SWITZERLAND 525 ider their respective names. To the west of the Alps, between France and Switzerland, extends the Jura range of mountains. (See JURA.) There are many points of view whence semicircular array of peaks, presented at >nce to the eye, extends for more than 120 and comprises between 200 and 300 dis- ict summits, capped with snow or bristling th bare rocks. Of the heights commanding such panoramas, the Rigi is probably the finest and is one of the most accessible. (See RIGI.) Faulhorn, in the Bernese Oberland, af- fords a fine view of the High Alps rising close at hand. For a near view of Alpine scenery, among the spots which afford a concentration of the grandest objects are the valleys of the Bernese Oberland, and those which descend from Monte Rosa in Valais. In these districts the glaciers are seen to great advantage. A description of the Swiss Alpine passes, the car- riage roads, including those recently opened, and the railway over the St. Gothard pass now (1876) in course of construction, is given in ALPS. Of the Alpine defiles, the ravine of the Via Mala, on the upper Rhine in Grisons, is one of the most sublime, scenes. The gorge of the Schollenen on the St. Gothard, that of Gondo on the Sirnplon, and the glen in whose depths the baths of Pfiifers are funk, also de- serve mention. The glaciers o f Switzerland are the reservoirs which feed some of the lar- gest rivers of western Europe, including the upper Rhine, which flows within and along the boundary line of Switzerland, and then enters Germany, and the Rh6ne, which rises among the glaciers of the St. Gothard range near the Furca, receives the Visp, Borgne, and Dranse, and on quitting the canton of Geneva becomes a French river. The next largest river in Switzerland is the Aar, which rises in the Ber- nese mountains, receives the Saane, Reuss, and other affluents, and carries the waters of 14 cantons to the Rhine. The Ticino flows through the canton of that name, and passes through Lago Maggiore into Italy ; and the Inn waters a part of the canton of Grisons. There are numerous waterfalls, among which are the fall of the Aar, at Handeck, in the canton of Bern; the Staubbach or Dust fall, in the Ber- nese Oberland; the Giesbach, on the lake of Brienz ; the fall of the Sallenche, known as the Pissevache, near Martigny, Valais; Reichenbach falls, near Meiringen, Bern ; the fall of Pianaz- zo, on the Spliigen, Grisons ; the Tourtemagne fall, near the Simplon road, in Valais ; and the falls of the Rhine, near Schaffhausen. There are several lakes, and the more important, Bi- enne, Constance, Geneva, Lago Maggiore, Lu- cerne, and Lugano, are described in separate articles. The more marked geological features of Switzerland are noticed in the articles ALPS and JURA ; and the glacial phenomena which have been most carefully studied, and which throw so much light upon the dynam- ics of geology, are specially treated in the ar- ticle GLACIER. No country possesses greater interest for geologists than Switzerland, whose formations are exhibited upon the grandest scale, and reveal in the most striking manner the metamorphism to which rocks are sub- ject, converting strata of comparatively recent formation into schistose and crystalline rocks ; but its mineral resources, including iron, lead, and copper, are of no great importance. An- thracite of inferior quality is found in several places. The salt mines near Basel and those at Bex (Vaud) are the most important. Gyp- sum is found with the salt, and slate is ex- tensively quarried. There is a large number of mineral springs, many of which are fa- mous as watering places. The most celebrated are Leuk (Valais), St. Moritz in the valley of Engadine (Grisons), Pfafers (St. Gall), and Ba- den and Schinznach (Aargau). The climate is more severe than might be expected from the geographical position of Switzerland. On the highest summits snow and ice are perpetual. On the lower mountains and the table land snow falls in greater abundance than in other coun- tries of the same latitude in Europe. In Valais the fig and grape ripen at the foot of ice-clad mountains, while near their summits the rhodo- dendron and the lichen grow at the limit of the snow line. Ticino has the climate of Italy, yet the weather is more changeable. Switzerland on the whole is very healthful, with the excep- tion of a few places in swampy or very nar- row and deep valleys. In the middle ages the country of the Jura suffered much from earth- quakes, which have entirely ceased for several centuries ; but floods, avalanches, and snow storms still threaten the inhabitants with fre- quent dangers. About two thirds of the sur- face consists of lakes and other waters, glaciers, naked rocks, and other uninhabitable heights. Some districts are very fruitful, yet the grain raised is not sufficient for the supply of the population. The vine is cultivated on the slopes of the Jura and in the valleys of the Rhine, Rh6ne, Reuss, Limmat, and Thur, and in some places ripens at 2,000 ft. above the sea. The annual production is valued at about $6,000,000. Flax and hemp are extensively grown. Irriga- tion is judiciously managed, and in general agriculture is making progress. The forests cover about 17 per cent, of the soil, and al- though their cultivation is imperfect, the pro- duction of timber exceeds the home consump- tion. Fishing still yields considerable produce, but hunting is not practised to the same extent as formerly, and in some of the cantons it is forbidden by law. Chamois are still found in the Alps ; other animals are bears, wolves, wild boars, and roebucks ; foxes and hares are nu- merous, and otters are found in some of the lakes. Switzerland is celebrated for its rich and excellent pastures; the finest breeds of cattle are those of the Simmenthal and Saanen (Bern), Gruyere (Fribourg), Zug, and Schwytz. In 1866 there were 993,000 horned cattle (about one fourth milch cows), 100,000 horses, 447,- 000 sheep, 375,000 goats, and 304,000 swine.
