194 



P 11 U S S I A. 



Prussia, mestic policy of Frederick the Great. In order to ac- 

 -Y ' complish this, he loaded many foreign commodities with 

 heavy duties, and established monopolies in several 

 branches of commerce." (Vide M'Culloch's Essay 

 <*n the Reduction nf the National Debt, page 107-) 

 Thus one company had the sole right of manufactur- 

 ing and selling tobacco, another were the sole importers 

 ' of salt, while a third enjoyed an extensive contract to 

 supply Potsdam with wood. The principle of restric- 

 tions is radically objectionable ; but it not unfre- 

 quently, as in the present instance, promotes the 

 cultivation and success of some particular branches 

 of manufactures at home. The linen manufacture 

 of Silesia, famous for ages, increased prodigiously 

 after that province fell into the hands of Prussia, 

 and partly perhaps in consequence of the policy, 

 though otherwise objectionable, of Frederick. " The 

 value of the linen," says the same author, " exported in 

 1740, did not exceed three millions of rixdollars, (about 

 L.500,000 of English money.) In 1796', 26,456 looms, 

 and 40,603 workmen, were employed in this branch of 

 industry, whose manufactured produce was valued 

 at 8,852,678 rixdollars, the exports amounting to 

 6,748,029. The neutrality enjoyed by Prussia during 

 a great part of the late war was extremely favourable 

 to this manufacture; and in 1805, previous to the un- 

 fortunate campaigns with the French, the value of the 

 exported linen had increased to between 16 and 20 

 millions of rixdollars." (76. p. 108.) The disasters 

 which Prussia experienced in 1806', and the subsequent 

 hostilities in which she was engaged, greatly retarded the 

 progress of the manufacture in question ; but, as she 

 is now availing herself more than ever of the advan- 

 tages of peace, there is every reason to conclude that, 

 in this species of industry as well as in others, she is 

 making rapid improvement. For much accurate and 

 valuable information on this subject, the reader may 

 consult An Essay on the Reduction of the National Debt, 

 by J. R. M'Culloch, Esq. section third, which contains 



, 'an elaborate and curious account of the progress of 



manufactures throughout Europe since 1775. 



But though the linen manufacture is cultivated chief- 

 ly in Silesia, it also forms the staple manufacture in al- 

 most every other quarter of the Prussian dominions. 

 In the provinces of Posen and Westphalia in particu- 

 lar, it is very extensively cultivated. And the number 

 of looms employed in 1816 in the whole kingdom 

 amounted to 207,870, being fully three times the num- 

 ber used in Silesia at the same period. The damask 

 manufacture of Prussia is preferred to all others, in the 

 higher circles in the whole of Europe. The manu- 

 facture of broad cloth is also carried to a great extent, 

 particularly since the introduction of the Merino and 

 Paduan breed of sheep ; and the best kind of cloth is 

 said to rival that of France or of England, and is about 

 a half cheaper than that of the latter. Cotton works, 

 though of recent introduction, have been established at 

 Berlin, Erfurt, Elberfeld, and various other garts.of 

 the kingdom. This manufacture, however, is not des- 

 tined to attain to great distinction, as the raw material 

 must be imported. The Prussians also manufacture 

 leather, earthen- ware, glass, paper, tobacco, starch, 

 potash, vitriol, beer, brandy distilled from the native 

 grains, and musical, optical, and mathematical instru- 

 ments, with types, watches, and articles of a similar 

 description. The want of coal is severely felt, but 

 what Mr. M'Culloch says in reference to Silesia is ap- 

 plicable to the whole kingdom. " The low wages of la- 

 bour, the great industry of the inhabitants, and th,e 



cheapness of provisions, will ensure the prosperity of 

 its manufactures." The manufactures of Poland have 

 been promoted, in no mean degree, by French refu- 

 gees, who, after the revocation of the edict of Nantz, 

 in 1685, sought an asylum in Prussia, and by their skill 

 and industry roused the Prussians to exertion, and 

 showed them their true interests. The descendants of 

 these refugees amount in Brandenburg alone to about 

 10,000, who still remain a separate people, and retain 

 their original habits and principles. 



The situation of Prussia in regard to the number Trade and 

 of her navigable rivers, and her various sea-ports on Commerce. 

 the Baltic, give her many natural facilities for Com- 

 merce. But in opposition to these facilities, she la- 

 bours under many disadvantages. The restrictions 

 imposed by Frederick the Great and his predecessors, 

 which, -though sometimes beneficial in a rude country, 

 where the people are strangers to mercantile or manu- 

 facturing industry, are found to be extremely pernici- 

 ous in an improved country, have not yet been en-- 

 tirely laid aside in Prussia. Duties are still levied on 

 goods imported into Prussia by the Rhine, and by the 

 Hanoverian government on goods imported by the 

 rivers that flow through their territories. And previ- 

 ously to 1818, a tax was imposed on the transmission 

 of commodities from one province to another. 7'he 

 commerce of Prussia, however, has flourished to no 

 mean extent, notwithstanding these disadvantages. 

 But as she is possessed of no colonies, and her sea- 

 ports, though exceedingly numerous, are not calculated 

 to receive ships of a great draught of water, her com- 

 merce can scarcely be said to extend beyond the limits 

 of Europe. The greater number of her exports are con- 

 veyed in foreign ships, of which the British exceed in 

 number those of all other nations taken together 1 . 

 Linen is the great export of Prussia, and is indeed of so 

 high a quality, and in such demand, that vast quanti- 

 ties of it are purchased in Holland, and sold there as 

 if it were Dutch manufacture. Timber is also a great 

 and permanent object of export, chiefly from the east- 

 ern provinces, though Brandenburg, it has been calcu- 

 lated, exports timber by the Elbe to the amount of 

 one million of dollars. Notwithstanding the backward 

 state of agriculture, Prussia, particularly the provinces 

 wrested from Poland, exports corn in considerable 

 quantities. The other chief exports are amber, wool, 

 pitch, tar, potash, linseed, tobacco, horses, cattle, and 

 from some districts, fish. The list of imports is as di- 

 versified as that of exports, including sugar, tea, cof- 

 fee, and other colonial products, wines, silks, fruit, 

 printed cottons, the finer kinds of hardware, furs, dye- 

 stuffs. The connexion of Prussia with Britain consists 

 chiefly in her sending thither corn, (when the British 

 ports are open,) and wood ; and. in her taking in re- 

 turn our manufactures and colonial goods. Mtmel, in 

 East Prussia, is the largest commercial city. The other 

 most frequented ports are Dantzick, Konigsburg, Elb- 

 ing, Stettin, Magdeburg, Colberg, Stolpe, Svvine- 

 munde. 



Of the several cities and towns of Prussia, (which Cities. 

 are extremely numerous,) an account may be found 

 in this work under their respective heads, to which we 

 refer the reader for information on this subject. At 

 present we shall merely give a list of the most impor- 

 tant, with the number of their inhabitants, and a re- 

 ference to their situation.. 



