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Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
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IVIicrosoft Corporation
Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/europetlieeartli03recluoft
THE
EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS
EUROPE.
BY
fiLISEE RECLIJS.
EDITED BY
E. G. RAVENSTEIN, F.R.G.S., F.S.S., Em
VOL. m.
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, GERMANY, BELGIUM,
AND THE NETHERLANDS.
ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS AND MAPS.
NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
1, 3, AND 6 BOND STREET.
JUN 7 1956
CONTENTS.
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
I. QE>fERAi, Aspects .... 1
II. The German Alps (Tyroi,, Vorarlbebo, Salzburo, Carintuia, and Styria) . . . o
General Aspects, p. 5. Glaciers, Rivers, and Lakes, p. 12. Climate, p. 15. Productions,
Industry, and Lommercc, p 22.
Topoffi-ap/iy.Styria^ p. 26. Carinthia, p. 26. Salzburg, p. 27. Tyrol, p. 27. Vorarlberg,
p. 29.
III. Austria on the Dandhe (Austria Phiipek) 30
General Asijccts, p. 30. Inhabitants and Towns, p. 32.
IV. The Adriatic Phovlvces (Gokizia, Tkiestk, Istria, Ualmatia) 39
General Aspects; Mountains, p. 39. Rivers and Lakes, p. 43. 'ITie Coast ; Islands, p. 47.
Climate, Flora, and Fauna, p. 52. Inhabitants, p. 64. Towns, p. 67.
V. The Countries of the Southern- Slav.-s (Cakniola, Ckoaiia, Slavonia) .... 63
General Aspects, p. 63. Inhabitants, p. 68. Towns, p. 71.
VI. Hungary and Traksylvania (Magyars and Rumanians) 73
• General Aspects ; Mountains, p. 73. Rivers and Lakes, p. 81. The Plain of Hungary,
p. 89. Climate and Flora, p. 90. Inhabitants, p. 91. Agriculture, Mining, and Com-
merce, p. 101. Towns, p. 105.
Vll. GiLiciA and Bukovina (Austrian Poland and Ruthenia) 114
General Aspects, Mountains, and Climate, p. 114. Inhabitants, p. 116. Agriculture and
Mining, p. 121. Towns, p. 122.
VIIL The Upper Basin op the Elre and the Mor^va (Bohemia, M >havia, and Austrian
SiLES a) J2S
General Aspects, Mountains, and Rivers, p. 126. Inhabitants, p. 130. Agriculture,
Mining, and Industry, p. 1 34.
ToM'w*.— Bohemia, p. 137. Moravia, p. 142. Silesia, p. 142.
IX. Statistics of Austria-Hunoahv 144
Population, p. 146. Agriculture and Mining, p. 145. Manufactures, p. 147. Commerce,
p. 149. Education, p. 151.
X. GOVEEKMEST AND ADMINISTRATION 152
GERMANY.
I. General Aspects 157
II. The Region op the Vlsoes (Alsace and German Lohraink) 168
General Aspects, Slountains, Rivers, and Climate, p. 168. Inhabitants, p. 173. Agriculture,
Mining, and Industry, p. 173. Towns, p. 177.
III. The Rhine and the Moselle (Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, Frankfort, Nassau, Pala-
tinate, Rhenish Pru».<ia) 184
General AsiMjcts; the Rhine, p. 184. Mountains, p. 191.
TowM.— Baden, p. 196. The lihcnish Palatinate, p 200. Hesse and Nassau, p. 201. Birken-
feld, p. 206. Ithenish I'russia, p. 206. Westphalia, p. 214.
IV. The Swabian Jura and the Vallfy of the Neckah CWurttembero and Hohenzollern) 216
General Aspects, Mountains, and Rivers, p. 2IG. Inhabitants, p. 220. Towns, p. 221.
V. The Upper Da-vube axd the Main (Bavakia and Danubian Wcrttfmbero) . . 226
General Aspects; Mountains, p. 22.J. I.ake.s, Bogs, and Rivers, p. 230. Inhabitants,
p. 237. Towns, p. 238.
iy CONTENTS.
CHAP.
PAOK
251
269
290
Vi. THrRINOIA ANP THB HaBZ (HeSSE-CaSSEL, ThURINOIA, EllFURT, SoUTHtKN IIanOVER, AND
Bui nswick) .......-.••••. •
General A»pt<ts, Mountains, and Eiyers, p. 251. Inhabitants, p. 258. lowns, p. ibU.
VII. The Plains of the Elbe and AVeser, and thf. SnoRfS of the North Sea (Lower
WEsxrHALiA Hanovek, Oldenburg, Lowkk Bkunswick) ......
General AspecU ; Bogs and Heaths, p. 269. The Littoral Kegion, p. 274. Inhabitants,
Towns.— The Basin of the Lippe (WestphaUa), p. 281. The Basin of the Ems, p. 281. The
Basin of the Jade, p. 282. The Basin of the Lower Weser, p. 283. The Basin of the Elbe,
p. 288.
VIII. The Basin of the Middle Elbe (Saxony)
General Aspects, p. 290. Inhabitants, p. 292. Towns, p. 293.
IX. The Plains of the Elbe, Oder, and Vistula (Old Pru.ssia, Avhalt, Lauenburg,
Hamburg, Lubeck, Mecklenburg, and Prussian Poland) 300
General Aspects ; Hills and Pkins, p. 300. Lakes and Peat Bogs, p. 303. Rivers and
Lagoons, p. 305. Amber, p. 311. Inhabitants, p. 315.
ro«7«*.— Prussian Saxony and Anhalt, p. 319. Brandenburg, p. 323. Hamburg, p. 329.
Lubeck, Mecklenburg, and Northern Pomerania, p. 332. Prussian Silesia, 335. The
Basin of the Oder to the North of Silesia, p. 339. Eastern Pomerania, p. 343. Prussia to
the East of the Basin of the Vistula, p. 346.
X. The Clmbrian Peninsula (Schleswig-Holstein) 349
General Aspects, p. 349. Inhabitants, p. 352. Towns, p. 353.
XI. General Statistics 357
Population, p. 357. Agriculture, p. 358. Mining, p. 361. Industry, p. 362. Commerce,
p. 363. Education, p. 365.
XII. Government and Administration . 367
Central Authorities, p. 367. State Governments, p. 369 ; Local Government, p. 369 ;
Religion and Education, p. 371. Courts of Justice, p. 372. Army and Navy, p. 372.
Finances, p. 373.
Tabular View of the States composing the German Empire, p. 375.
BELGIUM.
I* Gbreral Features; Hills, Plains, and Rivers; Climate 377
The Ardennes, p. 377. The Loam Lands of Central Belgium, p. 379. The Campine, p. 380.
Flanders, p. 382. Polders and Dunes, 382. Rivers, p. 383. Climate, p. 390.
II. Fauna, Floka, and Inhabitants 392
Animals, p. 392. Cave Dwellings, p. 393. Wallons, p. 395. Flemings, p. 396.
III. Municipal Institutions; Towns 399
Origin of Municipalities, p 399. Towns in the Basin of the Meuse, p. 403. The Basin
of the Schelde, p. 410. The Western Maritime Ktgion, p. 425.
IV. Statistics of Belgium 429
Population, p. 429. Agriculture, p. 431. Mining and Industry, p. 434. Commerce,
p. 436. Education, p. 439.
V. Government and Administration 442
Local Authorities, p. 442. Central Government, p. 443. School and Church, p. 443.
Army, p. 444.
Tabular Statement of Area and Population, p. 446.
THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBURG 447
THE NETHERLANDS.
I. General Features; Hills; Boos 45O
11. IlYDiiooRAPHy ; Climate 4o5
Rivers, p. 455. Irruptions of the Sea, p 4-)7. Subsidence of the Land, p. 460. Dunes,
p. 462. Dykes, p. 463. Polders, p. 467. Climate, p. 470.
III. Inhabitants i-j
Animals, p. 471. Prehistoric Man, p. 471. Frieslanders, p. 471. Saxons, p. 473 Hol-
landers, p. 473.
IV. Topography .y-
Limburg, p. 475. North Brabant. 475. Zealand, p. 475. 'South Hollandj p. 477. North
Holland, p 480. Utrecht, p. 48.5. Gelderland, p. 486. Overvssel, p. 487. Drenthe,
Inesland, Groningun, p. 487. . r >
V. Statistics of the Nkthehi.ands .... . j§g
■ f "fo!"*''?;' ■{'• ■***• '^K"''»'t'"-e. P- 488. Industry, p. 490. Commc'rce, p. 490. Canals,
tII'JuIk, ^"''™y%P- ■'"■'• I'-jlu'-i'tion, p. 493. Government and Administration, p. 494.
labular Statement of .iVrea and Popuktion, 496.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
MAPS FEINTED IN COLOUES.
1. Germany and Austria . . .
2. Vienna and iU Environs .
3. The Khine from Mayence to Coblenz
PAOB
1
33
204
4. Dresden and Saxon Switzerland
5. Berlin and its Environs .
6. Hamburg and its Environs
PAGE
, 296
326
329
PLATES.
The Oross Glockner and the Pasterze
Olucier Tofacepagt 9
The Dachstein and (he Lake of Oosau ,. . 12
Gnu! 25
Salzburg 27
Innsbruck and the Valley of the Tnn . . 28
Vienna : the " Orabeii " 35
HalUtatt 38
The "Mouths" of Cattaro .... 60
Trieste • , v ^^
Kagusa ........ 62
The Fieh Lake, or Ryby Stav ... 77
The Iron Gate below Orjova • ... 81
Buda-Pest 106
Cracow 123
Strassburg . . . . . . .178
Metz 1S3
Heidelberg Castle 199
Frank fu-t-on- Main; the "Eomer" To face page 202
Treves : Porta Nigra 207
Coblenz and Ehrenbreitstein .... 208
C.ilogne Cathedral 209
The Danube between Weltenburg and Kd-
heiin 242
Nlirnberg: the Castle 248
Saxon Switzerland : Prpbincher K' gel . . 291
Berlin 328
Hamburg. 331
N:imur 405
Ghent; the Coin Quay 419
Antwerp : Town-hall ^'^^
Luxemburg, as seen from Fort Dumoulin . 447
Scenery around Midiielburg . . . ,- 476
Hotterdiim : the Old Port . . . .478
Amsterilam : the Kalkmarkt .... 481
Utrecht; the Old Canal 486
VI
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS.
AUSTBIA-HUNGAUY.
no.
1. The Malscr Haide ....
2. The Oiteler and the Siilden Glacier
3. TheOetzthiil
4. The Orons Glockner
6. The Vornagt and other Oetzthal Glaciers
6. The Pobracz
7. Isothei mal Zones of Austria .
8. llain Map of Austria
9. The Limits of German and Italian in the
Tyrol
10. TheTerglou ....
11. Tykoi.ese Peasants
12. The Mining Districts of Eisenerz and
Vordernbfirg ....
13. Klausen, OS THE Brenne'.i Road .
14. Roads over the Alps
I.'). Klagpnfnrt and the Lake of WBrth .
16. Salzburg
17 Boizen
18. The Danube at Grein
19. Geological Map of the Upper Danube
Valley
20. Linz .....
21. The Growth of Vienna .
22. Ancient Arms of the D jnube at Vienna
23. The Rectification of the Danube
24. The Sinks of Pola ....
26. The Vellebic . .
26. The Isonzo and the Timavo
27. The Ombla, Gravcsa, and Ragusa .
28. The Narenla
29. The S nk of Pago ....
30. The Kerka
31. The Bocche di Cattaro
32. The Bocche di Cattako
33. Melnda
34. San Clemente
35. Trieste ......
36. Pola
37. Fiume
38. Roadstead and Port of Lussin Piccolo
39. Spalatci and the Seven Castles
40. Zone nf Inundation of the Save
41. The Caverns of Pontoina (Adelsberg)
42. Thel^keof Ziiknitz
43. The Plain ol Laibach
44. A View ox the Mimtart Frontier
45. $cn\lin and Belgrad
46. The Parallel Valleys to the East of Lake
Balaton • • . . .
47. The Hungarian Gate
48. The Tfilra ■ . . . .
49. Tlie P.iss of the " Red Tower "
60. The Defile of Vispgrad .
61. The Drave and the Danube .
62. 1 1w Tisza (Theiss) ....
63. Meanderings and "Cuts" of the Tisza
PAGE
6
7
8
9
13
14
16
17
18
19
21
23
24-
25
26
27
28
31
32
33
34
36
37
41
42
44
45
47
48
49
60
51
52
53
57
68
59
60
61
65
66
67
68
70
71
74
75
76
80
81
82
83
84
no. rAOE
o4. The " Iron Gate " 86
55. Fort Emzaheth ..... 86
56. Lnke Balaton ...... 87
57. The Lake of Neusiedl .... 88
58. A View in the Piszta .... 93
59. TvrtB AND CosTiMEs OP Hungary . 94
60. Linguistic Map of Transylvania . . 96
61. The Slovaks in Hungary ... 97
62. The Servians in Hungary ... 99
63. The Vineyards of Hungary . . .102
64. The Auriferous Di«tricta of Transylvania 104
65. A View in the Mining District of
Kremnitz 105
66. The Coal Basin of the Upper Sil . . 106
67. Debreczi'n 107
68. Buda-Post 108
69. A View of the Sachsenstein . . 109
70. Novisad (Neusutz) Ill
71. The Carpahians ..... 115
72. Feasants and Jews of Galicia . .117
73. The Distribution of the Poles in Galicia . 118
74. The Distribution of the Kuthcnians in
Galicia 119
75. The Jews in Hungary and Galicia . . 120
76. C'raiow and Wieliczki .... 122
77. The Mountains of Bohemia . . . 126
78. The Pass of Taus (Domaflice) . . 127
79. The Volcanic Hills in Northern Bohemia 129
80. The Lake Region in Southern Bohe-
mia 130
81. The Ruins of Schreckenstein, near
Arssio 131
82. A Large Estate in Bohemia . . .136
83. The Coal Basins of Western Bohemia . 136
84. Prague and its Environs .... 137
85. The KarlsbrI'cxe at Prague . . 138
86 Carlsbad . no
87. Reichenberg and iis Environs . . 141
88. The Density of Populaiion in Austria-
Hungary 146
89. Diagiaui exhibiting the Increase in the
Production of Coal .... 147
90. The Sohi.ergrunu, or Plain of Zulyom U8
91. Thb Viaduct of Kaltkinne (Semmerino) 149
92. The Railways of Austria-Hungary . . 150
GERMANY.
