The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-03-17
LOCAL MATTERS.

tisfsctory.
| Sritserland-This country, the lecturer said.
was about half as large the State of Pennsylvs.
MIA 1t covered an area Of 900 square miles, and
contained population of two million and quarter
of inhabitants. Owing to the mountainous chsrsc.
ter Of the country. the increase of population was
very slow and gradual. There were many splendid
roads in Switzerland. Some of them had been cut
| out OF the solid mountains by the Romans They
were very narrow. There were several railroads
in the country, and one Ia contemplation, by which
| tunnel, seven miles in length, would have to be
cut through solid rock In the Southern part of the
| countryside most mountainous region-but little
produce was raised, and that at the roots of the
| mountains. In the Northern part where there
| were many plains and fertile valleys, fruit and
grain were raised in large quantities. The wine,
there raised, was not so good as that produced in
France. The grapes were put into ths top of tubs
holding about bushel, and having Gem partmsnt
of wood in the middle, with small holes pierced in
it. Boys then jumped into these tubs, barefooted,
and stamped upon the grapes until their juice was
expressed through the partition.
This was the practice of the small cultivators of
the grape. The larger proprietors had wine
presses similar to our cider presses. Some of the
mountains were nine to ten thousand feet in height
and their tops were covered with snow where
they were not peaked, all the year round. Where
the rountans were peaked at their submits the
snow and ice collected were swept away by the
winds and formed immense glaciers on the sides
of the Alps, and in the valleys at the foundation of
the mountains. Some of these fields of ice were
miles in length and were full If assures and
chains 1t was dangerous to travel upon them
They bore the appearance, in many instances, of
waves OF water washing up two and three feet
suddenly frozen In their rolling movement twas
necessary to have experienced guides and to carry
an Alpine stock in order to travel over these g!a
ciers. There were many beautiful lakes in Swizer.
land, Hundreds of these lakes were mere ponds
Lake Geneva was eight or nine miles wide and
FIVE steamboats, ran upon it. Lake I.ucerne had
four cantons upon it's borders, wherein the most
remarkable events in Swiss history had trans.
PRED, and they were the theatre of William Tells
famous exploits. Lakes Zurich and Constance
were fine lakes There were twenty two cantons
and each canton had governor over il similar to
Jour States. Over ali there was a supervisory Diet
or Congress The people generally were demo.
cratic in their feelings and aims. There had been
great deal of socialism prevalent in these can
tons, but that was no longer the case The people
had become convinced that entire social equality
was impossible. They had thought, that by bring.
ing about political equality they could produce
social equality. But they had been mistaken.-
Men would only associate with their equals The
well.educsted men with well. educated men; the
lish with the rich and the poor with the poor
ii,
OF education OK OF refnement-and in order to be.
come one of that class one must obtain the charac.
terisic that constituted The aristocracy. The lee
turer did not like the Swiss as well as other ma
tions because they were so mixed race One
portion spoke bad French, another bad German
third bad Italian, and fourth horrible Latin Two
thirds of the cantons were Protestant the other
third Catholic in their religion. The Swiss were
brave and enierprising people, the Yankees of Eu.
rope. They were employed by other countries to
do service as soldiers. The best troops of the
Pope were Swiss-two thirds Of whom were Ca
tholics. The King of Naples had 14,GoG Swiss SOL
diers in his army. The Protestant clergy of
S Switzerland had preached against this enlistment
for money in foreign service, and with great effect
as not more than one.third of the Swiss thus en-
ployed were Protestants.
France.-This country was, in general, level On
the Eastern side, there were ranges of mountains.
1t was 200 miles long by 500 wide covered an area
of 2le, 600 square miles and contained population
of nearly sc millions The increase of population
had not been very great during the last 60 years
There were many railroads in France-ard one
going to Marseilles passed through tunnel three
miles in length. One could leave Paris by railroad
at o'clock in the morning, and arrive in London
at 10 O'Clock at night. Many new roads were abou.
| being constructed. Very few accidents occurred
upon these roads. The French were the most care.
full people in the world in this respect. There
Sc departments in France, forming one consolida.
ted power. 1t was fine agricultural country, and
well cultivated. The agricultural implements used
| by the French farmers were very wide and coarse
| of construction. For instance the French plough
| went upon two wheels, for which wheels there was
| no earthly use. Their harrows, carts and wagon
| were curiosities. Ropes were used for harness.
There were no fences or stone walls in the country
except around the gardens Of the rich. Vas, focks
| of sheep fed upon the plains, guarded by shep.
herd, with his crooked horn and ole or two dogs
The grape vine was, in general, cultivated. These
vines were trained on wooden posts and looked like
fields of beans. These vines grew mos. plentfuly
in the South part of France. in the Northern par,
they raised wheat, beets and onions in large quan
ties, also much fruit. The houses in the villages
| were very rude in construction and very DID, The
famers had their dwellings close together, forming
an innuu able quantity of small villages, and then
went of to their farms in the distance to work.
The reason of this was found 10 the strong social
feelings of the French They desired to be near u
each other for the purposes of amusement by dane
lag and conversation after the tolls OF the day o,
they would not scatter and live apart like our hardy
frontiersmen, Each village was a miniature Paris
About as many women worked in the fields o.
France, as men, There was no work in France
that women did not do. They worked harder in
the fields than did the slaves in the Soush He ha6
seen them ploughing moving and making anG
pitching hay-carrying trunks and helping to draw
canal boats with rope around their necks II,
had been credibly informed that women could bs
seen in some parts of France, drawing cart Will,
yoked with q donkey. (Sensstion). One end o.
tbs woke rested on her neck and the other ON tbs
NECK of the donkey. This was the gsllansry of La