnade, were 
afhamed of having deferted their brethren ; and, haftily 
arming themfelves, forced the poll which the French 
had effablifhed at Brunnen, and towards the end of the 
day, approaching Stantz, faw the conflagration which 
fhowed the fatal event of the aCtion. They devoted 
themfelves to revenge the fate of their countrymen ; 
and, after exterminating above .fix hundred of their ene¬ 
mies, fell on the field of battle. 
This was the laft conflict of expiring liberty in Swif- 
ferland ; and, if report may be believed, even the fero¬ 
cious monfters who compofed the executive directory 
did not receive the account of the ills they had occa¬ 
sioned, without (hedding tears of remorfe. A treaty 
was concluded between the two countries, in virtue of 
which, Geneva, Mulhaufen, Bienne, and the bjihopric 
of Bafil, were annexed to France ; the remainder of the 
country, except the Grifons, was modelled into a re¬ 
public one and indivilible, forming eighteen depart¬ 
ments, and governed by a fenate, a great council, and 
five directors, who firft aflembled at Arau, and were af¬ 
terwards transferred to Lucerne. 
During the campaign of 1795, part of Swiflerland ex¬ 
perienced a momentary deliverance ; but from the un¬ 
fortunate mifunderftanding between the courts of Peterf- 
bdrg and Vienna, the directorial government was re- 
Vol, IX. No. 593. 
E T I A. 33 1 
eftabliflied; This was fucceeded by a provifional govern¬ 
ment, which was firft Seated at Lucerne, and, on the pro- 
grpfs of the Auftrians in 1799, removed to Berne. When 
eace yvas eftablilhed with the emperor by the treaty of 
uneville, the French ambaflador tranfmitted the plan 
of a new conftitution ; according to which, Swiflerland, 
including the Grifons, was divided into feventeen can¬ 
tons. Accordingly, by this conftitution of 1801, the 
legiflative authority was vefted in a fenate, compofed of 
two landammans and twenty-three counsellors. The 
executive power was lodged in a little council of four 
fenators, in which each of the landammans prefided in 
turn. The landamman in office was to receive a falary 
of 50,000 French livres, and the other landamman and 
four counfellors 10,000 each. The falaries of the fena¬ 
tors were not to exceed 6000 livres. Each canton was 
governed by a prefect, nominated by the landamman, 
and was provided with its interior adminiftration, which 
approved or rejected the projects of laws prefented by 
the fenate. By the conditions of eligibility, univerfal 
Suffrage was abolifhed ; and no perfon admitted to any 
public office, unlefs he was proprietor of land, or exer- 
ciled an independent profeflion, and paid a contribution 
to the public burdens, the amount of which was regu¬ 
lated by each canton. A counter-revolution afterwards 
took place, by which the diet was difl’olved, and the 
provifional government eftabliflied as it exifted before 
the 29th of May 1801. But the French arms again pre¬ 
vailed completely in October 1802, as ftated in the arti¬ 
cle France, vol. vii. p. 830, and 856. The tranfac- 
tions that have fince taken place in that devoted coun¬ 
try are yet too recent for hiftory. The feelings of the 
moment will not allow a writer to affign to each caufe 
its due /hare of influence, nor to view each event'in its 
true light. Indignation on the one hand, and commife- 
ration on the other, are too bufy in the bofom, to fuller 
hiftory to aflume her calm and difpaflionate character; 
and it is impoflible to prevent the pen from running into 
endlefs inveCtive on one fide, and pathetic declamation 
on the other. We hope to refume the fubjeCt in a more 
favourable point of view in a future article ; conclud¬ 
ing, for the prefent, with a few remarks on the ftate of 
manners, literature, commerce, agriculture, &c. which 
now prevail in Helvetia. 
A midft the general corruption of manners in Europe, 
thole of the Swifs have long excited applaufe, from 
their moral uniformity, and frank independence. The 
writings of Rouffeau, and other celebrated authors, have 
depicted the Swifs manners in almoft every favourable 
point of view. -.Though moderate in diet, thefe people 
are attached to wine, which produces gaiety, not irri¬ 
tation. The honfes are generally conltruCted of wood, 
in the molt fimple form, with ftaircafes on the outfide ; 
yet their appearance Angularly coincides with the piCtu- ' 
refque character of the country. The drefs of the 
lower ranks is little fubjeft to the laws of falhion, and 
in many cantons there are regulations to prevent idle 
ornament. Among the fuperior dalles the manners may 
be confidered as partly German, partly French ; but it 
may be imagined that at prefent the latter prepon¬ 
derate. In general the Swifs are remarkable for an 
intenfe attachment to their native country; and there 
are few-of them who do not return there to terminate 
their exiftence. This impreflion is almoft irrefiftible, 
and liable to be awakened by the molt minute circum- 
ftances. Hence in the French armies the tune called 
the Ranee des Vaches, often fung by the Swifs milk¬ 
maids when they went to the paltures, was carefully 
interdicted, becaufe it melted the rough Swifs foldier 
into tears, and feldom failed to produce defertion. 
This unconquerable paflion feems to arife in part from a 
moral fenfibility to the enchanting, eafe and franknefs 
of the native manners ; and in part from the picturefque 
features of the country, the verdant hills contralted 
with alpine fnows, and delicious vales watered by 
5 E tranfparent 
