! . HU 



PRUSSIA. 



HTMtl 

 th. N 



oil improve* to UM northward; aloof the Friaohe. Haff and the 

 bank, of th. Pml and UM KUmen Uwn are .xtonaiv. tracts of 

 n fertility. Tho mo*i productive parts occur along the bank* of 

 NWUKU aud Vi.iula, when UM low river-bottoms are of groat 

 extent, and an. protected against inundaUon. by embankment*. The 

 mbankiu.au WMV erected alone *> Vistula, more than COO year* 

 jo. by the Teutonic knifhte : thy an above 1(0 mile* long. Th. 

 country which u thus Mcured from iaundaUoo* i* by far the moat 

 ferule tract in I'ruaaia. 



Tb. .Uvatioo U interrupted by the wide valley of the Vistula, and 

 oo UM west aide of the river it doe. not riae opposite to the termi- 

 nation of UM eastern portion, but much farther to the north. It 

 bgin. about 25 miU* ooth-wwt of Danxig, with a rather steep 

 went, od attain* iu greatest elevation in UM Thurmberg near 

 Sehooberg, which is nearly 1070 feet above th. Ma, and the highest 

 hill between the Han and th. Ural mountain*. From this place 

 It extends in a south-western direction toward* Behrendt, and 

 theno. to Markisch Frie.ll.ui, I, which is ou the boundary-line between 

 Pruaaia proper and Pomerania. So far it renmble* in all its 

 feature* a mountain system of a diminutive UM. It continue* 

 with a lra elevation and more extended slope* along the boundary- 

 UIM between th. province* of Pomerania and Brandenburg, and 

 terminate* in abrupt hills not far from the bank* of the Oder 

 opposite Schwe.lt and Oderberg. The soil of this elevation i* much 

 better in this part than it is farther east, but it U only of very moderate 

 fertility. To the *outh-at of the higher portion of the elevation 

 extend* the greatest waste in the Prussian monarchy, called the 

 Tuchler Heide (Heath of Tuchel), which i* 50 mile* in length and 

 from 20 to 25 miles in width. The soil U sandy, and, with the excep- 

 tion of shrub* aud stunted pines, it produce* scarcely anything that 

 i* useful to man. The spots of cultivable ground are few and of 

 small extent Towards the south, where it approaches the river 

 NeUe, an affluent of the Warta, the soil improves, and it is still better 

 between the two hut-mentioned rivers, but even here the fertility is 

 not great Between the Warta, where that river runs north, and the 

 Vistula, there is a large tract of country which yields abundant crops 

 of wheat and other grain. The tract which extends along the lower 

 course of the Warta to the Oder, U much less fertile. Ou the northern 

 tide of the elevation the country is of moderate fertility, but it 

 improves towards the shore* of the Baltic. A few miles from the 

 sea there is a tract several miles wide, which may be called fertile, 

 but the *hores consist of sand-hills which extend 2 or 3 mile* inland, 

 and occupy the whole coast from the eastern mouth of the Oder to 

 the fertile delta of the Vistula near Danzig. 



The Western portion of the elevation begins on the west of the 

 Oder, between Schwedt and Oderberg, and runs west-north-west until 

 it enters the duchy of Mecklenburg, through which it extends to 

 Holstein and the banks of the Elbe. Its mean height i* here 

 probably less than 300 feet above the sea-level, and the surface is 

 rather uneven, several hills rising from 100 to 200 feet above it. The 

 oil of that part which is within Prussia is of moderate fertility ; but 

 along its northern declivity, and as far as the shores of the Baltic, 

 including the island of Itiigen, it consists of very good land, which 

 yields large crop* of grain. 



The Southern elevation of the Prussian plain is connected at its 

 eastern extremity with the highlands of Sandomir in Poland. It 

 run* in a west-north-west direction along the eastern boundary ol 

 Silesia, where it rises to about 1000 feet above the sea-level north ol 

 the town of Breslau. In this part it is called the Heights of Trebnitz. 

 The elevation is interrrupted by the valley of the Oder between 

 Leubus and Great Qlogau, and farther on by the Bober, Neiase, and 

 Spree ; but it appears south of Berlin, where it is called the Fleming, 

 and i* 400 feet above the sea, or 300 feet above the site of the Prussian 

 capital. It terminate* not far from the banks of the Elbe, between 

 Magdeburg and Burg ; but a continuation of it appears on the western 

 side of the Kibe, and after leaving the Prussian dominions it continues 

 between the Elbe and the Weser to the vicinity of the North Sea 

 between the mouths of these two rivers. In these part* it is very 

 wide and comprehends the Heath of Luneburg, which belongs to th< 

 kingdom of Hanover. 



The country which lie* between the two elevations, west of the 

 meridian of 19, i* not distinguished by fertility, except in some 

 of the river bottoms. Berlin lies in a sandy desert, which contains 

 only (mall isolated tracts of fertile ground ; and this sterile country 

 In some parts overgrown with fine forests, extends northward to the 

 boundary of Mecklenburg, and southward to the Fleming. To the 

 east and west of thU waste, on both sides of the Oder, and towards tin 

 banks of th. Elbe, the country is much better, but still not very fertile. 

 The country to the south of the southern elevation is more favouret 

 by nature than the other parts of the Prussian monarchy. Com 

 pletely sterile tracts are rare, and of small extent, with the exception 

 of onu which forms the southern district of Silesia, and is contiguou 

 to the boundary-line of the Austrian dominions and of Polaml. Th 

 remainder of Silvia is fertile, especially the plain, which extends on 

 the l.-ft lnk of the Oder from Oppeln to Liegnitz. The same observa- 

 tion applies- to the province of Saxony, a* far as it lies south of th 

 southern elevation ; the country about the town of Magdeburg 

 noted for iU fertility, and is considered the granary of Berlin. 



aimaU. Th difference of temperature in the province* U con- 

 aidormble. The following approximations are given by Berghaus : 



DlvUloB*. 



