The brooks and rivers which drain the valleys traverse the basins generally with a gentle current, but iu the gorges they form nearly a continuous rapid, which is frequently interrupted by cataracts. It thus appears that the rivers of the mountain region are not navigable, with the exception of the Rhine, which is navigated by river-barges from the town of Reichenau. But even if their course were not interrupted by cataracts, these rivers could hardly be navigated, owing to the great changes in the volume of water, which occur very sud denly. It frequently happens that in a few hours a river rises several feet and inundates the low tracts contiguous to its banks, and in a few hours it subsides again. These changes sometimes follow very rapidly. Small lakes are very numerous. A few of them occur in the basins of the valleys, but the greater number lie in the mountains, being inclosed by high walls of rocks. Some of them are at such an elevation as to be covered with ice all the year round. Larger lakes do not occur within the mountain region, with the single exception of the Lake of Bricnz, but several of considerable size are found along the outer edge of the region, so that the larger portion of the lake is inclosed by mountains, whilst the lower extremity is within the adjacent plain. Such are the lakes of Luzern and of Thun on the northern, and the Lake of Lugano and the Lego-Maggiore on the southern side of the Alps. All alpine lakes are deep; in some cases the depth is 100 fathoms. They contain few fish.
II. The Hilly Region extends over the north-eastern portion of Switzerland, and comprehends the country between the Lake of Constanz, the Rhine, and the lower course of the Aar, between the mouth of that river and its confluence with the Reuss. The river Reuss and its tributary the Lorze, which issues from the Lake of Zug, separates the hilly region from the plain. The line dividing the hilly region from the Alps runs from the middle of the Lake of Zug to Mount lloch-Ezel, on the southern banks of the Lake of Zurich, and thence along the depression in which the lower course of the Linth and the Lake of Wallenstadt are situated, and which from that lake extends to the Rhine north of Sargans. This depression, which continues across the western district of the hilly region through the Lake of Zurich and the valley of the Limmat, terminates at the con fluence of the last-mentioned river with the Aar. The length of this depression is nearly 70 miles, but half of this space is occupied by the lakes of Wallenstadt and of Zdrich. The level tract which separates the two lakes, and that which lies between the Lake of Wallenstadt and the Rhine, are hardly more than 20 feet above the waters.
Part of the country inclosed by these boundaries is mountainous. This higher tract occupies the eastern portion of the hilly region. On the northern side of the low and narrow tract between Sargans and the Lake of Walleustadt above noticed, the country rises with a steep ascent to an elevation of between 3000 and 4000 feet, which increases as we proceed westward, and ou the northern shores of the Lake of Wallenstadt it attains an elevation of 7000 feet above the sea-level. This continuous range, which extends along the northern banks of the lake and descends towards it with a steep declivity, is called the Kurfirsten, and terminates on the west in the elevated summit of Mout Speer (6636 feet). It is about 4 miles wide. Its northern declivity is comparatively gentle. North of the eastern extremity of the Lake of Wallenstadt, a lower ridge, called the Grabser Alpen, branches off towards the north and connects the Kurfirsten with the mountain group called the Alpatein, which from east to west extends about 10 miles, sad whose lower offsets advance to the very shores of the Lake of Constanz, so that in length it exceeds 15 miles. Towards its southern border are the highest summits, of which the Santis, or Iloch-S.intia, attains an elevation of 8272 feet, and has a small glacier on the northern declivity of its summit. The Alto-Mann, which stands east of it, is only about 200 feet lower, North of these summits are several others, rising from 4000 to 6000 feet, but at the distance of 6 miles from the Lake of Constanz they sink down to 4000 feet, and gradually decrease hi height. This mountainous tract resembles very much the country north of the Dodi range, except that the valleys are somewhat wider; and an the mountaius do not rise to such an elevation, and have less rapid elopes, the pasture-grounds on the upper declivities are morn extensive. Very little grain is cultivated, but there are some fruit-trees and vines.
