GENERAL ASPECTS. 



161 



rising near the shore of the ocean which then covered the whole of Northern 

 Germany. The geological constitution of these volcanic districts, and indeed of 

 the whole of the hilly region from which rise both the Main and the AVeser, is 

 far more complicated than that of the remainder of the country. The variety 

 of geological formations influences in turn the inhabitants, shows itself in the 

 configuration of the country, and favours the development of manifold industries. 

 It has been observed that the customs and institutions of the inhabitants of that 

 part of Germany are distinguished by originality. 



The Ehine, in the west, joins Southern and Northern Germany. That river rises 

 in the Alps, crosses the chain of the Jura, flows along the vale spread out between 

 the Vosges and the Black Forest, and finally forces its way through the barrier, 120 



Fig. 95. — The True Mean Annual Temperature of G-ermany. 

 According to Tutzger. 



M'(>H-Ge'-)nan m'-jd' 



.TeiTiioriea 



^ 



miles wide, which in a former age pent up its waters. The rivers farther to the 

 east, having been prevented by the Thuringian Forest from flowing in the same 

 direction as the Rhine, have taken their course along the northern foot of the 

 Alps, and formed the Danube, which loses itself in an inland sea. In several places 

 the basins of the Danube and the Rhine are by no means well defined. The 

 Upper Danube, as far as Ratisbon, flows along the southern foot of the Swabian 

 Jura ; that is, in exactly the same direction as the Aar, which follows the Swiss 

 Jura. Many of the smaller tributaries appear to hesitate whether to flow to one 

 river or the other, and at least one of them is fed through subterranean channels 

 from the Danube, and discharges itself into the Rhine, thus virtually converting 

 the Upper Danube into a tributary of that river. The Altmuhl and the Regnitz— 

 83 



