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with the Swifs in the year 1792. The Helvetic body, knowing they were too weak to refift, fubmitted patiently to this ufurpation; but foon after an infurrection which took place in the Pays-de-Vaud, and which, it is not improbable, was produced by the inftigation of the agents of France, afforded an opportunity for an interference which foon terminated in the subjection of almoft the whole of Switzerland to the French yoke, and almoft the entire overthrow of its form of government. In the month of December, the French directory took upon them to demand of the government of Berne, what they termed the restoration of the rights of that people, and the affembling the states of the Pays-de-Vaud. This demand they immediately prepared to enforce by arms, and general Meynard was ordered to march with a body of 15,000 men, to fupport the claims of the discontented in that country. The fupreme council of Berne, fearful of entering into a conteft with the powerful armies of France, on the 5th of January, 1798, iffued a proclamation enjoining the citizens of the Pays-de-Vaud to affemble in arms, to renew the oath of allegiance, to proceed to reform the abuses of the government, and to affert and re-establish all their ancient rights. The malcontents, however, encouraged by the protection of the French army, proceeded to open hoftilities, and feized on the caftle of Chignon. The government of Berne now had recourfe to arms, and ordered a body of 20,000 troops, under the command of colonel Weifs, to difperfe the infurgents. But the contest was foon decided by the French army under general Meynard, which immediately advanced while the Swifs retreated, and, by the beginning of February, had taken poffeffion of the whole of the Pays-de-Vaud.

The council of Berne fill attempted to negotiate with the French di rectory; but at the fame time afsembled an army of about 20,000 men, the command of which they gave to M. d'Erlach, formerly a fieldmarthal in the fervice of France. This force was joined by the quotas of the other Swifs cantons, amounting to about 5,500 men. The directory, however, required that the ancient magiftrates of Berne should be difmiffed from their offices, and the conftitution of the ftate changed to one more agreeable to democratic principles and the new fyftem of liberty and equality. Thefe conditions the government of Berne abfolately refused to fubmit to, and sent off orders to break off all further negotiations. The directory, alarmed at this appearance of firmness and refiftance, and fearing they were not fufficiently prepared, fent general Brune to take the command of their army in the Pays-de-Vaud, with orders to conclude an armiftice until he fhould receive a fufficient reinforcement. Brune, immediately upon his arrival, announced to the fenate of Berne, that he came prepared to adjust all differences amicably, and requested that they would fend commiffioners to treat with him. Thefe were accordingly fent, and an armistice concluded for eight days. But on the 2d of March, two days, it is affirmed, betore the truce agreed on had expired, the caftle of Domach, at the northern extremity of the canton of Soleure, was attacked and carried by the French; and, at the fame time, 13,000 men were marched under the walls of Soleure, which capitulated to general Schawenbourg on the firft fummons. Friburg was immediately after reduced by general Brune, and the Swiss army was forced to retreat.

The French generals immediately advanced towards Berne, where all was confufion both in the city and in the army, the left divifion of which had mutinied, deferted their pofts, and put to death fome of their officers.

rabble of undifciplined peafants, raised by the landsflurm, or levy of the country en maffe. About 8,000 of the regular forces were ftationed at Neweneg, and 6,400 held the pofition of Frauenbrun, against which ge neral Schawenbourg advanced from Soleure, at the head of 18,000 men. On the morning of the 5th of March both posts were attacked by the French. The troops of Neweneg repulfed the enemy, but thofe at Frauenbrun, after a vigorous refiftance, were compelled to retreat M. d'Erlach rallied his men at Uteren, where a fecond engagement took place, but with no better fuccefs on the part of the Swifs. They afterwards, however, made a stand at Grauholtz, about a league and a half from Berne; but were thence driven to the gates of the capital, where, after another fevere battle, they were entirely defeated; and on the evening of the 5th general Brune entered the city of Berne by capitulation. The divifions of the Swifs army ftationed at Neweneg and Guminen retreated, and the foldiers of the latter column, in a fit of rage and de. fpair, murdered their officers, and among others their unfortunate general D'Erlach.

The defeat of the Bernefe was followed by the fubmiffion of nearly the whole of Switzerland; though the democratic republics fill made a kand, defeated general Schawenbourg, and forced him to retire with the lofs of 3,000 men, after he had confented to a treaty by which he engaged not to enter the fmaller cantons.

After this revolution the Swifs confederacy changed its conftitution, and even its name. Provincial governments, under the direction of the French generals, were established in the different diftricts, and the whole affumed the name of the Helvetic republic. Contributions and requifitions were levied, as ufual, by the French commiflioners, and the moit fhocking enormities perpetrated. During the campaign of 1799, the northern parts of Switzerland became the feat of war between the Auftrians and French, and the cantons of Schaffhaufen and Zurich, efpecially the latter, fuffered the fevereft diftrefs from the ravages of the contend. ing armies. What will be the future ftate of Switzerland it is not eafy to fay. Should the allies be fo fuccefsful as to force the French to eva. cuate the country, renounce their influence over it, and leave it entirely to itself, its ancient conftitution and government will probably be reftored; but it muft no doubt be long before it will be able to regain its former tranquillity and happiness.

