clumsy, and themselves not very interesting. Soleure was long the headquarters for enlisting Swiss recruits in the foreign service of France, Spain, the Pope, and Naples-but the practice is going out; a contract is in force with the King of Naples, but expires in 1855, and will probably not be renewed.

Thaddeus Kosciusko, the Pole, spent the last years of his life here; his house, in which he died, is near the Post-office, No. 5, Gurgelen-gasse. His entrails are interred in the churchyard of Zuchwyl, a mile distant on the opposite side of the Aar, under a stone inscribed "Viscera Thaddei Kosciusko."

About two miles N.E. of Soleure, beyond the village of St. Nicholas, lies the chapel and Hermitage of St. Verena, at the extremity of a pretty valley, hemmed in by rocks of gneiss and granite, embowered in trees, and traversed by a sparkling rivulet. It is rendered accessible by paths, originally formed by the French emigrés, who, at the outbreak of the French Revolution, sought an asylum here. The valley abounds in caves and grottoes, partly natural, partly artificial, and at its further extremity, within a natural shelf of over-arching cliff, stands the little Chapel of St. Verena; behind the altar a small cave has been cut in the rock, and now contains a representation of the holy sepulchre. This saint, a pious maiden who accompanied the Theban legion, suffered severe temptation in this solitude, according to the legend, from the devil, who, on one occasion, was on the point of carrying her off, when she saved herself by clinging fast to the rock, where the hole made by her finger-nails still remains. On the way to the hermitage, near the church of St. Nicholas, the Château of Waldegy is passed; its old-fashioned gardens, laid out in terraces, are worth notice.

The Weissenstein.-The most interesting excursion in the neighbour

hood of Soleure, is that to the summit of the Weissenstein (Whiterock, probably named from its white cliffs of limestone), the mountain immediately behind the town. The distance is about 8 miles, and the time occupied in the ascent 3 hours. The mountain is made accessible for chars-à-banc, by a road somewhat steep, passing through the villages Langendorf and Oberdorf, behind which it is carried up the face of the mountains in a series of zig-zags.

A char-à-banc, drawn by 2 horses, may be hired at the Couronne, in Soleure, for 10 or 12 Swiss francs to go and return. If it be detained on the mountain for the night, 2 francs extra are paid. Pedestrians may find a short cut, and reach the top easily in 2 hours; they may visit the Hermitage of St. Verena in their way to or fro.

A Hotel and Bath-house has been built at the expense of the town on the brow of the mountain, 3950 feet above the sea-level, and 2640 above the Aar at Soleure. It furnishes about 30 beds, and the accommodation, though homely, is good. The charges are-dinner at table d'hôte, without wine, 1 fr. 20 rap.; supper, 1 fr. bs.; breakfast of tea or coffee alone, 50 rp.; beds from 8 to 10 batz.

The dairy of the establishment is supplied by 60 cows, fed on the pasture on the summit of the mountains, so that milk and cream may be had here in perfection.

Many invalids take up their residence here during the summer months on account of the fresh air,. or for the "cure de petit lait" (goat's whey), &c., which is recommended in certain complaints. The daily charge for those who remain here more than a week" en pension," is 6 F. francs.

The greater portion of visitors, however, resort hither merely on account of the view, remaining on the summit one night to enjoy the sunset and sunrise.

The Inn of the Weissenstein, and

the still more elevated summit of the mountain, called Rothi-flue, 2 miles to the E. of it, command one of the finest distant prospects of the Alps which can be named. The great chain of snowy peaks, &c., here seen, spread out along the horizon, extends for a distance of nearly 200 miles, from the Sentis on the E., to the Mont Blanc in the W. Immediately in front rise the Jungfrau, Schreckhorn, and other giants of the Bernese chain. In the foreground, amidst a varied expanse of wooded hill and verdant vale, are seen the lakes of Morat, Neuchâtel, and Bienne, while the silvery Aar, on which stands the town of Soleure, winds like a snake at the foot of the mountain.

Keller has engraved a Panorama of the Weissenstein, in which every mountain, town, village, and other object of interest visible from the top, is marked. One or two copies of it are hung up at the inn for the convenience of visitors.

Another road practicable for a char-à-banc, but very rough, descends the opposite side of the Weissenstein, into the Val Moutiers (described in p. 7).

The road throughout is good.-As far as

3 Liesthal, it is the same as Route 3; here, instead of turning S., it ascends the vale of the Ergolz, as far as

14 Sissach, a village of 1254 inhab., and

2 Läufelfingen. The pass of the Unter-Hauenstein (the hewn rock), which now commences, is of great importance as an outlet for the merchandise of Switzerland, and as the most direct line of communication from W. Germany to Italy by the St. Gotthard. Improvements have rendered the slope on both sides so gradual, that extra horses are rarely required for carriages. A toll of 5 batz per horse is paid, but nothing is charged for Vorspann horses. From the summit of the pass, after crossing the boundary-line of Bâle and Soleure, a fine view is obtained of the great chain of the Alps.

