This national militia, which is not a stand ing army, is administered partly by the cantonal authorities, who have power to promote offi cers up to the rank of captain. The higher appointments rest with the federal government, which has charge of all general matters of im portance. The Swiss consider it an honor to serve in the army and a misfortune to be re jected. Considering its efficiency and the fact that it is raised by conscription, the Swiss army is a comparatively cheap one. The ex penditure is 11 francs ($2.20) per head of the population, while 23 francs ($4.60) per head is spent on education. All men rejected on ac count of physical defects or exempted, such as teachers, clergymen, police, etc., pay a military tax according to income up to the age of 40. Service being the same for all,.it is, therefore, a handicap for none. It interferes neither with personal liberty nor with the country's ptos perity; it imposes little burden on the national treasury and no burden at all on the national content. In proportion to population Switzer land is one of the richest countries, although it has not an inch of territory beyond its borders. The yearly value of Switzerland's commerce amounts to about $162 per capita of the population, as compared with $107 in England, and the country not only bears the compulsory system, but regards with pride and affection the army which is its result. Owing to its inland position Switzerland has no navy, and no need of one. Yet a ((Swiss admiral" did once exist, an Englishman named Colonel Williams, who in 1799 was in the serv ice of the Zurich government and commanded a small fleet on Lake Zurich, with which he was ordered to oppose the French army. When the latter, under Massena, routed the Austrians and Russians, Williams calmly watched the battle from the lake. Then, enraged at his own inaction, he discharged his crews, scuttled his vessels and took to flight.
History.— Switzerland is believed to have been first peopled by the Rhmti, who were driven from the plains to the mountains by the Helvetii (q.v.), a Celtic tribe. The latter are the oldest inhabitants of the country mentioned in history; they were conquered by the Romans in 58 ac. and A.D. 10, while the Rhwti were subdued by the same conquerors in 15 s.c. The Romans built military roads over the Great Saint Bernard to Basel and over the Julier Septimer and Spliigen to Bregnez and thence to Basel. The chief settlements were Aven ticum (Avenches) in the canton of Vaud; Vin donissa, which in the early centuries of the Christian era was the headquarters .of a Ro man legion with its Rhrtian cohorts at the con fluence of the Reuss, Aare and Limmat; Au gusta Rauracorum (Kaiser Augst) on the left of the Rhine near Basel; and Curia Rhwtorum (Coire) in the Grisons. East Switzerland as far as Pfyn in Thurgau and Pfin (ad fines) in the Upper Valais, belonged to the province of Rhmtia, while Western Switzerland formed part of Gaul. Under Roman dominion Hel vetia enjoyed a flourishing trade which covered the land with cities and villages. A trace of
that period still exists in the Romanic dialect spoken in some parts of Switzerland. The name Helvetii had become extinct even before the reign of Constantine. About 400 A.D. a great wave of barbarians poured through the peace ful valleys of the Alps, and Huns, Burgundians, Alemanni and Ostrogoths in succession settled in different parts of the country. The Ale manni occupied the whole northern part, where German is now spoken; the Burgundians the western part, where French is and the Ostrogoths occupied the south, where Italian and Rumonsh are the languages to-day. These races were gradually subdued by the Franks. and by the year 534, under the successors of Clovis, Switzerland had become a part of the Frankish Empire, which did not take possession of the country with its own nationals, but governed it through appointed officials. Chris tianity was introduced during this period and the monasteries of Disentis (now a school) ; Saint Gallen (named for Saint Gallus, an Irish monk, and now a bishop's residence), and Ein siedeln (now one of the most famous pilgrim resorts in the world), were founded, and dukes and counts were appointed as vicegerents of the Frankish kings. Under the successors of Charlemagne, Switzerland was divided: the eastern half was united with the duchy of Alemannia or Swabia (Schwaben), and the western part with the kingdom of Burgundy (912). After the downfall of the latter in 1032 the whole country fell to Germany, which governed it through vicegerents, the dukes of Zahringen. These governors in succession con ducted themselves as princes, assumed the name of their castles, and compelled the free inhabit ants of their Gaus (districts) to acknowledge them as their lords. They were in perpetual enmity with the Burgundian nobles and con sequently favored the inhabitants of the towns. They also founded several new towns, such as Bern, Frieburg (Fribourg) and Burgdorf. Throughout the Middle Ages, Switzerland and the Swiss were always in the eye of Europe. At times they presented the spectacles of a patriot people repelling the tyrant and invader with an unearthly courage and good luck; at other times it was that of a warlike clan, safe in the great mountain fastnesses, offering their fighting abilities to the highest bidder and ren dering for pay as high a courage and stubborn a fidelity as was ever inspired by love of coun try. Almost every European nation felt their prowess as enemies or allies. The Swiss was found at every court in some capacity. Peter of Savoy, Prince of West Switzerland, built the great Savoy palace in London, part of which survives to-day as the Savoy Chapel, built on the site in 1505-11; he also built the famous Castle of Chillon on Lake Geneva, immortalized by Byron, and kept great affairs going in both those far-apart countries. It is recorded that Machiavelli prophesied that the Swiss would some day be masters of all Italy, a prediction reasonable enough then in the light of the re markable military virtue and energy of the Swiss.