93. Hypsographical Map of Germany . . 159
94. The Isotheimal Linesof Geimany . . 160
95. The True Mean Annual Temperature of
Germany . . . . . . 161
96. Rain Map of Germany . . . .162
97. Linguistic Map of Germany . . .161
98. The Gap of Zabeni (Savorne) . . . 169
99. The Ruins of St. Ulhich . . . 170
100. The Basin of the HI 171
101. Alsvtiax Pexsants 174
102. Diiuzp, Chateau-Sulins, ani the Pond of
I'ldre lys
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
no.
103. Strassliurg
li)4. Sthassburo Cathedbal ....
105. Worth and Reii:h»hofen ....
106. Metz
10(. ITie Density of the Populat'on along the
Rhine ......
108. The Rhine between Germersheim and
Speyer ......
109. The Mouse and St. Goar .
110. The Vinpyards of the Rhine .
111. The Passof the liutach . . . .
112. Andomach and the Lake of Laach .
113. The Si.-hcn({ebiige (Seven Hills)
114. The Lake of Constanz (Bodensee) .
115. Karlsruhe
116. Heidelberg and Mannheim
117. Fraukfurt-on-Main
118. SiiarbrOcken
119. Treves (Trier)
12U. Crefeld and its Knviroiis ....
121. Riihrort and its Environs
122. Essex
123. Tlie Hellweg
124. The Density of the Population in Wtirttem-
berg
125. Uracil and Hoheii-Urach
126 Heilbronn and the " Loops " of Laufien .
127. Stuttg.irt and its Environs
128. View of TLbinoen
1^9. 'J'he Kunigsee ......
130. View op the Kosiosee ....
131. A Region of Moiaiiies in Upper Bavaria .
132 The Danube and its Upper Afflumts
133. Augsburg ......
in. Blaubeuren ......
135. The Donau Ried
136. The Donau-Moos
137. The Swabian Rezat and the " Fossa
Carolina "
138. Entka>xe to the Poet op Li.ndau
139. Ratisbon (Kegensburg) ....
140. Tkb Walhalla
141. Passau
142. Munich
143. The Aqueduct of Reichenfaall .
144. The States <,{ Thuriug.a ....
145. 'ilie iiennsteig
146. Tlie Vogelsberg
147. The Brocken and Weinigerode
148 SoKABIANS OP SaXE-AiTENBI'KO
149. Cassel and its Environs ....
150. The WAHTBt;BO
151. Clausthal
152. Jena
153. The Cathedbal at Eufurt .
154. The Peal Bogs ol Cocslcld
155. The .Morxss, or " Moor," of Bourtaoge .
156. Papenburg ......
157. The Coast of East Friesland .
158. Nordemey, Baliruui, and the Neighbour-
ing Co St
159. Hei.igolanp
16ii. Heligoland
161. Emdea
fAOB
FIO.
179
162.
180
163.
181
164.
182
165.
185
166
167.
187
168.
188
169.
189
170.
192
171.
194
195
172.
197
173.
199
174.
200
175.
203
176.
2'.7
177.
208
178.
212
179.
213
214
180.
215
181.
182.
217
183.
218
219
184.
222
185.
^^23
186.
226
187.
227
229
188.
232
189.
232
190.
233
191.
234
192.
235
193.
194.
236
195.
239
242
196.
243
197.
244
198.
246
199.
247
200.
252
2U1.
25»
202.
256
203.
257
204.
259
2l6.
261
206.
262
207.
264
266
208.
267
209.
270
210.
271
211.
273
212.
276
213
277
278
214.
279
215.
283
216.
iu Eastern
Miiiden and the Poita Westphalica .
The Brewfrs' House at Hildesheih .
Bremen and Biemerhafen
Railway Bridge over the Elbe at
Habbiro .
The Density of Popniation in .Saxony
The Wends in Luitaiia
Leipzig
Dresden .
Zittau and the Villages near it
The Temperature of .Tanuiiry
Prussia
The Like District of Masuria
'I'he Wartlie and its Likes
D miuution in the Volume of the Kibe
The Same for each Month of the Year
The Spieewjld .....
The Oderbruch .....
Samlaiid and the Delta of the Pregel
The Kuri8;'he Haft' aud the Delta of the
Memel ......
The Darss and the Lagaons of Bailh
The Islnnd of Riigen ....
The Cliffs of the Konigstuhl on Rlgen
Relative Increase of Germans and Poles
in Posen
Hulle and its Salt Lake ....
Magdeburg ......
The Gate of Uenlingen at Stendal .
Comparative Growth of Vienna and
Beilin ......
The Havel and Spree ....
Binndeiiburg ......
A "Fleet" in Hamburg
ViEKLANDERS ......
LGbeck and Rostock ....
Towns of Upper Silesia ....
The Town-hall of Bkeslau
Entrance to the Felsenstadt, near
Weckelsdorf . . . .
Sprottau and Freistadt
Siettin _ .
Swiiiemunde ......
The Castle op Marienburg .
Tiie Port of Pillau ...
Meinel .....
Sylt and Amrum .....
The Basin of the Eider ....
Flensburg ......
Alsen and Sonderburg . . . .
Density ot Population in Germany .
Increase of the Urban Population of Ger-
many ......
Augsburg
Railway Map of Germany
LiJBECK .......
The Castle of Hohenzollern
Protestants and Catholics in Germany
Wilhelmshalen . . . , ,
BELGIUM.
Mont St. Aubert, near Tournay
Ilypsographical Map of Belgium
Prolile ot Belgium
PAGE
284
286
287
289
291
293
295
297
299
301
303
304
305
306
307
308
310
311
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323
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337
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342
345
346
347
350
351
354
355
358
359
361
364
365
308
371
371
379
381
Till
LIST OF ILLTJSTEATIONS.
no. ""^OE
217. The Lower Scheldo in the Beginning of
the E oveiitli CLiuiiry . . . 386
218. Flooding of the Polders during the Siege
of Antwerp, 1.585 .... 387
219. The Groins of lilankenberghe . . 389
220. Direction of the Winds in Belgium . . 390
221. A View is the Valley op the Lesse . 393
222. Linguistic Mnp of Belgium . . . 394
223. The Belfry of Bui oes .... 400
224. The Town-hall of Lovvain . . . 402
225. Namur and the Confluence of the Meuge
and Sambre ..... 404
226. The Coal-field of Charleroi . . .405
227. Lifege 407
22S. The BirrageofLaGileppe . . .409
229. The Battle-field of Waterloo . . .412
230. Brussels 413
231. The Towk-hall or Bkibsels . . 414
232. Mons and the Borinage .... 417
233. Ghent 419
234. Kabot Gate at Ghent .... 420
236. Antwerp 422
236. Antwerp Cathedral .... 424
2 i7. Bruges and the Old Zwyn . . .426
238. Ostend 427
239. Increase of the Population of Belgium . 430
240. Increase of the Population of Belgium,
1840—75 431
241. The Coal Production of Belgium . . 43-)
242. Comparative Increase of the Population
and Commerce of Belgium . . . 437
243. Canals and Navigable Rivers of Belgium . 438
244. Railway Map of Belgium . . . 440
246. Heath and Camp of Beverloo . . 446
THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBURG.
246. Luxemburg 449
THE NETHERLANDS.
247. The Quariies of St. Pietersberg . . 451
248. Hypsographical Slap of the Netherlands . 452
FIO. '^''"»
249. The Alluvial Lands and Ptat Bogs of the
Netherlands 453
250. A Peat Bog near D.'RDREcht . . 454
251. The Fork of the Yssel . . . .456
252. The Biesbosih in 1850 . . . . 457
253 Scbiermonnikoog 458
254. The Site of the Biesbosch, in 1420 . . 459
2.55. The Peninsula of HoUund . . . 460
256. The Coast-line of the Netherlands before
the Peopling of the Country . . 461
257. The Dyke of Westkappel . . . 462 ■
258. The Windmills of Zaandam . 463
259. The Zuiderpolder formerly . . . 464
260. The Zuideipolder now .... 465
261. The Mere ol Haarlem . . . .466
262. Ameland 467
263. The Proposed Drainage of the Zuider
Zee 468
264. The Projected Harbour at Urk . . 469
265. Costumes of Friesland and Zealand . 472
266. Bergen-opZoom 476
267. Walcheren 477
268. Vlissingen, or Flushing .... 478
269. Rotterdam and Schied.m .... 479
270. The Hague and Scheveniiigen . . 480
271. Leyden 481
272. Amsterdam 482
273. Haarlem: the Amsterdam Gate . . 483
274. Alkmaar 484
275. The Holder 485
276. Monnickendam and Marken . . . 486
277. Density of Population in the Ntther-
lands 489
278. The Principal Canals of the Nether-
lands 490
279. The Groins near Petten . . . .491
280. The Canal of the Y 492
281. Section of the Pier Head of Yniuiden . 492
282. Canal of the Hoek van Holland . . 493
283. Railway Map of the Netherlands . . 494
284. The Viaduct at Moehdyk . . . 495
RULES FOR PRONOUNCING THE GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES CONTAINED IN THIS VOLUME.
The Vowels, except whfre expressly mentioned below, are pronounced as follows:— « = a in father;
e = e in end; t = i in inn or kindle ; o as in English; m = u in flute.
German : — ie = ee in meet ; ai or ei — y in my ; au = ou in house ; d = ay in m:iy ; o = en in French ;
»M = "y in destroy ; K = uin French; jr, always hard ; i=y in yes ; s = lz; s<'A=8h; W( = (juttural ch in loch.
Dutch: — oe=u in flute; tu and was in French ; sf/( = 8ch in school, and at end uf word = 8 ; <'/» = cli in loch;
y=y in yes ; >j = \ in my»
Magyar: — a = o; d and « as in German; c and c;=tz; (•« = 'h in cheese: s=sh; s: = s\ za=zh (soft sh) ;
<-/i = ch in loch; k = v; li/, ny, ty, and gy = I'ye, n'ye, t'ye, and g'ye (short) ; gy = dy (Mag)ar, pronounce
Madyar).
Slat (Bohemia, Croatia, &c.) : — y = i in in ; i orje = ye ; c = tz ; <? = j ; c = ch in cheese ; y = y in yes ;
«=ng in bang; r:= r'sh; l = 8h; ?=zh (sofi sh).
Polish : — a and e = oii and eii (nasal) ; ie is always separated ; j = y in yes ; c = tz ; i = I'ye (short) ;
« = ch in, cheese ; i = zli (soft sh) ; ?=8h ; di and rfc=j ; n=r'iih ; i or s-- = 8h ; fA = ch in loch ; the I with a
bar (•) is pronounced with great force.
All other letters, or combinations of letters, may be pronounced as in English.
NFw ■yoHi
U»PL,ETON &. C9
AUSTEIA-HUNGARY.
CHAPTER I.
GENERAL ASPECTS.
USTRIA-HUNGARY ranks third amongst the European states in
area and population, but no common bond of nationality embraces
its inhabitants. If the fetters were to burst which now hold the
diverse provinces of the monarchy together, the name of Austria-
Hungary would be heard no longer, not even as a geographical
expression, as were those of Greece and Italy during centuries of servitude. The
various provinces composing the Austrian Empire belong to distinct natural
regions. The Tyrol, Styria, and Carinthia are Alpine countries, like Switzerland.
Hungary is a vast plain surrounded by mountains. Bohemia, on the one hand,
penetrates far into the interior of Germany, whilst Galicia slopes down towards
the plains of Russia, and the Dalmatian coast region belongs to the Balkan
peninsula. The hills of Austria and the Hungarian plain lie within the basin of
the Danube ; but considerable portions of the monarchy are drained by the Elbe,
the Vistula, the Dniester, and the Adige. The diversity of race adds to the con-
fusion resulting from the forcible grouping together of countries geographically
so distinct. On one side of the river Leitha, which forms the political boundary
between the two great portions of the empire, the Germans claim to be the dominant
race ; on the other, the political power is wielded by the Magyars. But Chechians
and Ruthenians, Poles, Slovaks, and Croats, Dalmatians, Italians, Rumanians,
and others, likewise claim their rights, and object to be sacrificed to the two
dominant races.
Austria-Hungary consists of no less than fifty-six kingdoms, duchies, counties,
principalities, towns, and lordships. This chaotic conglomeration, however, is
not the result of pure chance, nor has the house of Habsburg brought these
old states under its sceptre by " clever marriages " alone. The necessity in
which the Christians found themselves to combine against their common enemy,
the Turk, has had quite as much to do with it. The general configuration
of the soil, and more especially the great valley of the Danube, must also
72
2 AUSTEIA-HUNGAET.
be taken account of when inquiring into the growth of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire.
