LUC 
3T rather oligarchical. The fovereign power refided in 
the council of ioo, comprising the fenate, or little council. 
The great council was the nominal fovereign ; but the 
whole power actually refided in the fenate, confiding of 
thirty-fix members, who were formed into two divifions, 
exercifing the office byTotation. The adminiltration of 
the current affairs, the care of the police, the manage¬ 
ment of the finances, and the whole executive power, re¬ 
dded in the fenate, which fat conftantly ; whereas the fo¬ 
vereign council was affembled only upon important occa- 
lions. The fenate had cognizance of criminal caufes ; but 
in cafe of capital condemnation the fovereign council was 
convoked, in order to pronounce the fentence. In civil 
caufes, an appeal lay from the fenate to the fovereign 
council ; which, in reality, was a matter of mere form, as 
it was an appeal from the fenators in one court to the 
fame fenators in another. The influence of the fenate 
over the fovereign council was abfolute ; for they confti- 
tuted above a third of that body, chofe their own mem¬ 
bers, conferred the principal charges of government, and 
nominated to the ecclefiaftical benefices, which were consi¬ 
derable; nearly two-thirds of the revenue of the canton 
belonging to the clergy. From a view of this conftitu- 
tion, it appears, that, when the fpirit of a government is 
oligarchical, all laws enadted for the purpole of counter- 
ailing the power of the nobles are mere ciphers. How¬ 
ever, in fome inftances, the authority of the nobles was 
controuled j for, in declaring war and peace, forming new 
alliances, or impofing taxes, the citizens were to be affem¬ 
bled, and to give their confent. We have entered into 
thele particulars, becaufe the ancient government of the 
cantons will probably be now reltored. See Helvetia, 
vol. ix. p. 375.—Lucerne being the firft in rank and power 
among the Catholic cantons, was the refidence of the 
pope’s nuncio, and all affairs relating to religion were dil- 
cuffed in the annual diet, which aflembled in the town, 
and which was compofed of the deputies of thole cantons. 
Lucerne, though an oligarchical Hate, manifefted, at the 
time of the French revolution, an aversion from all inno¬ 
vation. The people appeared to be fatisfied with their 
government, and refilled all attempts to effedl a change. 
During the progrefs of the revolution, Lucerne adted with 
great fpirit, and was inclined to join in defence of her 
own independence, as well as in fupport of the Helvetic 
union. Even after the furrender of Bern and the defer- 
tion of Zurich, a numerous body of peafants demanded 
the re-ellablifhment of the ancient government, and joined 
the troops of the fmall cantons to refill the entrance of 
the French ; and the whole canton did not acquiefce with¬ 
out much oppofition and bloodlhed. At length a corps 
of French, after a (hort inveltment, entered the town of 
Lucerne, and reduced the people to unconditional fub- 
miffion. Soon after this event, Lucerne became the feat 
of the new Helvetic government. According to the con¬ 
stitution of the 29th of May, 1801, Lucerne was one of 
the feventeen departments, or cantons, into which Swif- 
ferland was divided : it retained its former extent, and de¬ 
puted five reprefentatives to the diet. 
LUCER'NE, the capital of the above-deferibed canton, 
a linall, tolerably-built, walled, trading-town, containing 
about 3300 inhabitants, and agreeably fituated on a plain 
almoft environed by hills, at the efflux of the river Reufs 
from the lake of Lucerne, and at the north-weft extre¬ 
mity of the lake : thirty miles fouth-weft of Zurich, and 
forty eaft of Bern. * The cathedral and Jefuits’ church are 
the only public buildings worthy of notice ; but they are 
overloaded with rich ornaments, and disgraced by bad 
paintings. In the cathedral is an organ of fine tone, and 
extraordinary fize; the centre pipe is forty feet long, near 
three in diameter, and weighs tioo pounds. The bridges 
which fkiri the town, round the edge of the lake, are the 
falhionable walks of the place, and remarkable for their 
length ; being covered at the top, and open at the lides, 
they afford a conrtant view of the delightful and romantic 
country ; they are decorated with coarfe paintings, repre- 
Vol. XIII. No. 940, 
ERNE. 741 
fenting the hiftories of the Old Teftament, the Battles of 
the Swifs, and the Dance of Death. In the Wafferthuim- 
tower, the treafure of the republic is depofited. The ar- 
fenal is well furniflied with arms?. What greatly attrafls 
the botice of moll ftrangers is, a plan in relief of part of 
the cantons of Lucerne, Zug, and Berne, and the whole 
of Schweitz, Uri, and Underwald, executed by general 
Pfiffer on a large feale. He has completed about iixty 
fquare leagues; the plan is twelve feet long, and nine and 
a half broad ; every mountain is accurately meafured ; 
and every objeft distinctly placed. Lucerne is a thorough¬ 
fare from Italy by Mount St. Gothard ; but it has no ma¬ 
nufacture of confequence, and little commerce. Of late, 
the principles of toleration have been better underftood 
and more widely diffufed than they were formerly ; and a 
literary fociety has been eftablilhed for the promotion of 
polite learning. The lake is bounded towards the town 
of Lucerne by cultivated hills floping gradually to the 
water, contralted on the oppofite fide by an enormous 
mafs of barren and craggy rocks. Lat.46. 56. N. Ion, 
8. 6. E. 
