302 GERMANY. 



plateau to the south of Berlin, is one of the latter. A few hillocks to the east of 

 Berlin form the " Switzerland of the March." To the north of Brandenburg, 

 where the Elbe and Oder diverge from each other, a rocky plateau rises above the 

 alluvial plain, one of its summits, the Priemerberg, attaining a height of 660 feet. 

 The scarped cliffs, numerous lakes, and woods of this plateau present features 

 strikingly picturesque. In this region, which is exposed to the moisture-laden 

 atmosphere of the Baltic, we meet with some of the most extensive meadows of 

 Germany, one of them covering an area of 40 square miles. 



A littoral plateau of the same nature extends from the Oder to the Vistula, 

 terminating in a picturesque hill region known as the " Switzerland of the 

 Kassubes." Its highest summit, the Thurmberg, rises to an altitude of 1,115 

 feet, and shady forests, transparent lakes, and sparkling rivulets render this 

 country very charming. A third littoral plateau extends to the east of the 

 Vistula, attaining its greatest height (1,050 feet) in the hills of Lobau, east of 

 Graudenz. 



A considerable portion of the plain traversed by the Elbe, Oder, and Vistula is 

 covered with sand, and Brandenburg has for this reason been nicknamed Ger- 

 many's ** sand-bos." When the wind is high some of the villages are hidden in 

 clouds of sand, which penetrates the houses and covers the streets. Even near 

 Berlin there are sandy wastes where, in summer, we might fancy ourselves in 

 Arabia, if it were not for the pine woods looming out in the distance. 



Formerly, when the floods of the ocean covered what is now Prussia, the 

 icebergs drifting southward dropped immense quantities of rocks, with which they 

 were covered. In some localities these erratics are very numerous. In the more 

 accessible districts they have been removed, and employed for building purposes ; 

 but at some distance from the rivers they completely cover wide tracts, known to 

 the east of the Vistula as Steinjmhcen. And not only do they cover the surface, 

 but they are found to an unknown depth beneath it. Sometimes they occur in 

 huge piles, evidently resulting from the melting away of a stranded iceberg. One 

 of the largest of these erratics, near Gross Tychow, in Pomerania, is known as 

 the " Big Bock." It is a block of gneiss 40 feet in length, 33 in width, and 13 

 in height. These huge blocks are picturesque features of the landscape, but they 

 too often arouse the cupidity of quarrymen. The collection of erratics from the 

 bottoms of lakes, and even from the bottom of the sea, is a special branch of 

 industry, carried on by men who raise the stones by means of immense tongs, and 

 are hence known as Steinzanger. 



Similar blocks of Scandinavian origin are scattered over the whole of the 

 plain as far as the Giant Mountains and Sudetes, and in a few instances they have 

 even found their way through gaps in the mountains to their southern slope. 

 Glacial drift covers a considerable part of Saxony, extending nearly to Dresden, 

 as well as portions of Thuringia. On the other hand, no glacial drift whatever 

 is found in the fertile " Bord," or plain, of Magdeburg, and on the plateau of 

 Cujavia, to the west of the Vistula, stones of any description are so rare that the 

 metal required for the roads has to be fetched from long distances. The remains 



