The greateft part of the city of Geneva is fituated on a hill, and has its views bounded on all fides by ranges of mountains; but thefe are at fuch a remote diftance, that they increafe the local beauties of the place, and shelter it from all winds except the fouth and north, the last of which wonderfully contributes to the falubrity of the city.

From the fituation of Geneva, embofomed in the Alps, there is a fhorter funfhine here than in other places of the fame latitude; and the tops of the furrounding mountains are enlightened with the rifing rays of the orb of day, or tinged with his setting, nearly half an hour before and after they are withdrawn from the vale. These mountains form an horizon that poffeffes fomething very fingular and agreeable.

On the one hand, a long range of hills, diftinguifhed by the name of Mount Jura, is covered with pafturage and vineyards; and on the other, huge precipices, formed of naked rocks, rife in a thousand fantaftic figures, and through their clefts difclofe high mountains of fnow at the distance of several leagues behind them.

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the fouthward, the hills, rifing lefs abruptly, leave the eye to range over a vaft unbroken profpect. The most enchanting view, however, is that of the lake and its borders that lie north of the town.

The Lake of Geneva, in the colour and ruffled furface of its waters, refembles the fea. When agitated with ftorms, it makes great ravages on its banks. During the fummer feafon, it has fomething like a flux and reflux from the melted fnows, which fall more copioufly into it about noon than any other part of the day. It is bound

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by ave different ftates; France, Savoy, the ton of Bern, the Bishopric of Sion, and the Hle of Geneva, to which it gives name.

I made a pleasant little voyage round the lake, g at the different towns on its fhores, and a the wind was pretty favourable, this exon took up five days. The prospect of wus, meadows, vineyards, and corn-fields, which its borders, prefent a conftant fucceffion of cable objects. Even the barren rocks, and He almoft inacceffible cliffs, add to the picturSkype cílect.

In this excurfion I paffed by Yvoiry, where oe gallies are laid up, and lodged at Tonon, a principal town on the lake belonging to

It has four convents, and a population about fix or feven thousand fouls. The lake is place is about twelve miles broad. Here

thew a fountain of water much efteemed o its purity, which is faid to weigh two ounces * a pint lefs than the fame measure of the lake Aver though the latter is very wholesome to , and not at all turbid.

At a fmall distance from Tonon ftands Ripaille with a convent of Carthufians, who have a large

cut out into deep and gloomy walks, fuitto the genius of the owners. Some of the are of great length, and terminate either lake or on the Alps, where the rocks are en into fleeps and precipices that fill the with a pleafing kind of horror, and form of the most irregular fcenes in the world. Next day, I paffed several towns on the coaft Savoy, the inhabitants of which are miferably or; and approaching nearer the extremity of he lake, the mountains feemed to rife and con

verge together till they almost met. On the tops of thefe ftupendous mountains, bare and pointed rocks are frequently seen elevated above the rest, which frequently fall, and carry defolation in their train.

In several parts of the Alps I faw vast pits of fnow, and several mountains wholly covered with it, which intermixture of hollows and eminences furnished me with a probable reason for those periodical fountains in Swifferland, which flow only at particular hours in the day. For as the tops of these mountains caft their fhadows on each other, they intercept the rays of the fun at certain feasons of the day; and confequently the fnow, which covers the fhaded parts, cannot be diffolved. If, therefore, any particular fpring takes its rife from those reservoirs of fnow, it will naturally begin to flow at fuch hours as the fnow begins to melt; but as foon as the fun withdraws, and leaves it to freeze and confolidate again, the fountain ceases, and flows no more till the action of the fun on the fnow renews its fupplies.

The Rhone enters the extremity of the lake, and at this time brought along with it a prodigious quantity of water; for the rivers and lakes in this country are univerfally higher in fummer than in winter, arifing from the diffolution of the fnows. It is furprifing, that feveral intelligent perfons have fported fuch an opinion, that this river, in its course, preferves itself unmixed with the lake; for when I saw it enter, it was extremely muddy, but perfectly limpid at its efflux, and, befides, had increased its volume.

From the end of the lake to the fource of the Rhone lies a valley of about four days journey in VOL. XII. length,

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length, which gives the name of Vallefins to its inhabitants.

The fecond night I lodged at Villa Neuve, a little town in the Canton of Bern. Having the next day paffed the caftle of Chillon, I came to Verfoy, and the following day I spent at Laufanne, the most considerable town on the lake next to Geneva. I was there fhewn the wall of the cathedral church, which was opened by one earthquake, and fome years after fhut by a fecond; but though the crack is only now just perceptible, there are perfons who remember having formerly paffed through it.

Laufanne was once a republic of itself, but is now annexed to the Canton of Bern. It is remarkable, that in one street of this town the inhabitants have the privilege of acquitting or condemning any of their own body, in affairs of life and death; and as every refident of this ftreet has a vote, houfes fell better here than in other parts of the town. I was informed, that not many years before, a cobler had the cafting vote for the life of a criminal, and that he graciously gave it on the merciful fide.

From Lausanne I coafted along the country of the Vaud, which is the most fertile and best cul

d of any among the Alps. I stopped at e, where there is an artificial port, and the rance of fome trade.

next proceeded to Nyon, the fuppofed fite of Colonia Equeftris, planted by Julius Cæfar. ues and old Roman infcriptions have freently been dug up here; and in the walls of everal houses, I obferved the fragments of vaft Corinthian pillars, which must once have belonged to fome very noble edifice.

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About five miles from this town are fhewn the remains of Cæfar's wall, which extended eighteen miles from Mount Jura to the borders of the lake. From Verfoy, I failed directly for Geneva, which affords a noble prospect from the lake. This collection of water, on its approaching Geneva, gradually decreases in breadth, till at last it changes its name into that of the Rhone. It is extremely deep, but rapid, and turns all the mills in the town.

On my leaving Geneva, I travelled to Lausanne, which I had vifited in my excurfion round the lake, and from thence to Fribourg, which is but a mean town for the capital of such a large canton; and its fituation is fo irregular, that the inhabitants are fubject to many inconveniences in paffing and repaffing; but it has fome local advantages to counterbalance this.

In this town are four churches, and feveral convents for both fexes: the Jefuits college is faid to be the finest in all Swifferland. It commands fome extenfive and beautiful profpects. The Jefuits have a good collection of portraits of fuch of their order as have been diftinguished for their learning or zeal. At the Capuchins convent I faw the Efcargatoire, or repofitory of fnails, which, when properly dreffed, are esteem, ed a moft delicious Lent difh.

About two leagues from Fribourg I faw a very curious and very much celebrated hermitage. It is fituated in the most agreeable folitude imaginable, among woods and rocks, which, at firft fight, difpofe the mind to contemplation. In this place, a hermit had lived twenty-five years; and with his own hands had formed out of the rock a chapel, a facrifty, a chamber, kitchen, G 2 cellar,