2 Olten (Inns: Krone), though it contains but 1500 inhab., promises to rise into a flourishing town, to the prejudice of Soleure, of which it is becoming the rival. Its prosperity is greatly promoted by its position on the new road of the Unter-Hauenstein. It is built on the left bank of the Aar, and is said to be the Roman Ultimum. The roads from Bâle to Lucerne, and from Zurich to Soleure and Neuchâtel, cross here. The old parish church, converted into a wood warehouse since the new one was built, is of great antiquity: it is mentioned in records as early as 1240.

Our road crosses the Aar by a wooden bridge, and proceeds along its rt. bank, through pleasing scenery,

to

although it has bomb-proof casemates hewn out of the rock, its works have been allowed to go to decay. It serves as a military storehouse for the Swiss Confederation, and forms a picturesque object in the landscape, such as is met with in the background of old German pictures. Outside the town is an extensive cotton factory.

At Kreutzstrasse, a mile farther, the high road from Zurich to Berne (Route 13) crosses our route. The Lion is a good inn here.

The road continues along a pretty valley, distinguished by its verdant pastures, and its substantial-looking houses, many of them with gardens, whose walls are often covered with thin plates of wood overlapping each other like fishes' scales. It is bordered by a varied outline of wooded heights. In front, the snowy Alps.

1 Zoffingen-(Inns: Ochs; Rössli) -a town with 3172 inhab. Its Library contains curious MSS. letters and drawings. A fragment of the castle of Reiden, and a solitary tree perched on a rock beside it, become conspicuous before reaching the village of Reiden, where a toll of 8 batz, including all the road to and from this to Lucerne, is paid. The Parsonage was originally the house of the Knights of Malta.

A view is obtained of the Lake of Sempach, and of a smaller lake called Mauensee, from the height above.

4 Sursee (Inns: Soleil; Hirsch; bad and dear)-an old walled town, whose gate-towers still bear the doubleheaded eagle of Austria carved in stone. "The traveller may well employ a few moments in examining the Rathhaus, much dilapidated, but affording a good specimen of the peculiarities of the German-Burgundian style. The general outline resembles the old Tolbooth of Edinburgh."-P. Sursee lies at the distance of about a mile from the N. extremity of the Lake of Sempach, which is seen over and among the orchards on the left of the road in

going to Lucerne. It has no pretensions to great beauty, but is pleasing, and highly interesting historically, from the famous Battle of Sempach (1386)-the second of those great and surprising victories by which Swiss independence was established. It was fought on the E. shore of the lake, behind the little town of Sempach, opposite which the lake comes into full view from our road. In 1805, a portion of the water of the lake was let off, in order to gain land along its banks; thus its extent is diminished, its surface lowered, and its form somewhat altered from what it was at the time of the battle.

About 2 miles from Sempach(Inns: Kreutz; Adler) - a small chapel, in the form of a portico, is erected to commemorate the victory, on the spot where Leopold of Austria (son of the Duke of the same name who had been defeated 71 years before at Morgarten) lost his life. The names of those who fell, both Austrians and Swiss, were inscribed on the walls, which also bear a rude fresco representation of the noble devotion of Arnold of Winkelried.

He of battle-martyrs chief!

Who, to recall his daunted peers,
For victory shaped an open space,
By gath'ring, with a wide embrace,
Into his single heart, a sheaf
Of fatal Austrian spears.

Wordsworth.

He was a knight of Unterwalden, who, observing all the efforts of the Swiss to break the ranks of their enemies foiled by their long lances, exclaimed, "Protect my wife and children, and I will open a path to freedom." He then rushed forward, and gathering in his arms as many lances as he could grasp, buried them in his bosom. The confederates were enabled to take advantage of the gap thus formed in the mail-clad ranks of the foe, before the Austrian lancers had time to extricate their entangled weapons from his corse. In order to oppose the Swiss, who fought on foot,

many of the Austrian nobles had dismounted to form a serried phalanx; but the armour which rendered them almost invulnerable on horseback, and which, while they remained united and in close column, had formed so.impenetrable a barrier to the attack of the Swiss, now that their ranks were broken, disabled them from coping with their lightarmed and active foes. 600 nobles were slain, and more than 2000 common soldiers; while the entire force of the Swiss, who achieved this victory, is said not to have exceeded 1400 men. The conquerors founded

masses for the souls of those who fell, friends as well as foes, and they are celebrated even now on the anniversary of the fight, which is a popular festival.

At Buttisholz, a village about 3 m. W. of Nothwyl, and on the rt. of our road, may be seen a mound, called the English barrow, because it contains the bones of 3000 of our countrymen, followers of the celebrated Condottiero leader, Ingelram de Coucy, who were defeated here, 1376, by the inhabitants of Entlebuch. This Ingelram de Coucy was son-inlaw of Edward III., king of England, and Earl of Bedford. Having a feud against Leopold of Austria, he not only laid waste his territories, but made devastating inroads into the neighbouring Swiss cantons, from the Jura to the gates of Berne and Zurich, until his career was suddenly arrested here by a few hundred Swiss peasants. This action put an end to a struggle known in Swiss history as the English war.

