The loose cantonal system almost disappeared from the province in the south, although it lingered long in the northern regions of Gaul.
"Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius"
Samuel Dill
The protracted pressure of a French army of occupation on that already impoverished land proved irresistible; and some important modifications of the Swiss project of a constitution, on which the First Consul insisted, were inserted in the new federal compact of May, 1801. Switzerland was now divided into seventeen cantons; and despite the wish of the official Swiss envoys for a strongly centralized government, Bonaparte gave large powers to the cantonal authorities.
"The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2)"
John Holland Rose
That they could attain unity was a mere dream of their metaphysicians: they must rely on the cantonal organization, always provided that the French and Italian districts of Vaud and the upper Ticino were not subject to the central or German cantons: to prevent such a dishonour he would shed the blood of 50,000 Frenchmen: Berne must also open its golden book of the privileged families to include four times their number.
"The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2)"
John Holland Rose