for him, whilst the other barks very loudly to make the monks hear, who hasten to the spot, and carry the man to the convent.

As there must be always a great deal of snow on these mountains, you will not be surprized to hear that sometimes it falls down in large masses. These masses of snow carry large pieces of the rocks and ice and great trees with them: they are called Avalanches, and come down with a dreadful noise; burying people and houses, and sometimes whole villages under them. Great vallies or fields of ice called Glaciers are found in the Alps; and some of the largest rivers of Europe, such as the Rhine, the Inn, and the Rhone, rise in them.

Switzerland is a small but pleasant country; having the Austrian Empire on the north and east; France on the west; and Italy on the south, It is full of beautiful scenery, and people go there from England and other countries to see its high mountains and fine lakes. From being so near to the Alps, it is cold in the winter, but very warm in summer. It is a healthy and fruitful place, and produces corn, flax, tobacco, grapes, and other fruits.

The Swiss are a religious people; plain in their manners, and industrious: they are good mechanics, and fond of their homes; yet many of them are great travellers. They tend a great number of cattle, and hunt the ibex, a kind of goat, and the chamois, on the rocks. The hunters of the Alps are perhaps the most daring and hardy fellows in the world. Switzerland, at one time, was governed by Austria; but about five-hundred years ago, the Austrians governing the Swiss badly, WILLIAM TELL fought bravely, and delivered his country. From that time Switzerland has been a Republic. It is divided into twenty-two Cantons or provinces, each of which has its own laws

and customs. Berne is the capital of Switzerland, a well-built, but not very large town. Geneva is a handsome town not far from France: the people there are the most polished in the country. The Lake of Geneva is very beautiful.

The rivers of Switzerland are the Rhine, the Inn, and the Rhone. Iron, copper, and lead are found in

this Country.

GERMANY.

PROCEEDING northward from Switzerland we come to Germany, a very large and fine country, divided into many kingdoms and states, but none of them so important as to deserve a distinct notice.

Germany contains a number of fine towns, many of them very old; some of these are called free cities, being governed by their own laws, and in no ways connected with the country round. The rivers are long and large, and there are several lakes. Some of the mountains are high, and the forests are spacious and thick.

The principal towns are Hanover, the capital of a small kingdom belonging to the King of Great Britain; Dresden, famous for its palace and beautiful china; Leipsic, where there is every year a great fair for books; Munich, which has a very large palace; Spires, where those who separated themselves from the Roman Catholics were first called Protestants; and Mentz, famous for the invention of printing.

The chief rivers of Germany are the Rhine, the Elbe, and the Weser, flowing into the North Sea; the Oder, flowing into the Baltic Sea; and the Danube, the longest river of Europe, falling into the Black Sea.

The German mountains are the Hartze and the Erzeburg. The Black Forest is very large.

Some parts of Germany are very mountainous; others, flat and sandy: the air is generally mild, and the soil produces many kinds of fruits and vegetables. Silver, iron, tin, lead, and copper, with clay, marble, and slate, are found in Germany.

The Germans are very intelligent: clever, and good workmen at most trades; they make a variety of articles, and all very neatly: they are fond of music, honest in their dealings, and kind to strangers.

BELGIUM.

BELGIUM is a small country, bounded on the north by Holland; south by France; east by Germany; and west by the North-Sea. It was formerly called the Netherlands; and not many years since belonged to Holland. It is now a separate kingdom. Leopold, whose first wife was the Princess Charlotte of Wales, is now the king.

Belgium is divided into eight provinces and has many towns of great note. Brussels is the capital, and is celebrated for its carpets and lace. Near Brussels is Waterloo, where the English and Prussian armies defeated Bonaparte's French army, June 18th 1815. Antwerp, a large town, was besieged by the French in 1832, and suffered very greatly. The Exchange in this place is a fine building. Ghent is a city on the water, having canals through all the streets. over which are three hundred bridges.

Belgium is a very flat country; scarcely a hill can any where be seen, except in the parts near Germany, which rise a little. The weather is generally wet, and rather cold: excellent corn and grass grow in the country: the houses are very large: iron, slate, and coal are found here.

The principal rivers of Belgium are the Scheldt and the Meuse.

HOLLAND.

This country, which is not very large, is bounded on the north and west by the North-Sea; by Belgium on the south, and Hanover on the east. It is even flatter than Belgium: a great part of it being below the surface of the sea, which is kept back by means of vast banks of earth and wood, called dikes: these dikes are very broad and level on the top, and are used as roads. They have been known to burst, when the whole country has been laid under water, and many thousands of people drowned.

As Holland is such a level place, it is far from being a pretty country: yet here and there some beautiful fields and forests are to be seen. A number of canals are cut through Holland, and are used for roads. The people, who are called Dutch, travel along these canals, in summer in boats, and in the winters, which are usually very cold, they skait on them on the ice Every person in Holland, even the children, can skait; and women frequently travel this way to market, skaiting many miles before breakfast with great baskets on their heads.

Holland was formerly called the Provinces. It has now nine divisions. rivers are the Rhine and the Yssel. islands lie near the coast.

Seven United
The principal
Several small

Many towns noted for trade are in this country. Amsterdam, the capital, is a large and flourishing place; a number of ships are always in the harbour. It is built on a great number of large piles or beams of wood driven into the ground; this is on account of the softness of the earth, which could not of itself support any heavy buildings.

F