GENEVA, is a city in Switzerland, and capital of an ancient and independent republic of the same name. It is situated on the confines of Savoy and France, at the southern extremity of the Lake of Geneva, where the Rhone issues from it in two rapid transparent streams of a beautiful blue colour, which unite after passing the city. These two brandies of the Rhone arc crossed by twu wooden bridges, ctestitute of beauty, and divide the town into two unequal parts,. The principal part of Geneva is situated on left hank of the Rhone, upon a rising ground, about 80 90 feet above the level of the Lake.
Geneva is sorr.mndcd, except towards the Lake, with high walls ant: fortifications, which were begun at the coin mencement of the seventeenth century, under the direc tion of Agrippa D'Aubigne. The building of the bastion of Hessc, which is well worthy of being visited by stran gers, cost no less than 10,000 crowns, which Philip, land grave of Hesse, had given to the republic for this purpose. The southern gate of the city is remarkably beautiful. The double ditches round this gate are filled with water.
The town of Geneva is irregularly built. Some of the streets are extremely steep. The houses are lofty, con sisting frequently of four or five stories ; and in the com mercial part of the town, particularly in the Rue Basse, they have gloomy arcades of wood supported by huge wooden pillars, which rise to the very top of the house, and thus protect the foot passengers from the effects of the sun and the rain. In this street there are two rows of low wooden shops in front of the houses, separating the street from the foot pavements.
The upper part of the town forms a striking contrast with the lower part, not only from the splendid views which it commands, but also from the admirable houses that it contains. The Rue Nouveau de Beauregarde, command ing a splendid view of the Lake and the Western Alps, contains many elegant houses ; and the Terrace, which looks to the mountains of Sion, consists of the houses of AI.
M. Tronchin, I3oissier, Sellon, Saussure, Ste. which are large quadrangular buildings.
The principal public edifices and establishments, are the cathedral of St Peter's; the Hotel de Ville ; the arsenal ; the college ; the public library ; the hospital ; the theatre ; and the places of worship. The cathedral, situated in the upper part of the town, is a large modern church of Go thic architecture in the interior, with a fine organ, and win dows of painted glass. The portal is in imitation of that of the Rotondo at Rome. It is built of rough marble, and consists of a fine peristyle of six Corinthian columns, sup porting a pediment which is surrounded by an ugly substi tute for a dome, covered with tin. In the time of the Allo broges and the Romans, a temple, consecrated to the sun, occupied the spot on which the cathedral now stands. It contains the tombs of the Duke de Rohan, the head of the Protestant party in France, who was banished by the Cardi nal Richelieu, and who died of the wounds which he re ceived at the battle of Rhinfeld. His wife, the daughter of the great Sully, erected this monument to his memory. Another tomb is erected to his son Tancred ; and another to the celebrated Agrippa D'Aubigne, who died in 1630. The view from the top of the cathedral is very extensive and magnificent. The other churches of Geneva have no thing remarkable in their appearance. That of St Made laine is very plain without, but neat within ; and the church of Fustiere, in the square of the same name, is more like a large house than a religious edifice. The hotel de Ville is situated in the upper part of the town. It is an ancient and uninteresting building, with large Gothic halls, and has a singular paved staircase, without any steps, like an in clined plane. Between the two principal gates, is an in scription in commemoration of the abolition of the Catholic religion. The arsenal, like all other buildings of the kind, contains specimens of ancient armour, and arms for 12,000 men.