SPAIN.

Miles.

Length 700
Breadth 500

SITUATION AND EXTENT.

Degrees.

10 and 3 Eaft longitude. between {46 and 44 North latitude.

Containing 150,763 fquare miles, with fixty-nine inhabitants to each. BOUNDARIES.] IT is bounded on the Weft by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean; by the Mediterranean on the Eat; by the Bay of Bifcay and the Pyrenean mountains, which feparate it from France, on the North; and by the ftrait of the fea at Gibraltar on

the South.

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It is now divided into fourteen districts, befides islands in the Medi

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COUNTRIES' NAMES.

Miles.

Caftile, New

Andalusia

Caftile, Old

Arragon

Estremadura
Galicia

SPAIN Leon

Catalonia

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Grenada

Valencia

6,800 180 75 Valencia

Bifcay and Guipufcoa

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Afturia

4,600 124

55 Oviedo

Murcia

3,600 87

65 Murcia

Upper Navarre

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The town and fortrefs of Gibraltar, fubject to Great Britain.

ANCIENT NAMES AND DIVISIONS.] Spain formerly included Portugal, and was known to the ancients by the name of Iberia, and Hefperia, as well as Hifpania. It was, about the time of the Punic wars, divided into Citerior and Ulterior, the Citerior contained the provinces lying north of the river Ebro; and the Ulterior, which was the largest part, comprehended all that lay beyond that river. Innumerable are the internal changes that it afterwards underwent; but they are less accu rately known than thofe of any other European country.

CLIMATE, SOIL, AND WATER.] Except during the equinoctial rains, the air of Spain is dry and ferene, but exceffively hot in the fouthern provinces in June, July, and Auguft. The vaft mountains that run through Spain, are, however, very beneficial to the inhabitants, by the refreshing breezes that come from them in the fouthernmost parts; though thofe towards the north and north-eaft are in the winter very cold.

Such is the moisture of the hills, bounded on the north by the Bay of Bifcay, and to the fouth by fnowy mountains, that the utmost care is not fufficient to preferve their fruits, their grain, their inftruments of iron, from mould, from rot, and from ruft. Both the acetous and the putrid fermentation here make a rapid progrefs. Befides the relaxing humidity of the climate, the common food of the inhabitants contributes much to the prevalence of moft difeafes which infect the principality of Aftu ria. Yet, although subject to fuch a variety of endemical difeafes, few. countries can produce more inftances of longevity; many live to the age of a hundred, fome to a hundred and ten, and others much longer The fame obfervation may be extended to Galicia, where, in the parish of St. Juan de Poyo, A. D. 1724, the curate administered the facrament

to thirteen perfons whofe ages together made one thoufand four hun. dred and ninety-nine, the youngest of these being one hundred and ten, and the oldeft one hundred and twenty-feven. But in villa de Fofnanes, one Juan de Outeyro, a poor labourer, died in the year 1726, aged more than one hundred and forty-fix years.

The fcil of Spain was formerly very fruitful in corn; but the natives have lately found fome fcarcity of it, by their difufe of tillage, through their indolence; the caufes of which will be afterwards explained. It produces in many piaces, almoft fpontaneously, the richest and most delicious fruits that are to be found in France and Italy; oranges, lemons, prunes, citrons, almonds, raifins, and figs. The wines of Spain, efpe. cially fack and fherry, are in high requeft among foreigners. There are, in the district of Malaga (according to Mr. Townfhend), fourteen thoufand wine preffes, chiefly employed in making the rich wine, which, if white, from the nature of the country, is called Mountain; if red, from the colour, vino tinto, known in England by the name of Tent. Good mountain is fold from thirteen to fixteen pounds the butt, of one hundred and thirty-five gallons, according to quality and age. It is reckoned that from eight hundred to a thoufand velels enter this port every year, of which about one-tenth are Spanish, and the exports in wine, fruit, oil, and fifh, are computed at about 375,000l. per annum; but it has been confiderably more.

