The ministers and officers of the State are responsible for their acts. The assembly of the State consists of two chambers; the upper one having for its members the princes of the royal family, and the chiefs of those noble families who formerly formed immediate States of the empire, besides certain hereditary members, and members for life, whom the king names; the lower chamber is elective. The transactions of both chambers are published, and the sittings of the lower are public. Without the consent of both chambers no laws can be enacted, changed, or abolished; complaints of faults or abuses in the administration are brought forward in them, and they have the right of granting the budget. The king swears to the constitution when he receives the oath of allegiance. His person is sacred; and he is of age at 18. The succession is hereditary in the male line; the female is only to succeed if the male shall be entirely extinguished. Justice is administered by different courts; the clergy stands under consistories; and the Catholics have a vicar general. The 6 Catholic convents, which still exist here, are to be suffered to decay with the lives of their present inmates. Revenue.] The revenue of Wirtemberg amounted in 1826, according to Balbi, to 23,761,000 francs, or £990,041: 13: 4d. The debt was, in 1817, 30 millions florins, for the liquidation of which there exists a fund, which in 1824 had reduced it to 24,152,035 florins, or £2,717,103: 18: 9d. According to Mon. Balbi, it was further reduced in 1826 to 56,500,000 francs, or £2,354,166 13: 4d. : Military Force.] By the census of the Rhenish confederation, the military establishment of Wirtemberg was fixed at 18,000 men, and its contingent at 12,000, which were all called forth at Napoleon's orders, to assist in the grand Russian campaign, and most of whom perished with their French companions in arms. The number of troops furnished to the allies, during the first and second invasions of France, amounted to upwards of 20,000 men; but under the auspices of more peaceful times, the present sovereign has reduced his military establishment to 5,943 men; and fixed it at 18,995 in time of war. Every citizen of the State is, from the age of 21, subject to conscription for military service, which lasts 6 years. Topography.] This kingdom contains 130 towns, 128 boroughs, 1,115 parish villages, 2,410 smaller villages, 2,591 farms, and 296 castles. It is divided into 4 circles, which have their own administration. and are subdivided into bailiwicks. sive emigration, as it is not peopled beyond the means of subsistence; and, because in other countries, where the necessaries of life are obtained with much greater difficulty, and where the average population is still greater, few or none emigrate. He ha himself, however, assigned a very stupid reason for these emigrations, namely, the severity of church-discipline, and the prohibitions, against profaning the Sabbath, and the strictness with which the moral and religious conduct of the people is investigated; if so, then surely the people of Wirtemberg must be both very immoral and irreligious, who cannot submit to such discipline; and these emigrants must certainly be of a very different stamp from our old English Puritans, who emigrated to the wilds of America, not because discipline was too severe, but because it was too lax, and because they were compelled by statute to profane the Sabbath, in their native country. Perhaps the emigrations may originate in that spirit of enterprise and thirst for independence which intellectual improvement never fails in a greater or less degree to awaken, and which, seeing no prospect of being immediately gratified at home, invests some beloved object, when it seems to glimmer on the verge of the distant horizon, with all the attributes of glory, and pursues it with all the ardour which an inflamed imagination can inspire. co Austrian despotism has compelled the king-though not till after a resistance greatly to his honour-to put some restrictions on the liberty of the press with regard to political newspapers. 