The Danube formed a portion of the boundary of the Roman Empire, and
remained so for a considerable period. Ths conquests which Trajan made in
the Carpathians, to the north of it, were looked upon as the most convincing
proof of the irresistible power of Rome. The great migrations of nations
all at once changed the geographicil part played by the Danube. No
longer a barrier dividing nations, it became their great highway. The Huns,
the Avares, and other Eastern hordes ascended it ; the Slavs, Magyars, and
Turks subsequently took the same route ; whilst the Franks and Boioarians
when they colonised Austria, the Crusaders when marching upon Constanti-
nople, and the armies contending with the Turks took the opposite direction.
The Inn is a larger river than the Upper Danube ; and if the united river
is nevertheless known by the name of the latter down to its mouth in tlie
Black Sea, this is only because of the part it played in history. The Inn leads
into sterile mountains; the Upper Danube opens a pathway into Bohemia and
Swabia.
"When the Danube became a high-road between nations it could no longer form a
political boundary ; and actually not only Hungary and Austria hold both banks
of the river, but Bavaria and Wiirteraberg do so likewise. On the other hand,
some of its tributaries form natural boundaries between states or nations. These
rivers opposed substantial obstacles to the armed hosts which in former times
traversed the valley of the Danube. Many of them, owing to floods or rapid
current, are far more difficult to cross than the Danube itself, and served succes-
sively as lines of defence. In the tenth century the Magyars had the Enns for
their frontier ; they were then driven back to the Erlau, and at present the
Leitha and the Morava form this westernmost boundary. The Inn, with its
tributary Salzach, separates Austria from Bavaria ; the Lech and the Iller,
Bavaria from Swabia.
The grand "struggle for existence" is waged not only on the battle-field, but
perhaps even more frequently it is a contest for ascendancy in matters of
commerce. Ihe great natural highway of the Danube has played a prominent
part in the history of commerce and industry. At a time when there hardly
existed any artificial roads a great portion of Southern Germany became dependent
upon that river. Towns multiplied in its valley, and in consequence it became
also a centre of political power. Germans and Magyars, by taking possession for
a considerable extent of both banks of the Danube, kid the foundations of powerful
states.
The Eastern Alps, likewi^^e, have greatly influenced the historical development
of Austria. The Austrians, once masters of the river, succeeded all the more
easdy in gaining possession of the mountain valleys, as these were for the most
part inhabited by men of the same race. The Alps, including of course those of
Switzerland, may be likened to a great citadel, raised in the centre of Europe.
Those who hold it are not only favourably placed for defensive purposes, but the
GENEEAL ASPECTS. 8
surrounding lowlands — Upper Italy, Hungary, or South Germany — are more
or less at their mercy. A state which held not only this Alpine citadel, but also
the middle course of a river like the Danube, could easily satisfy its hunger after
conquests.
Vienna, which occupies the centre of this incoherent empire, has certainly
exerted a considerable levelling influence upon the various races peopling the
empire. These latter, however, resent the pressure which is exercised by the two
dominant races, and the time is not perhaps very remote when the existing institu-
tions will be replaced by a federation voluntarily organized by the nationalities
inhabiting the empire.
Formerly the Germans were supposed to form the majority of the inhabitants,
and since the empire has taken the title of Austria-Hungary there are some who
believe that Germans and Magyars combined constitute a decided majority.
Such, however, is not the case. They are the dominant races, true ; but amongst
every four Austro-Hungarians there is but one German, and amongst seven only
one Magyar. The Slavs virtually form a majority. Even many of the " Germans"
are merely Germanised Slavs ; but, irrespectively of this, nearly one-half of the
population is Slav by race and Slav by language. As respects nationality, there-
fore, Austria is nearly as much Slav as its two neighbour states of Turkey and
Russia. But the Slavs, unfortunately for the political influence they might exer-
cise, are split up into distinct nations. The northern and southern zones are
inhabited almost exclusively by Slavs, whilst the central zone is divided between
Germans, Magyars, and Rumanians. This central zone, from 150 to 200
miles in width, separates the northern from the southern, or Yugo-Slavs. It
constitutes the most important portion of the empire, for it is traversed by the
Danube, the great commercial highway of the country. If the Rnthenians desire
to hold intercourse with their kinsmen in the south, they are obliged to cross this
hostile zone ; and in reality they scarcely ever come into contact, except perhaps
at some Panslavic congress, when, to the delight of the Viennese, they are com-
pelled to express their ideas in the hated language of the German. The Northern
Slavs belong to three nations speaking distinct languages, viz. Chechians (including
Moravians and Slovaks), Poles, and Ruthenians. No love is lost between the
two latter. The Southern Slavs, including the Slovenes of Ciirniola and Styria,
the Servians, Croats, and Dalmatians, exhibit greater afiinities than their northern
kinsmen ; but, unfortunately for the political influence they might exercise, they
are split up into hostile religious factions, some being Roman, others Greek
Catholics, whilst the Slavs of Bosnia and the Herzegovina are in part
Mohammedans.
Next to Slavs, Germans, and Magyars, Latin nations occupy a considerable
portion of the empire. The Italians of the Southern Tyrol and the coast of Istria
are inconsiderable in numbers, and gravitate towards Italy ; but the Rumanians
iu Eastern Hungary and Transylvania occupy a very extended territory. It is
amongst them that most of the gipsies are met with, whilst the Jews are found
in all parts of the empire except in the Alps. Austria, in fact, is largely
4 AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
tbeir work, for in the eastern provinces they almost monopolize trade and
industry.*
• Nationalities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1869) :—
Chechians, Moravians, and Slovaks .... 6,730,000
Ruthenians 3,100,000
Poles 2,880,000
Northern Slavs .... 12,710,000
Servians 1,520,000
Croats 1,424,000
Slovenes 1,260,000
Southern Slavs .... 4,204,000
Germans 9,000,000
Magyars 5,.500,000
Rumanians 2,87-5,000
Italians and Ladins 693,000
Jews 1,154,000
Gipsies 156,000
Total .... 36,192,000
CHAPTER n.
THE GERMAN ALPS.
(Ttkol and Voraklbbko, Salzbuko, Cakinthta, ani> Styria.)
HE German Alps do not yield in beauty t) those of Switzerland, and
the mountain masses are little inferior in height and majesty
to those of the Oberland or of Monte Rosa. Beyond the High
Tauern, however, which rises on the boundary between the Tyrol
and Salzburg, none pierce the zone of perennial snow, and the valleys
are not filled with rivers of ice. The Great Glockner rises like a bleached citadel
at the extremity of the Great Alps. Beyond it the character of the mountains
undergoes a striking change. They no longer rise in separate masses, but form
divergent chains separated by deep valleys. Like a fan, these ramifications
extend toward the plains of Austria and Hungary, and into the Balkan penin-
sula. But in proportion as the mountain system increases in width, so do its
summits decrease in height, until all semblance to the domes and pyramids of
Switzerland disappears.
The highest masses of the Austrian Alps are separated by enormous gaps, a
very rare feature in the orographical structure of a continent. One of these gaps
connects the valley of the Inn with that of the Adige. The small Reschen Lake,
which gives birth to the latter river, occupies the watershed. The slope of the
valley of the Adige is very inconsiderable, and when crossing the Malser Heide
(" heath " above the village of Mais, where the people fought their battle of
Morgarten in 1499) we might almost fancy ourselves in a plain, if it were not for
the snowy summits rising on either side of us.
Another gap joins the valleys of the two rivers farther to the east, and
through it runs the route of the Brenner, the lowest of all the passes which cross
the Great Alps. This depression, or gap, is joined on the east by another even
more considerable, which connects the Rienz, a tributary of the Adige, with the
Sau, or Save, a tributary of the Danube. The watershed between these two
rivers is so feebly indicated that their upper valleys are designated by one name
as the Pusterthal. These two great gaps, viz. those formed by the Brenner and
the Pusterthal, are of vital importance, as facilitating communications in the
Austrian Alps.
AUSTRIA-HUNGAEY.
Fig. I
-The Gap iietween the Inn and the Adioe,
ASU THE MaLSEK HeIDE.
Geologically there obtains great variety. The central range, which is upon
the whole of the greatest average
height, is formed of crystalline rocks.
Limestones prevail in the Northern
Alps, whilst the Southern Alps,
abruptly sinking down into the plains
of Italy, exhibit a great diversity of
geological formation. There are
schists, sandstone, black and red por-
phyry, limestone, and, above all, dolo-
mites. The division into Rhaetian,
Noric, Carnic, and Julian Alps origin-
ated with the Romans, and is not a
happy one, for in Austria, as in France
and Switzerland, the Alps are divided
naturally into a number of mountain
masses, forming as many secondary
mountain systems.
Therangeof the Rhatikon separates
Vorarlberg from the Grisons, and ex-
tends from the Rhine to the valley of
the Inn. Five glaciers descend from
it into the valley of the Montafon, and
the summits in the south rival in
height those lying within the Swiss
frontier.*
The principal mountain group of
Austria, that of the Orteler (12,814
feet), is cut off from the other moun-
tains of the Tyrol by the deep valley
of the Adige, but a ridge, over which
runs the road of the Stelvio (Stilf^er
Joch, 9,172 feet), joins it to Piz
Umbrail (9,954 feet), in Switzerland.
This group rises to the south of the
central axis of the Alps. It culminates
in a superb pyramid of dolomite, and
glaciers creep down its slopes in all
directions, that of Sulden carrying a
larger quantity of rocks upon its sur-
face than any other in the Alps. The
Orteler has frequently been ascended
since the beginning of this century ; but though its beautiful sumniit is seen to rise
• Scesaplana, 9,738 feet; Piz Buin, 10,916 feet; Fluchthorn, 11,143 feet.
Scale 1 : 175,000.
THE GERMAN ALPS. 7
above all othera when contemplating the Alps from the top of the cathedral of
Milan, it is only within a few years comparatively that it has attracted a large
number of tourists. The view from its summit is incomparably beautiful, whilst
from the Stelvio the Orteler itself presents a most formidable aspect. The
Pass of Tonale (6,155 feet) separates the Orteler from the mountain mass of the
Adamello (il,687 feet), which rises to the south of it. It presents exceedingly
steep slopes towards Italy ; and its glaciers on that side, which formerly were of
vast extent, have nearly melted away. Their old terminal moraines now hide the
Lake of Garda and Verona from an observer standing upon its summit.
The mountains of the Oetzthal, to the north of the Adige, are bounded on all
I^- 2. — ^Thb Gkovp of the Okteler and the Sdlden G-i^cibk.
Seote 1 : 26,000.
. 2 Miles.
sides by deep valleys or gorges, and form a well-defined group of rocky pinnacles.
The Brenner, and the pass above the Malser Heide (see Fig. 1), are the lowest
passages over the Alps between Liguria and Styria, a distance of over 500 miles.
This group of the Oetzthal constitutes the most formidable mountain mass of the
German Alps. The Wildspitze (12,389 feet), its culminating point, yields in
height to the Orteler and the Great Glockner ; but there are at least a hundred
summits which attain un elevation of 10,000 feet, and they rise from a platform
6,320 feet in height. If the summits of the Oetzthal were to be levelled, and
uniformly spread over this platform, the latter would still rise 8,330 feet above the
sea. About one-seventh of the surface of this mountain group is buried beneath
8 AUSTEIA-HUNGARY.
glaciers or perennial snow, and it includes among its two hundred and twenty-nine
glaciers that of Gepaatsch, 7 miles in length, and the most considerable within
Austrian territory. Houses permanently inhabited are met with in the valley of the
Oetz up to a height of nearly 7,000 feet. But though the central portion of this
mountain group may be likened to Greenland, the spurs which descend towards tlie
Inn and Adige are full of gentle grace, and the valleys which they enclose are most
delightful. Picturesque villages and villas occupj' every coin of vantage above
Innsbruck in the north, whilst the upper valley of the Adige, or Etsch, known as
Fig. 3. — The Oktzthal.
Scale 1 : 36,000.
. 10 Miles.
Vintschgau, with the town of Meran and the old castle of Tyrol, is looked upon as
the paradise of the Austrian Alps.
To the east of the Brenner the Alps rise once more, and form the range of the
Hohe Tauern,* which extends east for a distance of over 90 miles, as far as the
Arlscharte (7,230 feet). The orography of that range has been thoroughly
investigated by Ilerr Sonklar. He has determined the average height of all the
summits rising upon its crest at 9,.3o0 feet, and the average height of the entire
group at 6,270 feet. The great summits of this range, the very names of which
were not known a couple of hundred years ago, are now annually visited by shoals
♦ Acconling to Fickor, Tau,™ moans " towors." All the passes leading over that ran.,'e are known as
lauern, and that word has been rendered hy " notches." The Ronans knew the inhabitants of the
country as 1 aui lung.
THE GEEMAN ALPS.
9
of tourists and artists. Even the formidable snow-drifts of the Great Venediwer
(12,055 feet) have proved no obstacle to the ascent of that mountain, whilst the top
of the Great Glockiier (12,465 feet) was reached as long ago as 179fl, and has
proved accessible to hardy mountain climbers even in the depth of winter. The latter
Fig. 4.— The Oross Glockner.
Scale 1 : 240,000.
12° 30' E.ofGr.
12° 30'
.aMilei.
summit lies to the south of the principal axis of the chain, and the formidable
Pasterze glacier descends from it into Styria.
The ranges to the east of the Arlscharte are generally included amongst the
Tauern, but they ought rather to be looked upon as ramifications of that Alpine
range, for they are far inferior in height, and are crossed by numerous carriage
10 AUSTEIA-HUNGAUT.
roads. Goologioallv the two nuigos which ramify fi om the Ankogel (10,670 feet),
and enclose between them the vuUey of the Mur, are composed of ihe same
crystalline rocks as the Alpine masses to the west of them, but, owing to
their inferior height, the aspects they present are very different. The northern
of these two ranges, though the more elevated of the two, has no glaciers ; the
passes which lead across them do not take us beyond the region of forests ; and,
instead of inaccessible escarpments, we meet with charming valleys, woods, and
verdant pastures. Only in spring, when the snows melt, need avalanches be dreaded.
