BADEN, a county of Swisserland, lying on both sides of the river Limat. It is bounded on the north by the Rhine ; on the east by the canton of Zurich ; on the south by the Reuss ; and on the west by the Aar and the canton of Bern. This county is fertile in corn and fruits, and vines grow in some places along the banks of the Limat. Its extent is about 138 geographical square miles, it has three large towns, a borough, and several villages, and contains about 24,000 inhabitants. About the 10th century, Baden was incorporated in the German empire ; and, after being successively subject to the dukes of Zce ringen, the counts of Kyburgh, and Rodolph of Hapsburg, the canton of Zurich obtained possession of it in the year 1418, and made it a bailliage of the eight ancient cantons, Lucern, Uri, Schiveitz, Un denvalden, Zug, Bern, Uri, and Zurich. Thus it continued, till the civil war broke out between the Protestants and Catholic cantons, (A. D. 1712.) It was then seized by the troops of Zuric and Bern, and at the peace of Araw, was ceded to those two cantons and Glarus, which, having remained neuter, preserved its right of joint sovereignty. Till this
time the diet had always assembled at Baden, but it has since been transferred to Frauenfield. The three cantons alternately appointed a bailiff, who resided in the castle of Baden, the capital. The inhabitants enjoy the right of electing their own magistrates, and have their own judicial courts. In civil proceed ings an appeal lies to the bailiff, and from his decision to the syndicate, composed of the deputies of the three cantons, and, in the last resort, to the cantons themselves. In penal causes the criminal court con demns, and the bailiff has power to pardon, or to mi tigate the offence. By a decree of the French go vernment in 1801, Argovie, united with Baden, and the upper part of the Frickthal, was made one of the 17 departments, or cantons of Swisserland, from . which 6 representatives were to be deputed to the diet. (p)