The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-23 00:00:00

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[PRIot 41). STAMPICDD.

,t he Federal troops msy
iclguard is about to be formed in Neuchatel,
be withdrawn.
A' th regard to the condition of the prisoners
he
officer
. selves an of the garrison writes'on the
L st.: "\Ye have had beautiful weather here for
1 days past, and the prisoners themselves ap-
ril
to enjoy it, for on Saturday af ternoon,a.nd again
t relay,. they were out in the gardens and upon
terraces which adjoin their prison, and which
a land a splendid view of the lake and the neigh-
s ing scenery. Beneath them, in the road which
ts,
s s directly in front of the terraces towards Ser-
• they could see a stream of passengers go by,
[ any a friend or relative of those confined here
;lit be observed in passing to look up eagerly
4rds them. Sunday was the great visiting day,
~the prisoners, therefore, instead of taking the
in the gardens, remained in their cells during
fternoon to receive their friends, who were
itted without exception, and without any ticket
...
ecial-order- beinv required. They came in
vds from 2 o'clock till 4, each bringing a little
el, a basket, a flask, or a bundle of cigars to
!fort his imprisoned friend."

'LITARY STATISTICS OF SWITZER-
LAND.

re read in the Mo'niteur de l'Armee :
The strong interest which seems to have been
,kened in the affair of Neuchatel renders it yelp
rabic) that, at the present time, the situation of
, part of Switzerland, in a military point of view,
uld be correctly understood.
'''' The canton of Neuchatel has formed, since
1815, the 22d canton of the Helvetic Confedera-
tion. It is situated between France, the canton of
V*d, and that of Berne. Its population amounts
to b.bout 60,000 souls, and its area to 725 square
kilinnetres. It consists of the so-called Principality
of Neuchatel- proper, and of the (minty of TAW
girl. The public are now acquainted with its poli-
denl organisation, and with the causes that have
giiien rise to the present difficulties, upon which it
wou(d be needless for us to enlarge.
"By the terms of the federal compact, each cantos.
of witzerland is bound to furnish to the arm) a
co tingent proportioned to its population. In case
of;war, the aggregate numerical strength of these
cokitingeuts is 33,758 men, who form part of the
first levy ; in this particular instance, the quota
til
de
from the canton of Neuchatel is 960 men, of
wotn 734 are for the infantry.
!" Independently of the troops composing the
fist levy, the federal army has a reserve of the
same numerical strength, which, in the event of a
serious emergency, would raise the forces of the
Confederation to 67,515 combatants, not including
the land wehr or militia, which consists of all the
Men capable of bearing arms, who belong neither
t 6 the contingent nor the reserve.
; " The Swiss are brave and intelligent, but, not-
withstanding their merits, we must not shut our
eyes to what is the real strength of an army con-
stituted like theirs, comprising as it does men with
families, men taken from their business or work,
and who do not possess, like the soldiers of per-
hanent and regular armies, the instruction or the
abits acquired in military life.
" Nevertheless, it is necessary to take into
account the patriotic sentiment, the profound de-
Votion to the independence of his native laud, to
which the Swiss in every age has been indebted for
successes otherwise hopeless.
1 "In fine, loOking at its actual condition, the
Helvetic army is fully adequate to maintain order
within the sphere of the Confederation, and to
cause the federal pact and the laws of the country
to be everywhere respected ; but, abandoned to
itself, it would evidently not be able to sustain a
serious contest against one of the great military
powers of Europe.
" When Switzerland is engaged in any military
contest, the Diet forms the supreme military au-
thority. It is that body which publishes military
orders, determines the general organisation of the
army, calls the citizens to arms, and appoints the
,general commanding-in-chief, the quartermaster-
general, and the commissary-general. It presides
over the instruction of both officers and men, as
well as the purchase and custody of the munitions
of war.

" The general commanding in chief receives from
the Diet his instructions and powers, and he alone
is responsible for his acts. His office may in no
casa continue longer Than the duration of the term
for which the forces are embodied.

" Tne canton of Neuchatel, protected by the lake
of the same name, which extends from Yverdun
towards the north-east as far as Saixt Blaise, over
an extent of nearly 32 kilometres, with an average
breadth of 7 kilometres, is accessible through the
canton of Yaud and that of Berne, and the moue
tains of the Jura chain, which traverse these dis-
tricts, contain many defiles of a nature greatly to
assist the defence.

" The city of Neuchatel, the chief town of the
principality and the seat of its government, lies
close to the Seyon, where it debouches into the
lake ; its inhabitants number about 6,000 souls.
It is incapable of defence and could not stand a
siege. The other towns in the principality are
Boudry, Travers, Motiers, Valangin, Le Lode,
and Le Chaux de-Fonds. The soil of Neuchatel
is generally rich and well cultivated, and the
inhabitants who dwell in it are laborious and peace-
able."
The following is from Le Nord :
"According to a recent statistical work of Ste
phen Franseini, councillor of the Confederation,
Switzerlanal possesses, with a territorial extent of
718 square miles, a population of 2,391,478 citizens,
the majority of whom are of the Protestant faith.
The finances of the Confederation, as exhibited in
the budget for the year 1857, amount to a revenue
of 16,200,000 francs, against an ordinary expendi-
ture of 15,760,000 francs. The public debt was
covered in 1815 by the share allotted to Switzer •
land out of the contribution exacted from France
by the Allied Powers to defray the expenses of the
great continental war. The Federal army, the
chief command of which since 1847 has been vested
in General Dufour, with 91 colonels and lieutenant-
colonels, and 132 commissioned officers of inferior
rank, comprises, taking the regular troops and the
reserve together, an effective force of 108,000 sol-
diers, of all arms. It will be seen, therefore, that
Switzerland is a power of some consideration."