town behind; every house was lighted up, and, as they are all built in the Swiss fashion, with gables outward, they looked like so many fiery pyramids. No sooner was mass finished, than the procession retired again into the church, the crowd disappeared also into it, the exterior lights were extinguished—in half an hour the whole square was dark and empty : it seemed like a dream. The interior of the church, however, was still filled with people; the whole being studded with lamps, especially the chapel of the Virgin the throng of worshippers before it seemed undiminished, and many lingered in front of it on bended knees and with eyes fixed on the image, till late in the night. Rothenthurm, a village of nearly 800 Inhab., is the place of meeting of the general assembly of the canton Schwytz, convened here every two years, in the open air, on the first Sunday in May, or, if the weather be bad on that day, on the first fine Sunday after. The Landamman is president, and every citizen above the age of 18 has a vote. These meetings afford no favourable specimen of the working of universal suffrage, as they frequently terminate in rioting and violence. For example, in May, 1838, 9000 voters collected here; the show of hands was declared to be in favour of the government; but the Liberal party being dissatisfied with the result, a battle ensued, in which the hustings were broken and many persons much injured. The democrats, enraged at their defeat, published a manifesto, calling on the "Liberals to meet in their districts, and expel the rich from their assemblies as their ancestors expelled Gessler, since the government of the rich has become a government of murderers." "Next morning I left Einsiedeln on my way out of Switzerland: I set out about 6, and all the way passed through one continued line of dirty, ragged, and brown-visaged pilgrims, on their way home, chanting, without cessation, their paters and aves, &c., which their confessors had prescribed for them to repeat between the time of their departure from and return to Rothenthurm receives its name from their homes. I passed across the Lake a Red Tower still standing and formof Zürich by the long bridge of Rap-ing part of the defences of a long wall perschwyl; and in the evening crossed or rampart (letze), erected by the the Lake of Wallenstadt. Still I had Schwytzers along their W. frontier, to not got out of the line of pilgrims; 2 ward off the inroads of their lordly boats full set sail along with that and lawless neighbours. It extended which conveyed me; and the wind hence as far as Arth. which filled our broad and unwieldy sail and carried us quickly along, wafted with it the same responses and chants which I had heard from the pilgrims on the road."—MS. Journal. About 2 m. W. of Rothenthurm, on the confines of the canton of Zug, and on the margin of the small lake of Egeri, is MORGARTEN, memorable in Swiss annals as the scene of their first struggle for independence; as the spot There is a path under the Mythen- where the chivalry of Austria were berg (Mitres hill), called the Hacken, by worsted, and their leader, Duke LeoAlpthal, from Einsiedeln to Schwytz, pold, compelled to fly with disgrace, shorter than the carriage-road. It on the 15th of November, 1315, 8 years takes 4 hrs. to walk: a guide is after the expulsion of the Austrian needed. Near the top is an inn, from bailiffs. Fired with the hope of rewhich the peak, called Hochstückli venge and with feelings of hereditary (4470 ft.), is hrs. walk. hatred, the duke led on his mail-clad cavalry along the narrow strand_between the lake and the hills. Just where the ascent into the upland country of Schwytz commences, running up a narrow defile, the Austrians were met by the confederates, a The carriage road to Schwytz makes, at first, a considerable détour : the footpath is shorter, crossing the Katzenstrick, a considerable tract of upland meadow or common, direct to Altmatt. 28 Sattel. mere handful of men in compari- | constitution, a far outnumbering force son with their host, but of hardy of French under General Schauenframe and resolute spirit, posted on the berg. The Swiss met the invaders in ridge of the Sattel, near Haselmatt. the valley of Rothenthurm, and drove The first bold charge of the Swiss, them back as far as the lake of Egeri rushing on with swords and clubs, was and the field of their ancient victory aided by a discharge of rocks from the of Morgarten. This proved but a heights above, which quickly threw temporary gleam of success. Their into confusion the ranks of heavy- victory had cost them so large a numarmed knights. They attempted to ber of men, that they were unable to fall back, but their evolutions were renew the contest; and an overwhelmprevented by the infantry pressing ing force of French marching into