EMPIRE OF AUSTRIA. 



727 



3. Rivers. Austria abounds in navigable rivers, which find their way to the 4 great seas of 

 Europe. Those of Austrian Italy have ah-eady been described. The Danube traverses the 

 governments of Upper and Lower Austria, and part of Hungary, in an easterly direction, then 

 turning to the south, reaches the southern frontier of the latter kingdom, and, flowing easterly, 

 separates it from Servia, and enters the Ottoman empire at Orsova. Its principal tributaries in 

 Austria are the Jllorava or J\farsch, and the Tlieiss from the north ; and the /nn, the Drave^ 

 and the Save on the south. The Elbe traverses Bohemia, and passes into Prussia ; the J\Tol- 

 dau, which flows into it below Prague, is its principal tributary. The Oder rises in the Su- 

 detic Mountains, and passes north into Prussia. The Vistula, which rises in the Carpathian 

 Mountains, enters Poland ; and the Dniester has its source in the same mountains, but takes a 

 .■contrary direction and enters Russia. 



4. Divisions. Geographers often describe Austria as divided into four great sections : the 

 German provinces ; the Polish provinces, or that part of Poland, which has been annexed to 

 the empire ; the Hungarian districts ; and the Italian provinces. The political division of the 

 empire is into 15 governments, differently denominated and regulated, and variously subdivided 

 into circles, provinces, counties, &c. The following table contains a view of these various di- 

 visions. 



German Provinces. Governments. 1. Upper Austria ; 2. Lower Austria ; 3. Tyrol; 

 4. Duchy of Stiria ; 5. Laybach, and 6. Trieste (forming the kingdom of Illyria) ; 7. king- 

 dom of Bohemia ; and 8. government of Moravia and Silecia : 



Polish Province. Government. 9. Kingdom of Galicia : 



Italian Provinces. Governments. 10. Milan ; and 11. Venice (forming the Lombardo- 

 Venetian kingdom) : 



Hungarian Provinces. Governments. 12. Kingdom of Hungary (comprising the king- 

 doms of Sclavonia and Croatia) ; 13. Transylvania ; 14. the Military Frontiers ; and 15. the 

 kingdom of Dalmatia. 



5. Agriculture. Although Austria presents a great extent of good soil, agriculture is in so 

 backward a state, that it is not highly productive. The processes and implements of husband- 

 ry are extremely imperfect. A considerable part of the country is covered with forests, which 

 supply the inhabitants with fuel, coal being little used. There are extensive pastures in the 

 Hungarian provinces, and natural forests, which contain vast herds of cattle in a wild state 

 Some of the wines of Austria are highly esteemed, but the difficulties of transportation pre- 

 vent them from being largely produced for exportation. The wine of Tokay, in Hungary, is 

 particularly celebrated. 



6. JVIanufactures. The manufactures of Austria are extensive in the aggregate, but the ope- 

 rations are generally carried on upon rather a small scale, and the Austrians have neither that 

 perfection of finish nor that ingenious machinery, which are to be found in the workshops of 

 western Europe. Woolen, linen, and cotton goods, paper, cutlery, and hardware, leather, and 

 glass, are the most important articles of manufacturing industry. 



7. Commerce. Austria is unfavorably situated for foreign commerce ; her northern provinces 

 communicate with the sea only through the Elbe and the Vistula, by a long and difficult naviga- 

 tion ; the eastern have navigable waters, which lead to countries not adapted for commercial 

 operations, and the maritime coast on the Adriatic, although it has some good harbors, is sepa- 

 rated from the interior by mountainoDs ranges, which render communication difficult. Trieste 

 is the principal port, and displays considerable commercial activity. Fiume is the inlet to the 

 Hungarian provinces, and Ragusa, to Dalmatia. The inland trade of Austria is active and 

 flourishing. 



8. Religion. The Roman Catholic religion is professed by a very great majority of the in- 

 habitants. The adherents of the Greek church are numerous in Transylvania, the southern 

 part of Hungary, and in Croatia, Sclavonia, and Galicia. There are many Protestants in Hun- 

 gary, Galicia, and the German provinces, and some Socinians or Unitarians in Transylvania. 

 The number of Greek Christians is about 4,500,000 ; that of Protestants, 3,000,000, and 

 that of Catholics, 25,000,000. There are nearly 500,000 Jews, chiefly in Galicia, Moravia, 

 Hungary, and Bohemia. All religions are tolerated in Austria. The archbishop of Vienna is 

 the head of the Austrian church ; the landed property of the church is extensive, and there are 

 300 abbeys, and above 500 convents in the empire. There are 13 Roman Catholic archbish- 

 ops, and 66 bishops, and the property of the church is estimated to amount to 90,000,000 of 

 dollars. 



