At 3 p.m. we took our seats on the _diligence_ and were soon traveling along towards Berne, the capital city of the Swiss republic, where we arrived at 5 o'clock on the following morning. Berne has now a population of about forty thousand. It is the capital of the canton as well as of the nation. It is built on the River Aar. Numerous quaint and ornamental fountains decorate its streets; but the buildings are dull and heavy-looking, the windows being generally small. It is what might be called an old-fashioned place. The city derives its name from the word _baren,_ the German for bears. The figure of that interesting animal is conspicuous everywhere, on town gates, fences and houses. For centuries living bears have been kept at the public expense. The Bear Pit is one of the places of interest about Berne, as there is generally, in fine weather, a number of people collected there to enjoy the antics of the imprisoned animals. An Englishman fell into this pit on the night of the 3rd of March, 1861, and was torn to pieces after a desperate struggle. There are many interesting places about this remarkable old town. It has a fine old cathedral, built in the sixth century, with an organ, justly celebrated, said to be about equal to that of Fribourg, another town in Switzerland. The Fribourg organ has sixty-seven stops and one thousand eight hundred pipes, some of the latter being thirty-two feet long. There are also a museum, palace, hospital and other objects of interest. Our next stage was to the town of Baden where we took train to Schlieren, and then walked to the village of Weiningen, about six miles from Zurich, the principal city of the German portion of Switzerland. There was a small branch of the Church at this place, and it was designed that I should reside here for a time to commence my study of German. On reaching Bro. Hug's house we were received in the most friendly manner, and soon had some refreshment of which we stood in need. At night a prayer meeting was held in the house. I much enjoyed the spirit which prevailed, but understood not a word. The sound of speaking seemed to be continuous, and it was impossible for me to catch the beginning or end of a word or sentence. The Saints here numbered, in all, fifteen or sixteen, the fruits of the labors of Elder George Mayer who lives now, I believe, in Utah County. On the 6th, Bro. Mayer went to Zurich and I was left with my Swiss friends and my books. The family with whom I lived showed me every kindness. How strange it is when a person cannot make known his thoughts, nor understand people when they talk! The very sound of German was harsh to me; but I soon got accustomed to it. I soon learned that the authorities of Switzerland were very suspicious of anything like a gathering of the people and, therefore, all we did had to be kept very quiet. I did not attract much notice, however, because I was kept very busy in my endeavors to acquire the language.