Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

GEN l 618 1 GEN
Geireva. over the Rhone before it joins the Arve; and from it
— the city is fupplied with water by means of an hy¬
draulic machine, which raifes it too Paris feet above
its level. The principal buildings are, i. The Maifon
de Ville, or town-houfe, a plain ancient edifice, with
large rooms, in which the councils affemble, and pub¬
lic entertainments are held; and in one of them a week¬
ly concert is held by fubfcription during the winter.
The afcent to the upper ftory is not by fteps but a
paved acclivity ; which, however, is fo gentle, that
horfes and mules can go up to the top. 2. The
church .of St Peter’s, formerly the cathedral, is an an¬
cient Gothic building, with a modern portico of feven
large Corinthian columns of red and white marble from
Roche. The only thing,remarkable in the infide is
the tomb of Henry duke of Rohan. 3. The arfenal
is in good order, and fupplied with arms fufficient for
12,000 men. There are many ancient fuits of armour;
and the fcaling ladders, lanthorns, hatchets, &c. ufed by
the Savoyards in. their treacherous attempt on the city
in the year 1602, to be afterwards noticed, are here pre-
ferved. The magazines contain 1 locannons befides mor¬
tars. 4. The hofpital is a large handfome building, by
which and other charities near 4000 poor people are
maintained. 5. The fortifications bn the fide of Savoy are
of the modern bonftruftion, but arecommanded by fome
neighbouring grounds. On the fide of France they
are old falhioned, and at any rate are rather calculated
to prevent a furprife than to fuftairr a regular fiege.
There are three gates, towards France, Savoy,-and
Switzerland ; and the accefs to the lake is guarded by
a double jetty and chain.
The territory belonging to this city contains about
feven fquare leagues, and is divided into nine pa-
rilhes; the town is by far the moft populous in Swit¬
zerland, having about 30,000 inhabitants, of whortr,
however, 5000 are generally fuppofed to be abfent.
It has a fmall diftrift dependent upon it, but this
does not contain above 16,coo. The adjacent coun¬
try is extremely beautiful, and has many magnificent
views arifing from the different pofitions of the nume¬
rous hills and mountains with regard to the town and
lake. The inhabitants were formerly diftinguifhed in¬
to four claffes, viz. citizens, burgeffes, inhabitants, and
natives; and fince the revolution in 1782, a fifth clafs,
named doin': c ill us, have been added, who annually
i-eceive permiffion from the magiftrates to refide in the
• city'. The qitizens and burgeffes alone, however, are
admitted to a fhare in the government; thofe called
inhalitants are flrangers allowed to fettle in the town
with certain privileges; and the natives are the fans
of thofe inhabitants, who poffefs additional advantages.
The people are very-aftive and induftrious, carrying on
j an extenfive commerce.
State of This city is remarkable for the number of learned
Faming in men it has produced. The reformed doctrines of reli-
Geneva. gjon wcre VCry early received in it, being preached
there in 153 ? by William Fare! and Peter Viret of
Orbe, and afterwards finally eftablifhed by the celebra¬
ted John Calvin. Of this reformer Voltaire obferves,
that he gave his name to the religious doctrines firft.
broached by others, in the fame manner that Americus
Vefputius gave name to the continent of America
which had formerly been difcovered by Columbus. 11
was by the aukluity of this celebrated reformer, and
the influence that he acquired among the citizens, Geneva-
that a public academy was firfl eftablifhed in the city, —v—
where he, Theodore Beza, and fome of the more emi¬
nent firft reformers, read leftures with uncommon fuc-
cefs. The intolerant fpirit of Calvin is well known ;
but little of it now appears in the government of Ge¬
neva : on the contrary, it is the moft tolerating of all
the ftates in Switzerland, being the only one of them
which permits the publib exercife of the Lutheran re¬
ligion. The advantages of the academy at Geneva are
very confpicuous among the citizens at this day, even
the lower clafs of them being exceedingly well inform¬
ed; fo that, according to Mr Coxe, there is not a city
in Europe where learning is fo generally diffufed. “ I
received great fatisfadion (fays he) in converfing even
with feveral tradefmen upon topics both of literature
and politics ; and was aftonifhed to find in this clafs
of men fo uncommon a fhare of knowledge ; but the
wonder ceafes when we are told that all of them were
educated at the public academy.” In this feminary
the induftry and emulation of the ftudents are excited
by the annual diftribution of prizes to thofe who dif-
tinguifh themfelves in each clafs. The prizes con fill
of fmall medals, but are conferred with fuch folemnity
as cannot fail to produce a ftriking effebl on the minds
of youth. There is alfo a public library to which the
citizens have accefs, and which undoubtedly tend*
greatly to that univerfal diffufion of learning fo re¬
markable among the inhabitants. It was founded by
Bonnivard, remarkable for his fufferings in the caufe of
the liberties of his country. Having been a great an-
tagonift of the dukes of Savoy, againft whom he af-
ferted the independence of Geneva, he had the mis¬
fortune at laft to be taken prifoner, and was imprifon-
ed for fix years in a dungeon below the level of the
lake, in the caftle of Chillon, which Hands on a rock ia
the lake, and is conne&ed with the land by a draw¬
bridge. In 1536 this caftle was taken from Charles HI.
of Savoy by the canton of Berne, afiifted by the Gene
vans, who furnifhed a frigate (their whole naval force)
to befiege it by fea. Bonnivard was now taken from his
dungeon, where by conftant walking backward and
forward, his only amufement, he had worn a hollow
in the floor which confifted of folid rock. Bonnivard
confidered the hardlhips he had endured as ties which
endeared him to the city, and became a principal pro¬
moter of the reformation by the mild methods of per-
fuafion and inftruTion. He clofed his benefactions by
the gift of his books and manufcripts, and bequeathing
his fortune towards the eftablifhment and fnpport of
the feminar,y. His works, which chiefly relate to the
hiftory of Geneva, are ftill prefcrved with-great care
and reverence. The library contains 25,000 volumes,
with many curious manufcripts, of which an account
has been publifhed by the reverend M. Sennebier the
librarian, who has likewife dillinguifticd bimfelf by fe¬
veral literary works. Meffrs Bonnet, Sauffure, Mallet,
and de Luc, are the other moft diftinguifhed literary
geniufes of which Geneva can boaft. The laft is par¬
ticularly remarkable for the perfeftion to which he has
brought the barometer, and which is now fo great,
that very little feems poflible to be done by any body 2
elfe. His cabinet merits the attention of naturalifts, Acc< unt of
as containing many rare and curious fpecimens of fof- Luc’s
fils, which ferve to illuftrate the theory of the globe.ca- c'
It