SCHAFFHAUSEN, ono of the Swiss cantons, is bounded N., E., and W. by the grand-duchy of Baden, aud S. by the cantons of Thurgau and Zurich, from which it is separated by the Rhine. It is one of the smallest cantons of Switzerland. The area is ouly 115 square miles ; and the population, by the census of 1850, was 35,300, of whom 1362 were foreigners aud 21 vagrants, and all professed some form of Protestantism, except 1411, who were Catholics, and 9 Jews. The language of the country is a dialect of the German. The surface of the canton is hilly, and the soil is mostly calcareous. 'I'ho geueml slope of the valleys is southward towards the Rhine, which drains tho whole country. Agriculture constitutes the chief occupation of the people ; the country produces corn, wine, flax, hemp, and fruits, espe cially cherries. The climate is mild, compared with other parts of Switzerland. The manufactures consist of leather, steel, cotton spinning, and distilling of klrichwasser. The canton has iron-mines ; most of the ore is smelted in the furnaces of Laufou, near the fall of the Rhine.
The canton is divided into six districts—Schaffhausen, Stein, Thayngen, Nennkirch, Unterhallau, and Schleitheim. The only towns of the canton are Schaffhausen, Stein, and Neunkirch, but there are many villages and hamlets. The government, since 1831, is democratic. All citizens of the canton who are 20 years of age are electors. Paupers, bankrupts, and criminals are deprived of the I franchise. Foreigners who purchase the bourgeoisie, or freedom of one of the communes of the canton, become entitled to the elective franchise after five years. The Great Council consists of 78 members. The Little Council, or executive, consists of nine members chosen by the great council : the members must be at least 30 years of age. The president of the little council is styled burgomaster. Both the great and little council are renewed every four years. The revenues of the canton are derived from an income tax, a house tax, patents, cantonal forests, ttc. There were 6222 land- and house-holders in
the canton in 1850.
The chief town, Schaffhausen, is built on the side of a hill sloping to the bank of the Rhine, and about 1200 feet above the sea. Tho summit of the hill is crowned with a feudal castle in perfect preserve tion. It is surrounded by walls flanked with towers, and has a fort, the vaults of which are bomb-proof. The streets are irregular, and most of the houses are old-looking, but many are modern and hand some. The most remarkable buildings are the cathedral, the church of St. John, the town-house, and the arsenaL Schaffhausen has a college, a public library, a gymnasium, several elementary schools, an orphan asylum, and a savings bank. The population is about 7700. The Rhine is crossed by a common wooden bridge. Steamers ply between Schaffhausen and Coustanz. Schaffhausen (.4ff-houses') was originally a hamlet of boatmen, and a place for unloading tho goods which came down from the Lake of Constanz, the boats being obliged to stop here on account of the falls in the river below the town. In the Ilth century, a largo monastery being built in the neighbourhood, a town afterwards grew around it, which in the 13th century was walled, and obtained the rank of an imperial town. In 1330 it came into the possession of the house of Austria, but in the 15th century it recovered its independence, and allied itself to the Swims cantons; in 1501 it was received as a member of the Confede ration. Skis, situated at the outlet of the Rhine from the Untersee, or Lower Lake of Constant, has a handsome bridge over the Rhine, about 1300 inhabitants, and porno remarkable old buildings. It carries on a considerable trade in wine. XcuakireA is a small walled town with 1200 inhabitant*, 5 miles W. from Schaffhausen.