plants peculiar to
Switzerland, besides others which are found in the same latitude. I
observed in a former chapter, that the great occupation of the
inhabitants of Geneva consists in the manufacture of watches, clocks,
&c. and having a desire to see some specimens of their workmanship, I
accompanied a friend, who had purchased a _musical snuff-box_, to the
workshop of its fabricator, who although he was of the first celebrity
in Geneva, had no warehouse in a more accessible situation than his
workshop on the fifth story. I afterwards found that most of the
watchmakers had their workshops at the tops of the houses, which here,
as in Edinburgh, are mostly occupied by several families, who have a
common stair-case to their apartments. I was much pleased with the
display of ingenuity in this warehouse, and found that many of the
articles were intended to be sent to Paris, to Asia, &c. Geneva itself
could not, of course, supply purchasers for such a profusion of
expensive mechanism. The _taste_ of many of the articles, is by no means
such as would ensure them a ready sale in London.

There are at Geneva many pleasant _circles_ or _societies_, who have a
common apartment to meet in within the city, where the papers are taken
in; and often a garden in the neighbourhood for their recreation. I was
introduced to one of these circles, and went to their garden, which was
large and well-shaded with walnut trees. About the centre was a large
pleasure house, furnished with billiard, chess, and backgammon tables.
Some of the party were engaged at _bowls_; their game differs from ours
in many respects, as here they prefer a gravel walk or uneven surface,
and they throw the bowl a considerable height into the air, instead of
letting it glide gently along. I became acquainted with a French
gentleman, much advanced in years, who had resided here chiefly since
the French Revolution. He told me his head had been _twice laid on the
block for execution_, and that the _whole_ of his family had perished
during the troubles in France: he therefore did not wish to return into
his country, which would only recall melancholy recollections; but he
rejoiced much to see the royal family again seated on the throne. It is
to be feared, that there are, in many parts of Europe, several
individuals in equally unfortunate circumstances, after the dreadful
carnage occasioned by the continued succession of wars with which it has
been ravaged. I must not take