CHAP. XX. THE DUCHY OF SACHSEN-MEININGEN.

THE western part of this duchy is surrounded by Eisenach, Gotha, Hessen-Cassel, Prussia, Coburg, Hildburghausen, and Bavaria. The eastern part by Coburg, Hildburghausen, Schwarzburg, and Bavaria. The surface is mountainous; the principal river is the Werra. Agriculture is in a good state, and there are some manufactures. The inhabitants are almost all Lutherans, with the exception of about 700 Jews. The establishments for instruction are good, and a representative constitution was given in 1824. The duke holds the 12th place in the confederacy, together with other princes of the Ernestine line, but has one vote in plenum. The revenue is said to be about 350,000 florins. There is no regular military, but only a small body guard, and a militia; the contingent for the confederacy is 540 men. Meiningen, or Meinenegen, is the capital. It lies on the Werra, and has 4,200 inhabitants, with a public library of 24,000 volumes.-Sonnenberg, in a narrow valley, is famous for the Sonnenberg ware, consisting of organs, children's violins, and toys of wood and pasteboard. At the village of Limbach, there is an extensive manufacture of china, employing more than 100 persons.

CHAP. XXI.-THE DUCHY OF SACHSEN-HILDBURGHAUSEN

The

THE principal part of this duchy is surrounded on the N. by Weimar and Schwarzburg; on the E. by Meiningen and Coburg; on the S. and S.W. by Bavaria; on the W. by Meiningen; and on the N.W. by Prussia. The country is mountainous, lying in and and upon the Thuringian forest. The principal river is the Werra. Agriculture is the principal occupation, and some wine is grown. Wood is a staple ware. establishments for education are particularly good. The duke holds the 12th place in the confederacy with the other Ernestine princes, and has one vote in plenum. A constitution was granted in 1815. The revenue is reckoned to be 200,000 florins. There is no regular military force; but the contingent is 297 men.-Hildburghausen, the capital, lies on the Werra, and has 3,529 inhabitants. There is a fine castle here, the residence of the duke.-Lindenau, with 347 inhabitants, has considerable salt-works.

CHAP. XXII.-THE DUCHY OF SACHSEN-COBURG-SAALFELD. THIS duchy consists of the ancient duchy of Coburg, and the principality of Lichtenberg, acquired in 1815. The former lies between Thuringia and Franconia. The principal part of Coburg is bounded on the N.W. by Hildburghausen; on the N.E. by Meiningen; on the E. by Bavaria and Hildburghausen; on the S.E. by Bavaria; on the S.W. by Bavaria; and on the W. by Hildburghausen.-The new possession of Lichtenberg is bounded on the N. by Hessen-Homburg; on the E. by Bavaria; on the S. by the Prussian dominions; and on the E. by the principality of Birkenfeld. The territorial surface is estimated by one geographer at 23, and by another at 29 German square miles, of which 11.28 belong to Lichtenbergh. The principality of Coburg is a large valley, through which the

Itz runs; the mountains are those of the Thuringian forest. The princi pality of Lichtenberg is a narrow valley, watered by the Blies. The moantains belong to the chain of the Wasgau. Coburg has a very mild and pleasant climate; that of Lichtenberg is rather severe. The establish ments for education are good. A constitution was given in 1816, and improved in 1821. The duke holds the 12th place in the confederacy with the other princes of his house, and has one vote in plenum. The revenue may be 600,000 florins, or £67,500. The standing force is 250 men, and the contingent 800.-Coburg, the capital, is built on the Itz, in a pleasant country. The population is nearly 9000. There is a fine castle, the residence of the duke, with a library of 25,000 volumes.— Saalfeld, on the Saale, contains some manufactories, and an iron mine.— St. Wende, the chief town of the principality of Lichtenberg, has 1,983 inhabitants, and conducts some manufactures, particularly that of linen.

CHAP. XXIII.-THE DUCHY OF BRUNSWICK.

THE duchy of Brunswick, or Braunschweig, consists of five large, and several small districts. It is wholly enclosed by the Prussian and Hanoverian States. Its surface is variously stated, from 1,126 geographical, to 1,452 British square miles. In 1826, the population amounted to 242,000. The possessions of the reigning house of Brunswick were conquered many centuries ago. They were allodial property of the house of Guelph and Este; being afterwards enlarged, the whole principality was consolidated in 1495. The country was taken possession of by Napoleon, after the battle of Jena, in 1809, in which engagement the duke commanded the Prussian army, and was severely wounded. The duchy was incorporated with the kingdom of Westphalia; but the son of the duke, who had retired to England, got possession of it again in 1813. He fell in the affair of Quatre Bras in 1815. His son being a minor, the present king of Great Britain, then Prince Regent, instituted a regency under his own inspection, and on the 19th of June, 1820, gave a representative constitution. The Harz runs through a part of the country. The principal river is the Weser. Agriculture is in a flourishing state, and there is also considerable industry. The population is mostly Lutheran. The duchy of Brunswick has always held an honourable place in German literature. The duke holds the 13th place in the confederacy, together with Nassau, and has two votes in plenum. The revenue of the state in 1826 amounted to 6,300,000 francs, or £254,166 : 13 : 4d. ; but the patrimonial domains of the duke are said to yield him £210,000 annually. The state debt was, in 1826, 8,000,000 francs, or £333,333: 6: 8d. The military force is 15,000 men; the contingent for the confederacy is fixed at 2,009.-Brunswick, the capital, and ducal residence, is an ancient well-built fortified city, situated in a plain on the Ocker, where it is navigable 8 miles below Wolfenbüttel, and 40 miles E. of Hanover. It contains a magnificent palace, a college founded in 1745, a cathedral erected in 1172, an opera house, a theatre, an orphan house, two gymnasiums, a house of correction, other public buildings, and about 36,000 inhabitants. It was formerly a Hanse town, and has two celebrated yearly fairs. The first spinning-wheels were invented in this place, in 1530.-Wolfenbüttel is a well-built, and tolerably fortified town, containing 8000 inhabitants. In the castle is a magnificent library of 200,000 volumes. This immense library was collected by duke Au