The southern range, which sep-trates the valley of the Mur from that of the Drave,
is known as the Styrian Alps, but its height is even less than that of the northern.
To the north of Gratz, the river Mur, on its way to the Drave, has forced itself a
passage transversely through this range, which farther east gradually swerves
round to the northward. The Pass of Seramering, famous because of the railway
which now runs through it, has a height of 3,251 feet ; but beyond, between the
Leitha and the Lake of Neusiedl, the mountains gradually subside, and finally
die away in the plain of Hungary. With the humble range of hills seen to the
south of Presburg the Central Alps terminate. The Danube now sepai'ates them
from the Little Carpathians, on the northern bank of the river, but a geological
examination of the ground proves conclusively that at some former epoch Alps
and Carpathians formed a continuous range of mountains.
The calcareous Alps occupy a far larger area than the central chain, and some
of their mountain masses do not yield in boldness of contour or beauty to those of
the Oetzthal or the Tauern. The Orteler itself belongs to the southern calcareous
Alps ; and all the summits to the east of it, from the Adige to the Drave, pierce
the snow-line, and are partly covered with glaciers. These Alps vary much in aspect,
for some are formed of porphyry, others of schists or limestone ; but the most
striking features are presented by the dolomitic mountains, with their precipitous
walls, jagged summits wreathed with clouds, and huge fissures filled with snow,
whose whiteness contrasts strangely with the sombre forests at their foot. When
lighted up by the rising or setting sun they shine as if they reflected a vast confla-
gration. The mountains of Val Fassa, to the north-east of Trent, are remarkable,
moreover, on account of their complicated geological structure. Leopold von
Buch refers to them as a " Holy Land, to which all geotegists ought to make a
pilgrimage, as the Mohammedans do to Mecca." The principal summits of these
mountains, the Marmolata (11,468 feet), the Marmarola (11,045 feet), and others
rise upon Italian soil. They form the linguistic boundary between Germans and
Italians, and have yielded a retreat to the Ladins, and hence the geographical
nomenclature of the country is rather puzzling. Farther east the confusion is
even worse, for between Carinthia and Carniola we meet with Slav names in
addition to German and Italian ones. The mountain which is popularly, but
erroneously, supposed to mark the boundary between the three races, is the Terglou
(Triglav, Tricorno, or " three-horned mountain," 9,297 feet). Three is a number
equally attractive to the gods as to man ; and the natives of the country are fond
of stating that three rivers rise upon this mountain, of which one joins the Isonzo
THE GERMAN ALPS. 11
and flows to the Adriatic, whilst the two others find their way to the Black Sea
through the Save and the Drave. From the Terglou may be enjoyed the finest
panorama in Austria, the view exti-'nding from Venice and the Adriatic to the
snow-clad summits of the Tauern. It is the last mountain in this direction
whose aspect is Alpine, and even a small glacier hangs upon its northern slope.
The Karawanken, or Mountains of the Carvates (Croats), beyond it, are less
elevated, but they surprise by the pyramidal sh.ipe of the summits and the roseate
or violet hues of their rocks. They culminate in the Grintouz (8,295 feet),
which rises above the amphitheatre of Logar, which bears a striking resemblance
to that of Gavarnie, in the P\^renees. Numerous cascades leap down from the
precipices which surround it, that of the Krinka clearing a height of 980 feet in
three bounds. These mountains form the eastern termination of the Alps. The
plateaux of Carniola and the Carso (Kaist), to the south and south-east, differ
widely in character from the Alps, of which they are dependencies.
The calcareous mountains of the northern zone of the Alps are exclusively
occupied by Germans. The westernmost mountain mass of this region is known
as the Arlberg. The valley of Montafon, tributary to the Rhine, separates it from
the Rhatikon. The Pai5s of the Arlberg, through which runs the great high-road
connecting Innsbruck with the Lake of Constanz, crosses it at a height of 5,994
feet. The Kaltenberg attains a height of 9,515 feet, and can boast even a few
small glaciers ; but the mountains of Vorarlberg cannot compare with the Alps
of Switzerland in beauty of outline or freshness of vegetation.
The Alps of Algau extend to the north-east of Vorarlberg into Bavaria, and
their gentle slopes contrast strikingly with the abrupt precipices formed of lias
and the white dolomitic rocks.
The mountain chain which extends along the northern bank of the Inn as far
as the gorge of that river at Kufstein is distinguished for its picturesque boldness
and the isolation of its jagged summits, amongst which are the Zugspitze
(Wetterstein, 9,682 feet), the Solstein (8,331 feet), and Karspitze (Karawendel,
9,076 feet). Small glaciers occupy some of the depressions, and the passes which
lead across the range are sometimes veritable gorges, or KImisen (cluses), as in the
Jura. One of the steep precipices of the Solstein, the Martinswand, has become
famous through an adventure of the Emperor Maximilian I.
The Alps of Salzburg, to the east of the Inn, consist of numerous isolated
mountain masses, presenting, as a rule, a steep wall towards the Tauern, and sloping
down gently towards the north. They abound in shady valleys, charming villages,
blue mountain lakes, and savage gorges, and do not yield in picturesqueness to the
Alps of Switzerland. If we ascend the steep precipices we reach plateaux covered
with chaotic masses of rock, void of all vegetation. One of these plateaux is known
as the Steinerne Meer, or " Stony Sea ; " another, to the east of it, as the Ueber-
gossene Aim, or " Submerged Meadow." The former rises to a height of 8,200 feet,
and is surrounded by jagged peaks, or Zinkon, the highest amongst which attains
an elevation of 8,692 feet. The Uebergossene Alp (9,644 feet) has a cap of
ice and snow. To the north of these rises the stupendous pyramid of Watzmaua
12 AUSTRIA-HUxNGAKY.
(9,640 feet), a wicked king converted into stone ; and still furlher north the Uiiters-
berg (6,790 feet) looks down upon the vale of Salzburg. In its bowels ure hidden
palaces, churches, and delicious gardens, and Charlemagne there waits for the
arrival of the millennium.
These limestone Alps increase in height towards the east, in proportion as the
summits of the Tauern grow less. Due north of the Venediger and the Great
Glockner, where they are drained by the Achen and the Saalach, they are mere
foot-hills of the Central Alps ; but in the east, towards the river Enns, the
Dachstein (9,794 feet) rises far above the snow-line, and three glaciers descend
from its flanks, whilst in the Tauern, due south of it, only a few patches of snow
survive the summer. The Dachstein looks down upon a vast plateau covered with
stones, and the valley of the Traun separates it from a similar terrace, known as
the Todtes Gebirge (Dead Mountains). But when we stand upon one of the
summits rising above the plain to the north of these mountains, these scenes of
desolation are hidden from us, and the eye ranges over wooded slopes, verdant
valleys, and blue lakes scattered over the vast plain, which extends north as
far as the mountains of Bohemia. The Schafberg (5,719 feet), which rises
boldly to the east of the Atter Lake, quite deserves to be called the Austrian
Rigi.
The mountains which rise beyond the gorge scooped out by the Enns, on its
way to the Danube, surpass in height those of the central chain. The Hochschwab
(7,480 feet), the Schneeberg (6,790 feet), and other bold pj'ramids rise far beyond
the zone of forests, but their lower slopes and spurs are richly clad with verdure,
and upon their foot-hills are perched innumerable towns and villages. From the
top of the Hochschwab the eye ranges from the white pyramid of tlie Glockner to
the broad plains of the Danube, which lie spread out beneath us like a map. The
sandstone range of the Wienerwald extends from the Schneeberg to the Danube
above Vienna.
Glaciers, Rivers, and Lakes.
The German Alps only yield to those of Switzerland in the quantity of water
which they convey to the rivers of Europe. Their glaciers, known as Femer,
Keese, or Vedrette, cover an area of nearly 40 square miles, but owing to the
snow-fall being less, they cannot compare in extent with those of the Monte Rosa
or the Oberland. The largest amongst them is now only 7 miles in length ;
but the rock scratchings and moraines discovered in the lower valleys, and even in
the plains, prove that during the glacial period they were far more formidable.
That of the Oetzthal had then a length of 35 miles, and towns like Innsbruck
and Salzburg are built upon sites which were formerly covered with ice.
The glaciers of the Tyrol have been ascertained to shrink and advance at
regular intervals. During the latter end of the last century and the beginning of
the present one they advanced, covering pastures and old mountain paths. Of late
they shrink, at least in the west. The quantity of ice and snow has grown less
in the Tyrol, and Pfaundler affirms that between 1866 and 1870 18 feet have
p
<
00
O
o
-<
GLACIERS, EIVEE8, AND LAKES.
13
melted away on the highest summits of the Stuhay. On the other hand, a few-
small glaciers have recently formed in the Eastern Tauern.
The Veriiagt glacier, in the Oetzthal, is one of those which exhibit the greatest
regularity in their alternate advance and retreat. Five times since 1599 has it
crept down the valley and melted away again. Its advance is usually more
rapid than its decay, and in 1845 its terminal face advanced 150 feet in a single
day. The Vernagt is, however, more dangerous when it retreats, for then the
water pent up in its tributary valleys is freed, and carries destruction to the lower
valleys.
Owing to the friable nature of the rocts, disasters such as this, as well as
Fig. 6. — The Vkknaot and other Glaciers of the Oetzthal.
Scale 1 : 120.000.
: Miles.
landslips and floods, are frequent in the Austrian Alps. The Salzach, which rises
in the Tauern and flows past Salzburg to the Danube, has frequently been dammed
up by the masses of detritus brought down by its tributary torrents. In 1798 an
avalanche of mud and stones blocked up the gorge of Oefen, above Hullein, and
two villages, with their fields, were buried beneath 50,000,000 cubic yards of
debris. In the valley of the Adige sloping mounds of detritus constitute a
marked feature, and they sometimes block up the river. The huge accumulation
of stones, mud, and clay, interesting on account of its stone-capped earth pillars,
known as the Salvini di San Marco, is probably the result of a landslip which
occurred in 83:5, and for a time reduced the Lower Adige to a simple rivulet. Five
U AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
centuries afterwards the summit of the Dobracz precipitated itself towards the
town of Villach, involving ten villages and two castles in ruin. A chapel, the
hio-hest building in Austria (6,690 feet), now marks the spot where the mountain
gave way.
The large lakes which formerly occupied the depressions between the moun-
tain ranges have either been drained or hlled up by alluvium washed down from
the hills. Excepting the frontier Lakes of Constanz and Garda, no lake in
the German Alps has an area of over 15 square miles. The number of small
lakes, however, is very great. Some of them are isolated, as the Achensee, the
Zellersee, or the Caldenazzo, which gives birth to the Brenta ; others form groups,
as in the Salzkammergut and Carinthia.
The lake district of the Salzkammergut, though its area is only 637 square
miles, includes no less than thirty-five small lakes, all of them within the basin of
Fig 6. — The Dobbacz.
Scale 1 : 139,000.
. 20 Miles.
the Traun, a tributary of the Danube. Most of them occupy calcareous mountain
gorges. The cavities which they fill have apparently been scooped out by glacial
action. The greater part of them, being fed by clear mountain torrents, do not
sensibly diminish in size ; but others — as, for instance, that of Hallstatt, into which
the mud-laden Traun discharges itself — shrink rapidly. Between 1781 and 1850
the delta at the mouth of the river has grown 247 feet, although at a short distance
beyond the depth exceeds 300 feet. The depth of these lakes, like that of most
mountain lakes, is considerable, that of the Lake Teplitz being equal to thrice its
width ; but their bottom, as a rule, is perfectly level. Thousands of visitors are
annually attracted to these clear mountain lakes and the verdant slopes which sur-
round them. The Lakes of Carinthia, occupying wide valleys bounded by gently
sloping hills, are for the most part shallow and devoid of picturesque beauty. The
CLIMATE. 15
peat bogs, which have invaded many of the old lake basins, might supply Austiia
with fuel for centuries.*
The area occupied by the Austrian Alps is so considerable that the torrents fed
by snow become veritable rivers before they bid farewell to the mountain defiles.
These rivers compensate to some extent for the non-existence of large lakes. Few
river valleys of Europe can compare in beauty with those of the Drave, the Inn,
or the Upper Adige (Etsch). The wide and cultivated valley of the former
separates the snow-clad dolomite peaks on the Italian frontier from the serrated
chain of the Tauern. The valley of the Inn presents us with an astonishing
variety of scenery, due to the fertility of its bottom-lands — the picturesque towns
and castles perched upon its sides, the fine contours of its mountains, clad with
sombre woods or verdant pasture-grounds, and contrasting strikingly with the
snow-clad heights above and the deep azure sky. More beauteous still are the
valleys of Eisack and the Adige, to the south of the Brenner. "We there breathe
the balmy air of Italy. Vines cover the hill-slopes, white campaniles rise above
groves of trees, and lar in the distance we look upon the smiling plain of the Po.
Climate.
There exist not only local differences of climote, as is the case in all mountain
regions, but also general contrasts, resulting from the diversion of atmospheric
currents by the mountain masses.