1st. The Circle of the Neckar.] This circle is an extensive valley, through which the Neckar flows, on both sides bordered by mountains and hills, which in some points rise to about 1,560 feet on the right side of the river are some smaller valleys, as the Remsthal, the Murrthal, and the Kocherthal. All these valleys are fertile and well-watered. Besides the Neckar, the principal rivers are the Ens, the Rems, and the Murr. The climate is the mildest of the whole kingdom. The population, chiefly Lutheran, amounts to nearly 390,000, who are mostly employed in agriculture. Cities of Stuttgard, &c.] Stuttgard, or Stuttgart, the metropolis of the kingdom, lies near the Neckar, and in the middle of Wirtemberg Proper. It is an indifferently built city, containing a magnificent royal palace, an academy for painting, sculpture, and architecture, established in 1701, a large opera house and theatre, several elegant public edifices, and 32,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Nesenbach, a few miles above its influx into the Neckar, nearly equidistant from the Danube and the Rhine, and 72 British miles to the N.E. of Strasburg. The city is small, but the suburbs are considerable and handsome. Though surrounded by a wall flanked with towers, it is a place of no strength, and has been frequently captured. It is greatly resorted to by invalids, on account of its baths, which are supposed to cure many diseases. There is an extensive gymnasium or college, with an observatory, several high schools, and a school of industry. The royal library contains 200,000 volumes, with a collection of 12,000 Bibles. The inhabitants manufacture silks, stockings, and ribbands: and the adjacent hills are covered with vines. Long. 9° 10′ E. of Greenwich, and N. Lat. 48° 50′.— Esslingen, on the Neckar, contains 5,591 inhabitants.-Heilbronn, on the Neckar, surrounded with high walls and deep ditches, has 6,885 inhabitants, and a city library of 12,000 volumes.-Kannstadt, on the Neckar, has 37 mineral springs in its neighbourhood. The ancient castle of Wirtemberg was till 1320 the residence of the reigning family. It is situated on a mountain 1,175 feet high.-At a little distance from Ludwigsburg, is the castle of Monrepos, the seat of the dowager queen. Above the borough of Asperg, rises a rock to the height of 1,037 feet, on which the fortress of Hohenasperg is built, which serves for stateprisoners. In the neighbourhood of Heilbronn, the best Neckar wines are manufactured. Weinsberg, at the foot of a mountain called Weibertrene, or 'woman's faith,' on which formerly stood an old castle, contains 1,703 inhabitants. In the valley around here good wine is grown.61 2d. Circle of the Black Forest.] This circle lies in and upon the Black Forest, which covers the whole western part, and spreads several of its branches into the interior: on the E. the Alb stretches. It has not so mild a climate as the circle of the Neckar, although several of its valleys are fertile. The Neckar has its sources in this circle, and the Danube flows through a small part of it. Having less agriculture, this circle is more industrious than the former, though there are no extensive 61 The name Weibertrene relates to an anecdote told of the town during the war between the Guelphs and Ghibelines. Duke Welf, or Guelph, had a garrison in this town, which was besieged by the emperor Conrad III., and being unable to stand out any longer, the emperor, whose mercy they implored, granted free departure to the women, and permission to carry with them what they thought most precious, but all the men were to be put to the sword. The morning fixed for their departure, each woman went out carrying her husband on her back. Conrad kept his word, and the town was spared. This anecdote forms the subject of a ballad by Bürger, a very popular German poet. manufactures. Spinning and weaving is carried on in the country, and in several towns. Ehingen, on the Schmiecha, with 5,000 inhabitants, is one of the most industrious towns of the kingdom, and contains some manufactures of broad cloth, and hosiery.-Reutlingen, on the Echaz, with 10,000 inhabitants, has some manufactures, and extensive tanneries. The buildings are almost all in the style of the middle ages. In the neighbourhood of Fullingen is the Nebelloch, a remarkable cave, with 6 grottoes, and the ruins of the castles of Stahleck and Greifenstein. Tubingen, on the Neckar, with near 7,000 inhabitants, is the seat of a university, with 5 faculties, 38 professors, and a library of 30,000 volumes. The very learned and pious John Albert Bengel, whose literary labours in Biblical criticism paved the way for those of a Wetstein, a Michaelis, and a Griesbach, was a professor in this university. 3d. The Circle of the Danube.] The population of this circle is estimated at 360,951. On the N. side of the Danube, almost all are Lutherans, but on the S. side the Catholics and Jews are numerous. It contains 30 towns, 32 boroughs, and 2,015 villages and hamlets. The northern part beyond the Danube is covered by the Ranhe Alb; the southern part on this side of the Danube consists of ridges of small mountains and hills. The soil of this circle, except on the northern edge, is more fitted than any other in Wirtemberg for the purposes of the agriculturist. The richest districts are those between the Danube, the Iller, and the Lake of Constance. Fruit is grown in great quantity. The roads are good.