INN, VALLEY OF, a valley of Switzerland, in the canton of the Grisons, bounded on the north-west by the moun tainous chain of Septimen, Julien, Scaletta, Fluela, Varai na, and Salvretta ; to the west by the Maloggia ; and to the south-east by the chain of Bernina. It extends eighteen leagues in length, from north-east to south-west, and is traversed throughout by the river Inn. This valley is named Engadine in German, and in the language of the country Engiadina, which some etymologists conceive may be derived trout words signifying the head of the Oen or Inn. It is one of the richest and most beautiful in Swit zerland, and is divided into two portions, the Higher and Lower Engadine.
As the valley of the Inn belongs to the primitive Alps, and lies in a high situation, the climate is rude during a long part of the year ; but almost every different quarter has a different climate. Winter continues nine months, and the inhabitants can seldom dispense with fire in their apartments in the course of the other three. The sun is never oppressive : a week seldom elapses without hoar frost during the warmest weather ; and sometimes the lint test day is succeeded by freezing in the night. Snow fre quently falls in June or July : the lakes freeze from the end of November until the month of May, and snow lies five or six feet deep. Earthquakes, nevertheless, are fre quently felt, the shocks proceeding in a direction from east to west.
The river by which the valley is watered rises in a small lake called Lungin, or Lugin, behind the mountain Septi men, and is at first called the water of Oen. It. falls into the lake of Sils, at Siglio ; leaving which, it is united to a much larger torrent, descending from the glacier Muretto, where several geographers place the source of the Inn. After being enlarged by a multitude of streams, and pass ing through the valley to Thupf, it rolls its waters across the plains of Bavaria. At Parsan it unites with the Da nube, there a much less considerable river, when it loses its own name for that of the other. The Inn is a beautiful limpid stream, characterized by fine and picturesque sce nery. There are twelve small lakes in the valley of the Inn, and twenty-five lesser valleys terminate within its boundaries.
The Higher Engadine extends seven leagues in length, from Mount Maloggia to Mount Casanna ; but its level ground is only from a quarter to half a mile in breadth. It universally presents the appearance of having been hol lowed out by the action of the waters. It is traversed by primitive beds of calcareous stone and gypsum, and con tains argil of all colours.
The Lower Engadine extends eleven leagues, from Brail to Pont St Martin, and is more fertile and populous than the former. Many thick forests of pine clothe the valley ; and the southern sides of the Lower Engadine are cover ed by those of fir, from which constant supplies are drawn for the salt-works of the Tyrol. Barley is the only grain which is cultivated. Legumes succeed well ; but there are few fruits, and the climate,in general, is not favourable to vegetation. The bread baked here is made to last
three, or even six months, and is thence extremely hard.
The inhabitants of the valley are of agreeable physiog nomy, laborious, active, and in a comfortable condition. Those, however, of the Higher Engadine, are represented as superior, in every thing, to the inhabitants of the Low er Engadine. They dwell in several villages, of which Soglio is computed to be at the height of 6300 feet above the level of the sea. All the villages of the high district contain good inns, those of the lower district are not equal ly so. Agriculture is prosecuted to a much greater ex tent in the latter, but there seems to be no manufactures of any importance. A particular essence, known by the name of spirit of iva, is distilled from a plant which is much prized in Italy for its musky and aromatic odour, and the plant itself is exported, in considerable quantities, to Saxo ny and France, for the same purpose. The population of the valley is annually decreasing, and luxury is making rapid advances. There is a considerable preponderance of females, probably from the resources offered for the en terprize of the males being too limited ; whence they have to perform many of the offices, which would more natural ly fall to the province of the other sex.
Most of the Protestant clergy of the canton arc natives of the Engadine ; and the Protestant religion is professed throughout the valley, except by the community of Ta rasp. The administration of justice is better in the High than in the Low Engadine, where the judges are accused of too great a propensity to severe punishment, and re sorting too readily to torture. Likewise, it is said, that the laws are very defective, and law suits tedious and ex pensive. Emigrations are not so general from the former as the latter. The natives repaired to Venice in great numbers from the thirteenth century ; and, in the year 1614, several thousand shoemakers, all from the valley, were found in that city. But their entrance into the Ve netian states was prohibited in 1766, since which time ma ny have principally followed the occupation of confection ers. Carrying their industrious habits to other countries. some are enabled to return, with considerable profits, to pass their old age at home.
The inhabitants of the valley have sometimes participa ted in the political disquiets of the neighbouring nations. All their villages were burnt by the Austrians in 1721 and 1722, and the valley became nearly deserted. Five years later, the Austrians were expelled by the Duke De Rohan; and the inhabitants enjoyed profound peace until re cent revolutionary wars which have agitated Europe. A French army having passed the frozen lakes in 1799, took possession of the valley, in the course of the aggressions of their government ; and in Switzerland several conflicts en sued betwen them and the Austrians, by whom they were finally driven out in the year 1801. (c)