The approach to Lucerne is charming: on the 1. rises the Rigi, in shape somewhat resembling a horse's back; on the rt. the Pilatus is distinguished by its serrated ridge. After crossing the small stream of the Emme by a wooden bridge, we reach the banks of the green Reuss, rushing out of the lake of Lucerne. On the rt. the new road to Berne, by

15

the Entlebuch, is passed. Lucerne is surrounded on this side by a battlemented wall, flanked at intervals by a number of tall watch-towers, descending to the margin of the river. 4 LUCERNE. Route 16.

ROUTE 5.

BASLE TO AARAU, BY THE
STAFFELEGG.

10 stunden 35 Eng. miles. Diligences daily in 6 hours. A Railroad is in progress. The road is the same as Route 2, as far as

34 Rheinfelden (p. 8). At Stein it quits the side of the Rhine, and ascends the Frickthal to

3 Frick-(Inn: Adler)-a village of 1800 inhabitants, with a church on a height. Here our route branches out of the high road to Zurich. (R. 6.) The Frickthal and surrounding district belonged to Austria down to 1801.

13 Staffelegg. Above this village is a depression or col in the chain of the Jura, over which an easy carriage-road has been constructed at the expense of the government of the canton. A gradual descent leads down into the valley of the Aar, which is crossed in order to enter

1 Aarau - (Inns: Wilder Mann, (Sauvage)-Ochs (Boeuf)-Cigogne). -The chief town of the canton, Argovie, which was first included in the Confederation in 1803, having previously formed a subject province of canton Berne, contains 4500 inhab., and is situated on the rt. bank of the Aar: the bridge over it was swept away by an inundation in 1831. Simond called it, in 1817, "an odious little place;" but it has much improved and increased since then. It lies at the S. base of the Jura, here partly covered with vineyards. There are many extensive cotton-mills here.

The Rathhaus, in which the cantonal councils are held, includes

castle of the Counts von Rore, which may be regarded as the nucleus of the town. In the parish church, Protestant and Catholic services are performed alternately.

Henry Zschokke, the historian and novel-writer, resides here. When the armies of the French Revolution | took possession of Switzerland in 1789, and destroyed its ancient form of government, Aarau was made capital of the Helvetian Republic, but it was soon transferred to Lucerne.

The baths of Schintznach (p. 18) are about 10 miles from this. The road to them runs along the rt. bank of the Aar, passing several castles, the most conspicuous of which is that of Windeck. Close to Schintznach rise the ruins of the Castle of Habsburg, the cradle of the House of Austria (p. 18).

ROUTE 6.

BASLE TO ZÜRICH, BY BRUGG, THE

BATHS OF SCHINTZNACH AND BA-
DEN.

17 stunden 55 Eng. miles. Diligences twice a day in 10 hours. The road is the same as Route 5, as far as

5 Frick (p. 15), passing through the villages of Hornussen and Effingen. The road crosses the hill of Bötzberg, whose culminating point, 1850 ft. above the sea, commands a fine view of the Alps. It was called Mons Vocetius by the Romans, who constructed a highway across it; and on this spot, according to Swiss antiquaries, was fought the battle so fatal to the Helvetians, in which they were defeated by Cæcina, and the Legion called by Tacitus Rapax, from its exactions and cruelty, A.D. 69.

Opposite the small but pleasant inn, "An der Linden," there is a remarkably fine view of the Castle of Habsburg and town of Brugg, with

chain of Bernese Alps behind, including the Jungfrau and Blumlis Alp. The road descends a long hill to Brugg, crossing the Aar by a wooden bridge, 70 ft. long.

3 Brugg, or Bruck-Inns: Rothes Haus (Maison Rouge), best; Stern (Etoile),—a walled town of great antiquity, having been an ancient possession of the House of Habsburg, containing 800 inhab. The exit and entrance to it are guarded by high Iconical roofed towers and gates. is the birth-place of Zimmerman, physician of Frederick the Great, who wrote on Solitude.

It

The country around Brugg is interesting, both in a geographical and historical point of view. In the plain, a little below the town, three of the principal rivers of Switzerland which drain the N. slopes of the Alps, from the Grisons to the Jura, the Limmat, the Reuss, and the Aar, form a junction, and, united under the name of the Aar, throw themselves into the Rhine about 10 miles below Brugg, at a place called Coblenz.

Close upon this meeting of the waters, and on the triangular tongue of land between the Aar and Reuss, stood Vindonissa, the most important settlement of the Romans in Helvetia, as well as their strongest fortress on this frontier, on which they placed their chief dependence for maintaining this portion of their empire. Its works extended 12 miles from N. to S. Yet scarcely any portion of it now appears above ground; traces of an amphitheatre, a subterranean aqueduct, which conveyed water from Brauneggberg, 3 miles off, foundations of walls, broken pottery, inscriptions, and coins have been turned up by the spade from time to time, and its name is preserved in that of the miserable little village of Windisch.

66

Within the ancient walls of Vindonissa, the castle of Habsburg, the abbey of Königsfeld, and the town of