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MINISTER GKKEVESSIS.
Vis et adultEilam plectatur morte, minister !
Haud minim!—Conjus est tibi ijcila;—sapis*.
As for th= fortifications and ontworlis of Genov., lirey are most], motiern, consisting
of bastions. Iralf-moons. covcrt-way. &c. Titose which tlefend the side towards Savoy
are in good condition, and are in a manner new, having only been completed aboM
thirty years ago. They ate lined or faced with free-stone, as is likewise the counterscarp
of the advanced works. The fossés, or ditchcs, arc of a good proportion, and
mostly filled with water. The galleries of the mines are excellent, and extend considerably
beyond the glacis; but, as the neighbouring ground is uneven, some parts of
the works are overlooked, so that the place, in case of siege, would be liable to suffer
materially by the rlcockei firing.
The lerm-phws of the courtines and bastions being nearly every-where sliaded by
trees, they afford a delightful promenade, which is much fiequented by the inhabitants.
In the front of these works is an extensive esplanade, or parade, called Flain-Falais,
where the Genevese militia regularly performed their evolutions before the disarmament
in 1732. It was likewise a spot appropriated to the celebration of national/¿fto and
public rejoicings.
But the fortifications toward, the French fi-ontier are in a miserable state, the inhabitants
having positively objected to tlieir being either rebuilt or repaired, both on
account of the expense, and for some political reasons.
This part of the city, which is called St. Gervais, though so badly defended, is not
so ancient as that of St. Pierre, from which it is separated only by the small island
before noticed, of about three hundred paces long, and one hundred wide, formed by
the two branches of the Rhône.
On the side of the lake the town is defended by several large piles of wood, fixed at
proper distances from each other, so as to prevent boats fi-om entering the port. These
piles, or more properly piers, are fastened together by madriers, or huge pieces of timber,
placed upon them, and thus forming the harbour, the entrance of which is shut
every night by means of a chain, in the manner of that of Marseilles. (FMc the author's
Select Views in the South of France, page 17.)
* Genevese minister—thou ss oald'st punisii adultery svitli deatliî—1 do not wonder at itl—Tiiou art in the right i
for thy wife is t^autifoi.
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The city of Geneva being mostly built on the summit, the sides, and the bottom of
two hills, the streets are extremely irregular, though of tolerable width. Those which
are most frequented are the riics basses, or lower streets, from their running along the
banks of the Rhone, and which, on account of being sheltered from the inclemency of
the weather by the projecting roofs of the houses, that nearly cover the streets, form a
kind of piazza, rendering them so convenient and pleasant, as to be the favourite rendez
vous and promenade of the generaJity of foreigners who visit Geneva; besides,
most of the capital bankers and merchants reside in that quarter : the houses are likewise
well built, lofty, and handsome, many of them being ornamented with different
orders of architecture.
Respecting their public edifices, the cathedral of St. Pierre very well deserves the
attention of the curious. Its external appearance is both noble and majestic. The
pediment of its portico is supported by white marble columns of the Corinthian order,
and the interior part of the building contains curious inscriptions and monuments,
remarkable for design and execution. This edifice not only serves for divine worship,
which is regularly performed every Sunday, but is likewise appropriated for holding the
general meeting of the bourgeois, at the election of the syndics, and other similar assemblies.
The Hâpilal Général, or Public Hospital, should not be overlooked, as it does
Infinite honour to the humanity and opulence of the Genevese, both from its extent and
the judicious arrangement of the apartments for the sick, as well as the excellent and wellregulated
administration through every department. The Maison-de-Vilie, or Town-Hall,
is a handsome building, though very ancient : its grand stair-case is particularly curious,
from its construction, leaving been erected with so easy an ascent, that either horse or
carriage might ascend or descend with the greatest ease and safety.
The favourite walk, to which the beau-monde of Geneva resort after the gates are
shut, is at the back of this building. The first time I entered the waik, which is called
La Treille, I was astonished at the number of bewitching countenances I met there ; for,
in truth, every beholder must allow that the women of Geneva are in general extremely
pretty, and display their charms to the greatest advantage. The men are not so handsome
; but, to make up the deficiency, they have a pleasing manner, with some degree
of facetiousness, though rather cool and reserved, or at least not so volatile as the
French i but, as the philosopher Jean Jaques Rousseau observes in a letter to his
friend D'Alembert, " Beneath that cold phlegmatic appearance, the Genevese conceals