448 THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBURG. 



rains are less bountiful than they used to be, and many meadows have reverted to 

 a state of nature. 



On the slopes of the Ardennes the climate is cold and variable, and at Luxem- 

 buro- the extremes of cold and heat are greater than under the same latitude 

 farther to the west.* The rainfall is less than in Belgium, and the rivers winding 

 throuo-h the deep valleys are of small volume, even the Sauer, the most consider- 

 able amongst them, being only navigable to Echternach, a short distance above its 

 confluence with the Moselle. A sky serene through the greater part of the year 

 allows the sun freely to exercise his potent influence, and the vineyards and 

 orchards of the Gutland yield rich harvests. The forests, which formerly covered 

 the whole of the country, have for the most part disappeared, but extensive tracts 

 survive, the largest being the Griinwald, to the north-east of the capital. Its 

 area is 6,200 acres. 



The bulk of the population is German, French being spoken only in a few 

 frontier villages. Ofiicial documents are nevertheless published in the two 

 languao-es, and French is extensively used in the courts of justice and Government 

 offices. The growing influence of French is easily explained if we bear in mind 

 that about 25,000 Luxemburgers reside in France. Paris being the great centre of 

 attraction to the dwellers on the Sauer and Alzette. 



The country is densely peopled in proportion to its cultivable area, but, besides 

 the capital, there are very few places entitled to be called towns. Esch-on- 

 the-AIzette (3,915 inhabitants) is the most important of the smaller towns, its 

 prosperity resulting from the iron mines in its vicinity. Mines and quarries are 

 also worked in other parts of the grand duchy, and the industrial establishments 

 include tan-yards, sugar refineries, breweries, porcelain factories, woollen-mills, and 

 iron works. Other places of some importance are Echternach (3,701 inhabitants), 

 Wiltz (3,282 inhabitants), Dickirch (3,127 inhabitants), and Grevenmncher (2,303 

 inhabitants). 



Luxemburg (15,954 inhabitants), the only real town of the country, occupies a 

 tongue of land bounded by the clifls rising above the Alzette, or Else, and its 

 tributary the Petrusse, or Petersbach. It was formerly a strong fortress, but 

 Luxemburg having been declared a neutral territory in 1807, its fortifications 

 have since been razed. Some of the forsaken redoubts aflbrd an admirable view of 

 the city, its factories and tortuous rivers, and of the surrounding meadows and 

 forests. 



The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg is an independent constitutional state, having 

 for its sovereign the King of the Netherlands, represented by a royal prince as 

 Stadtholder. Its neutrality is guaranteed by the great powers. The legislature 

 consists of forty-one deputies, elected by citizens paying at least 8s. annually in 

 taxes. The communal councils are elected by the ratepayers, but the burgo- 

 masters are appointed by the Grand Duke. The military force does not in reality 

 exceed 150 men ; yet the expenses of the State are pretty considerable (about 

 £27,000 a year), and the public debt reaches the respectable figure of £480,000. 

 * Temperature of Luxemburg : — January, 34^ ; July, 66° Falir. 