The difference in temperature between the southern and northern valleys is far
more considerable than can be accounted for by difference of latitude. The
mean annual temperature of Linz is 14° less than that of Verona, at the
mouth of the valley of the Adige, although the difference of latitude between the
two does not amount to 3^. The rainfall on the southern slopes is far
greater than on the northern, for the Alps intercept the moist winds of the
Adriatic and Mediterranean. Thunder-storms are frequent in the south, but very
rare in the plains of Austria. Moreover, whilst in the south the greatest quantity
of rain falls during summer, autumn is the rainy season in the north. The Alps
consequently constitute a well-marked meteorological boundary. The fohn of
Switzerland is not known in the Austrian Alps, except perhaps in the Vorarlberg,
which lies within the basin of the Rhine.
Similar contrasts may be observed on proceeding from west to east. In the
east, towards the plain of Hungary, the mean annual temperature is 7*^ less than
• The lakes of the AuBtrian Alps {see means lake) : —
Height. Depth.
Achensee 2,947 f
ZfUerseo 2,466 623
( Wi.rtherece 1,325 223
Carikthia ' Oaiachersce 1,524 148
( Millstadtersee 1,910 394
fAttcreee 1,490 728
I Traimsee 1,335 368
f. J Mondsee 1,522 128
I Hallstiittersee 1,814 30o
[XcpUtzsee 2,274 200
16
AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
in the west ; the summers are hotter, the winters more severe. This difference,
however, is not due to the presence of the Alps, for it exists in the plains on
either side of them. Austrian meteorologists affirm that this excessive climate is
gradually extending towards the west. Eastern plants, capable of withstanding
these changes of temperature, are spreading westward, and this accounts for the
differences between the Alpine floras of Austria and Switzerland. These differ-
ences, however, would only strike a botanist, and the general aspect of forests or
Fig. 7.— Isothermal Zones of Austria.
Scale 1 : 15,000,000.
"
."1
i.s|
,o|
25|B of Gr.
"
»
>1
/H
Pfsuo^KJ '1 \
V
Cracow _f\
0;^^
w
-/-
-X^vi""' /
HS^
. ^-TT"
\^ U/w— /v^
455^
4li'=%
Vffi2na
6Pesth /-* ^N.
\ Suczaws
43^
46^
54'
go
^55rp-^^>2Si-^
IS ^
\ /^
45
■;s=^-^='^ '\
\ Buohaiest
Ts
^^^Tri.'HtS^X ^^^**>^^
^"^^^^^^^^ \^ ^
\ \^ \
^^— -^_^
■
■ Florence
"^ \X \
\^ \v
X^^" >=^-~-
^
~v-^^^\
^\/
\X.
_
l:
ho
|.S
_
pastures is the same, whether we wander through Styria, the Oetzthal, or Switzer-
land.*
The People.
The population of the Austrian Alps is far from homogeneous by race and
language. The Germans are now in a majority, but they have absorbed ancient
populations who preceded them, and of whom traces have been discovered in the
Lake of Hallstatt and elsewhere. Pile dwellings, however, appear to have, been
far fewer than in Switzerland.
The Tyrolese more especially are a mixed race, for they have absorbed not
Mean T
emperature (Fahr.).
EainfaU.
Lat. N.
Height (Feet).
January.
July. Year.
Inehes.
• Verona
45° 26'
37"
79° 50°
37
Laibach
46° 3'
970
30°
67° 48°
71
Klagenfurt .
46° 37'
1,446
22°
66° 46°
39
Moran .
4(i° 40'
1,025
32°
73° 63°
31
Trent .
46° 41'
695
34°
71° 63°
43
Gratz .
47° 4-
220
27°
67° 48°
23
Ga8t<!m
47= S
3,260
23°
67° 42°
20
Innsbruck .
47° 16'
1,900
26°
65° 49"
29
Sakburg
47° 18'
1,426
27°
63° 47°
4i
Linz .
48° 18'
860
27°
67° 45"
23
THE PEOPLE.
17
only Celts, but more ancient populations, whose very name only survives in that of
mountains and lakes. Formerly the inhabitants of the country were known as
Interiuli, whence, perhaps, their present name. The Romans Latinised the Tyrol,
and mediffival documents mention many landowners bearing Italian names. In
the early Middle Ages " Ladin " was spoken even on the northern slopes, and up
to the sixteenth century that language kept its ground in the Vorarlberg. A
hundred years ago the mountaineers of the Vintschgau, or Upper Adige, still
spoke that tongue, and even -during the present century several Ladin villages
have been Germanised. The only parts of Tyrol where Romaic dialects were not
spoken formerly are the central portion of the valley of the Inn and the Puster-
Fig. 8. — Rain Map of Austria.
Accordiug to Von Souklar and L'elesse.
r ; RT]|11 [IMl PMI MM
IrMthamsiin. ss-Mn. 49-83111. 83-uin. u-7siH.
7JhlfS im. Oivrssin.
thai. The names of several villages in the latter prove that the district was
formerly inhabited, in part at least, by Slavs.
Roioarians and Swabians from the north-west, Germanised Slavs advancing up
the valley of the Drave, Goths and Longobards ousted from Italy, gradually
reduced the domain of the Ladins, and they are confined now to the valleys of
Gherdeina (Gardena, or Groden), Enneberg, and Badia, to the east of Brixen.
The "Welsh" spoken there is mixed, however, with many words of German
origin, whilst the German mountaineers make use of Ladin terms. Most of the
inhabitants speak both languages indifferently. The Ladins differ not only in
language, but also physically, from their neighbours, the Germans and Italians.
They are of more slender build than the former; have poor beards, but long
73
18
AUSTEIA-HUNGAET.
curly hair descending to the shoulders ; their complexiou is brown, like that of
the Italians, but their eyes are loss expressive.
Whilst the Romaic dialects have been encroached vpon by German, the
Italians in the valley of the Adige appear to be gaining ground. German was
spoken throughout the district of Trent. The Italian peasant, being more active,
thrifty, and abstemious than his German neighbour, resolutely attacks the swampy
lands in the valley of the Adige, which the Germans dread. As high up as
Fig. 9.— The Limits op Gf.bman akd Itauan in the Southern Tybol.
Aecu-ding to Ficker and Czoemig.
E o+P«ns
Otrtm» Germ * ^ Italian
Latin Latin ^ Italian Jtatian
Botzen there exists hardly a hamlet which has not been invaded by these Italians.
In the valleys which enter the Adige on the east many villages have become
Italianised. German influence, moreover, is not much felt to the south of the
linguistic boundary. The Italian spoken at Trent is as pure as that of Genoa or
Milan, and the aspect of the town is altogether Italian. In the Northern Tyrol,
as far as Innsbruck and Salzburg, we are reminded by the style of architec-
ture that Italian influences have been at work there. In 1867 a society was
THE PEOPLE.
19
established at Innsbruck for the purpose of supporting German schools in all the
frontier villages, which are now threatened by an invasion of Italians.
In the Eastern Alps a similar struggle has been carried on between German
and Slav, and the linguistic boundary has changed frequently in the course of
centuries. Formerly the whole of Southern Austria was held by the Slavs, who
in the seventh and eighth centuries advanced to the Inn and the sources of the
Drave. In several instances the Slavs had even crossed the Alps and descended
into Friuli and the Italian Tyrol. These Slavs were generally known as Wends,
although in reality they were Slovenes or Corutani, a name preserved in Carinthia,
or Kiirnthen. Pushed back by the Germans, the Slavs retreated to the eastward,
but they left behind them several colonies which preserved their nationality
Fig. 10. — The Terglou and the Linguistic Boundary.
Scale 1 : 57S,000.
, 10 Miles.
during the Middle Ages. Many valleys and villages, the latter frequently pre-
ceded by the adjective Windisch, were held by them, nor have they been com-
pletely absorbed. The Austrian-Germans betray their double parentage in
features, traditions, customs, and more especially in character. They are Germans,
no doubt, but they differ much from their kinsmen in Western Germany.
The actual frontier between the two races begins at the small towu of Pontafel
(Pontebba), close to the north-eastern corner of Italy, where Italian, German,
and Slovene are spoken. It thence runs to the east, passing within a short
distance of the Terglou and Mount Luschari, with its " miraculous " chapel, both
of which lie upon Slovene soil. It then passes to the east of Klagenfurt, a
German town, separating the German district of Gratz from that of Marburg,
20 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
which 18 principally inhabited by Slovenes. The small German settlements
Iving beyond these limits are gradually being absorbed by the Slavs, whilst
German, owing to the advantages it enjoys as the language of Government and
commerce, is gaining ground in the towns.
A very curious feature in connection with the ethnography of the Austrian
Alps is the almost total absence of Jews, so numerous in other parts of the empire.
Up to 1848 the only place where the Jews had a synagogue was Hohenems, on
the Lake of Gonstanz. Elsewhere the population had most energetically opposed
their settlement, even paying a special tax to be rid of their presence; and,
although Jews are now met with in the principal towns, they have not yet pene-
trated to the Alpine villages.*
The inhabitants of the Zillerthal, east of Innsbruck, are probably the finest
representatives of the Germans of the Tyrol. They are Boioarians, whilst th«
inhabitants of Bregenz, whose women carry off the palm for beauty, are Ale-
raanni. Upon the whole, however, the Tyrolese do not deserve the reputation for
manly beauty which they enjoy. In some villages they are positively ugly, but
their ugliness is partly disguised by their pretty national dress. Persons suffering
from goitre and cretinism are as numerous as in Switzerland and Savoy, those of
the valley of Palten, in Styria, being most frequently afflicted. In some parts
there exists hardly a family one of whose members is not suffering from cretinism.
The unhappy /<>.?, crouching down near the hearth, is an object of pity to all, for
popularly he is supposed to have been chosen by Providence to expiate the sins of
his relations.
The Tyrolese of the higher valleys, amongst whom Rhsetian and Celtic ele-
ments appear to predominate, are more reserved than their kinsfolk in the plains,
who are full of spirits and gaiety, and passionately fond of music and dancing.
The inhabitants of the Zillerthal more especiallj' are surrounded by a halo of
glory. Their skill as hunters, the bravery with which they have defended their
mountain defiles, and their traditional lore entitle them to a place of honour
amongst their countrymen.
Accustomed to the freedom of the hills, the Tyrolese were permitted to enjoy
many privileges. They are no longer exempted from the conscription, but are
permitted to serve in a local corps of sharpshooters. They are much attached to
existing political institutions, and adore their emperor and the dignitaries of the
Church.
The Carinthians do not much differ in this respect from the Tyrolese. There
was a time when these mountaineers most jealously watched over their local
liberties. Up to the fifteenth century the investiture of the dukes took place with
ceremonies intended to symbolize the sovereignty of the people, and they were
• Population and races of the Austrian Alps, not including the Salzkammergiit (1876) :—
rp, , ^ A IT 11, Germans. Italians. Ladins. Slavs.
IjTolandVorarlberg . . . 5:iO,COO 340,000 15,000 —
t-alzburg l.i 2,000 — !_ _
*,'f"°*'"'' 239,000 _ __ i0.-,,000
Myna. . . . . . . 712,000 - - 4491000
'^otal • • ■ l,»a,000 310,000 lo,U00 554,000
THE PEOPLE.
21
made to swear to maintain the personal freedom of the peasant and the sanctity of
his house.
At the time of the Reformation many of the inhabitants of the Tyrol and of
Fie-. 11. — Tyrolkse.
Men and Women from the ZiUerthal, Brenner, Orodenthal, and PuaterthaL
Carinthia became Protestants, bnt they were put down with a strong and ruthless
hand. During the years 1731~'32 no less than 25,000 Salzburgers expatriated
themselves, and sought a new home in other parts of Germany and in America.
22 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
The flourishing industries which the Protestants formerly carried on in Curinlhia
and Styria fled these countries, and many mines were deserted.
Actually the spiritual authorities can boast of no more faithful subjects than
are the Tyrolese, who feel a sort of pride in the fact of the Council of Trent having
sat in one of their towns. Philosophical discussions are stifled in their schools,
and "freemason " is a term of reproach. With the exception of a few Protestant
congregations recently established in the larger towns, the population is Catholic,
the number of priests and other ecclesiastics is large, and their influence in the
more remote valleys all-powerful. In Curinthia and Styria, however, owing to
immigration, the number of Protestants is larger.
The Tyrol has not yet become one huge hotel, like its neighbour Switzerland,
but the number of tourists is annually increasing, railways are multiplying,
and modern ideas are carried into the remotest valleys. Quite as great changes in
the modes of thought of the Austrian mountaineers are being wrought by their
periodical migrations. About one-sixth of the native-born Tyrolese, male and
female, are supposed to live beyond the boundaries of the countrj', either as
singers and zither-players, or in pursuit of divers trades. The emigrants from
the Vorarlberg deal in woollen stufPs ; those from the Stubay Mountains in iron ;
the natives of the Passeyer valley, on the Upper Adige, trade in cattle ; those of
the Lungau valley, on the Mur. are travelling bone-setters and farriers. In the
last century it was the Zillerthulers more especially who roamed through the
world as itinerant doctors, selling oils, drugs, and essences. About 400 of them
were then engaged in the sale of a wonderful oil, composed of seventy drugs,
and known as " mithridates." At the present day this industry can hardly be
siiid to exist, and the Zillerthalers are content to deal in gloves, or to gain a
living as singers. During winter many villages are inhabited only by women,
children, and old men. The fine villus which are met with in some of the more
remote valleys are the property of emigrants who have returned home with the
wealth acquired abroad.
Productions, Industry, Commerce.
The Italian Tyrol is as fertile, and its productions are as varied, as those of
Lombardy ; the great valleys of the Inn and the Drave are fertile agricultural
districts; but in the remainder of the country dairy-farming and cattle-breeding
are the principal occupations. In many distiicts the small income of the family
is eked out by domestic industries. The men of the Gardena, or Gr«den valley,
carve dolls, toys, and other articles in wood, whilst the women make coarse lace.
