The canton of Fribourg is rich and fruitful; but itsinhabitants are poor, in comparison with those of Berne.It was formerly surrounded by that canton; but is nowbounded by the canton of Leman on the South, by thedelightful Lakes of Neuchatel and Morat on the West,and by the canton of Berne on the North and East.
The situation of Fribourg, the capital , is very pictu-resque. It stands amongst huge rocks, and was for-merly surrounded by a thick wall and towers, some ofwhich are still visible, and have a pleasing effect at adistance. Its streets are broad, clean, and well paved;and it contains several elegant buildings, most of themof a religious order, and very ancient. Its foundationwas laid in 1107 , by Berchtold the Fourth, Duke of Zm-ringeun; who thought, and very justly, that its situationwas the most favourable in Switzerland for a town ca-pable of defending itself, environed as it is by lofty hills*with the Sane, a deep river to the South. The Berch-tolds are not originally Swiss . They were Dukes ofZseringeun, and derived their title from a castle of that