GENEVA, LAKE OF, in French Leman, and in Latin Lemannus, is an extensive lake in Switzerland, resembling in its general shape the form of the inooll when she is a few days old. The concave side embraces Savoy, the con vex side the Pays de Vaud, and a line joining its extremi ties stretches in the direction NE. by E. Its length, mea sured along the great arch which forms the coast of Savoy, is t leagues, but when measured in a straight line across Chablais, it is only 144. Its greatest width, which is be tween the towns of Rolle and "Phonon, is 31. leagues. Its breadth at Nyon, near Geneva, is league ; and from this place it constantly diminishes to Geneva, where it is only 300 or 400 feet wide. It is about 620 feet deep about a league from Evian; near the castle of Chillon it is only 312 feet, but in an intermediate place in the environs of Meillerie its depth is 950 feet. The lake occupies 26 square leagues; and its height above the level of the sea is 1134 feet accord ing to M. Pictet, and 1154 feet according to Sir G. Shuck burg. The lake of Geneva is said to have once extended as far as Bex, about 4 leagues up the Rhone. The village of Port Vallais, once on the banks of the lake, is now half a league distant from it. From the year 1626 to 1726, a large tongue of land, half a league long and 120 feet wide, has been formed between Villeneuve and the mouth of the Rhone. No fewer than forty-two rivers empty themselves into this lake. The Rhone, which is the principal of these, enters it by three branches, and issues from it in two ; and after forming an island containing part of Geneva, they both unite, and at the distance of one fourth of a league be low that city they receive the Aar. In 1711, the Aar was so much swollen that it pushed back the Rhone, and their united waters flowed back into the lake of Geneva, which they discoloured even to the distance of a league from the town.
The lake of Geneva never freezes, excepting a few paces from its margin ; and in very severe winters it freezes between Geneva and the bank of sand. Its waters
have a beautiful blue colour; and such is the purity of the atmosphere, that a town upon its banks illuminated by the sun, may be easily seen at the distance of about forty miles. In autumn, fogs 1200 feet in perpendicular height often rest upon the lake, when it is the finest weather among the mountains. On the first of November 1793, during a fall of snow, a singular waterspout was seen at Cuillus by M. Wild. The foaming waters appeared to rise to the height of 100 feet, and the surface of the lake immediately below it appeared to be excavated. The lake is also subject to sudden agitations, similar to those which have been seen in Loch Tay. (See the article AGITATION ) The water rises suddenly to the height of four or five feet, and descending, forms a species of ebbing and flowing, which lasts for several hours. This phenomenon, which is called Seiches, is particularly seen near Geneva. There are no islands in the lake, excepting a small one with a few trees near Villeneuve. The lake of Geneva contains twen ty-nine different species of fish.
The most common winds on the lake, are the Bette or north wind, and the &chard or north east wind ; and the most dangerous are the Bite and the Vaudaise or south cast wind. Sometimes, when the Rise is very strong, boats can go from Savoy to Geneva, a distance of fifteen leagues, in 4 hours.
The lake of Geneva is undoubtedly the most beautiful lake in Europe, and that of Constance alone has been sup posed to equal it. It is impossible to convey any idea of its varied beauties to those who have not travelled along its banks. On the south east, east, and north east, it is en circled with lofty mountains 5000 feet high, while on the south, the south west, and the west, the banks of the Pay de Vaud rise in terraces from 200 to 600 feet high, resting on the flanks of the ridge of Jura, which occupies the whole of the western horizon.