Voi. I1.] 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
The following admirable topographical 
piece, prefixed by the illuitrious Hat- 
LER to his treatife on Swifs Plants, not 
having, as I believe, yet appeared in an 
Ly nelith drefs, I am induced .to offer it 
to your miicellany, under the perfuafion 
that its mtrinfic merit, and the intereft 
excited by the country of which it 
treats, will render it acceptable to your 
yeaders, notwithitanding the various 
accounts, by other writers, which have 
appeared relative to the fame part of 
Europe. 
Tue TorocGRAPHyY AND NATURAL 
Hisrory OF THE Swiss ALPS. 
By the late BARON HALLER. 
HAT is called Switzerland, contains 
the thirteen allied cantons ; the coun- 
try of the Grifons, the Valais and other 
allied ftates, and the fubjects of the free 
ftates. The extent of the whole country 
is not confiderable,.contair ning about four 
degrees of longitude, and the {pace be- 
tween the 46th and 48th degree of lati- 
tude. 
The whole of Switzerland may be di- 
vided into two parts; of which the Cifal- 
ine is the greateit, and contains the prin- 
cipal ftates: the Tranialpine confifts en- 
tirely of fubjeét diftrifts, torn from the 
Milanefe. 
Switzerland og is fituated to the 
north of the Alps, and among their very 
fummits. Its earl boundaries are, to 
the fouth, that very long chain of Alps 
which runs from the Leman-lake, be- 
tween the Valais and the vallies of Acuft, 
Seffia, Antigoria, and others, to mcunt 
Furca; and ‘thence from mount Gothard, 
thron ach mount Lucmainer and Aduila, 
between the free Grifens and their fub- 
ject allies, thence between the Valtetline 
and Enga ge and fo to the Bormian 
ridse. "This cha ONS is indeed here 
and. there fomewkat depreffed, fo as to at- 
ford paflages towards Ttaly ; but even 
thefe valli ine are very much elevated, and 
are real craggy alps nor did ever wheel 
find a way from Switzerland to Italy. 
This line which is nearly one hundred 
leagues in length, I ufually . call 
foutherna a alpine chain. It is not, how- 
ever, one fimple ridge;) for others, © either 
parallel, or yarioufly connected with it, 
4nd rifing to nearly an equal height, run 
from ealt ta welt, 
* From the neighbourhood of the Leman- 
lake, and efpecia ily from the barriers of 
the vi alais, commences the northern chain 
J 
Haller’s Defeription of the Swifs Alps. 
939 
of alps, which firt runs fouthwards 
then directly eaft, dividing the’ Valais 
from Bern, and coalefcing with the 
fouthern chain in mount Furca. “But 
from mount Gothard, which is connected 
with Furca by other alps, another chain 
begins, nearly, in the fame direction, ‘na 
med Crifpalt, feparating firlt the canton 
of Uri, 2 and then that of Giaris, trom the 
Gritons. This chain ifubfides about 
Sargens, into hills of moderate height 5 it 
then rifes again into-very craggy furnmits 
between St. Gall and Togvenburg; and 
with gentler elevations between thefe dit 
triéts and the Rhine, is continued to 
the lake of Conflance. 
From each of thefe principal chains, 
the northern and fout! hern, fherter rides, 
but frequently of great height, run in a 
different direction; from thes former » ge- 
nerally towards the north and weit ; Wace 
the latter, towards the fouth and oa. 
athe principal alps from the fouthern 
chain run between Savoy and Piedmont, 
and fo fouth-eaftwards to the fea, as far 
as the mouth of the Var. Some of theie 
are of ftupencdovs height. A fhorter 
ridge runs due fouthwards into Aoft, and- 
divides. into many branches, feparating 
the narrow vallies of this di@ri@.” A 
confiderable one alfo proceeds £ fram mount 
Furca, and defcends by Domo @Oflola 
and the Lago Magpiore into the duchy 
of Milan. ‘To the north the fame high 
chain fends out many ridges, but fhorter 
ones, into the principal valley of the 
‘Valais, intercepting portions of it, like 
branches. 
Beyond the Furca, in the country of 
the Grifons, fo multiplied and various 
re the ridges which run from the ereat 
alpine chain, that they: can {carcely be 
defcribed in words. Of thefe many are 
exceedingly wild and lot fty, particularly 
thofe that run éaftwards about Sormio 
and the Valtelline. 
The northern ridge of the alps pufhes 
many branches into the’ canton ‘of Bern, 
and thence into Underwald, Uri, Cine 
and Schwitz. * . 
Some ot the alps are infulated, end de- 
tached from all others, every where fur-. 
rounded with takes or vallies, as fomé 
ridges between Bern and Friburgh, and 
mount Ries, in Schwitz. 
“Thiele fips. Yo the north and 
zerland is feparated from Allace 
he 
are £n 
eft Switze 


= 
* Part of the defcription of the original is 
here abridged, .as it conffts of a numnber of 
nanes which could only | be ee in a good 
Mops 
