(2) Prague, population 140,000, on the Elbe, the capital of Bohemia.

(3) Pesth, population 130,000, on the Danube, with Buda, population 55,000, on the opposite bank, the capital of Hungary.

(4) Trieste, population 105,000, on the Adriatic, the single port of Austria.

(5) Gratz, population 65,000, in Styria.

(6) Brunn, population 60,000, the principal town in Moravia, a manufacturing town.

(7) Lemberg, population 70,000, the largest place in Galicia.

(8) Maria-Theresienstadt, population 55,000, in the Banat.

AUSTRIA (Abstract).

MOUNTAINS. Alps, Carpathians, Bohemian.
RIVERS. Danube, Elbe, Adige.

LAKE. Constance.

SEA. Adriatic.

DIVISIONS. Moravia, Bohemia; Styria, Illyria, Tyrol; Dalmatia, Trieste; Galicia; Hungary, Transylvania.

TOWNS (with their populations) —Vienna, 580,000; BudaPesth, 185,000; Prague, 140,000; Trieste, 105,000.

Sect. XII. SWITZERLAND.

256. EXTENT. Switzerland is about half the size of Scotland; its population is little more than half that of London.

257. BOUNDARIES. The Southern boundary of Switzerland coincides closely with the crest of the Alps, the main watershed of Europe, separating the waters that flow into the Mediterranean from those that flow into the North Sea;

but the Canton of Ticino lies on the Italian side of the crest

of the Alps.

The boundary on the North and North-east is generally the Rhine, while that on the West is the Jura range.

The adjoining countries to Switzerland are, Italy on the South, Austria on the East, Germany on the North, France on the West. It is the only completely inland country in Europe. 258. CLIMATE. The sloping side of the Alps faces north; hence what is called the valley or plain of Switzerland is really a plateau 1,500-2,000 feet above the sea. From this cause, and because of the neighbourhood of mountains bearing large masses of snow and bringing much rain, the climate of Switzerland is inferior to that of other countries in the same latitude and even north of it. The average temperature is below that of the south of England; and, except in the lowest ground in the north towards Basle, the grapes ripen poorly.

259. MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. The Alps, starting from Mont Blanc, at the south-west corner of Switzerland, run east (or a little north of east) along its southern boundary. Monte Rosa is 15,217 feet high, and the Matterhorn 14,836 feet high; their summits being in Italy, the highest point in Switzerland is 14,924 feet high.

Another range, called the Bernese Alps, or Mountains of the Oberland, run parallel with and close to the main Alps; their highest point, the Finster Aarhorn, is 14,130 feet high; the two ranges form a knot, where the head-waters of the Rhine and the Rhone start.

The Jura, a much lower range, runs parallel with these two on the north-west.

Switzerland is thus divided into three divisions, viz. (1) the less mountainous region north of the Bernese Alps, comprising two-thirds of the whole country; (2), the upper basin of the Rhone; (3), the upper basin of the Rhine above the Lake of Constance.

Switzerland also comprises a small area north-west of the Jura, the Canton Ticino, and the Engadine or head of the valley of the Inn.

260. RIVERS. (1) The Rhine drains three-fourths of Switzerland. Only a small area, however, is drained by the Rhine proper into the Lake of Constance; the whole of the centre of Switzerland is drained by

(2) The Aar, and its tributaries, which falls into the Rhine above Basle.

(3) The Rhone, which leaves Switzerland by Geneva at its south-east angle.

(4) The Inn, which leaves Switzerland on the east, and ultimately falls into the Danube.

(5) The Ticino, which drains the canton of that name into the Po.

261. LAKES. Switzerland is unsurpassed in the beauty of its lakes, which are all of the alpine class, narrow and between mountains.

(1) Geneva, through which flows the Rhone, fifty-five miles long.

(2) Constance, through which flows the Rhine, forty-five miles long.

(3) Neuchatel, through which flows a branch of the Aar, twenty-five miles long.

Other celebrated though smaller lakes are Wallenstadt and Zurich, which are on the Limmat, a branch of the Aar ; Lucerne and Zug, on the Reuss, a branch of the Aar; Brienz and Thun on the Upper Aar. Besides these the Italian lakes of Lugano, chiefly, and of Maggiore, partly, are in Swiss territory.

262. COMMUNICATIONS. Switzerland is very well furnished with railways considering the mountainous nature of the country. These lines communicate with the European system of railways only on the north and west. The railway centre of Switzerland is Olten if any.

(1) Olten to Basle; for Paris or Cologne.

(2) Olten to Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, and South of France. (3) Olten to Neuchatel and Lausanne.

(4) Olten to Lucerne.

(5) Olten to Zurich, Wallenstadt, and the head of the Rhine.

(6) Lausanne to the head of the Rhone.

(7) Bern to Lucerne, Zurich.

From Zurich a network of railways covers the northern frontier of Switzerland and Constance.

263. RACES OF MEN. Three-fourths of the population are Teutons of the High-German race; the remaining fourth are French, probably mainly Teutons of the Burgundian and other divisions. Ticino is Italian.

The French are mainly in Geneva, Neuchatel, and the south-west of Switzerland.

264. HISTORIC SKETCH. The three forest cantons, Schwytz, Uri and Unterwalden, revolted against Austria in A.D. 1308. William Tell shot the apple from his son's head at Altorf in Uri. The three cantons defeated the Austrians in a great battle; and five other neighbouring cantons, Lucerne, Zurich, Zug, Glarus, Bern soon joined them. The eight cantons overthrew the power of Burgundy in A.D. 1476; and added other cantons, till in A.D. 1513 the number was thirteen. This remained the state of Switzerland down to the time of Napoleon; on his fall, at the peace of Vienna, the number of cantons was made up to twenty-two nearly as at present.

265. PRESENT CONSTITUTION. The confederate cantons are a pure democracy. The National Council is elected by manhood suffrage, and equal electoral districts of 20,000 electors. The National Council appoints a Federal Council of seven, who are the seven Executive Ministers of the nation. But the seven are only elected for three years; their President can only hold office one year, and his salary is 600l. for the year. No standing army is allowed within the limits of the Confederation, and the whole Federal expenditure is under 1,200,000l. per annum. There is no national debt, in which point Switzerland differs from all other governments.

266. RELIGION. The Roman Catholics are 1,000,000, the Protestants 1,500,000. There are many French Catholics and French Protestants, German Catholics and German Protestants.

267. LANGUAGE. The German families speak German, the French families French; or, to put the horse before the cart, those Swiss who speak French are reckoned French-Swiss; those who speak German, German-Swiss; whatever hypothesis be raised concerning their descent by blood.

268. ANIMALS. The ibex and chamois are rare on the High Alps, the marmot and wolves not uncommon. The black squirrel abounds in the high-level pine-woods. The bear is said to be not quite extinct.

269. PLANTS. One-tenth of the whole of Switzerland is returned as under the plough; the rest is pasture-forest or mountain-waste. In the uplands, milk, cheese, butter, and pine-forests are the chief produce.

The Alpine plants, those that grow near the snow or glaciers, are celebrated for the brilliancy of their colours; among the best known are the blue gentians, the Adel-weis and the rhododendron (or azalea).

270. DIVISIONS. Switzerland is divided into twenty-two Cantons, as under :

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