Spain indeed offers to the traveller large tracts of unpromifing, becaufe uncultivated, ground; but no country perhaps maintains fach a number of inhabitants who neither toil nor work for their food; fuch are the generous qualities of the foil. Even fugar-canes rive in Spain; and it yields faffron, honey, and filk, in great abundance. A late writer, Uftariz, a Spaniard, computes the number of fhepherds in Spain to be 40,000; and has given us a moft curious detail of their œconomy, their changes of pafture at certain times of the year, and many other parti culars unknown till lately to the public. Thofe theep walks afford the fineft of wool, and are a treasure in themselves. Some of the mountains in Spain are clothed with rich trees, fruits, and herbage, to the tops and Seville oranges are noted all over the world. No country produces a greater variety of aromatic herbs, which render the taffe of their kids and fheep fo exquifitely delicious. The kingdom of Murcia abounds fo much with mulberry-trees, that the product of its filk amounts to 200,000l. a year. Upon the whole, few coun tries in the world owe more than Spain does to nature, and lefs to industry.

The medicinal waters of Spain are little known; but many falutiferous fprings are found in Grenada, Seville, and Cordova. All over Spain the waters are found to have fuch healing qualities, that they are excelled by thofe of no country in Europe: and they are continually more and more reforted to, efpecially at Alhamar, in Grenada.

MOUNTAINS.] It is next to impoffible to fpecify thefe, they are fo numerous; the chief, and the higheft, are the Pyrénées, near 200 miles in length, which extend from the bay of Bifcay to the Mediterranean, and divide Spain from France. Over thefe mountains there are only five narrow paffages to France; and the road over the pafs that feparates Rouffillon from Catalonia reflects great honour on the engineer who planned it. It formerly required the ftrength of 30 men to fupport, and nearly as many oxen to drag up, a carriage, which four horfes now do with cafe. The Cantabrian mountains (as they are called) are a kind of continuation of the Pyrénées, and reach to the Atlantic Ocean, fouth

of Cape Finisterre. No Englishman ought to be unacquainted with Mount Calpe, now called the Hill of Gibraltar, and, in former times, one of the Pillars of Hercules; the other, Mount Abyla, lying oppofite to it in Africa.

Among the mountains of Spain, Montferrat is particularly worthy the attention of the curious traveller; one of the most fingular in the world, for fituation, shape, and compofition. It ftands in a vaft plain, about thirty miles from Barcelona, and nearly in the centre of the principality of Catalonia. It is called by the Catalonians Monte-ferrado, or the fawed mountain; and is fo named from its fingular and extraordinary form; for it is broken and divided, and crowned with an infinite number of fpiring cones, or pine heads, fo that it has the appearance, when feen at a distance, of the work of man, but, upon nearer approach,' is feen to be evidently the production of nature. It is a fpot fo admirably adapted for retirement and contemplation, that it has, for many ages, been inhabited only by monks and hermits, whofe firft vow is never to forfake it. When the mountain is firft perceived at a diftance, it has the appearance of an infinite number of rocks cut into conical forms, and built one upon another to a prodigious height, and feems like a pile of grotto work, or Gothic fpires. Upon a nearer view, each cone appears of itself a mountain: and the whole compofes an enormous mafs about 14 miles in circumference. The Spaniards compute it to be two leagues in height *. As it is like no other mountain, fo it ftands quite unconnected with any, though not far diftant from fome that are very lofty. A convent is erected on the mountain, dedicated to our Lady of Montferrat, to which pil grims refort from the fartheft parts of Europe. All the poor who come here are fed gratis for three days, and all the fick received into the hofpital. Sometimes, on particular feftivals, feven thousand perfons arrive in one day; but people of condition pay a reasonable price for what they eat. On different parts of the mountain are a number of hermitages, all of which have their little chapels, ornaments for faying mals, water cifterns, and most of them little gardens. The inhabitant of one of thefe hermitages, which is dedicated to St. Benito, has the privilege of making an annual entertainment on a certain day, on which day all the other hermits are invited, when they receive the facrament from the hands of the mountain vicar, and, after divine fervice, dine together. They meet alfo at this hermitage on the days of the faints to whom their feveral hermitages are dedicated, to fay mafs, and commune with each other. But at other times they live in a very folitary and reclufe manner, perform various penances, and adhere to very rigid rules of abftinence. They never eat flesh; nor are they allowed to keep within their walls either dog, cat, bird, or any living thing, left their attention fhould be withdrawn from heavenly to earthly affections. The number of profeffed monks there is 76, of lay bro thers 28, and of finging boys 25; befides phyficians, furgeons, and fervants. Mr. Thickneffe, who has published a very particular defcription of this extraordinary mountain, was informed by one of the hermits, that he often faw from his habitation the islands of Minorca, Majorca, and Yvica, and the kingdoms of Valencia and Murcia.

RIVERS AND LAKES.] The principal rivers of Spain are the Douro, formerly Durius, which falls into the Atlantic Ocean, below Oporto in Portugal; the Tajo or Tagus, which falls into the Atlantic Ocean

Mr. Swinburne estimates its height at only 3,300 feet; and obferves that the arms of the convent are, the Virgin Mary fitting at the foot of a rock balf cut through by a faw,

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