A U S 



The foil' of the Auftn'p.n dominions is upon the whole 

 extremely fLitile and pvoduftive, in fpite of the negleft of 

 indullry, which has permitted many parts of Hungaiy, and 

 of the Poliih provinces, to pafs into wide forcRs and 

 raarfhes. In Auftria Proper, Mr. Marfhal obfcnes (Tra- 

 vels, vol. iii. p. 104.), that oats were little cultivated; the 

 oth.er prodiifts were fuch ?.s thcfe of England, particularly 

 abundance of cabbages and potatoes ; but the cultivation 

 was not neat, fmall v.afte fpots being left by t!ie plough, 

 which harboured weeds to the great detriment of the field. 

 The vineyards and fields of faSron were numerous ; cattle 

 appeared in abundance ; and large herds of fuine, v.hich 

 fed all the fummer in the v^oods. At a more recent period, 

 Mr. Coxe (Travels in Poland, &c. vol. i. p. 153, &c.) gi%-es 

 a deplorable pifture of the want of cultivation in the fouthern 

 prosinces of Poland, now fiibjeft to Auftria ; the country 

 being chiefly overfprcad with vaft trails of gloomy forclls, 

 and exhibiting few fyrnptoms of an inhabited, and ilill Icis 

 of a civilized countiy. In travelling tiie high road from 

 Cracow to Warfaw, in the courfe of 258 miles, he met 

 with only two carriages and a dozen carts. The country 

 was equally thin of human habitations ; a few wooden 

 ^illa'^es fucceeded one another at long intervals, whofe 

 miferable appearance corrcfponded with the wrctchednefs 

 of the furrounding countr)'. The darknefs of the night, 

 daring which he travelled for want of decent accomoda- 

 tion, deprived him of nothing but the fight of indif- 

 ferent crops of corn, gloomy foreil':, and objects of human 

 mifery. The natives were poorer, humbler, and more mifer- 

 able, than any he had obfcrved in the courle of his travels; 

 wherever he ftopped, they flocked around him in crowds, 

 and demanded charity with the mod abjecl gcllures. The 

 whole country is for the moil part fandy or marfliy. Ac- 

 cording to this defcription, Auilria fccms to have made no 

 great acquifitiou in the Polith provinces. 



The domellic animals in the Aullrian dominions are com- 

 monly excellent, particularly the cattle. The mineralogy 

 of thefe territories is the moll various and intercfl;ing of 

 any in Europe. There is fcarcely a province from the 

 frontiers of SwilTerland to thofe of Turkey, which cannot 

 boaft of its minerals , and the acquifitions made by the houfe 

 of Auftria in Poland, contain one of the mod remarkable 

 mines in Europe, the faline excavations of Wilizka. See 

 Salt, and WiLixKA. See alfo Bohemia, and Moravia. 



The fertile archduchy of Auflria funiifhes few minerals ; 

 though mines of gold are found near the abbey Gocttwig, and 

 thofe of alnm near Krems ; falt-petre, however, is prepared in 

 abundance ; and at a little dillance from St. Annaberg, near 

 the frontiers of Stiria, a rich mine of filver was opened in 

 1754. The fouthern provinces of Stiria, Carinthia, and 

 Carniola, afford many important minerals. See thefe arti- 

 cles. The northern parts of Italy, now fubjeft to Auftria, 

 have been remarkable for mineralogy ; but on paffing into 

 the Tyrol, feveral mines occur of ancient reputation, fuch 

 as that of iilver and lead near Lermos ; and in the fame 

 quarter, thofe of Naferiat, in the Verner mountains, about 

 30 miles north-weft of Infpruck, which are rich in iilver, 

 copper, lead, and iron; nor is the fouthern region of 

 Trent wholly deftitute of mines. But the principal mines 

 in the Auftrian dominions are fituated in the caftern pro- 

 i-inces of Hungary and Transylvania. See alfo Chlm- 

 KiTZ, and Shf MsiTZ. 