gustus, a learned, pious, and excellent prince, who died in 1666, at the advanced age of 88. The principal church in the town contains the sepulchral monuments of the dukes; 25 of whom, with their duchesses, lie here enclosed in leaden coffins, with suitable inscriptions. Three miles from Wolfenbüttel is an elegant chateau, in which are two galleries furnished with excellent paintings. One of these is 200 feet long, 50 feet broad, and 47 feet high; and the other 160 feet long, and 20 broad.— Helmstadt is an indifferently built town with two suburbs, containing 5,300 inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany; and is so called from the number of elm-trees in its vicinity. A university was founded here in 1576, by duke Juliers. For a long time, it maintained an illustrious reputation for the number of learned characters that it produced, and the celebrity of its professors, as Lampadius, Forsterus, Stukius, Reinneccius, Meibomius, Calixtus, Conringius, and Cellarius, whose erudite work on ancient geography was long esteemed a standard performance in that branch of science. But the university has now sunk into a state of comparative insignificance.

CHAP. XXIV.-THE GRAND DUCHY OF MECKLENBURG

SCHWERIN.

THIS country has a surface of above 5000 British square miles. It is bounded on the N. by the Baltic; on the E. by the Prussian States; on the S.E. by Mecklenburg-Strelitz; on the S. by Prussian Saxony; on the S.W. by Hanover; and on the W. by Luneburg, and the principality of Ratzeburg, belonging to Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

History.] The history of Mecklenburg is only known with any certainty from the time of Charlemagne. Herulians and Wendes inhabited the coasts of the Baltic, and the present duchy of Mecklenburg, in the earliest ages. These tribes having followed the general emigration towards the South, were succeeded by Slavonians coming from the East. Between two of the most powerful of these tribes, the Obotrites and the Wilzes, an ancient feud existed. The Obotrites, who, in the time of Charlemagne, consisted of the Obotrites properly so called, in the west of Mecklenburg, the Polabes, in Ratzeburg and Lauenburg,-and the Wagrians, in Holstein, conquered the Wilzes in East Mecklenburg in 782, and took possession of a large part of that country. The conversion and subjection of the Slavonian tribes occasioned long and bloody wars. Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, at length conquered these fierce tribes, and devastated their country with fire and sword. Henry afterwards made peace with the Wendish prince, Pribislaus, who embraced the Christian faith, and whose son, Henry Burewin, received Henry's daughter, Mathilda, in marriage. In 1170, Pribislaus was declared a prince of the empire. This chief was the ancestor of the succeeding princes of Mecklenburg, whose house is the oldest princely house in Europe, and the only one whose Slavonian descent is indisputable. The name of Mecklenburg comes from the ancient capital of the Obotrites, Mecklinborg, which was destroyed in early times, and is now a village between Wisenar and Brüel. After the death of Henry Burewin II. the sovereignty was divided between the four lines of Mecklenburg, Gustrow, Rostock, and Parchim; but the two latter became extinct soon after. John, surnamed Theologus, to whom Mecklenburg was given, was created doc

CHAP. XXVI.-THE GRAND DUCHY OF HOLSTEIN

OLDENBURG.

THE possessions of the grand duke of Oldenburg consist of three distinct countries, viz. 1st, The duchy of Oldenburg, bounded on the N. by the German Ocean: on the E. by Hanover, and the dominions of the town of Bremen ; and on the S. and W. by Hanover; 2d, The principality of Lübeck, entirely enclosed in the Danish dukedom of Holstein; and, 3dly, The principality of Birkenfeld, on the left side of the Rhine, almost surrounded by the Prussian province of the Lower Rhine. The surface of the whole possessions of the duke amount to 123 German square miles, according to Stein, and to 129, according to Hassel. It is probable they do not exceed 2,600 British square miles.