the on in their rear. Without room to canton rendered all further resistance manœuvre, or even to turn (for the hopeless. naturally confined margin of the lake was at that time diminished by an unusual increase of its waters), the proud knights were totally at the mercy of their light-armed foes. Many, in order to escape the sword, perished by plunging into the lake; the rush of the cavalry overwhelmed the infantry behind, and in a short time the whole army was thrown into panic and disorder. The Austrians lost the flower of their nobility, and Leopold with difficulty escaped. This astounding victory, the Marathon of Swiss history, was gained in 1 hr., over a force of 20,000 well-armed men, by 1300 mountaineers, who now for the first time met an army in the field. The appropriate memorial of their success erected by the Swiss was, according to custom, a Chapel, dedicated to St. James; and service is performed in it annually, on the anniversary of the fight. It is still standing on an eminence above the lake, at the foot of the hill of Morgarten, close to the village of Schorno, by the road-side as you descend from Rothenthurm. The little village of Biberegg, on the opposite (E.) side of Rothenthurm, was the cradle of the family of Reding, one of the oldest and noblest in the canton, and whose name appears oftener with credit than any other. There is scarcely a battle in which they are not mentioned, and they have 45 times filled the office of landamman, the highest in the state. In 1798 Aloys Reding, a hero worthy of such an ancestry, led on the brave inhabitants of these mountains to oppose, in defence of their liberties and A long descent, commanding a fine view of Schwytz, of the singular and picturesque Mythen (Mitre) mountains behind it, and of the lake of Lowertz, with part of the fall of the Rossberg (pp. 41-44), leads through Sattel, past the chapel of Ecce Homo, to Steinen, a small village, having two Inns (Rössli, Krone) memorable as the birthplace of Werner Stauffacher, one of the three conspirators of the Grütli (p. 54), nearly 4 hours' drive from Einsiedeln. A small chapel, adorned with rude frescoes of scenes from his life, and the battle of Morgarten, is dedicated to his memory. It was built in 1400. The Bonehouse is as old as 1111. (See p. 194.) 34 Schwytz. (Route 17.) "Travellers bound from Einsiedeln to the Rigi or Lucerne need not enter Schwytz. Soon after leaving Steinen, a path branching off to the rt. leads, in about 1 hour, to Goldau (where the ascent of the Rigi begins, and horses may be hired at the Cheval Blanc, pp. 46, 47). Their vehicles should be sent round to meet them at Küssnacht, if they are going to Lucerne. The summit of the Rigi may be easily reached in 9 hours from Einsiedeln."-C. D. ROUTE 75. SCHWYTZ TO GLARUS, BY THE MUOTTA 10 hours 32 Eng. m. A very rough char-road ascends the valley as far as Muotta. There is 66 also a footpath from Schwytz by which Muotta may be reached in 3 hours. Delightful scenery, too little visited, yet inferior to nothing in the Bernese Alps. A guide is not needed when the snow is off the ground."-G. P. The road crosses the plain to Ibach, a village of scattered houses at the mouth of the Muotta Thal, which here assumes the character of a contracted gorge; higher up it opens out, and exhibits considerable capabilities for cultivation; it abounds with exquisite scenery. The road ascends the 1. bank of the stream, traversing Ober Schönenbach, down to which point the Russians, under Suwarrow, drove the French commanded by Massena, Mortier, and Soult, in his desperate attempt to force his way through them to join the Russian army at Zürich, in 1799. "The stone bridge (long since swept away by the torrent and replaced by a covered wooden bridge higher up) near this, which carried the road over to the rt. bank, was taken and retaken many times; the mingled blood of the two nations crimsoned the stream which swept down their floating bodies." Beyond Ried there is another bridge, near which is a pretty waterfall, and a third brings the traveller to 2 Muotta, or Mütten (“ a neat and cheap little Inn, Zum Hirsch-between the church and the bridge"-C. J. H.), the principal village of the valley, on the rt. bank of the stream. The parish contains 1480 Inhab. In the neighbourhood is the Nunnery of St. Joseph, a very ancient and primitive convent, founded 1280. The sisters are poor, and their mode of living homely; they make their own clothes and their own hay; the superior is called Frau Mutter. They receive visits from strangers without the intervention of a grating, and will even give a lodging to a respectable traveller. Whoever avails himself of this must remember that the convent is too poor to afford gratuitous hospitality. On the night of the 27th and 28th of September, 1799, the