Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-06-13
VIEWS OF SWITZERLAND.
nor TIN, E'A-DTvTR =, 4

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practice are mo'iy in barharoa state Interrosatos.
carried privssj the shutd teqa.he OF til.
of the accused il con'ideftd necessary and
prison. mode. r,ure are
-. The executive often interfere, with the judicial power
in swimes.ni The Ss., are by no ans Snsne inv.
giuays races they have had ba, few Poets, e,eep
of Gnssne and uaiier although living the
no't Wild shd sublime Of nature they yeryro
the trouble OF Visiting the remarkable Of their
The sitting, ofthe s... Federal Diet, or supr,me Cen
gess Of the Nation, destitute OF interest There
ao Speeches, or Debates properly eaed least, they
not made public. Beor. the opening Session. th
rredent communicate, government of each
canton the subjects OF the ensuing ate
teu''e in the respective assemble, Of the states,
from whence the deputie, Of the Diet their
on. from which they must not .wevt These assemblies,
PrsPrIsSty Of The opinions 81 a.
The National Gazette of Philadelphia of 23d of
May, lS2S, gives, by way OF excerpts, an account
of the state OF Swisserland. II from that compared
with the actual facts, known TO me as native of
that country shall conclude upon the other ex-
ccrpts, CT not consider them instructive, for
want of the nrst requisite of all accounts
Articles have oil late often appeared in ncwspa-
pers In tins country, attempting to lower the opini-
on upon Swisserland and the character of the
Swiss, which no man acquainted with the real facts
can find creditable 10 the writer or promulgator;
no Swiss has as yet taken the trouble TO answer a
ny, because Swiss DO not consider newspapers as
authorities hlasy years ago was asked in a com.
pany, :" how is il with Swisserand We hear no.
thing OF it in the newspapers" My quick reply
So much the better, Sir; il seems they are hap
Ply, for only the niyortunes of nations are recor-
ded in the newspapers" was found correct Upon
that ground such subjects are actually considered
in Swisserlaid, guided by the experience of about
500 years, that its citizens have been from their
mountains peaceable spectators of the hustle of am
biton about them, often seeing and hearing, in
perfect peace, the cannons of two beIligerents
spreading harm without any good aim.
Notwithstanding the matter Of: fact habits, in
respect to all that is useful by which thew feel well
the preference OF their situation and civil institute
ons, in comparison TO all that surround them thew
have certainly their full share in all the scientific
and literary departments, the arts and improve
Inents found in this world The superior quality of
many OF the products of their industry is we'll
known
If two Poets OF the eminencc of Halter s. Gessner
in the same semi-century, too few for pop,l-
lation of barely two millions, what number can be
offered for the same time in England, or even
France, in proportion to the population of those
countries The Rule of Three being applied, what
is the proportional result 7 Lavater might vet be
put in the scale for his Heipetic national Doe,us
made near about the time, upon call of the
Helvetic Society; they are certainly classic more
than any such poems ever were, and repeated in all
cantons, by all classes OF citizens, with feeling
that shews want of sensibility and certainly no
cold character, or imagination, when they praise
with him &c the liberty which no envy can take
from u.s., and many more such.
The Swiss are rather enjoying and using Sci
writers able men while this proves so much
the reverse in other countries. II imagination
means good feelings, doubt whether in smaller
productions Of the Bellesetres there will be found
more of it than in the yearly Almanac, . The Alp
Rose,'' (for instance, in the Lark in the morning
Joy" "llind Fidler,' &c) and others perhaps the
same deicacy OF feelings, well expressed, might be
searched for in vain in the novelrich countries; s,
many OF the other productions, considered as MI
nor, would still be ranked considerably above those
who in other countries collect temporary praise
fPcstalozzi's &c Leonhard s Gertrude, the .sPhi-
iosophic Farmer" SC. SIC.
In exact Sciences, Basil, with population of a
bout so 900, furnished very near each other two
Bernoullis, and Euler, and have never been
without eminent men, Mulhauscp Lambert, &c
Geneva, with about an equal population, counted
about I7s0-thirty-six of her citizens amongst
the first men OF science and in eminent stations
abroad, Saussurc, Deluc, Bonnet, Necker, Sc SC.
Brugg in population Of about $500, (the native
place of Zimmcrnan) able TO furnish to the
highest offices Of the lIelvetc Republic, in l79S
six or eight OF its citizens accredited men OF
learning, without diverting all its OF science
from the professorships and other such employ
Inents. Zurich, Bern, Winterthur, Shafdusen,
LuZern, Solothurn, Sc have never been without
their eminent men, Esher, Usteri, Engel, Sulzer,
Muller, Pfyffer, Gebelin. Zeth, Fellenburg, sc.
But, indeed, writing for the vain glory of becom-
ing an author is not habual in Swisserland, il is
considered to be proper only when science can be
advanced by it.
The excepted tourist (most likely) has never
been present at the yearly meetings of the HeiUe-
tic Society, from all parts Of Swisserand, (where,
however, every decent stranger is friendly admit
ed) to parake of the lively feelings of patriotic and
eminent men, assembling for other purpose,
than to communicate IDEAS and unite eXeriions, 10
produce public good, free from all private views e.
at their own expense He has not partaken of the
emotion Of the toast of the circulating cup, the
whole Society crossing hand i'll hand and calling
out to each drinkingin his turn Our brother live,
live, live long, promote and produce good-give,
help, wherever he can" He has not sat with the
shepherd OF the high mountains his Eat green
grass the edge OF the steep, overseeing two land
often more) degrees OF latitude of the earth and as
much in 10 gitude, admiring his sky, prais-
ing and enjoying his fine situation, with ecstasy
offeelings, though they were not formed o. c. dis
torted) by fliinsy novels or discourses learnt by
heart.--1n no country have seen the simple man
enjoying the beauties Of nature feelingly like there
no fine Sunday, in the proper season, the SUBMITS
Of their neighboriood will be unvisited by meet
ing OF the neighbore, some single man wishing
10 enjoy the majesty of the view. He has never
been in August or September on those submits,
where he would have met number of companies,
often from to - each, before sunrise, awaiting
the enjoyment of the delightlulypectacle of the ris
ing sun in deep blue sky, at 2 to degrees below
the horizontal plane, friends meeting unexpected
Iy irom,all parts OF Swisserland, and from abroad
the schoomastcr with his IL or 20 pupils, the
friends, botanisis, nncralogsts, naturalist painter,
the ladies with their husbands and children, or
brothers, &c.--hIrdly young man Of middling
standing in society who has not made his turn in
some of the mountains before he arrived at twenty
wears. He has not visited the Independent man,
who having collected, by his industry abroad, the
means TO bring up family with good education,
has returned 10 his native shores Oh the Lac LC
man and united to the love Of his early youth has