NEUCHATEL, or NEUFCHATEL, nivsha' tAl' (Ger. Neuenburg). A western canton of Switzerland. bounded on the north by the Canton of Bern, on the east by the Canton of Bern and the Lake of Neuchatel, on the south by the Can ton of Vaud, and on the west by the French De partment of Doubs. Area., 312 square miles (Slap: A 2). The whole country belongs to the region of the Jura, and is generally divided into three parts: the region along the lake, ranging in altitude from about 1400 to over 2000 feet, and famous fro• its wine; the central portion, with an average altitude of over 2700 feet and producing principally cereals; and the forest region of the west, devoted ehielly to pas toral purposes. Hydrographieally the eauton belongs partly to the Aare and partly to the The principal minerals are asphalt. ce ment. and building s101105. ]1esides agriculture, viticulture. and stock-raising. the fundamental industries of the canton, the inhabitants are en gaged in distilling, and in manu facturing ealdes, electrical apparatus. paper. and chocolate. The Constituthin of the canton. origi nally adopted in 1858, provides for a grand coun cil elected uhreetly for three at the rate of IMP member to every 1000 inhabitants. The five members of the exec-Mice council are appointed by the grand council for three years. The refer 1.10111111 was adopted in 1879. and the initiative in 1882. For the administration of instiee there are a number of justices of the peace, several industrial arbitration court., and a court of ap
peals at Neuchatel. The canton is represented by rite members in the National Council. For ad ministrative purposes Neuchatel is divided into six districts. Population, ill 1890, 108,153; in It 126,279. Slost of the inhabitants are estants and speak French. Capital, Neuchatel The medixval courtship of Neuchatel passed in 1504 to the ilouse of lh-1c:tns-Lunc_ntcville. In 1707, on the extinction of the Neuchatel branch of the latter family, 15 claimants came forward, among them Frederick 1., of Prussia, whose mother was a princess of the Douse of Orange, which was connected by descent with the House of Chalons, to whose Rudolph of Ilapshurg had subjected Neuchatel in 1258. Fred erick I. was the successful candidate; and from his time Neuchatel continued associated with Prussia till 1806, when Napoleon bestowed it 'upon General Berthier. In 1814 it was restored to the Ilouse of Brandenburg. and in the sum. year beeame a member of the Swiss Confederacy. It became a republic in 1848. Its connection with the Prussian monarchy has been dissolved since 1857.
Consult: Grandpierre, //istoire du canton !le Neuelu tcl sous les rois do Prusse (Leipzig, 1889) Quartier-la-Tente, Lc canton de _Veit (qui tel. Revue hist origue ct monograph igue (Neuchatel, 1897).