The mining industry is of considerable importance, excepting in the Tyiol.
The mineral wealth increase.- as we proceed east. The country around Salzburg
(Saltborough) abounds in rock-salt ; Carinthia has mines of lead, zinc, iron, and
copper; Styria possesses rock-salt, iron, and lignite. The gold mines of the Tyrol
appear to have been exhausted. In the sixteenth century they employed 30,000
workmen.
Salt and iron are the principul minerals worked at the present day. Hall
PRODUCTIONS, INDUSTRY, COMMERCE.
S8
in the Tyrol, Hallein in Salzburg, and Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut (estate of
the Salt Office) are the principal centres of salt-mining. The saliferous mountains
are perforated by innumerable galleries, whence the brine is conveyed to the evapo-
rating works. One of these salt mountains, viz. the Diirrenberg, near Hallein,
has yielded 10,000,000 tons of salt in the course of the last six centuries.* The
deposits of iron ore in Styria and Carinthia are of enormous extent. The Erzberg
at Eisenerz alone yields about 200,000 tons of ore annually, and will continue to
yield that quantity for a thousand years.f Unfortunately the district where these
ores abound most are dependent upon lignite and peat for their fuel, and even
in Styria the manufacturing industry cannot compare with that of Bohemia.
Vorarlberg has cotton-mills ; Styria iron and steel works, machine shops, forges,
Fior. 12. — The Minino Region op Eisexfrz and Vohdhhsbero.
M4°20
Lignite and ooaL
Iron, &0.
and foundries. The latter is more densely inhabited than any other district of
the Austrian Alps.
Formerly the rouds which led across the Austrian Alps were few and far
between. In the beginning of the present century there existed but two direct
carriage roads which joined Austria to Italy, viz. that over the Semmeringand the
more westerly one over the Brenner. The old Roman road which ran over the
• Yield of salt (1872) at Ebcnsec, Ischl, Hallstatt, Aussce, Hallein, and Hall, 93,980 tons.
t Yield of pig-iron (1872) :— 116,029 tons in Styria, 63,87a tons in Caiinthia, 6,367 tons in the Tj-rol,
and 2,828 tons in Salzburg. . v m i
Yield of lignite :-l,2.54,743 tons in Styria, 77,169 tons in Carinthia, 24,932 tons in the Tyrol.
Yield of coal :— 5,515 tons in Styria.
In addition there were produced 69,788 cwts. of lead, 306,696 0Z8. of gold, 6,646 cwts. of copper,
1,649 cwts. of zinc, besides silver, nickel, arsenic, alum, and vitriol.
24
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Radstiidter Tauern was still in use, but it is very circuitous. At the present day-
all the old Eomaa roads have been rendered practicable for carriage traffic, and
the engineers have even carried their operations into the regions of perennial snow.
The road of the Stelvio (Stilfser Joch), close to the Orteler and the Swiss frontier,
is the highest road in Europe. It was constructed for strategical reasons, and after
the loss of Lombardy it was not thought worth while to expend large sums upon its
maintenance. Even the old carriage roads over the Semmering and the Brenner
have lost much of their importance since railways run by their side over the
passes. The railway of the Semmering was the first constructed over the Alps,
and was looked upon at the time as a stupendous work of human industry. The
first locomotive travelled along it in 1854, since which time another railway has
pierced the very heart of the Austrian Alps, the engineers availing themselves of
Fig. 13. — Elauben, on the Road over the Brennkb.
the comparatively easy gradients leading up to the Brenner. That railway has
become one of the great commercial high-roads linking Germany with Italy, but it
will have to contend against a formidable rival as soon as the railway over the
Pontebba Pass, to the south-west of the ViUach, shall have been completed. By
means of this new line direct communication will be established between Vienna
and Italy, much to the annoyance of the people of Trieste, who will lose much of
their transit trade.
In addition to the railways which cross the Alps, there are others which
traverse their longitudinal valleys. The two lines over the Semmering and the
Brenner are thus connected by a line which runs from the upper vallev of the
Drave into the Pusterthal. A second junction is effected to the north of the
lauern ; but a line connecting the Inn valley with the railway systems of Switzer-
STTBIA.
25
laud and Northern France is still wanting. Its construction will necessitate the
boring of a tunnel through the Arlberg.
No doubt this line would have been built long ago if it could prove of strate-
gical importance, but Switzerland excites no apprehensions. For works of defence
we must look on the Italian slope of the Alps. In opening up the Alpine valleys
by means of railways, care was taken to render them inaccessible to a hostile invader.
Every road, every footpath, has its forts and batteries, the centre of defence being
Fig. 14. — Roads over tue Alps.
The Map is shaded to express the height above the Sea-level.
placed at the points where the Pusterthal joins the road over the Brenner. This
important strategical position is defended by the Franzensfeste and other works.*
Topography.
SrvRiA. — The sites upon which important towns have been founded in the
Alpine regions are clearly marked out by nature. The largest city would naturally
arise beyond the most elevated mountain masses, in a plain afPording scope for the
cultivation of the soil, and on one of the great high-roads radiating from the capital
of the empire. Gratz (Hradec, 80,732 inhabitants), the capital of Styria, and
• Height of passps in the Austrian Alps (in feet) : —
Carriage roads: SU'Ivio, 9,154: Malser Heidc, 4,973; Arlberg, 5,896; Radstadter Tauern, 5,700
liottenmann rauom. 4,004 ; Pontebba, .^eilO.
/fo(Vroorf» .-—Brenner, 4,4.!!; Semmering, 3,260; Toblach Field, in the Pusterthal, 3,952.
26
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
the largest town in the Austrian Alpine region, actually occupies such a site in the
wide valley of the Mur, and half-way between Vienna and Trieste. The mines in
its vicinity have contributed to the growth of its industry. It is a cheerful town,
with a fine public park at the foot of a hill formerly occupied by the citadel.
From the summit of this picturesque knoll we see the city spread out beneath our
feet ; we can trace the winding course of the Mur, fringed by poplars, and survey
the wooded heights which bound the valley. Many half-pay officers have settled
at Gratz, because life is cheap and pleasant there, whilst students are attracted by
the scientific collections of its university.
Marburg (13,085 inhabitants), on the Drave and on the junction of the Puster-
thal railway with the Trieste line, is the only other town of importance in Styria.
Cilli (4,203 inhabitants), near Carniola, is the ancient Celleia, of which ruins still
exist. Bruck (2,879 inhabitants), on the Upper Mur, is one of the prettiest towns
in Austria. Leoben (0,091 inhabitants) is a mining town, where the preliminaries
Fig. lo — Klaobnfurt and thb Lake of Wokth.
Scale 1 : 225,000.
E. of Parts
E. of Or
iV'jzo'
6 MUes.
of the treaty of Campo Formio were signed in 1792. Vordernberg (2,468 inha-
bitants) is known for its iron works, as are also Eisenerz (3,841 mhabitants)
and Rottenmann. Near the latter is the famous Benedictine abbey of Admont,
with an invaluable library. Judcnburg (Jewsborough, 3,189 inhabitants), the
ancient Idunum, occupies a delightful position on the Mur. It is not a town of
Jews : on the contrary, the Jews were massacred there during the Middle Ages,
and the modern name appears to be a corruption of the old Roman one. Marior-
tdl (1,200 inhabitants), on the northern frontier, is a famous place of pilgrimage.
Tcplitz and Tuffvr (Franz-Josefsbad) are well-known watering-places.
Carinthia. — Klagenfurt (15,200 inhabitants), near the Drave and the Lake of
"Worth, is the only town of the province. St. Veit (2,322 inhabitants), the old
capital, has dwindled into a village, having some iron industry. Feldkirchen (5,316
inhabitants) is a large village. Bkiberg (4,061 inhabitants) has lead mines, and
Iluttenberg iron mines and furnaces. Villnch (4,258 inhabitants), to the north
SALZBURG. —TYROL.
27
of the Poatebba Fass and on the road to Italy, is sure to grow into a place of
importance as soon as the direct railway shall have been opened.
Salzbl-rg (20,3:3. i inhabitants) is, next toGratz,the most populous town in the
German Alps, and undoul.tedly one of the most inteie.^^ting cities of all Germany.
Situated upon the Salzach, which there enters the plains of Bavaria, enclosed on
all sides by stepp hills covered with trees and houses, and commanding a magnifi-
cent prospect of the Alps, Salzburg has at all times challenged the admiration of
its visitors. A tunnel pierces the hill to the west, and joins the old town to its
suburb, Riedenburg. The ancient seat of an archbishop, the city abounds in
ecclesiastical buildings ; but the Roman ruins of Juvavum, and the caverns which
Fig. 16. — Salzbvro.
Scale 1 : 51,000.
I MUc.
pierce the surrounding heights, are equally interesting. A statue has been erected
to Mozart, a native of the town. The environs are delightful, and the finest
Alpine lakes within easy reach. A little to the south are the salt works of Hallein
(3,614 inhabitants) and the picturesque defiles of the Salzach, leading into the
Pinzgau. Visitors to the famous hot springs of Gastein, at the foot of the
Ankogel, usually pa.ss through Salzburg.
Tyrol. — Itimbriick (16,810 inhabitants'), in the wide and fertile valley of the
Inn, and at the northern foot of the Brenner, is even better placed for commerce
than Salzburg. Its picture.«que houses are gaily painted, and two bridges span the
river. One of the churches boasts of the tomb of the Emperor Maximilian, one
28
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
of tbe finest works of the Renaissance in Germany. The only other towns on the
northern slope of the Alps are Uall (5,022 inhabitants), known on account of its salt
works ; Sehicaz (4,813 inhabitants), famous formerly on account of its silver mines ;
and KuMein (2,083 inhabitants), with an old castle, converted into a prison. The
P'ig. 17. — BOTZEN.
Scale 1 : 150,000.
-i MUes.
towns on the Italian slope are more animated than those in the north. They
include Drixen (4,349 inhabitants), at the junction of the Brenner and the Puster-
thal railways; Botzrn (Bolzano, 9,357 inhabitants) . at the confluence of the
Eisack and the Ad.ge ; and Trent (17,073 inhabitants), an Italian city, remark-
a
f-
O
(-
U
I-)
>J
>
hi
o
VOEARLBEEG. 29
able on account of its ancient buildings, includingN the church in which sat the
famous Council of Trent (1545 — 63), and where is shown a picture with portraits
of the 378 prelates assembled. Trent lies at the head of the road which leads by
way of Levico (6,250 inhabitants, famous for its wine) and the valley of Sugana
into Venetia. Roceredn (9,063 inhabitants) does a considerable trade in raw silk ;
Ala (2,686 inhabitants), a frontier town, formerly carried on the manufacture of
velvet ; Meran (4,229 inhabitants), on the Upper Adige, the old capital of the
Tyrol, attracts numerous visitors on account of its mild climate ; but Riva (5,082
inhabitants), on the Garda Lake, is far superior to it in that respect, besides offering
the charms of a more southern vegetation.
In VoRARi,BKRG, in the valley of the Rhine, only small towns and villages are
met with. Bludenz (1,451 inhabitants) and Dornbirn (8,486 inhabitants) have
cotton-mills and print works. Other towns are Feldkirch (2,568 inhabitants) and
Bregenz (3,600 inhabitants), the latter an Austrian port on the Lake of Constanz.
The principality of Lif.chtenstein is an enclave in Vorarlberg. It is an
independent state, formerly a member of the German Confederation, and has for
its capital the small village of Vaduz. Like other states, Liechtenstein rejoices in
representative institutions ; but the army was disbanded, as a superfluous luxury,
after the battle of Sadowa.
CHAPTER III.
AUSTRIA ON THE DANUBE.
["USTRIA proper includes the wide Danubian vale between Bavaria
and Hungarj' and the foot-hills extending in the north to the
Bohemian Forest, and in the south to the limestone Alps of Salz-
burg and Styria. A name first bestowed upon a Bavarian
"march," or frontier district, in 996 has thus become the designa-
tion of the vast empire governed by the house of Habsburg. The nucleus of this
empire occupies a central position, and Vienna more especially is most happily
situated with reference to the other provinces.
The Danube, which waters the two provinces of Austria above and below the
Enns, rises from a modest spring in a retired valley of the Black Forest, but in
its course to the east it assumes proportions far exceeding those of any other
European river, including even the Volga. Having been Joined by the Inn, the
Danube escapes from the table-land of Bavaria and enters the valley of Austria,
where its course has been regulated by costly engineering works. Passino- alter-
nately through defiles and over plains, the river reaches the gate of the
Carpathians, through which it debouches upon the vast plains of Hungary.
Nearly two-thirds of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy lie within the basin of
the Danube.
The plateau, from which rises the Bohemian Forest, occasionally forms cliflfs
along the northern bank of the Danube. It is intersected by a few tributaries of
no importance. On the south, however, the Danube is reinforced by the snow-
fed rivers which escape from the Alps, whose spurs and foot-hills advance some-
times close to its banks. The right bank thus presents us with a succession of
smiling valleys, backed by lofty mountains clothed with sombre forests or covered
with snow. The Danube between Linz and Vienna, though less frequented by
tourists than the Rhine, nevertheless rivals that river in its picturesque scenery.
The Danubian slopes are richer in verdure, the hills more varied in outline, and
the lateral valleys more numerous. Castles, turreted cities, and villages half
hidden in verdure add to the natural beauties of the river. Sometimes the river
is hemmed in between rocks, at others it spreads out over a wide valley. Below
Grein it flows through a narrow gorge obstructed by rocks and islets. The rapids
AUSTEIA ON THE DANUBE.
