LETTER XVII.

Canton of Soleure-The City-Cathedral of St. Ursus -Romanism -The Weissenstein-Pass of the Jura-The Jura mountainsIsolated masses-Hollstein-Swiss cookery, and dinnersLiechstall-Basle-Swiss Travelling-Punishment for distributing religious Tracts, in Schwytz-French Church-Missionary College-Religion in Switzerland-Present State and Prospects-Education.

MY DEAR FRIEND :-The soil of the canton of Soleure is considered as productive as any in Switzerland, and very fine cattle are seen in the pastures; which are much improved by the same system of irrigation that is practised in Bern. There is a considerable portion of arable land; and the agricultural labourers are very numerous in proportion to the population; which does not amount to more than sixty thousand. In the approach to

the city of SOLOTHURN, or Soleure, the back-ground of the landscape is formed by the romantic, though comparatively humble Jura; part of the chain of which runs within two miles of this capital,-the whole range stretching from ninety to a hundred leagues in length, in a north-easterly direction, from the west of Savoy to the canton of Schaffhausen, and varying in breadth from fifteen to eighteen leagues.

The picturesque little city of Soleure stands in a delightful plain on the banks of the Aar, which divides it into two parts. It is fortified by a ditch, walls, and bastions, surmounted with antique-looking towers. In the centre of the town, is a large tower said to be the work of the Romans. Though Soleure is small and mean, as compared with Bern, the public buildings still give it the air of a capital. Among these are the Town-house; the Arsenal; the Public Library, containing about 11,000 volumes; the handsome church of the Jesuits, erected by Louis XIV.;-and, above all, the cathedral, which is devoted to the Romish worship,-this canton being chiefly Catholic.

This church, which is dedicated to St. Ursus, stands at the end of the principal street, and is a noble structure, built of a whitish grey stone which approaches to marble, and is brought from the neighbouring quarries. It was erected about sixty

years ago, and its design is exceedingly chaste and beautiful. The tower at the eastern end is elegant, and the western front consists of a lofty and superb façade, in the Grecian style. Indeed this is universally admitted to be the finest church in Switzerland. The ascent to it is by a magnificent flight of steps, and is adorned with two fountains, the sound of which, as heard at the adjacent inn, had the effect of a continual pouring

rain.

The interior of this splendid temple displays much taste, and is furnished with a very handsome organ, pictures, numerous altars, and a pulpit of fine marble; but none of the decorations exhibited the least of that tawdry and paltry ornament which we had so particularly observed in the Valais, and in Savoy.

In the evening, the toll of the deep-toned bell fell booming dolefully on the ear, and seemed to proclaim to the dark masses of the Jura, the reign of Romanism. The door of the church was still open, late in the dusk; and though no public service was going on, one solitary lamp shed a glimmer over the now gloomy vaults of this spacious edifice, through which the bell, still tolling monotonously without, sent its heavy sepulchral swell, tending to fill the mind with a deep emotion of solemnity,while here and there a lingering devotee was rising

from before an altar consecrated to the Madonna, or to a Saint.

In the strong appeal which the Romish religion makes to the senses, and through them to the imagination, the Protestant sometimes feels how great a sublimity there may be in evil,-even in the 'mystery of iniquity;' and how easily imagination and sentiment may throw a veil over error, beguile the reason, and enslave the conscience. Hence the conversions from Protestantism to Popery which we occasionally hear of, as taking place among persons of education, and where no motive of sordid self-interest can be traced. Romanism is undoubtedly a religion of poetry; and it is thus that those who have not learned well to distinguish between the splendour of a ceremonial, and the sober realities of truth, may be dazzled with the best dress of Popery. The domination of the Romish faith in this city may be conjectured from the fact that, in a population of four thousand five hundred souls, there are sixty ecclesiastics, or one to every seventyfive individuals.

The weather was such the next morning, as to preclude all hope of obtaining the magnificent view of the Alps from the chalets of the Weissenstein ; and on our leaving Soleure, heavy black clouds hung over this part of the mountain range, and the distant line of the Jura was wrapped in its

'misty shroud.' We crossed the chain, therefore,

at a less elevated point, through a defile, on the road to Basle.

In a journey like the present, it may be well to have a soul not incapable of feeling somewhat of the beauties and sublimities of nature;-but this is not enough, a little practical thoughtfulness respecting homelier matters is also desirable; nor will it always do to trust to guides, coachmen, or attendants. A trifling circumstance had nearly proved an exemplification of this;-for had we not taken care to have our luggage removed from the hollow roof of the vehicle we had hired, where it had been placed, we should certainly have suffered the discomfort of having our things drenched, by being continually jumbled in a pool of water, notwithstanding the repeated assurance to the contrary-gar nicht, Herr-from the driver, in reply to the inquiry whether any mischief would arise.

The former part of the road across the mountains to Basle, was sometimes exceedingly picturesque,-between bare rocks, or beetling cliffs, dark and frowning with foliage,-and occasionally crowned with the ruins of an ancient castle;showing that we were no longer in those regions where man has obtained no dominion over the high places of nature. At the entrance of the defile of Ballstall, near Soleure, a number of prisoners were at work on the road, dressed in clothes of glaring colours, and guarded by an armed soldier. The