The remainder of this region can only be called hilly, and its surface is nothing but a succession of high swells with moderately gentle declivities and rounded or flat tope. These swells are some
times several miles long. In several places round-topped summits rise upon their backs. None of these high hills exceed 4000 feet above the sea-level, though several rise 3000 feet above the sea, and about 1800 feet above their base. The highest summits are arranged in small chains, which in the western districts are between the river Thur and the Lake of Zurich. The most eastern is called the Altmann chain, which divides the valleys of the Thur and the Toss, and terminates ou the Rhine opposite Eglisau. The western, called the Albis chain, from its highest summit (2921 feet), runs between the lakes of Zurich and Zug, and terminates a short distance went of Ziirich. The Albin commands an extensive view over all the adjacent countries sod the snow-capped mountains of the .Finsteraarhorn region. Between the lakes of Zug and Luzern stands the isolated monde of the Rigid. which Is much visited by travellers, and rises to 5916 feet. The distriot between the Lake of Constanz and the Thur Is comparatively level ; the hills rise to a very moderate elevation, and their slopes are so gradual, as to admit of cultivation. This is considered to be the most fertile tract In all Switzerland. The bike-shore between Arbon and Stein on the Rhine presents a succession of cultivated fields, orchards, vineyards. and artificial meadows. Besides males and all other sorts of grain cultivated north of the Alps, large quantities of hemp and flax are here grown. The soil of the remainder of this region is leas fertile ; the larger portion of the surface is used as pasture and meadow land. The country along the northern banks of the lake of Zdrich is very little inferior to the tract along the Lake of Constanz. There are many small lakes in this hilly country, and they contain more fish than the alpine lakes. The largest lakes of these are those of Wallenstadt and Ztirich. The Lake of 1Vallenstadt, the Lams Ripanius of the ancients, Is 10 miles long and 24 miles in width. It is in most places from 60 to SO fathoms deep. Its northern shore* are extremely steep, rocky, and high, and at the distance of barely a mile from them the Kurfiraten rage rises from 4000 to 5000 feet above the cos-level : on the south the shores are also rocky and steep, but less elevated, and the Mortschenstock range attains its highest elevation at the distance of 2 or 3 miles from the lake : at the two extremities it is bordered by low tracts. The surface is 1424 feet above the sea-level. The Lake of Zurich is about 24 miles long, 3 miles wide, and has the form of a section of a circle, the curvature being directed towards the south-south-west. It is divided by two projecting points into two sections, of which the eastern is called Ober-See : the surface is 1310 feet above the sea-leveL Near its eastern extremity is a level tract of some extent, but, with this exception, the shores are surrounded by gently-sloping hills, covered with vineyards, orchards, and cultivated. fields. In a few places it is stated to be 100 fathoms deep. The largest rivers of this region are the Thur and Limmat. The Thur rises in a valley which separates the Kurfireten range from the Alpstein Mountains, and at first rune west, but turns gradually to the north. After a course of about 30 miles it makes a great bend to the east, and then flows westward to its confluence with the Rhine above Eglisau. Its whole course exceeds 65 miles. Nearly one-half of it lies in a narrow but rich pastoral valley, the Toggenbiarg [Gam., St], between mountains; and the remainder of the course between moderate and well-cultivated or wooded hills. The Thur is too rapid for navigation. The Limmat originates, under the name of the Linth, on the northern declivity of the Dadi, and traverses the mountain region of that name in a northern direction, and in a very narrow valley until it meets the Lake of Wallenstadt. [Gtanus.) Formerly it did not fall into the lake. It Is subject to a very sudden and great increase of water, and it frequently inundated the low tract between the lakes of Wallenstadt and Zilrich, and destroyed the crops of that fertile district. In 1821 a canal was made, by which the waters of the Linth are carried to the Lake of Wallenstadt, and another canal in the middle of the low tract, which is wide and deep enough to receive all the water from the Lake of Wallenstadt, and to carry it to the Lake of Zfirich. This canal is called the Linth Canal. The river issuing from the western extremity of the Lake of Zurich is called the Limmat. It runs about 18 miles in a west-north-west direction, until it falls into the Aar, a few miles below Baden, in the canton of Aargau. The Limmat is navigated, but it can only be ascended by empty boats, on account of the rapidity of the current.