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Yar River. On the west side is an extensive naturalcavern, opening to the sea. The entrance is in theform of a rugged segment of a circle, about twentyfeet high, and thirty-five feet wide; its depth is about1-20 feet. This can only be approached at low water;and even then the access is very difficult, from thejutting crags and lofty fragments of rocks that ob-struct the passage. At some distance to the eastward,about 500 yards from the shore, are two insulatedrocks, through one of which the waves have formedan opening resembling a picturesque arch. Theviews of this part of the coast from the sea are re-markably beautiful. The cliffs are the resort andbuilding-places of innumerable multitudes of marinebirds, whose various notes, mixed with the solemnroar of the waves that rush into the caverns, andbreak among the rocks beneath, produce a most sin-gular yet not unpleasing concert. The prospectfrom the light-house, on the highest point of theFreshwater cliffs, is extremely magnificent, and in-cludes a view of the Needle Rocks. The violence ofthe sea is continually encroaching on this coast.
Freyberg. A celebrated mining town of Saxony,circle of the Erzgebirge on the Miinzbach. It owesits origin to the discovery of silver mines in theneighbouring country, in the 12th century, whenminers from the Hartz mountains settled there in1195. In the beginning of the 16th century, Frey-berg had 30,000 inhabitants, but the thirty years’ war,that scourge of Germany, destroyed the prosperity ofthe place. This town contains some remarkable an-tiquities. In the cathedral is the tomb of the cele-brated mineralogist Werner. The city has a goodschool and library ; but the most important institution,which is unique in the world, is its mining academy,founded in 1765. Werner made it known all overthe scientific world, and some of the most distinguishednaturalists of the age have been educated there. In1791, a large and elegant building was erected, whichcontains the lecture-rooms, the library, the institutionfor selling mineralogical specimens, and the richWernerian museum, or collections illustrative of oryc-tognosy and mining, given by Werner to the academy.There are ten professors for the mining sciences andtheir auxiliary branches. Some of the Saxon studentsreceive instruction gratuitously, besides having anallowance, and labour in the mines, at their leisurehours, like common miners, for gi little higher wages.The chief mining school is preparatory to the aca-demy. There are also manufactories in Freyberg; butits chief support is derived from mining and the manu-factures connected with it. About 10,000 labourersare employed in the mines in the neighbourhood.The mine called Himmelfurst is celebrated for itsproductiveness, for the excellent manner in which itis worked, and for the machinery employed in it. It hasbeen worked for two centuries uninterruptedly, andyields annually about 70,000 dollars worth of silver.It afforded, from 1769 to 1818, 2176 cwt. of silver.Among the establishments in the neighbourhood ofFreyberg, are the large silver furnaces, and particu-larly the amalgamating works, where 60,000 cwt. ofore is melted annually. According to Breithaupt'sDie Alte und freie Bergstadt Freiberg in ITmsivhtHirer Geschichte, Statistic, Cultvr und Gewerbe, themines of this city have produced 240 millions of.Saxon dollars, or 80,000 cwt. of fine silver, in 640years.
Fkeyburg. Formerly capital of the Brisgau,now
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the chief town of the circle of the Treisam, in thegrand-duchy of Baden, to which the Brisgau wasceded by Austria, at the peace of Presburg (1805).FYeyburg is situated in a romantic district in theBlack Forest. Its minster, the Gothic steeple ofwhich is 513 feet high, is a magnificent edifice. Vaterhas published lithographic views of it (Frevburg,1826), and Schreiber has also described it. Theuniversity, which has some men of distinctionamong its professors, and in which the number of stu-dents increases, was established in 1746. It is highlycreditable to so small a country as Baden, which con-tains also the celebrated university of Heidelberg. Thevicinity of Tubingen is of some disadvantage to it; yet,in 1825, it had 600 students. Freyburg has likewisea forest academy and a polytechnic school.
Fribourg. A canton of Switzerland, which issituated between the canton of Berne and the Paysde Vaud. It is, generally speaking, mountainous ;but in many parts the plains are large and fruitful.A considerable quantity of the grain consumed in thiscanton is imported from France. The inhabitantsexport butter, and a peculiar kind of cheese which iswell known on the continent by the name of gruyere.The population amounts to about 70,000 persons, whoare of German descent; and German is the officiallanguage, but in many parts a French patois is spoken.The government is a mixture of aristocracy and de-mocracy; and ever since 1803 this canton has beendivided into five districts, which are termed Fribourg,Marten, Bulle, Romont, and Estavayer. Fribourg is2836 square miles in extent.
In 1476 a celebrated battle was fought in this can-ton, at the town of Marten ; and in 1798 the revolu-tionary army of France destroyed the monumentwhich had been erected to commemorate this victory,which was so dear to the liberties of Switzerland;but in 1822 an obelisk was erected to perpetuate theremembrance of the gallant and successful resistancewhich the Swiss patriots here offered to the duke ofBurgundy
Fribourg. The capital of the above canton. Itis remarkable on account of its singular situation; itstands partly in a small plain, partly on the bold decli-vities of a ridge of rugged rocks, half-encircled by theriver Sane ; and is so entirely concealed by the cir-cumjacent hills that the traveller scarcely catches theleast glimpse, until, from the overhanging eminence,he has at one glance a view of the whole town. Thefortifications, which consist of high stone walls andtowers, enclose a circumference of about four miles ;within which space the eye comprehends a singularmixture of houses, rocks, thickets, and meadows, vary-ing instantly from wild to agreeable, from the bustleof a town to the solitude of the deepest retirement.The Sane winds in such a serpentine manner as toform, in its course, within the space of two miles, fiveobtuse angles, between which the intervening partsof the current are parallel to each other. On allsides, the ascent to the town is extremely steep; inmany places the streets even pass over the roofs ofthe houses. Many of the edifices are raised in regu-lar gradations, like the seats of an amphitheatre.The principal buildings are the church belonging tothe Jesuits, the college of St. Michael, and the cathe-dral of St. Nicholas.
Fribourg has about 7000 inhabitants, and is sixteenmiles SAY. of Berne, and twentv-seven N.E ofLausanne. Lon. 7° !)' 8" E„ lat. 46° 48' 30" N.