inhabitants of the remote and peaceful valley of Muotta were surprised by the arrival of an army of an unknown nation and tongue, whose very name many of them had never heard, which came pouring down upon their cottages and green fields from the heights of the Kinzig Culm, by paths and precipices usually resorted to only by a solitary shepherd. These were the 24,000 Russians under Suwarrow, whose previous march out of Italy has already been detailed in Routes 34 and 72. Here the general first heard the news of the defeat of Korsakow and the main Russian army at Zürich. He at first gave no credence to the report, and would have hung the peasant who communicated it as a spy and traitor, but for the intercession of the lady mother of St. Joseph's nunnery. He was now beset on all sides; part of Lecourbe's division followed his rear, Molitor occupied the summit of the Muotta Thal, and Mortier and Massena blocked up its mouth. The bold attempt to cut his way out, through the forces of the latter general, was defeated, as already mentioned, chiefly by the unexpected arrival of a fresh reinforcement under Lecourbe in person, though with vast loss to the French. The veteran conqueror was compelled, for the first time in his career, to order a retreat, and to adopt the only alternative of ascending the valley and crossing the Pragel into Glarus. The detachments of Molitor's advanced guard were quickly driven in before him, and the greater portion made prisoners. Suwarrow's rear-guard, however, encumbered with sick and wounded, was greatly harassed by Massena; but the republicans were again repulsed with loss, and driven back nearly to Schwytz. Suwarrow expected to be able to reach Zürich from Glarus, there to join and rally the broken forces of Korsakow; but Molitor, in person, warned of his approach, took possession of the position of Näfels, blocking up the outlet of the Linth Thal, as Massena had intercepted his passage down the Muotta Thal, and the Russian once more found his plans foiled and baffled. Fearing to be hemmed in on all sides by the French, he gave his troops a few days of rest at Glarus, rendered absolutely indispensable by the fatigues they had undergone, after which he once more took to the mountains, ascending the Sernft Thal (Rte. 76) to the Grisons. A little beyond the nunnery, at the end of the village, the view into the Bisithal is very beautiful. The path to the pass of the Pragel (Suwarrow's line of march) turns up to the 1., and is rather steep and stony, but is practicable for horses. It is exceedingly easy, and clearly marked throughout, but is better on the Glarus side than on the other. There is no inn short of Riedern, but châlets all the way and on the top. The distance from Muotta to the lake of Klön is calculated at about 18 m.; about 34 to the foot of the ascent, 4 to the cross, nearly 3 to the summit of the pass, and 6 to Auen, on the lake of Klön. "The following is the exact time I took walking from Muotta to Glarus, carrying my knapsack : Total from Muotta to Glarus 7 h. 40 m." -E. C. K. 34 The summit of the Pass of the Pragel, 5200 ft. above the sea, is the boundary-line of cantons Schwytz and Glarus. It is rarely free from snow before the month of June. "I was accompanied from Muotta to the top by the priest, on his way to pronounce the 'Benediction' of the upper pastures, a custom which takes place annually, as soon as the snow is sufficiently melted to allow of the cattle grazing." The Klönthal, into which the traveller now descends, is exceedingly beautiful. On the rt. hand it is walled in by the Glärnisch rising in an abrupt and sheer precipice, terminated by a sharp edge of ice, and on the 1. by the Wiggis, scarcely less abrupt. Deep in the recesses of this charming valley lies a beautiful Lake about 2 m. long, embedded deeply at the foot of the Glärnisch, whose vast grey precipices descend at this point almost perpendicularly into the water. It is surrounded by meadows of the most verdant green, covered until the end of autumn with flowers. The precipitous tracks along the side of the valley, along which some adventurous French pushed forward in pursuit of the Russians, are pointed out. Ebel deservedly calls the Klönthal " une des vallées les plus gracieuses qu'il y ait dans les Alpes." Two Swiss have inscribed on a rock at the foot of the Glärnisch, by the side of a waterfall, an epitaph in memory of Solomon Gessner, the pastoral poet, author of the 'Death of Abel,' who used to repair hither from Zürich, and spend the summer in a châlet. This spot is about 8 m. from Glarus. A field path should be taken just opposite a waterfall in descending the last slope upon the hamlet Auen, at the W. end of the lake. It is about 16 m. from Muotta, 7 from Glarus. The gorge, through which the waters of the lake descend to the