were in possession of this little country were rich antipowerful; but the profligate conduct of one of them soinvolved his successors, that they were unable to ex-tricate themselves from the embarrassments in whichhe left them, and consequently mortgaged their estatesto the canton of Berne. The interest not being regu-larly paid, the whole property was sold to the govern-ment of Fribourg for a trifle.
Independent of the little capital of Gruyere , whichbears the same name, and is situated on a declivityunder the turrets of the castle, there are several beau-tiful villages and monasteries in this valley. Not farfrom the castle is a very celebrated convent of Char-treuses, which is an immense pile of building withouttaste or order, and makes a most gloomy appearance;as does Hauterive, another convent, founded in the year1008 , by a Count of Glane, who was himself the firstperson interred in it. This convent is surrounded bya forest which bids defiance to the sun’s enliveningbeams; and the dark river which slowly takes its courseunder the drawbridge leading to the apartment of thereligious, fills the minds of the visitors with horror, es-pecially when the massy bridge is closed, and the loudrattling of its chains, together with the howlings of 3huge mastiff within the walls, revibrate through thedismal cloisters. So sequestered, indeed, is this man-