History.] This principality originally belonged to the house of Denmark; but in 1773, was exchanged with the grand duke of Russia, the late emperor Paul, for the district of Kiel, in Holstein, who immediately gave it to his cousin, the duke of Holstein-Eutin, and bishop of Lubeck. This exchange was ratified by the emperor of Germany, who, in 1777, raised Oldenburg and Delmenhurst to the rank of a duchy, by the name of Holstein-Oldenburg. The late duke, Peter Frederic Ludwig, was bishop of Lübeck, but administered the affairs of the duchy since 1785 for his cousin, who was mad, and whom he succeeded in 1803; he joined the Rhenish confederation in 1808, but his duchy was, in 1810 incorporated with the French empire. An indemnity was offered to the duke, which that high-minded man would not accept, being too much attached to his country to make it the subject of barter. He kept the

principality of Lübeck, and was, by the congress of Vienna, reinstated in his duchy, to which was added the principality of Birkenfeld above-mentioned. A representative constitution has not yet been introduced into this country.

Physical Features.] Oldenburg is a marshy tract, subject to frequent inundations, especially from the Weser, but abounding in rich pastures. A considerable part of it is moorish and barren; other parts are very fertile. Oldenburg possesses an excellent breed of horned cattle, and is noted for fine horses. The principality of Lubeck has the same climate and soil as Holstein. The country is very pretty and fertile around the lakes of Ploen and Eutin. The principality of Birkenfeld is covered with mountains belonging to the system of the Wasgau, between which are small valleys.

Population, Government, &c.] The population of this duchy has been estimated so high as 325,000, and so low as 218,000; we think Balbi's statement more correct, which makes the population to have been, in 1826, 241,000. In Oldenburg and Lübeck, the inhabitants are of the Low German race, and mostly Lutherans by creed; in Birkenfeld-the population of which does not exceed 22,000-they are of the Rhenish German race. The duke holds, together with Anhalt and Schwarzburg, the 15th place in the confederacy, with one vote in plenum. The succession is in the male line, and the administration of the country is said to be very good. Education is here much neglected. Parochial schools are difficult to maintain, in consequence of the thinness of the population; they have, however, been considerably improved. The revenue, in 1826, amounted to 3,878,000 francs, or £160,625. The military

There

force amounts to 1,650 men, but the contingent is 2,177 men. are few manufactures in Oldenburg and Lubeck; but there are some in Birkenfeld, a barren country, whose inhabitants are necessitated to support themselves in this way.

Topography.] There are nine towns, 10 boroughs, and 776 hamlets in this country. The principal towns are in the duchy of Oldenburg. The capital of the same name contains a population of 6000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Hunte.-Elsfleth, with 1,562 inhabitants, is situated upon the junction of the Hunte and the Weser; and a considerable revenue is drawn here from the toll which ships are obliged to pay.-Eutin, in the principality of Lübeck, is a neat little town, with about 3000 inhabitants. The town of Birkenfeld has 1,061 inhabitants.

Lordship of Kniephausen.] Enclosed between East Friesland, Jena, and Oldenburg, lies the lordship of Kniephausen, a small territory of about 30 British square miles, with 2,820 inhabitants. This district formerly formed an immediate state of the empire, belonging to the count of Bentink; but in 1810, it was incorporated with France. In 1813, the count, who had been accused of favouring the allies, was conducted as a prisoner to Paris; and on his return, after the battle of Leipsic, he found his country occupied by Russian troops, who had taken possession of it, in the name of Russia, for the duke of Oldenburg, the brotherin-law of the czar. The count protested against this measure, and the affair remained undecided at the congress of Vienna. We believe the Juke of Oldenburg still retains the administration of this little territory.

CHAP. XXVII.-THE DUCHY OF NASSAU.

THE duchy of Nassau takes its name from an ancient castle, of which the ruins are still visible on a mountain near the town of Nassau. It lies in the middle of Germany, and is bounded on the N.W. and N. by the Prussian dominions; on the N.E. by the grand duchy of Hessen, which encloses the district of Reichelsheim belonging to this duchy; on the E. by the Prussian dominions, Hessen, and Hessen-Homburg; on the S.E. by the territory of Frankfort; and on the W. by the Prussian dominions. The surface has been given by one geographer at 101, and by another at 106 German square miles; but according to the best maps, it cannot exceed 91 German, or 1,960 British square miles.

History.] The founder of the reigning family of Nassau, Otto of Lauenburg, brother of king Conrad I., appears in history in the 10th century. Among his successors, Walram the I., who died in 1020, founded two reigning lines. The elder Walram II. continued the line of Lauenburg, which afterwards took the name of Nassau from the above-mentioned castle; the younger son Otto married the heiress of Gueldres, and founded the line of Nassau-Gueldres, which was extinguished in 1523. In 1255, the country was again partitioned between the sons of Henry II.; Walram the elder took the southern, and Otto the younger the northern countries. Both these lines are still flourishing. Walram's son, Adolphus, was elected German emperor in 1292, and lost his life, in 1298, in battle against Albrecht of Austria. After his death, several divisions again took place; but in 1605, Count Ludwig II. united all the country under one chief. His sons founded the three lines of Saarbrück, Isbrin, and Weilburg. The latter has united, since 1816, all the