The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1798-09-17
fHs LETTER AND HISTORY

The LETTER AND HISTORY.
Sir,
THE fate Of Switzerland no LONGER per-
Snits meto defer anfwering your letter, 10 which
with iuch lively interet, You exprefs your eager
nefs to learn the news Of Geneva: and-evince
your folicitude and hopes till to find that the
Helvetic Body perieveres in its fyftern % neu
trality. The tenor Of your applaufe of their
conduit recalls TO my mind the eulopium niTed
on it by lord Lanfdown, " ttaf bamaa qvii7arr
had taken refuge IN TIE sVsreiga eosaeif Of Bergt'
own to you, Sir, that with you aud bis lord
1hip, had, at times, hattered rnyfelf thar, in
fcrupulouay avoiding to give the LEAH umbrags
10 the bclligerent powers, the Swifs cantonS
would efcape the double fcourge Of revolution
and of war. This illulion is vanifhed forever
The fnea part Of Switzerland is now nothing
more than province of Fran E. This power
has taken from the inhabitants their giitrates,
their laws, and their property and not content
with dcpriving them Of their aims, il has de-
hroyed even thofe monuments which brought
to their recollection the glorious purpofes to
which their anceaors devoted them.
If you have received the French papers they
will have already given you a faficient idea of
Eis lcen- Of deiolation, TO lead you to coniec-
ture ehAt they have thought proper to conceal.
I never could have The courage to make up the
deficiency BY fuch an horrible recital bot /
hatter myfslf that ihall fitisfy your curofty,
and that Of your friends in more uf=fnl man
ner by tracing the dreadful cata0rophe of the
Swils to its original caufe, the feeble and unde-
cide1 conduit Of their own governments.
That of Berne viii fnHice me From its pre-
rondcranee in the league, it has, almoa always,
guided the ref Of the confederate cations and,
firm The divi(ions of is Senate, you will derive
a faithful image of what PaAcd in the other can.
tons.
e5ince the Beginning of this century, there
has exiAe1 in the fovereign council of Berne,
party Of " obb9fii0n," called pGtr42fs !" and It
NUT be admitted that. in ordinary times, this
party was emineatly u1efui, in refraining the
aFifocracy. and moderating its power. But
-fioce the criis, which yet agtates Europe, thefs
two parties bscame more marked and diAing-
uihel one Of them was denomiuated the
French party the other the Englifh patty
Neither merited thtle infnlting appsllations !;
both parties were, exclnGvely, attached to their
own country, and differed only as to thu means
Of l9vngi il from The Rorm with which it was
threatened. One of thele, directed BY the ad
vcysr Stegner, looked upon war with France,
rs inevitable they flw, at Leaf, no oher re.
fouTce-to avoid it, than that Of being perfectly
prepared beforehand, and refaing with firm
ncts, all innovations on Their internal policy, Of
prefenting to foreign nations, firm and deter
mined att ude, ard Of fubmtting TO no acts of
cond dcenlion to republican France, which had
not been Crane !, under its monarclncal fate !;
in fhorr, % ob.ervc, faithfully, towards her all
their ancient treaties, but to iuser, 10 violation
on any terms. Ii was in conformity to thief.
principles that Steigner would have had the d.
ct, IN I7g,, TO have pcremtorily exased thee
vscuaton Of that part Of the Bllhopriek Of Bats,
which the French troops had invaded, although
lbas rate had right to the confederated pro.
fcGioa ef Berne to which it was Hrifly allied.
The other party, At the head of which was the
trtaforcr Fr,fhing, withed on the contrary, TO
Old al difcufIian, which might froq0ks 4 ruP-
. ture with France il believed, that in The mida
Of th- almoa univerfal confagrason ofthe con
'irent. Sutherland could fave herlelf only by.
the policy Of pety estes, that.of emportlng
and delay thar above every tfng, il was i'm
Por ant % arrive at tie end Of Ore war without
rkng airy Pirt IN it rhat 70 reach the port,
rs i WAS eaaie I, they ought to conceal Their
grievances. or, 1t lsa}. TO tlrow over shem
Kind of vel 70 complain Of them with tie
scAtsil noeesatoa; aud net regard thcFrielyes