WHO said that the whole of this small nation occupy themselves as usefully as the working bees of a hive?

The quote refers to the observations of the British author and historian Edward Gibbon, who described the industrious nature of the citizens of Switzerland in his work "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Gibbon admired how the Swiss people diligently engaged in productive activities, akin to the efficiency of bees in a hive, reflecting their societal organization and work ethic.