Western Pruaala 

 Central Proula 

 Eastern Prussia 



Mean Annual 

 Temperature. 



tlFahr. 

 48 .. 



linn of 



61 



Mean of 

 Winter. 



SS" 



Berghaus observe*, that the mean annual quantity of rain in the 

 western division amounts to 20 inches, and only to 1 5 inches in the 

 eastern division, but it i* nearly impossible to determine this point, 

 a* the hitter division annually experience* very heavy falls of snow, 

 which it is nearly impossible to estimate, on account of the drift- 

 term*, which accumulate the mow in some place* to a great depth, 

 'hilst other places, which are exposed to their whole force, are quite 

 _are. The prevailing winds in Prussia, as all over the west of Europe, 

 blow from the west, and frequently with great force. 



Rirtrt. In Rhenish Prussia is the Rhine, which traverses this 

 i vision of the monarchy from south to north, and is navigable for 

 arge vessels and steamers as far as it flows through the Prussian 

 iominious. Its course above Bonn is rapid, and in some places eddies 

 Dccur, but they are not dangerous. Several rivers join the Rhine from 

 he east and west From the east it receives the Sieg, on which 

 irnber U floated, aud which is also navigable for 4 or 5 miles from its 

 mouth ; the Wipper, farther north, which is only navigable for a short 

 listance from its mouth ; and the Ruhr and the Lippe, both of which 

 are navigable for 30 or 40 miles from their junction with the Rhine. 

 On the left the Moselle falls into the Rhine at Cologne, and is navi- 

 gable in the whole of its course through the Prussian dominions, an 

 ixtent of more than 150 miles. Steamers ply on this river between 

 Cologne and Trore<, and even up to Metz; the stream is rapid, and 

 .he up-navigation tedious. 



In the eastern ports of Prussia four large navigable rivers, the ELBE, 

 ODER, VISTULA, and the KIEMEX traverse the elevations which run 

 through them from east to west Between the two elevations how- 

 sver the affluents of these rivers run east and west, and as many of 

 them are navigable for barges, they facilitate the intercourse between 

 .he countries on their banks. The navigable affluents of the Elbe 

 'rom the west are the Saole, which begins to be navigable where it 

 enters Prussia, the Unstrut, and the Elster ; and from the east the 

 Havel, which is joined by the Spree : the course of the Havel ia 

 nearly 250 miles, measured along the windings, and it is navigable 

 'or about two-thirds of that distance. The navigable affluents of the 

 Oder from the east are the Kloduitz, in southern Silesia ; the Bartsch, 

 which is navigable from Militch downwards; the Warta, which is 

 navigable before it leaves Poland and enters Prussia, with its navi- 

 gable tributary the Netze ; and from the west the Bober, the Neisse, 

 unl the Fiuow. The lake into which the Oder discharges its waters 

 before it enters the Baltic, receives the two navigable rivers, the 

 Ucker and the Peene ; by the latter sea-vessels of moderate size can 

 ascend to the town of Deinmin. The Vistula receives from the west 

 the Brahe, which becomes navigable at the town of Bromberg. 

 Between the Oder and the Vistula is the Persante, which runs more 

 than 100 miles, and is navigable more than 20 miles from its mouth 

 in the Baltic. The Elbing River rises in the lake of Drauseu, aud 

 though its course is not long, it is navigable, and of great importance 

 to the town of Elbing : it falls into the Frisches Haff. Farther east 

 the same lake receives the Passarge, which is navigable for small sea- 

 vessels to the town of Braunsberg, four miles from its mouth. The 

 Pregel, which also falls into the Frisches Haff, is navigable as far as 

 Insterburg for large river vessels, aud to the town of Konigsberg for 

 vessels of 300 tons burden. The Deime, which is united with the 

 Pregel by a canal, runs to the Kuriscbes Haff, aud is navigable for 

 large river boats. The Niernen or Memel is navigable in the whole of 

 its course through Prussia ; it receives from the north the Yura, which 

 about 10 miles from its mouth is navigable for small river boats ; and 

 from the south the Scheschuppe, which is navigable about 25 miles 

 upwards. The hist river which requires mention is the Dauge, which 

 comes from Russia, and enters the Kurisches Haff at its most northern 

 extremity, where it forms a part of the harbour of the town of Memel. 

 Vessels of more than 500 tons burden can enter the river and unload 

 in the middle of the town. 



Production*. Of domestic animals the numbers stated a few years 

 ago were horses, 1,600,000; horned-cattle (bulls, cows, oxen, and 

 calves), 4,003,912; sheep, 16,344,018, namely, 4,119,950 merinos, 

 7,846,752 of an improved breed, and 4,377,316 common sheep; swine, 

 2,000,000, bred in Pomerauia, Saxony, the provinces of the Rhine, 

 and above all in Westphalia, the hams of which country have long 

 been celebrated. Goats are bred only iu the mountainous parts of 

 Silesia, Saxony, aud Westphalia. There are likewise asses and mules. 

 Of wild four-footed animals there are stags, fallow-deer, wild boars, 

 hare* and rabbits, wolves, foxes, bears rarely, lynxes, beavers, badgers, 

 pole-cats, otters, weasels, and martens; the ermine is very rare. 

 Domestic poultry of all kinds abounds ; and of wild-fowl, besides 

 pheasant* aud partridges, there are such immense numbers of wild 

 geese a* frequently to do great injury to the farmers. Smoked geese 



