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On the 12th April I made my way by Elgg to Winterthur. I missed Dr. Sulzer
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, which was a great pity. I had to hobble on my weak legs to Zürich. On the 13th, just as I was setting out on them, two coaches came towards me. On one of them I saw my brother-in-law sitting on the box as coachman, I saw my fellow-countrymen, all people I know, getting out to have breakfast. And so I could not restrain myself from speaking to my brother-in-law, to find out something of their plans and intentions for the journey. But they seemed to be making a secret of it. I learnt from my brother-in-law only that their journey lay by way of Zürich to Bern, then perhaps to Thur. Then it was left to me to guess or not to guess the intentions or mission of this Toggenburg embassy.My suspicion was, in fact, that they were delegated to enquire of the French authorities, perhaps from General Schauenburg, about the new French constitution, whether the adoption thereof could not be set aside. I seemed to read on their faces that they were not optimistic about this matter. I know that they had to follow their orders faithfully, in order to bring the people news and a report of it. This new Constitution, or Confusion, as the Appenzellers say, is printed and known all over Switzerland. The largest cantons and some other regions have adopted it, not because they agree with it but in submission to power, and of the two evils, adoption or war, to choose the first as the lesser evil. On the other hand the smaller democratic cantons are to date resolved to resist adoption by force of arms, in which I heartily wish them luck, and would willingly have done my little share, of doing heroic deeds like those of our Swiss ancestors.
Well, I walked on ahead of my dear countrymen to Zürich, to my dear Herr Obmann Füssli, and found the same, as well as the whole of his worthy family, to my surprise, now as ever always equable despite all adverse circumstances and vexations of business, and was again - for the first time this year the unworthy guest - in the house of this patriarchal family. In the evening again to my pleasant Riedle, to my dear old friends and benefactors, where as always I was received hospitably and humanely, and was so to speak at home there, where I could without constraint take care of myself, rest and make myself comfortable, truly a rare piece of good fortune for such as myself..." [Voellmy, v 2 pp 320-322]
[12th April The Helvetic Republic was proclaimed at Aarau at an assembly of deputies from ten cantons (which included Zürich but not Appenzell or St. Gallen), under the noses - and the muskets - of 1200 French soldiers. The new republic was to be ruled by a Senate and a Great Council, each canton having four representatives in the former and eight in the latter. Every hundred men aged over 21 in each canton elected an Elector, these electors nominated officials for the cantonal and national governments
13th April The assemblies of both Catholics and Protestants in the Toggenburg sent delegates to the French authorities in Aarau. They were reassured about the important issue of keeping freedom to practice their own churches' religions, but were warned that further resistance would bring military intervention.]
On the 14th April Bräker "makes my tour again as yesterday" and writes to his family again, on the 15th he writes to Girtanner. [Chronik, p 457]
"On the 16th [April] it was the same thing again. Except that I dined at midday at the home of Herr Hottinger, who was so often in my house when he was a boarder with my dear Imhof at Wattwil and sometimes played on his flute.
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Probably Dr. Heinrich Sulzer (1735-1814) doctor, agronomist and philanthropist, of Winterthur. Girtanner wrote Bräker a letter of introduction to him. The problem with his knee was probably arthritis. [Chronik, p 456]
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