SOLOTHURN, or Soleure, the capital of the above canton, stands at the foot of Mount Jura, on the Aar, here crossed by two bridges, 18 miles north of Bern. It was at one time regularly fortified; but the defences have been in recent times demolished, in pursuance of an order of the great council in 1835. The streets are broad, regular, and well paved, and there is a spacious market-place adorned with a fine fountain. Here stands the Cathedral of St Ursus, one of the finest churches in Switzerland, with a massive square tower 190 feet high. The town-hall is an ancient irregular building, with several turrets; and the government-house, arsenal, museum, theatre, and two churches, are handsome buildings. Solothurn has also a gymnasium with six professors, a lyceum with three, and a town library of 20,000 volumes. A few manufactures of cotton cloth, paper, leather, and hardware are carried on; and there is a small amount of trade. It was at Solothurn where the Polish patriot Kosciusko spent the last two years of his life, and where he died in 1817. Pop. 5370.