RAPPERSCHWEIL, a small city of Switzerland, in the canton of St Gall. It is fortified, and has a citadel, but the defences are at present in bad repair. It is situated near the head of the lake of Zurich, over an arm of which there is perhaps the longest bridge in the world, being 4800 feet in length, and only twelve feet in breadth. It is built of wood, and has no rail or balustrade on either side, so that the first entrance upon it is rather terrific to travellers in a carriage. The town is old and ill built, but without the walls the suburbs are delightful, and the soil in its immediate vicinity is very fruitful. Some machinery for spinning cotton has of late been erected. The population is about 1550 persons, but rapidly increasing.