ZURICH, a city of Switzerland, and capital of a canton of the same name, is beautifully situated on the lake of Zurich, where the river Limmat discharges itself. This river, which divides the city into two parts, is crossed by three bridges. It may also be crossed at the flour-mills, which are built in the middle of this river. The principal public buildings are the cathedral, the Nlaison des Orphelins, the Meiser, the Afaison de Ville, the Helmshouse which contains the library, the Cas sino, and the churches of Notre Dame and St. Pierre.
The cathedral is a large Gothic building, but des titute of those beauties which belong to that style of architecture. It consists of a body and two square towers262 feet it height, placed at the south ern extremity of the church. The towers are square, and built of stone for about two-thirds of their height. The rest, which is polygonal and ter minating in a pointed dome, is built of wood and is covered with copper on the outside. The seats in the cathedral turn up, and each has arms like an arm-chair. It contains two churches. The cathe dral has a good library.
The Alaison des Orphelins, situated on the south west side of the river upon its banks, is a very neat building, having its principal and its back front of the same form. It is ornamented with six Ionic pilasters and a pediment. It has 13 windows in front and five windows in a line on the side, and is three stories high.
The Meiser is a very neat public building on the south-east side of the river, and at the end of the High Bridge. It has six Ionic columns in front, and is three stories high. There arc eleven windows in a line in front, and seven in a line in the side. The centre windows both at the front and side have a large balcony of stone. Above each window is a sculptured ornament. Above the centre of the building is a semicircular pediment with a triangu lar pediment on each side of it. The cabinet Phy siognomique is contained in this building.
The Maison de Ville is an elegant building, begun in 1794. It is built upon the river (which runs below it), at the north-east extremity of the low wooden bridge. It is a mixture of Greek and Gothic,
and is three stories high. The first storey has Tus can pilasters, the second Ionic, and the third Corin thian. There are nine windows in a line in front and three in depth, each window havingabove it a semicir cular and a tringular pediment alternately. Above the windows of the first storey all around there are placed within the pediments statues of eminent men. The list commences with Junius Brutus, Cocles, Suevola, all the rest being chiefly Swiss. The name of the person is engraven on the stone, and an appropriate Latin motto is carved beneath each. The principal door is of black marble, with a gilt lion above each column. In the lobby are two pic tures containing representations of all the fish found in the lake, to the number of 30.
The Helmhouse is built a little farther up the river on the same side, and at the north-east extremity of the Haut Pont. It is a good building, with arcades and shops below, and contains the public library above. There are five arcades fronting down the river, and three across it, and the water runs below it. The library is three stories high, and is like a church within, with two galleries supported by col umns. It contains besides the books two large globes, a bronze bust of Heidegger upon a marble pyramid, and several Roman monuments, some of which were found at Kloffen. In the apartments above is a small collection of minerals, and in one apart ment is a marble bust of Lavater and one of Gesner, and an alto•relievo of Bodmer, with some other busts of eminent men, and paintings of many of the burgomasters.
The Cassino is a very neat building of one storey, with a portal and six fluted Tuscan columns.
The church of Notre Dame has a neat spire, but is in no other respect deserving of notice. The church of St. Pierre has a square tower and pyra mid, and contains besides the pulpit a monumental inscription in honour of Lavater.