81
at the island upon which rise the ruins of Werfenstein are known as the Stnidel ;
but the dangerous whirlpools {Wirbet) lower down, which bargemen never
ventured to cross without saying their prayers, exist no longer, the rock which
caused them having been removed in 1859, and its fragments employed in
embanking the river. At the ruined castle of Diirrenstein, the place of captivity of
Richard Coeur-de-Lion, the Danube escapes from this gorge. It spreads freely
over the plain, enclosing between its branches numerous verdure-clad islands, or
Auen. Some of the old or dead arms of the river have become swamps fringed by
reeds, the favourite haunts of water-fowl. In these parts of the vallej- man has
not yet issued victoriously from his struggles with the river. "Wild animals still
abound there; and even the beaver, which has disappeared everywhere else in
Figf. 18. — The Danvbe at Gbein.
Soale 1 : 112,0U0.
l!l°Sn'
■i*Si"*---''
E.ofCr
11.° W
2 Miles.
Germany, still inhabits these old arms of the Danube. Still considerable progress
has been made. Many of the " dead " arms of the river have been converted into
meadows, embankments have been constructed, and the quiet beauty of these
works of man amply compensates for the savage picturesqueness which it sup-
plants. The alluvial tracts of this plain are of exceeding fertility. The Mann-
hardtsberg, the last promontory of the Moravian plateau, is seen far to the north,
rising above the verdant plain, but the wooded spurs of the Alps on the right
hand approach close to the river ; and just above Vienna the range known as the
Wiener "Wald forces the Danube to make a wide detour to the north. Below these
hills the river expands, and traverses an ancient lake basin, upon the margin of
which rises Vienna with its suburbs. The plain which extends to the south of the
Danube is partly covered with shingle, but upon the whole it is well cultivated,
82
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
and many towns and villages rise upon it. The northern plain, however, known
as the " Marchfeld," abounded until recently in sand-hills, swamps, and furze, but
has now likewise been brought under cultivation. This Marchfeld is one of the
great battle-grounds of Europe, and was allowed to remain a wilderness during
the Middle Ages as a protection to the eastern " marches" of Germany.
Inhabitants and Towns.
The population of Austria proper is not so purely German as might be sup-
posed from the language universally spoken. The Germans living here are more
gay and supple of mind than their kinsmen in the north ; their features are
more expressive, their gait freer, and their skulls rounder; and these differences
result from a mixture with other races. Originally the country was inhabited by
a non-Germanic race, and the names of many places are Celtic. After the down-
fall of the Roman Empire it was successively inhabited by Rugians, Huns, and
Fig. 19. — Geolooical Map op the Upper VAtLEy or the Danobe.
Mien schist, Porpltj/rf
Granite,
GneigSf etc.
SCALE I4.'000>000
' Jvnusic Triassic Citiaccuua Tertiary
(ZZl
Quaternary
Avares. At the same time the Slavs founded numerous colonies, the names of
which survive to the present day. After the destruction of the Avares by Charle-
magne, only Slavs and Germans are mentioned, the former being kept in a state
of cruel servitude.
The terrible devastations of the Hungarians finally led to the complete Ger-
manisation of the country, which was repeopled by the Boioarians and other
German colonists. The Bishops of Passau founded numerous monasteries, around
which sprang up villages of serfs, and their wealth became prodigious. Living in
the midst of these German priests and peasants, the Slavs forgot their origin and
language, and a peaceable mixture of the two nations was thus accomplished.
The population is densest along the right bank of the Danube, and, as in
Bavaria, all the towns of importance rise on that side of the river. This, at first
sight, may appear strange, for the hills on the northern bank are exposed to the
beneficent influence of the sun, and the sites, with the distant Alps bounding the
VIENNA AN
ScaU
NEW VORK
TS ENVIRONS
ISO 000
iHEUm
PPLETON &CV
AUSTEIA ON THE DANTJBE.
68
horizon, are more picturesque. But these advantages are more than balanced hv
a fertile alluvial soil being only met with in the tertiary hills to the south of the
river, whilst the cultivable area extending along the granitic heights commanding
the left bank is very sraiill in extent. The Danube, as appears from Fig. 19, forms a
well-defiued geological boundary, separating the crystalline rocks of the north
from the tertiary and recent formations of the south.
Krenu (6,114 inhabitants), the only town of importance on the left bank of the
Danube, occupies a site where both banks are of tertiary formation. Linz (30,^38
inhabitants) is very favourably situated near the mouth of the Traun, and at the
Fig. 20.— Linz.
Scale 1 : 165,000.
EofPetr.
E.of Gr. IVb
4 Miles
foot of the gap which separates the Bohemian Forest from the plateau of Moravia.
It exports the salt of Salzburg, and the timber and other products of Bohemia.
Vienna* offers one of the most striking instances of the influence exercised by
geographical position upon political destinies. Vindobona, in the time of the
Ilomans, was the head-quarters of a legion and of a flotilla, but it had no more
importance than Lauriacum (Lorch), at the mouth of the Enns, for the. great
military station of Pannonia was naturally established at the northern outlet of
• Vif-nna, in 1869, had 632,494 inhabiinnts, or, with its 18 siihiirba, 833,855. In 1877 the popula-
tion wag estimated at 1,050,000. The principal suburbs are Ilernals, Kiinfhaus, Rudolfsheim, Ottakring,
Aleidling, Uaudenzhaiu, &c.
74
84
AUSTEIA-HUNGARY.
the Tyrolcse passes. Still the commercial importance of Vienna's position was
recognised even then, and at Carnuntum, a short distance below the modern town,
they constructed a bridge of boats, which facilitated intercourse with the countries
in the north as fur as the Baltic. Upon Vienna converge the roads from the Adriatic,
from Bohemia and Silesia, and for centuries that city was the easternmost outpost
of European civilisation. This exposed position no doubt had its disadvantages.
Twice— in 1529 and 1683— Vienna was sorely pressed by the Turks. But Hungary
and Turkey having now become members of the European family of nations,
Vienna has ceased to be a frontier town, and when the railways which are to
Fig. 21. — The Growth of Vienna.
Scale 1 : 74,000.
it°|E of P.aris
16° so'E. otGr
VienMaint'47
1 Mile.
Quwters built or buihfimf
on Mill' t\f
ancient Jbrtijicatiitni
connect it with Saloniki and the East generally are completed, it will become the
centre of the continent, and deserve the epithet of Weltstadt rather prematurely
bestowed upon it.
Vienna is not only one of the most important and flourishing cities of Europe, it
is also one of the most sumptuous. Situated upon a narrow arm of the Danube,
at the mouth of the Wien, .ind close to the main branch of the river, it spreads
over the plain bounded in the east by the wooded heights of the Wienerwald.
The spires and domes of some of its most striking monuments are visible from
t
M
AUSTEIA ON THE DANUBE. 86
afar. In the very centre of the old town the spire of the famous cathedral of
St. Stephen rises to a height of 453 feet. The modem Gothic Votive Chnrch forms
one of the principal ornaments of the modern quarter of the town, within which
have likewise been erected the new university buildings, the Town-hall, and the
Exchange. The palatial buildings which line the new boulevards strike the
beholder, and a few statues of martial aspect are not wanting. The great
rotunda of the Exhibition Palace of 1873 remains. Its cupola is the largest in
the world, but size is no beauty.
As a rule the palaces and public buildings of Vienna are somewhat heavy,
but by no means devoid of majesty and beauty. The ground-plan of the city
offers many advantages. The old fortifications have been converted into a wide
street known as the " Ring." An outer boulevard, known as the Giirtel, or belt,
is being laid out on the site of the old " Lines " established in 1704 to prevent an
invasion of the plague. There are several parks and public gardens, including
the Prater, which is the great place of recreation of the Viennese. The hills in
the vicinity are covered with magnificent forests: formerly these forests extended
close to the walls of the town. The stump of an old tree is pointed out in the
Graben, or fosse, now one of the finest streets of the city, as being the only
remnant of the ancient forest. It is covered wiih nails, for formerly it was
the custom for every journeyman smith, on parting from Vienna, to drive a nail
into it, and is hence known as the " Stock im Eisen." The wooded slopes of the
Thiergarten rise above the fine park of Scbonbrunn and the neat Belvedere
built by Maria Theresa. The palace of Schonbrunn has almost become a part of
the growing city. Farther away towards the west we reach the suburb of
Hietzing, the " finest village " of Austria, consisting exclusively of villa residences.
The palace of Laxenburg, with its fine park, lies farther to the south.
Vienna has quite recently obtained a supply of pure water from the Alps.
The aqueduct is 56 miles in length, and its discharge varies between 106 and 350
cubic feet a second. It is fed from springs rising on the Schneeberg. Amongst
these springs that of the Alta is the most curious. Formerly it was intermittent,
but its reservoir having been tapped, it has become perennial. This reservoir is
fed by the rain which falls upon the " Steinfeld," near Neustadt, which acts as a
huge filtering basin.
Scarcely had the Viennese transformed the old fortifications into one of the
finest quarters of the town than they turned their attention towards the
" imperial " river, which flows at a distance of more than a mile from the town,
and to which they had access only by means of a rivulet rendered navigable in
the beginning of last century. The Danube formerly was bounded by swamps
and forests, in the midst of which its numerous arms took their erratic course.
This is the case no longer. A channel, 980 feet in width, has been excavated
to the north of Vienna, through which the river now takes its course, its old bed
having been partly filled up. Five bridges span the new bed of the Danube, a
railway runs along it, and solid quays line it, but the new quarters of the town,
which it was supposed would rapidly spring up along it, are still in embryo,
86
AUSTEIA-HUNGART.
owing to the financial disasters which have recently overtaken Vienna. A fine
winter haven has been constructed on the peninsula lying between the new
Danube and the branch which flows through Vienna.
Although Austria proper is inhabited by Germans, the crowds which fill the
streets of Vienna are made up in a large measure by strangers from all parts of
the empire and from the Eiist.* The Bohemians constitute the most numerous
foreign element of the population, and next to them come Magyars : Slovaks (most
of them gardeners), Servians, Rumanians, Greeks, Armenians, and other repre-
sentatives of the East are attracted in hundreds. But of all races it is the Jews
who increase most rapidly. Numbering about 60,000, they command the money
market, and by means of the press, which is almost entirely in their hands, they
influence the political world almost as largely as they do the commercial.
Fig. 22. — The Ancient Arms of the Danube at Vienna.
l4'5\Long E fffP.
Lat^ 48° 13'
Lat. 48° 13
16° g5' Long. E:of Cr.
ll3'0O0:000
Ancient beds of RU^r
Stuff aucienl soil
Vienna is famous throughout Germany as a tiwn of pleasure. Its gaiety is
proverbial ; nowhere else do the masses so readily contrive to amuse themselves,
and on holidays the parks and gardens of the city resemble vast pleasure grounds.
But Vienna is also a busy hive of industry. Its iirtisiins were famous in
legendary times, for it was there that Attila obtained his nuptial robes ; and they
are so still. Amongst the articles manufactured are silks, carriages, steam-
engines and machinery, pianofortes, and other musical and scientific instru-
ments. The Government printing-office is perhaps the foremost establi.^^hment of
that kind in Europe. The Viennese artisans excel in the manufacture of trifles
in ivory, leather, paper, and metal, and although these " articles " may be inferior
* In 1870 amongst every hundred Viennese there were 56 Gorman Austrians, 12 non-Austrian
Germans, 18 Bohemians and Slovaks, 6 Magyars, 6 Jews, and 2 foreigners.
AUSTRIA ON THE DANUBE.
87
to those of Paris in delicacy and harmony of colour, they are probably more
f:howy and solid.
Formerly, it is said, Vienna was intellectually an idle city. Men of science,
authors, and poets of eminence were rare, and thought was sluggish. Only its
musicians had achieved a world-wide fame. There are writers wlio blame the
climate for this intellectual apathy. The sudden changes of temperature and the
hot winds of the Adriatic, which find their way through breaches in the Alps, are
said to have an enervating influence upon the inhabitants, and, whilst rendering
them unfit for intellectual work, predispose them towards sensual enjoyment.
But this is libelling the climate,* for since the Austrian Government has
relaxed its " paternal " rule there has taken place an intellectual revival in
Fig. 23. — The Rectification of the Dani-be at Vienna.
l4-b\Long. K.ofP Lat,48°l3'
0****^." ■ -^fef f^'oi'isdorf 1 '■- \ v^ • .'•
^^/^Nuf^.SV ■ ' /^ •:,'"" I ';•.•• ^Aspern . ...
^^^1^"^^^ '-■ ' :'•: •■ ■ k '•■■ ■'■ . , \* Stadlaai
\5ofe^*</^!S5j^ . ;■•/ Donaustadtl. ;•• . • • .
V 1- 1 N N\ A %^
Lat.43'15' i6'25'Long. E.ofO.
1 030 000
m
l^vpotal QuacUn
public, scientific, and literary life. The publications issued by the scientific
societies of the city are of a high order, and in its educational institutions it
need not fear comparison with its northern rival, the " City of Intelligence." Its
university is the most frequented in all Germany. Its museums, libruries, and
picture galleries abound in treasures, and form centres of attraction to every
student. The gallery of paintings, for the present in the Belvedere, contains
1,700 paintings, all the great masters being represented. The Imperial Library
consists of more than 300,000 volumes, including 12,000 incunables and 20,000
manuscripts. There are several other libraries (among them that of the university,
with 220,000 volumes), a geological museum, a museum of natural history, and
other collections.
• Mean temperature, 50° F. ; mean of January, 29° F. ; mean of July, 68° F.
