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in their houses. In the mountain-valleys
and elevated plains the inhabitants are
more industrious, and the husbandry is
much better than by the sides of the Rhone.
In 1816 the whole population of this canton
amounted only to 62,909 : there cannot
be a doubt, that with proper management
it would support a much larger
number of inhabitants ; in fact, they are
absolutely wanted for the proper cultivation
of the soil ; yet shortly after the above
census was taken, two hundred of the inhabitants
of this canton emigrated to the
Brazils, to better their condition. A friend
of mine saw them depart from the confines
of the Valíais, where they were followed by
their friends, and the bishop of Sion, who
came to give them his farewell blessing.
It was a truly affecting spectacle. How
much better would it have been for the
canton, had these wanderers been persuaded
to remain at home, and improve
their own country ; but there is a great
want of public spirit and community of
interest and feeling among the Vallaisiens
in different parts of the canton. Before
I left Switzerland I heard that the Val-
laisien emigrants were in great distress ;
a subscription was opened for their
relief.
The vegetable productions of this canton
comprise those which grow between
the latitudes of Marseilles and of Greenland.
On the rocks facing the south,
the thermometer is said to be frequently
at 48° Reaumur, or 140° Fahrenheit, while
on the heights above are growing the
lichens of the arctic circle. Its zoology is
rich and varied, comprising several animals
seldom found in the other parts of the
Swiss Alps. The lynx infests the valleys of
Conches, of Viege, of Bagnes,and of Herens.
The lammergeyer has its nest in the inaccessible
rocks above Conches, Brieg, and
Viege. There is also abundance of ex-
cellent game. Trout of amazing size are
caught in the Rhone, as far as Sion. Our
landlord at la Croix Blanche, at Sion,
brought in a trout, to show us, weighing
eighteen pounds, which had been caught
that morning: they are sometimes nearly
twice that weight. The deep intersections
made in the central range of the Alps, by the
gorges and lateral valleys, have disclosed a
great variety of mineral substances, some
of which are rare ; but many of these val-
V.i.