a canton in the centre of Switzerland, is situated between Lat. 46. 19. and 47. 30. N. Long. 6. 50. and 8. 28. E. It is bounded by the cantons of Soleure, Argau, Lucerne, Unterwalden, and Uri on the east; the Valais on the south; the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg, and Neufchatel on the west; and by the canton of Soleure and France on the north and north-west. Berne is the largest canton in Switzerland: its surface is estimated at 2562 square miles. The population in 1851 amounted to 457,921, of whom 403,769 were Protestants, and 54,044 Catholics. Nature has divided this canton into three regions, in which the climate varies with the elevation. In the southern part, called the Oberland, rise the Alps, and rich valleys lie stretched beneath them. Of the mountains, the highest are the Finsteraarhorn, the Schreckhorn, the Wetterhorn, the Eiger, and the Jungfrau. Of all Switzerland this region is the most interesting and attractive to travellers; below are fertile plains, a little above are green pastures, and higher still are gigantic glaciers, roaring waterfalls, and precipices with lofty peaks lost in the sky; below there is the temperate heat of southern climates, and above the coldness of the pole. Towards the north the ranges of the Jura are considerably lower. The central part is a fertile and carefully cultivated plain, abounding in corn and all sorts of fruits; the corn raised, however, is insufficient for the inhabitants, and large quantities require to be imported. The pastures in the Oberland and Emmenthal are excellent, and produce the finest cattle: the latter valley is celebrated for its breed of horses, many of which are exported to France for draught and heavy-armed cavalry. It also produces cheese of excellent quality: the quantity made is estimated at 50,000 cwt. a-year, a great part of which is sent into Germany and Italy.

The principal river in the canton is the Aar, which receives numerous tributaries, the chief of which are the Emme, the Birs, and the Doubs: the Emme forms the lakes of Bienna and Thun. The industrial productions are cotton, woollen, and flaxen stuffs, leather, watches, lace, and wood-work of all kinds. The rivers and roads which traverse the canton are favourable to commerce. The exports consist of hides, stuffs, *kirschwasser* cheeses, horses, and cattle. Iron, lead, and copper mines are wrought; there are also quarries of marble, lime, grit-stone, &c.; and the numerous forests furnish wood in abundance.

The canton of Berne is divided into 28 bailiwicks or prefectures. Its capital is Berne: the other chief towns are Bienna, Burgdorf, Thun, Porentury, and Dolemont. In the year 1798, 30,000 French invaded the canton, at which time Berne was deprived of nearly the half of its territory. A portion of it was restored in 1814; and there was likewise added to it the larger part of the bishopric of Bale.

The canton of Berne occupies the second rank in the confederation, and returns twenty-three members to the national council. Its federal contingent is 104,050 Swiss francs, and 5824 men. For an account of the government and ju-

capital of the canton of the same name, and since 1849 the permanent seat of the Swiss government and diet, and the residence of the foreign ministers. It stands on a sandstone promontory formed by the winding of the river Aar, which nearly surrounds it, at an elevation of 1710 feet above the sea. Lat. 46° 57' N. Long. 7° 25' E. Berne was founded A.D. 1191 by Duke Berchtold of Zähringen, and gradually became a refuge for those who were oppressed by feudal exactions. In 1218 it was declared a free and imperial city by the Emperor Frederic. It thenceforward increased in importance, and excited the jealousy of the neighbouring states. They combined against it with the nobility of Berne, but were completely defeated in the battle near Laupen, June 21, 1339, by the Bernese, under Rudolph Von Erlach, to whose memory a bronze statue has been erected in the Münster-platz. In 1352 it joined the Swiss confederation. A fire destroyed the city in 1405; but it was afterwards rebuilt on the same plan. The Aar is here crossed by two fine stone bridges, one of which is 900 feet long, with a central arch 150 feet wide, and 93 feet high.

Viewed from a distance Berne presents a striking appearance. Situated within view of the snowy range of the Bernese Alps, the landscape is one of indescribable sublimity. The interior of the town itself is imposing. "It is impossible," says Stapfer, "for a stranger not to be struck with the breadth of the streets, and with the equal height and beautiful appearance of the houses, all of hewn stone, adorned with arcades, the pillars of which support the first floor; but he cannot help feeling a kind of sad solitude which pervades the almost deserted streets, the tide of passengers who traverse the thoroughfares being concentrated under the arcades. A very small number of striking edifices interrupt this row of singular habitations, all constructed on the same plan, and presenting in their general aspect the appearance of a large convent. Among these are the cathedral and the guild-hall in the middle of the city, on the southern and northern sides of the declivity on which Berne is situated; two magnificent hospitals; an asylum for orphans; a large corn-granary; a mint, and two towers for public uses. These are the only buildings which break the line of perfect republican equality which reigns in the rest of the town."

Berne possesses a university (founded in 1834), a great number of educational establishments and admirable charitable institutions, a valuable museum, a public library of 40,000 volumes, and several literary and scientific societies. Although, properly speaking, not a commercial city, it carries on some trade in cloth, printed calico, muslin, silk stuffs, silk and cotton stockings—articles fabricated in the manufactories of the town. The climate is severely cold in winter, the town being situated at so considerable an elevation above the level of the sea. The population, comprehending that of the villages under the town's jurisdiction, is reckoned at 27,000.