CHAPTER IX. 



THE PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODEE, AND A^STULA. 

 (Old Phtjssia, Axhalt, Lauenburo, Hamburg, Lubeck, Mecklenburg, and Prussian Poland.)* 



General Aspects. — Hili.s and Plains. 



LL that portion of Germany which to the north of Thuringia, 

 Saxony, and the Giant Mountains extends to the shores of the 

 Baltic, possesses great uniformity of geographical features. The 

 foot-hills of the Harz and the barren heaths of Liineburg bound 

 it in the west, whilst a wooded upland, abounding in lakes, 

 separates it from Russia in the east. The climatic frontier towards Russia is well 

 defined, for to the east of Baltic Prussia the winters increase rapidly in severity. 

 The whole of the country from the Elbe to the Vistula is a level plain. Thus 

 communication in all directions meets with no obstacles, whilst the Elbe opens 

 out the country towards the north-west. Hamburg, the great maritime city of 

 Germany, has arisen near its mouth. 



One physically, this region has now likewise become one politically, for the few 

 small states which Prussia has suffered to exist in her midst enjoy but an apparent 

 independence. The natural advantages possessed by this extensive region are 

 inferior to those of Central or Southern Germany, and even now the population it 

 supports is less dense than we meet with in Saxony, Wurttemberg, or the Rhine- 

 land. It increases, however, and large towns are becoming more numerous. 



The spurs of the Harz die away on the Saale, and only near Halle do we meet 

 with a few hills. Far more considerable are the spurs which the Giant Mountains 



Prussian territories 



Anhalt ..... 



Lauenburg 



Hamburg, exclusive of Ritzebiittel 

 Lubeck ..... 



Principality of Lubeck (Oldenburg) 

 Mecklenburg-Schwerin 

 „ -Strelitz . 



Total . 



94,328 



16,409,732 



174 