Linth, is very grand. From Riedern, in the mouth of the valley, a foot-path bearing to the rt. leads in less than a mile to 4 Glarus, in Rte. 72. ROUTE 75A. FROM MUOTTA TO THE BATHS OF STACHELBERG IN THE LINTH-THAL BY THE BISI THAL. "From Muotta a good horse-path leads up the Bisi Thal to the hamlet of Eigen; the scenery is very fine and well worth a visit; it is much narrower than the Muotta Thal, with overhanging precipices, and well wooded. Out of the Bisi Thal, after passing the scattered hamlet of Eigen, a bad path, practicable only for the pedestrian, leads across the mountains to the baths of Stachelberg and the Linth-Thal. No one should attempt this without a guide. After leaving the Bisi Thal the scenery is the most savage conceivable. The summit of the mountain between the valleys, across which the path runs, is a rugged sunken plain of bare rock, many miles in extent, without vegetation of any kind except on a central The ROUTE 76. GLARUS TO COIRE, UP THE SERNFT THAL. 134 hrs. 43 Eng. m. A charroad as far as Elm; beyond that a footpath, difficult and fatiguing. About 3 m. above Glarus the valley of the Linth divides into two branches. Out of the 1. or E. branch issues the Sernft it is sometimes called Kleinthal, to distinguish it from the larger W. branch, or Linththal. About way to Enghi (Inn), rt. there is rather a fine waterfall; † h. beyond this an isolated view of the Glärnisch, very noble. This mountain, owing to its position, is one of the most striking in Switzerland, seen from whatever side. 24 Matt, another village, stands on the rt. bank of the Sernft, and at the mouth of the minor vale of the Krauchthal, up which runs a path to Sargans, over the Risetten pass, 7 stunden. green oasis (a little verdant plain), where the soil has collected, the whole surrounded by snowy peaks. path is only traceable in many parts by the little piles of stones put up by the shepherds to guide themselves; and the streams, instead of finding their way into the valley as usual, tumble in cascades into the bowels of the mountain. Of these I passed three, each of the size of an ordinary millrace, and each tumbling into the ground. This arises from the strata of the rock being perpendicular, or nearly so, which has also caused the soil to be washed down by the rain, leaving the upturned strata of the rock naked and bleached by the weather, something like a crevassed glacier turned to rock, and rugged in the extreme. On the side of the Linth - Thal this savage plain is bounded by awful precipices which overhang the baths of Stachelberg, and it is flanked by two bold peaks The quarries in the Plattenberg, a right and left. It took me 12 hrs. on mountain of the grauwacke and clayfoot from Muotta to the Baths, but I slate, on the 1. side of the valley, opwas alone without a guide, and missed posite Matt, furnish excellent slates the path for a time; but I do not for roofing or for writing. Most of think it can be less than 9 or 10 hrs. the schools in Switzerland are supplied good walking, which it is usually from hence; and the slate was forcalled, or even more. As I made my merly exported down the Rhine to way safe in the end, I may be thought Holland and the Indies. This slate to have been repaid for my temerity is well known to geologists for the by the lonely sublimity of my situ- beautiful and perfect casts of fossil ation; for while alone on the brink fish, in which it abounds. The lower of the precipices on the side of the portion of the valley is unhealthy, as Linth-Thal, craning over to try and may be learned from the occurrence see where the path could possibly of goître and cretinism (those afflicted descend, and where I might have with the latter are here called Tölpel dropped a stone perpendicularly 1000-dolt, blockhead-§ 19); but the inft. at least, a thunderstorm came on, habitants of the upper extremity are and the lightning flashed below me, a fine and hardy race. the clouds for a time hiding the valley. The weather cleared up again, or I should at least have passed the night on the mountains, if I had not been lost altogether. As it was, I received no other damage than a good wetting and considerable fatigueinjuries which the contents of my knapsack and mine host's tolerable supper and good bed soon repaired. The descent to the Baths is very steep and fatiguing there is no auberge by the way.'-J. H. 3 Elm is the highest village in the valley. "There is a way from Elm to the Baths of Pfeffers-a fatiguing walk of 13 hrs. The path ascends the Unterthal, and crosses the ridge of the Ramin, whence the panoramic view is singularly grand, into the Weisstannen Thal. There is a tolerable path as far as a châlet on the E. slope of the pass; beyond this there is scarcely any trace of one, and the passage is not practicable for mules. From this |