PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODEE, AND VISTULA. 



335 



(5,350 inhabitants), famous for its horse fairs, and Deinmin (9,784 inhabitants), 

 the most ancient city of Pomerania. Other towns of note are Neu-8trditz (8,525 

 inhabitants), Neu- Brandenburg (7,495 inhabitants), and Friedland (5,086 inha- 

 bitants), the wealthiest town of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The principal towns of 

 the Uckermark, to the south of the Haff of Stettin, are Prenzlau (15,606 inha- 

 bitants), Paseicalk (8,538 inhabitants), and Strashurg (5,089 inhabitants). 



Prussian Silesia (Schlesien) lies almost wholly within the basin of the 

 Oder, but the hilly tract on the frontier of Poland and Galicia gives birth to 

 several rivulets which flow to the Vistula. The height of land between the 

 two river basins is rich in coal, and numerous towns have sprung up there. 

 Argentiferous lead, zinc, and iron are found in close proximity to the coal. The 



Fig. 193. — Towns of Upper Silesia. 

 Scale 1 : 2,500,000. 



u E.of Bans 



©Breslau 



Hll i lkrn -^ l 



Towns 0/2,000 to 10,000, of 10,000 to 25,000, 0/ 50,000 to 100,000, of over lUO.OOO inhabitants. 



Coat Basins 

 .^^^ 25 Miles. 



coal mines have been worked since 1784, and they yield now about 6,000,000 

 tons annually. No less than 500,000,000,000 tons of coals exist here within an 

 area of 530 square miles, and down to a workable depth of 1,970 feet. Unfortunately 

 this Silesian coal, with rare exceptions, is very inferior in quality. The zinc 

 mines yield annuallj^ about 33,000 tons of zinc. 



The towns in the coal basin all resemble each other, being composed of 

 factories and workmen's cabins, with the castle of the owner of the mine on a 

 commanding hill. They have very rapidly grown in population, but their 

 inhabitants, in consequence of the financial crisis which led to the closing of 

 numerous factories, have recently undergone much suffering. The largest amongst 

 these agglomerations of houses is Kônigshûtte (26,040 inhabitants). Beuthen 