The cUmate of Auftria Proper is commonly mild and 

 falubrious, though occafionally expofed to violent winds ; 

 2nd the fouthern provinces in general enjoy a dehghtful 

 temperature, excepting merely the fcveritieii of Alpine win- 



A U S 



ter in the mo'intainous parts. The more rorthem regioiu 

 of Bohemia and Moravia, with the late acquifitio.-is in Po- 

 land, can likewifc boaft of the maturity of l!ie grape, and 

 of gentle and favourable weather. The numcroui lakes and 

 morafles of Hungary, and the prodigious pLins refcmbling 

 deferts, are fnppofcd tc ir'.der the air damp and unwholc- 

 fome, the cold of tlie night rivalling tlic licat of the day ; 

 but the keen blafts from the Carj^>athian mountains feem iii 

 fome meafure to remedy thefe evils, the inhabitants being 

 remarkable for health and vigour. 



The manufafturcs f:cm not to have been cultivated 

 to any great extent in any part of the Auftrian domi- 

 nions. Thofe of Vienna are tlie moft confidcrable. (.Sec 

 ViEN-NA, and alfo Bohemia.) The commerce of thefe 

 dominions depends principally on their native opulence ; 

 Auftria Proper, and the fouthern provinces, producinc; 

 abundance of horfcs arid cattle, corn, flar, faiTron, and 

 various wines, with ftveral metals, particularly quick, 

 filver from the mines of Idria. Bohemia and Moravia are 

 alfo rich in oxen and (lieep, corn, flax, and hemp ; in which 

 they are rivalled by the difmcmbcred provinces of Poland. 

 The linen mar.ufadturcs of Bohemia, according to Hoeck, 

 amount annually to 16,000,000 florins, befiScs fome in 

 wool and in cotton. The woollen manufatlurc at Lintz em- 

 ploys 30,000 perfons ; and in the whole archduchy of Auftria 

 there are feven great manufactures of cotton cloth, which 

 occupy i.p.coo individuals. The wide and marlhy plains 

 of Hungan.', afford excellent pallurage for numerous herds 

 of cattle ; and other parts ot the fame country produce com, 

 rice, the rich wines of Tokay, and tobacco of an excellent 

 flavour, with extenfive mines cT various metals and minerals. 

 Upon the whole, the Auftrian territories in general abound 

 to fuch a degree with the various neceffaries and luxuries 

 of life, which are found either in the north or foiith of 

 Europe, that the imports would feem to be few and incon- 

 fiderable; and before the acquifition of Venice, the chief 

 exports were from the port of Tnefte, confifting of quick- 

 filver and other metals, with wines and other native pro* 

 ducts. From a table of the exports of Hungary for one 

 year, given by Dr. Townfon, it appears, that they confifted 

 chiefly of cattle, hogs, iheep, flour, wheat, rye, wool, and 

 wine, carried to other Auftrian provinces ; and only about 

 one-feventh part fest to foreign countries. 



The prevaihng religion of the Auftrian dominions is the 

 Roman Catholic. However, Proteftants of various feifls are 

 found in Bohemia and Moravia ; nor are Lutherans unknown 

 at Vienna, though they chiefly abound in Tranfylvania ; and 

 in Hungary the Proteftants are fuppofed to be equal in 

 number to the catholics. 



The form of government is an hereditary monarchy, ap- 

 proaching to abfolute power. Hungary*, indeed, retains 

 its ancient ftates, or rather an ariftocratical fenate ; but as 

 the military force is lodged wholly with the fovereign, no 

 diftincl kingdom or ftate can witnftand his will. Auftria 

 alfo has its ftates, confifting of four orders, clergy, peers, 

 knights, and burgeflcs : the aflembly for Loxycr Auftria 

 being held at Vienna, and that of the Upper at Lintz. 

 But thefe local conftitutions can little avail againft the will 

 of a powerful monarch, fuppoited by a numerous army. 

 The laws vaiy according to the different proviuces; and 

 almoft eveiy ftate has its peculiir code. (See Hungary.) 

 Upon the whole, the laws may be regarded as mild ard 

 falutarv ; and the Auftrians in particular are a well regu- 

 lated and contented people, while the Hungarians are often 

 diffati3fied,and retain much of their ancient anintofity againil 

 the Germans. 



3 C 2 The 



