GENEVA (Fr. Geneve, Ger. Genf, Ital. Ginevra), the most populous and flourishing t. of Switzerland, capital of the canton of the same name, is situated on the southern extremity of the lake of Geneva, 70 rn. n.e. from Lyon, in France. At the time of the contests between the Helvetii and the Romans, Geneva belonged to the country of the Allovroges. It was afterwards included in the Roman Pravincia Maxima Sequanorum, and was a place of some importance under the Burgundian kings. On the dissolution of the kingdom of Burgundy, Geneva fell under the dominion of the Ostrogoths; in the , year 536, under that of the Franks; and towards the 9th c., under the new kingdom of Burgundy. It had been mode a bishop's seat in the 5th c., and from the 12th c. con tinual feuds arose between the bishops and the counts of Savoy with regard to the supremacy. The citizens took advantage of these dissensions to obtain fresh liberties and privileges for themselves. In 1518, the Genevese concluded an alliance with Frei burg, and shortly after with Bern, and thus Geneva became a member of the Swiss con federation, The doctrines of the reformation, boldly and enthusiastically preached by William Farel, met with general acceptance in Geneva. In conjunction with Bern, the citizens expelled the adherents of the dukes of Savoy—the so-called Mamelukes—from the town, and declared the bishopric vacant. In August, 1535, the Reformed religion was estab lished by law ; and in 1541, Calvin was invited to take up his residence permanently in Geneva, as public teacher of theology. It was he who chiefly impressed the stamp of rigid morality, not unalloyed with pedantry, on the minds of the citizens of Geneva, and awakened a taste for the exact sciences. The town, which had h:iherto been merely a place of trade; thus acquired an imps:a:tut influence over the spiritual life of Europe, and became the tenter of education for 'the Protestant youth of Great Britain, France, Germany and Spain. •In'1602, the last attempt of the dukes of Savoy to recover the town was frustrated by the energy and resolution of the citizens.
During the 18th c. Geneva was distracted by a continued feud between the aristo ratic and popular parties, until in 1782, Bern, Sardinia, and, in particular, France, interfered in favor of the aristocracy. The French revolution led to a new crisis; the governtnent was overthrown in July, 1794, equality in the eye of the law was estab lished, a national convention appointed, and a reign of terror commenced. In 1798, r Geneva and its territory was annexed to France under the name of the department "Du Lenan." After the overthrow of Napoleon, Geneva recovered its independence, and the congress of Vienna increased its territory considerably.
The situation of the town on both shies of the lake, where it is narrowed to a point and forms the-Rhone, is exceedingly pleasant and advantageous for traffic. Formerly,
Geneva was surrounded by walls, and consisted of clusters of narrow and ill-drained streets; but since the accession of the democratic party to power in 1847 (see next article), a most extraordinary change has been effected, and chiefly through the energy and enlightened views of M. James Fazy, a wealthy native proprietor. The ancient ramparts have been removed, streets widened and well payed, new and commodious quays constructed along the shores of the lake and river, and a spirit of improvement introduced which points to a great extension of the city. Among the latest improve ments is the construction of a breakwater, within which, as in a harbor, steani-boats are received and lie in safety, and from which they depart several times daily to the principal ports on both sides of the lake. The two divisions of the town are connected by several wooden bridges, and by a handsome new stone bridge, which was completed in 1863, In rushing through the town, the Rhone parts into two branches, forming two islands, on one of which still exists an antique and picturesque cluster of buildings; on the other, laid out as a public pleasure-ground, there is a statue of Jean Jacques Rousseau, who was a native of the town. btretching along a part of the new quay, on the left side of the Rhone, there is now a public promenade laid out as a jardin anglais. As forming a central terminus for French and Swiss railways, Geneva is a favorite resort of travelers, for whose accommodation there are several large and splendid hotels, commanding fine views of the lake and mountain scenery in the environs. The lan guage spoken is French, The principal edifices are the cathedral church of St. Pierre, which dates from 1124; the town-hall; the college, founded by Calvin in 1558, and con taining a library of 75,000 volumes; the Musee Rath, so called from the name of its founder, gen. Rath, and containing good pictures; the observatory, the finest in Switzerland; and the museum of natural history, containing De Saussure's geological collection, Haller's herbarium, the fossil plants of Brogniart and Decondolle, etc. The acadeinie (originally established in 1368, and reorganized by Calvin and Beza in 1539) was raised in 1875 to the rank of a university by the addition of a medical faculty. Among the many handsome new public buildings may be mentioned the post-office, a Catholic and an English church, this last accommodating the large number of English residents and casual visitors. The staple manufactures of the town are watches, musical-boxes, and jewelery; and for the sale of these and other fancy articles, there are many attractive shops. Altogether, Geneva is to be considered as now one of the mos!7 prosperous and improving towns on the continent. In 1870, the population of the city and suburbs was 68,165.