1802. Bonaparte, first consul of France, offers his mediation to the Swiss. The Act of Mediation is framed and accepted, constituting Switzerland into, nineteen cantons, upon an equal footing, under the protection of France. The Valais, Geneva, Neufchatel, and other districts, are annexed to France.
1813. After the battle of Leipzig the allied troops pass through Switzerland on their way to France. The allied sovereigns refuse to recognise Napoleon's Act of Mediation.
1815. The allied powers at the Congress of Vienna acknowledge the independence of Switzerland within its former limits. New confede ration of twenty-two sovereign cantons, represented in a Federal Diet, ordered to assemble at least once a year, by turns at Bern, Zurich, and Luzern, to discuss all matters internal and external concerning the general interest of the confederation. The Diet was vested with power to declare war, make peace, and form alliances with foreign powers. No canton allowed to take up arms against another, but all serious differences between one canton and another must be referred to the Diet.. Each canton had a single vote in the Diet, in which measures were carried by a simple majority. The executive council of the canton in which the Diet assembled io any year, and which was styled the Vorort, or directing canton, had to carry into execution the resolutions of the Diet, and otherwise to provide for the well-being of the confederation during the prorogation of the Diet.
1830-31. Most of the larger cantons, whose representation was based upon the principle of property, effect a change by which universal suffrage is established. The proposed change finds a strong opposition in Basel, in consequence of which the town separates itself from the country districts, which form themselves into a separate republic, or half canton. Neufchatel, after some bloodshed, retains its old consti tution under the king of Prussia, who is prince of Neufchatel. Geneva retains its constitution with a small property qualification for electors. The Forest cantons retain their pure democratic form, with general assemblies of the whole male population.
1832. The Diet decides to revise the Federal Pact, and the Catholic cantons of Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden, from distrust of the influ ence of the radicals (whose object was to establish a closely united republio worked by a central government) form the League of Semen, which was subsequently joined by Luzeru, Freyburg, Zug, and Valais.
1834-36. Polish and other political refugees endanger the neutrality sad tranquillity of Switzerland, and are expelled.
1839. A new law comes into operation, to establish a system of education independent of the clergy. It is opposed at first by the Protestant pastors, who in Zurich put themselves at the head of the peasants, and effected a dissolution of the radical government. The Jesuits, who were the chief instructors in the canton of Luzern and some other Catholic cantons, become in consequence of this law, direct marks of radical antagonism.
1844. Aargau demands the expulsion of the Jesuits from Switzerland, and is supported in the Diet only by the half-vote of Bale-Camprigne.
1845. The radical party, In order to effect the expulsion of the Jesuit., organise bodies of armed men called the Free Corps, which, commanded by colonel invade Luzern and are defeated. The radical canton, refuse to dissolve the Free Corps.
1846. The League of Salmon dissolved, and the Sonderbund, or separate League of the Seven Catholic Cantons, formed for mutual defence against the Free Corps.
1847. A resolution from Geneva (iu which a revolution had taken place, giving the radical party the supremacy in that canton) is adopted by the Diet, which decrees (July 29) the illegality of tho Sonderbund, and (Sept. 3) the expulsion of the Jesuits. The Sonder bund protests, and both parties are for war. The federal army under General Dufour defeats the forces of the Souderbund at Freyburg (Nov. 13) and at Luzern (Nov. 24), whereupon the leagued cantons submit, and are made liable for all expenees of the war; the monasteries are suppressed, and the Jesuits expelled.
1848. (Sept. 12). Promulgatiou of a new constitution.
By this constitution the sovereign power is vested in the Federal Assembly, which consist' of two chambers, the National Council and the Council of State, or Senate. Tho National Council consists of members, elected by the cantons for three years, in the proportion of one member for every 20,000 inhabitants, the half-cantons returning ono member at least ; and when a canton has a surplus population amounting to 10,000, it is entitled to have an additional representa tive. The Council of State consists of 44 members, two representatives for each canton, the half-cantons returning only one each. The confederation, represented by the two councils, alone has the right to declare war and make peace, and to settle matters between the cantons and foreign governments. The federal assembly chooses, from among the citizens eligible to the national couucil, the Federal Council, which consists of seven members, and holds office for three years. The federal council is the ministry of the confederation ; its members conduct the departments of politics, the interior, the military, finance, commerce and customs, publio works, justice and police. The presi dent and vico-preaident of the federation, and of the federal council, are named annually in a united sitting of the federal assembly, and may not be re-elected for the space of a year after their term of office expires. The Federal Tribunal, also appointed by the federal assembly for three years, consists of 11 members and 11 substitutes. This tribunal decides in civil matters between the cantons, between these and the confederation, between the cantons and private parties, and in suits arising about the reception of the Ileimathlosen. For criminal business it is divided into sections. On the 28th of Nov., 1848, the city of Bern was chosen as the federal city by both chambers of the federal assembly.
(Franscini, Statistica della Svizzera; Lereaclie, Dietionnaire Geogra phigue-Statiatigue de la Suisse; Hoffmann, Die Deutschland and seine Bewohner ; Berghaus, Annalett der Erd-VOlkerund Staatskunde; London Geographical Journal, for 1854.)