-Biberach, on the little river Reuss, contains 4,451 inhabitants, of whom 2,789 are Lutherans. It possesses some considerable breweries, tanneries, and manufactures of broad cloth, and is celebrated as the birthplace of the poet Wieland, and the scene of a battle between the French and Austrians in 1796.-Goeppingen, with 4,423 inhabitants, conducts several manufactures.-Near the little borough of Hohenstaufen are the ruins of the castle, from the early possession of which the Hohenstaufen family dates its origin.-Friedrickshaven, on the Lake of Constance, with a castle and 778 inhabitants, possesses a port on the lake which has been declared a free port.-Ulm is a considerable city, at the confluence of three rivers, the Blau, Iller, and Danube. Here the Danube becomes navigable by vessels of burden, and over it is a stately stone bridge of four arches. The territory belonging to it, now transferred to Wirtemberg along with the city, is about 26 British miles long, and 18 broad, containing 40 bailiwicks and lordships. Its cathedral, the largest in Germany, was 111 years in building. It is a vast structure, 416 feet long and 160 broad. It has five spires, the loftiest of which is 337 feet in altitude, and is, next to the steeple of Strasburg, the highest in Europe. It possesses a grand organ with 2,952 pipes, and some fine paintings of the old German artists. The inhabitants of Ulm embraced the Reformation. It now conducts a considerable trade by means of the Danube, in wine, silk, and paper, but its commerce has greatly declined. Its name is derived from the vast number of elm-trees in its vicinity. This city, like Augsburg, has an arsenal, a Protestant academy, and a valuable library. The diets of Suabia were usually held here. It lies 42 British miles west of Augsburg. Population, 14,000. 4th. The Circle of the Jaxt.] This circle is in most parts very well cultivated, and produces corn, wine, and fruit; but its principal riches consist in cattle, of which a great number is exported. Sheep are also numerous, and bees are extensively reared in some parts. The total population is about 320,000.-Hall, the capital of the circle, is delightfully situated on the river Kocher, and contains 6000 inhabitants, who manufacture annually from the salt springs in the neighbourhood, about 80,000 cwt. of salt.-At Ellwangen, on the Jaxt, with 2,293 inhabitants, considerable fairs, particularly for cattle and horses, are held.-Mergentheim, a town of 2,398 inhabitants, was formerly the seat of the grand master of the Teutonic order, whose castle is here.-Beutelspark, a borough, with 1,644 inhabitants, contains an abbey, with the buryingplace of the ancient counts of Wirtemberg. CHAP. XIII.-GRAND DUCHY OF BADEN. THE grand duchy of Baden, created out of the margraviate of the same appellation, holds the 7th place in the German confederacy, with 3 votes in plenum, and takes its name from the ancient castle of Baden. It is situated in the south of Germany; and is bounded on the N. by the grand duchy of Hessen; on the N.E. by Bavaria; on the E. by Wirtemberg, and the principality of Hohenzollern; on the S.E. by the Lake of Constance; on the S. by Switzerland; on the W. by France; and on the N.W. by Bavaria. It is entirely connected, with the exception of the borough of Schlüchten, which is enclosed in Wirtemberg; and it encloses, on the other hand, the canton of Schaffhausen, and the fort Hohentwiel, belonging to Wirtemberg, in its boundaries. Its superficial extent is reckoned by Stein at 280 German, or 6,000 British square miles; and its population at 1,090,910. Hassel states the territorial extent at 272.50 German square miles, and the population at 1,001,630. This calculation, however, was made in 1817. An official account states the population to have been 1,145,357 in 1826. History.] Within the districts of this duchy, which in the time of the middle ages belonged to E. Franconia, a branch of the Alemannian league, had spread itself at a very early period; and in the 11th century we find the first authentic historical notice of the first founder of the reigning house in the person of count Berthold I., who built the castle of Zähringen. He assumed the title of a duke, with the consent of the emperor Henry III. Hermann II., who died in 1130, took the title of margrave, which remained to the