New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-12-30

peTtlnaclty with which the people chng 10 theiF
old habits and Of the little intercourse between
different parts OF even the same country, than
the circumstance that each OF the twenty-slx
Cantons of Switzerland has very peculiar and
distinct costume ofits own, never varying within
its limits, and never found beyond them. The
greatest oddly is seen in the head-dresses OF the
female peasants. In Berne they wear around
their heads circle of wings of black lace
spreading out from their faces Ike the sides OF
windmill. In Freyburg they have Tapping straw
hats, with rims broad enough for Brobdignag,
but crowns small enough for LIIlipu.. In
ScAolts, they wear on the back Of their heads
white lace cap, shaped like the magnltied flower
O. the sweet pea. In Appen-eu two ornaments
like eagles wings shoot out from each ear, and
are kept together By a glitterng band Of beads.
In Tessin dozen small daggers with gllded and
carved handles, project from the head, which
they surround like radating halo, while sort
Of round carving knife passes through the knot
of hair behind. In the GrisonS, green hat
bears plume of the llmmergeyer, or vulturc of
the ALI s. Each varies thus, and each has
corresponding dress equally peculiar and gaily
picturesque, and each is so distinct from the other
that an experienced eye can tell at once to which
of the twenty.sx Cantons the wearer belongs.
FREYBuRG, like Basic and Bernc, is built on
the summit Of rocky bill, nearly surrounded by
a river. This location, like those of the castles
of Edinboro' Stirling aud Dumbarton, IN Scot
land, was undoubtedly selected for purposes OF
military defence; and Freyburg is still surround
ed by long line of walls with scrrated battle
ments and feudal watch towers mounting over
the hills and descending into the holIows The
convenience of the inhabitants seems never to
have been thought of, and carriages entering the
town on the Berne side were compelled to de-
scend steep HILL cross the river Saarine three
times by three different low bridges, and then
ascend the hight Of two hundred feet by q road
always difficult, and in winter often impractical
Bile. All these endorsements have been lately
removed by the construction of an iron Suspen
sion bridge, the greatest IN the world, over which
carriage passes, on level and in five minutes,
the valley which formerly required an hour
of fatigue and danger. -Four iron cords Of only
eight inches diameter swing across the gorge IN
a single beautiful curve, and from them hangs
the platform ofthe bridge nine hundred and forty
feet long, and suspended a hundred and eight
feet above the valley. When shall we have
similar one from Ncw-Yorl to Brooklyn The
tfamous Menai bridge in Wales is little more than
half this, being only five hundred and eighty feet
span and hundred and thirty feet hight. The
engineer, NJ. Chaley, of Lyons, in an elaborate
description which he has published, states that the
experiment Of this unprccedentedly large stretch
was made on his own responsibility (he being
contractor as well as engineer and in opposition
to the desires of the municipality, who wished 1t
divided by pier in the middle The result has
been a grand vindlcaton of his far-slghted ge
MUS and the contrast of the airy lghtness of the
structure with its firm strength makes it the
erandest of all human works Of art, and well
worthy to be neghbor of Mount Blanc.
In the midst of Frcybu is bit of romance,
such as is not often preserved IN the centre OF
crowded city. 1t is an old and venerable lime
tree, sprung from branch borne as trophy
from the famed battle of Morat, where the Swiss
in 1916 defeated Charles the Bold of Burgundy,
strcwing the field with twenty thousand of his
soldiers, and proving that no invading army,
however numerous and well disciplined, can
withstand the impctuous charge of the defenders
of their native land. a young citizen of Frey
burg, who had helped to win the battle, ran the
whole way home to bear the joyful tidings. He
arrived on this spot, bleeding and exhausted, but
with his last strength he cried Victory" and
waved the lime branch he bore in his hand,
and then fell down and expired. The branch of
lime was Immediately planted, and is now de-
cayed but still living tree, twenty feet in circum-
ference 1t is surrounded by circular seat,
where the gray boards can tell their children the
patriotic story. and its old arms are bornn up by
stone pillars for here, unlike America, antiquity
is veneratcd, and It's unnecessary to say to these
people, as with US the poet often sings in vain,
WoodHlan, spare that tree' W. h.G.
CAPITAL PUNIsHMESr.-An intelligent subser-
Der has sent to us memorial TO the Legislature
of Ohio to abolish capital punishment.
A feeling peryades large portion of our peo
nile that the time has come when Ohio should not
lend her voice and give her sanction to the I'M
notation OF human beings In this feeling we
svmpathize. 1t is barbarous practice, as 1t
strikes Us, and should not longer be tolerated ,
Neither the cause of humanity, nor the ends of
Justice require it, and we should rejoice if this {
relic of darker age were banished for ever from
our penal CODE
The experience Of the world proves that death
does not deter Others from the commission of
crime, or deepen in any way the common re-
spect for virtue The statistics show the reverse
Wherever the laws are vindictive, and seemingly I