Near the town of Lucerne is Mount Pilate, formerly 
called Mons Pileatus, from the Latin word pika , becaule 
its top' is generally covered with a cloud or cap. This 
word has been corrupted into Pilattis, whence fome have 
ridiculoufly contended that Pontius Pilate, after having 
condemned our Saviour to death, was feized with remorfe, 
made an excurfion into Swiflerland, and drowned himfelf 
in a lake at the top of the mountain. At the elevation 
of 5000 feet, and in the molt perpendicular part of this 
mountain, near the pafture of Brunlen, isobferved, in the 
middle of a cavern hollowed in a black rock, a coloflal 
ftatue, which appears to be of white Itone. It is the 
figure of a man, in drapery, leaning one elbow on a pe- 
deftal, with one leg crolfed over the other ; and fo regu¬ 
larly formed, that it can fcarcely bealufus naturae. This 
ftatue is called Dominic by the peafants, who frequently 
accoft it front the only place in which it can be feen j 
and, when their voices are re-echoed from the cavern, 
they fay, in the fimplicity of their hearts, “ Dominic has 
anfwered us.” It is difficult to imagine by whom, or in 
what manner, this ftatue could be placed in a fituation 
which has hitherto proved inacceffible to all who have en¬ 
deavoured to approach it. This is, perhaps, one of the 
higheft mountains in Swiflerland, if eftimated from its 
bale, and not from the level of the fea ; its elevation 
above the lake being more than 6000 feet. Soon after the 
French took poffeflion of Lucerne, general Brune ereCted, 
with great folemnity, the liandard of liberty on the top of 
Mount Pilate; thus, as Coxe fays, conferring on the 
Swifs the lhadow, while he deprived them of the lubftance, 
of freedom. Coxe's Swijferland, vol. i. 
LUCER'NE (Lake of), in the Swifs canton of that 
name, (alfo called the Vierwalftadter Sea,) is fituated 1320 
feet above the level of the fea, according to Pfiffer; 1314, 
according to De Luc ; 1350, according to Trembley ; and 
1392 feet, according to Wyfs. The river Reufs enters 
it at Fluelin, and is again emitted near Lucerne. This 
moll romantic of all lakes is furrounded by rocks, con¬ 
fiding partly of lime-ftone, partly of the calcareous brec¬ 
cia, called nagelflulie, and by fand-ftone mountains. The 
line of demarcation between thefe two formations of 
rocks runs in a direction from eaft to weft; to the fouth . 
of this line nothing is feen but lime-ftone, and nothing 
but calcareous breccia and fand-ftone in a northern di¬ 
rection. The lake of Lucerne exhibits greater variety 
and more piCturefque lcenery than any other of the Swils , 
lakes. It is feven leagues long in a right line, and three 
wide about Kuffnacht: but the fhape is very irregular. 
The whole fouth fide is bordered by high mountains; but 
the north exhibits hills of no great height. The narrow 
gulf that extends towards the weft, is bordered on the 
weft and north-welt by Mount Pilate, and on the fouth 
by Mount Burgenberg. Stanz Stadt, belonging to the 
canton of Underwald, is on this fide ; and hereabouts the 
8 X lake 