country and its rulers. After frequent divisions of the country between brothers, and re-unions of territory, two lines were formed in the 16th century by the two sons of the margrave Christoph I., who died in 1527. Bernhard founded the house of Baden-Baden; and Ernest that of Baden-Durlach. Both were Protestants; but the former embraced Catholicism at the end of the 16th century. The line of Baden-Durlach remained Protestant, and, after the extinction of the former in 1721, came into the possession of the whole margraviate. In the peace of Lueneville, the margrave Charles Frederic obtained by exchanges of territory a considerable augmentation of land and population, and the title of an elector. The treaty of Presburg, his entering the Rhenish confederacy, and the peace of Vienna, augmented the population of his dominions, which contained formerly not quite 300,000 inhabitants, to above 1,000,000. After the dissolution of the German empire, and his entrance into the Rhenish confederacy, he took the title of grand duke. He died in 1811, generally and justly regretted. He had not only increased his estates, but also greatly improved the administration. He was succeeded by his grandson, Charles: having lost his eldest son. The grand duke, Charles, was married to an adopted daughter of Napoleon, the princess Stephania, and died the 8th of December, 1818, without leaving a son. After the battle of Leipzig, he entered into the German confederation, and preserved the political unity of his State. A few months before his death, the new constitution was introduced. But he did not live to open the chambers. He was succeeded by his uncle, Lewis, or Ludwig, who opened the chambers for the first time on 22d of April, 1819, but dissolved them the 28th July, before they had decided on the budget. In the following assemblies, some misunderstandings seem always to have arisen between the States and the government. Physical Features.] This country is a large valley formed by the Rhine; on the E. terminated by the Black Forest; and reaching on the N.E. to the banks of the Mayne. It has few plains, but several pleasant valleys, which, with the accompanying mountains crowned with wood, the picturesque rivers, and fine cultivation, present a most magnificent panorama. The declination is mostly towards the Rhine, to the basin of which belong almost all the waters of the country. The soil is on the whole very productive. Mountains.] Parallel with the Rhine runs, from the well-known cataract, the principal ridge of Suabia, the Black Forest. It consists of primitive granite rocks, the higher points covered with sandstone; the granite is accompanied by other kinds of rock, and the principal ridge is surrounded with floetz mountains, between which lie the valleys. The highest points are the Feldberg, 4,917 feet, and the Belchen, 4,645 feet in altitude. Several remarkable caves with stalactites occur in this chain. In the N. is the Odenwald, a continuation of the Black Forest of less height. This volcanic mountain is intersected by a number of wellwatered valleys, and is covered with wood. To its highest points belong the Katzenbuckel, 1,898, and the Winterhauch, 1,792 feet above the level of the sea. Rivers.] The Danube has its sources in this country at Donaueschingen, but runs only through a small part of it. Of much more importance to Baden is the Rhine; to its basin belong the Mayne, the Neckar, the Kinzig, the Murg, and the Itz. Lakes.] Among the lakes, that of Constance, belonging partly to Baden, is by far the largest. It lies 1,161 feet above the level of the sea; but has not been entirely frozen since 1695. It is often extremely stormy with foaming waves. It contains 26 species of fish, and 20 of shellfish. There are two islands on the lake, viz. Mainua and Reichenau. The navigation is animated, but not much extended to the general commerce of Germany. Among the smaller lakes are the two Ilmensees, the Schluchsee, on the Feldberg, 2,440 feet above the sea, the Eichorersee and the Mummelsee. In the valleys along the Rhine we find a mild delightful climate, and a luxurious vegetation. From Manheim down to Basel all plants of the S. of Germany prosper in their full beauty. Every species of corn, fruit, and vine, grows upon the hills; even almonds and chesnuts are raised in this district. In the high countries of the Black Forest and the Odenwald there is a long winter, and scarcely any spring and autumn. However, there also the climate is healthy. Minerals and Mineral Waters.] Native silver, and different silver ores, are found in the mine of Wenceslaus, near Altowlsach, but no |