The three leagues, though always esteemed allies to the Swiss, are yet not, strictly speaking, in confederacy with all the cantons. They are in close alliance, however, with the cantons of Berne and Zuric; and, by their treaties, the Grisons are called allies of the Swiss; and, in consequence of their connection with a part, would, in case of invasion or rebellion, be supplied with succours from all the Swiss republics. The Grisons likewise have formed particular treaties of alliance with Austria, France, and Venice. The languages of the Grisons are the Italian, German, and Romansh. The latter is the varnacular tongue among the greatest part of the Grisons, and seems formerly to have been more extensively spoken than now. It is divided into two principal dialects, the one spoken in the Grey League, the other in that of God's House. These dialects vary in pronunciation and orthography, but are sufficiently similar, in the general arrangement and expression to constitute one language. The Grison writers assert, that the Rhetian, or Romansh, is derived from the Latin; and they support this by arguments drawn from the history of the country; from the names of places, which have evidently a Latin origin; and from its similarity to the Latin, and to other languages derived from that root. Before the introduction of the reformation among the Grisons, the Romansh was esteemed such a barbárous jargon, as to be thought incapable of being reduced to grammatical form. The monks, whose interest it was to keep the people in ignorance, favoured this opinion; but since that time, several books have been published in the language by men of eminent literary attainments; and, in the year 1679, the Bible was translated into it. We subjoin a few words in Romansh, by way of specimen of a language so little known. The following table exhibits the precedency of the thirteen cantons, and the era of their reception into the Helvetic confederacy. THE EIGHT ANCIENT CANTONS. Zuric,............ Reformed Religion, 1350. Uri,................ Catholic,............ Schweitz,........... Catholic, 1315. .1315. Underwalden, Catholic, Zug, Glarus,. Mixed,... ..........1351. THE FIVE NEW CANTONS. ...... Basil,.................................................. Reformed,.............. 1501. Catholic,................1481. The quota of troops to be furnished by each canton in the event of war, will appear from the following distribution, which was fixed in 1668. A proportionable contingent is levied, should an augmentation be required. VIEW OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS, IN FRANCE, SWITZERLAND AND GERMANY, BY JOHN MOORE, M. D. THE extreme difficulty of giving a satisfactory abridgment of a work, which consists rather of sentiment than description, had almost deterred us from entering on Dr. Moore's celebrated volumes. But unwilling to omit, entirely, what we consider as an honour to the literature of our country, and an ornament to any collection, we have attempted his View of Society and Manners in France and Italy, in a way the most favourable to the fame of the author that we could devise, and which may convey some faint idea, though but a faint one, we confess, of the merit of the original. The amiable author, it is well known, traveled with the present Duke of Hamilton, and is no less estimable as a man, than as an elegant and lively writer. He addressed his remarks, in the course of his travels, in the form of letters, to a friend who had solicited his correspondence, or perhaps, as the most eligible mode of conveying his sentiments. We have given the outlines in connection. |