38 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Nearly all the other towns and villages of Austria proper are dependencies of
Vienna, and their prosperity is materially influenced by that of the capital. The
baths of Baden (5,847 inhabitants), delightfully situated tit the eastern foot of
the Wienerwuld, are a favourite summer resort of the Viennese. Vos/au (2,152
inhabitants), farther south, is famous on account of its vineyards. Wiener-
Nemtadt (1«,070 inhabitants) is a busy manufacturing town at the northern
foot of the Semmering Alps, and near it is Frohsdorf, the property of a prince
who to other titles adds that of " King of France." Brnck-on-the-Leitha (4,2U3
inhabitants) and Ilainhurg (4,178 inhabitants) are commercial outposts of Vienna,
the one on the road to Buda-Pest, the other on the Danube. Ktosferneuburg (5,330
inhabitants), on the right bank of the river; Korneuburg (4,256 inhabitants)
and Stockerau (5,018 inhabitants), on its left bank, flourish because of their vicinity
to the great city. From the first of these towns a steep railway takes us to the
summit of the Kahlenberg, a favourite " look-out " of the Viennese. The prospect
from the Leopoldsberg, however, is far more attractive, the eye ranging over the
broad plain of the Danube. It was in the vineyards of the Leopoldsberg that
the phylloxera first made its appearance in Austria.
In addition to the towns in the immediate vicinity of Vienna, and of Linz
(30,538 inhabitants) and Krems (6,114 inhabitants), which are indebted for their
prosperity to their position on important highways of commerce, there exist but
few centres of population in Austria. The manufacturing town of St. Polten
(7,779 inhabitants), to the west of Vienna, is one of them. Sieyr (3,392 inhabit-
ants), on the Enns, and Waidhofen (3,497 inhabitants), still farther west, on the
Ybbs, are others. The towns named last are the centres of the Austrian iron
industry. A few towns of importance are met with in the picturesque Salz-
kammergut, or " Salt Estate," including Gmmden (1,408 inhabitants), pic-
turesquely seated upon the Lake of Traun ; Ischl (1,999 inhabitants), famous as
a watering-place; and the ancient city of Halktatt (1,300 inhabitants), with salt
mines, worked for more than two thousand years, as is proved by the Celtic tools
and arms occasionally turned up by the miners.
I
r
t
CHAPTER IV.
THE ADRIATIC PROVINCES.
(GoKiziA, Trieste, Istkia, Dalmatia.)
General Aspects. — Mountains.
HE basin of the Isonzo, the peninsuhi of Istria, the Dalmatian coast
land and its islands, form part of the Austro-Hungarian Plmpire,
in spite of watersheds and nationaliiy. The German and the
Magyar are strangers in these Adriatic regions, from which they
are separated by the ramifications of the Alps —
" Che Italia ehiude e i suoi termini bagna." — Dante, Iiifcnio, canto ix.
Istria and the basin of the Isonzo belong to Cisleithan Austria ; the coasts of
Qiiarnero and of Fiume, as far as the ridge of Veliebid, or Velebit, are subject to
Hungary. The possession of harbours on the Adriatic is of paramount importance
to the great Danubian empire. Trieste enables German Aiistria to freely com-
municate with the outer world and to threaten Ituly. Fiume affords similar
advantages to Hungary.
But Dalmatia, which stretches far south along the eastern sliore of the
Adriatic, is almost beyond the sphere of Austrian or Hungarian influence. Its
boundaries have been fixed in the most arbitrary manner. Geographically as well
as ethnographicallj' it forms part of the peninsula of the Balkans ; and if its
inhabitants declined to throw in their lot with the Slavs, they would naturally
turn towards Italy. The same sea washes the coasts of both, while frequent and
long-continued intercourse has bro'ight about a pirti d assimilation in manners
and language. For a long time the Venetians held possession of a great part of
Dalmatia, and republican Rag^sa became almost Ituliun. The chances of war
threw Dalmatia into the hands of France, and later into those of Austria. The
reasons which prevented Dalmatia from asserting its independence lie on the
surface. No material bonds ever united the Slavs of this strip of coast land in
defence of their independence, and they found no support amongst their kinsmen
in the interior, from whom they are separated by arid mountains. The Illyrian
Republic of Ragusa never enjoyed a period of repose, and ever led a troubled
life.
40 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Dalraatia is the poorest province of the empire, in sp'te of its extent, its many-
harbours, and its delicious climate. Its population is thinly sown. In Istria
land Gorizia, on the other hand, the coast and the plains at the foot of the arid
•plateau of the Carso arc densely peopled.
A rugged platform, upon which rise ramifications of the Alps, extends from
three-cornered Terglou towards the south and south-east, until it joins the Shar
and other mountain masses of the Thraco- Hellenic peninsula. In Istria, however,
this plalform, divided into well-defined plateaux, only supports masses of rocks,
hilly ranges, and a few isolated summits, amongst which the Nanos, or Monte Re
(4,248 feet), thus called because Alboin, King of the Lombards, planted his sword
upon it in sign of conquest, is the most remarkable. This plateau, still known
by its Celtic name of Cano (in German Karst), that is, "land of stones," com-
pletely separates the fertile littoral region from the fields irrigated by the Save and
its tributaries. Only one pass leads across it, that of Ober-Laibach, the Nauportus
of Strabo (1,214 feet). It was through this pass the Roman legions pursued
their way to the north-east, and the Italians still look upon it as forming the
natural frontier of Italy.
The Carso, with its piled-up stones and grotesquely shaped rocks, presents a
unique appearance. No glacier has ever crept across its surface, which is neverthe-
less covered with rocks of all sizes, such as we find in valleys invaded by moraines.
Walls, obelisks, and rock masses resembling uncouth statues, rise above the chaos
of limestone. Once we leave the roads constructed at much expense, progress
through this stony waste becomns difficult, if not impossible. " Sinks " of all shapas
and dimensions abound, some of them presenting the appearance of amphi-
theatres surrounded by rows of seats. These sinks* swallow up all the rain that
falls, when they are converted into temporary lakes, unless the water immediately
disappears in the bowels of the earth. The soil suspended in the water is deposited
upon the bottom of the sink, and these hidden spots are carefully cultivated by the
inhabitants, for upon the open plateau, owing to high winds and arid soil, cultiva-
tion is not practicable.
Sinks are met with in all limestone regions of cretaceous age. A portion of
those of Istria are supposed by some to be due to an irruption of mineral water,
which decomposed the limestone. The red earth, which fills up all the crevices
in the rocks of Istria — Istria Rossa — is pointed at in support of this theory. This
earth hardly contains a trace of organic matter, and seems to have been derived
from the subterranean chemical laboratory of nature.
In former times the whole of the Carso was covered with oak forests. At the
close of the last century the Forest of Montona still covered a considerable area in
Central Istria, and smaller woods existed on the heijjhts commandins: the western
coast of the Gulf of Trieste. A few remnants of these ancient forests survive to
the present day, the most considerable, near the village of Tomai, being known as
the " Paradise of the Carso." Elsewhere considerable tracts are covered with
heather, mastic, juniper, and turpentine trees, and rock -roses. The flora of the
• Called Foibe by the Italians, Doline by the Slovenes, Inglutidon by the Friuliaiis.
THE ADKIATIC PROVINCES.
41
Curso, though poor in individuals, is extremely rich in species. On the coast
vast tracts are sometimes covered by plants of the same species. On the Carso, on
the other hand, fifty or si.xty species are frequently met with upon an area of a
few square yards. It is here the floras of Germany, Italy, and Croatia mingle.
Nearly all the forests have disappeared since the beginning of the century, and
the ravages committed by sheep and goats have prevented nature from recovering.
Several attempts at replanting resulted in failure, sometimes because the vegetable
soil had been carried away by the wind, more frequently through the improvidence
Fig. 24.— The Sinks of Tola.
Scale 1 : 86,000.
U°[3S'E.or Paris
. 1 MUe.
of the villagers to whom the work had been intrusted. Others, however, have
succeeded. A beautiful plantation of pines may be seen close to the village of
Bassovizza, right above Trieste, on one of the most arid tracts of the Carso. In
fact, wherever the plateau is protected against sheep and goats, shrubs spring up,
and in the end the oak, too, will reappear.
But not only is it possible to replant the Carso with trees, it is also possible to
cultivate some of its least promising tracts. Fields have been cleared of stones,
and Cyclopean walls constructed to protect them against the wind ; and in cour^e
42
AUSTRIA-HUNG AEY.
of time they yielded harvests. This, however, is an exception. Standing upon
the edge of the plateau, near Basso vizza, or on the Opcina (l,-294 feet), we are
slruck^by the contrast presented by the smiling coast region and the forbidding
plateau. On the one hand we look upon the blue waters of the Adriatic, upon
einuous bays fringed by rows of houses, upon towns and villages embosomed in
verdure ; on the other upon a rocky waste, without rivers, springs, or vegetation.
The line separating the verdant slopes from the reddish plateau is clearly
defined.
That portion of the Carso which we see to the north of Trieste, and which
extends to the north-west and south-west, runs parallel with the general axis of
Fig. 25.— The Vellbbi6.
Scale 1 : ItO.OOO.
2 MilPB.
Western lUyria. The range of hills surmounting the plateau runs m the same
direction. The " Snowy Mountain " (Sneznica, or Schneeberg, 5,893 feet) must
be looked upon as bounding the Triestine Carso in the south, for close to it rises
the river, for the most part subterranean, which drains the stony plateau. The
Snowy Mountain is entitled to that designation, for in some of its crevices
snow is found throughout the year. The " Hungarian Gate " lies to the west of
it, and near by the old battle-field of Grobrick, now traversed by a railroad. Not
far beyond it rises the Monte Maggiore, or Caldiera (4,572 feet), the culminating
point of Istria, presenting a steep face towards the Gulf of Quarnero.
The limestone plateau to the south of the Snowy Mountain, which M. Lorenz
THE ADEIATIO PEOVINCES. 43
proposes to call the Liburnian Carso, is almost as desolate in aspect as the Carso of
Trieste. Amongst its sinks is one of unusual size, an entire village, surrounded
by fields and orchards, occupying its bottom. The range of mountains which rises
upon the Liburnian Carso runs parallel with the coast of Dalraatia. Its average
height is 4,000 feet, whilst the height of its passes varies between 2,300 and 4,5;i3
feet. None of the culminating summits pierce the zone of perennial snow, the
highest amongst them being the Great Kapella (Klek, 5,394 feet) and the Vellebid
(Vaganski Vrh, 5,768 feet). The latter lies on the boundary between Croatia and
Dalmatia, close to the sea, and its summit, tinted in blue, purple, or rose colour,
according to the distance from which it is seen and the time of the day, is visible
from afar. It is the storm-breeder of the Dalmatian mariner. This mountain
forms a good natural boundary, for it presents great difficulties to a traveller, not
80 much because of its height, but owing to its formidable precipices.
The deep valleys of the Zermanja and the Kerka separate the range of the
Vellebi<5 from the Dinaric Alps, thus called from the principal summit, the
Dinara (5,942 feet). Beyond the wide valley of the Narenta the mountains rise
once more, and in the Orion (6,230 feet), on the frontiers of Montenegro, they
attain their greatest height in Dalmatia.
The mountains along the coast of Croatia are partly wooded, but those of
Dalmatia are almost naked. Claudius's Dalmatia froiidosa exists no longer. When
Ragusa was founded the Slavs called it Dubrovnik, on account of the surrounding
forests. The Venetians, when they took possession of the country, found all the
timber they wanted, whilst now the wood required even for building the smallest
boat has to be imported. The inhabitants of the country accuse pirates of having
set fire to the forests. More likely they were destroyed by goatherds, as in the
Carso. The destruction of the forests of the Carso during the last century has been
estimated to have caused a loss equivalent to that of 582 square miles, with over
a million of inhabitants. Steaming along the coast of Dalmatia, the grey and
naked mountains resemble huge heap< of ashes. The reverse slopes, however,
are still wooded from the foot to the summit.
Rivers and Lakes.
The plateaux of Carniola, Kapella, and VellebiC, and the mountains of Dalmatia,
constitute a strong strategic barrier, not only because of their height, but also
because of the want of water. The limestone of which they are composed quickly
sucks up the rain, and no other country in Europe abounds so largely in under-
ground rivers. These rivers have their waterfalls, their freshets, and other
phenomena, like rivers flowing on the surface. M. Schmidt and others, by
descending into the sinks and embarking in small boats upon mysterious water-
courses, have succeeded in mapping several of these subterranean river systems.
Of all these rivers the Rieka, or Recca, near Trieste, is the most famous.
Rising upon the Snowy Mountain, it flows for some distance through a narrow
canon, until it disappears beneath the rock, surmounted by the picturesque village
44 AUSTEIA-HUNGAKT.
of St. Canzian. Still lower down it flows over the bottom of a sink, then
forms some cataracts, and disappears once more, only to appear again after an
underground course of 22 miles. At Monfalcone, where the river leaves its
cavernous channels through three apertures, it is of considerable volume, and
navigable for small sea-going vessels. It is known here as Timavo, and was
famous amongst the ancients, who built temples upon its banks. Its volume
appears to have decreased, and M. Czoernig thinks that formerly it was fed by
subterranean channels which now communicate with the Isonzo. It certainly no
Fig. 26.— The Isonzo and the Timavo.
Scale 1 : 110,000.
' 2 KUes.
longer deserves to be called the " Mother of the Adriatic," for it is far inferior now
to the Isonzo, whose delta advances at the rate of 23 feet a year.*
A second Recca, or Reciua (a word signifying "river"), rises on the Liburnian
Carso, and flows through a fearfully savage gorge towards the Quarnero, which it
enters a short distance below Fiume. A few hundred yards above its mouth a
spring gushes forth from the foot of the rocks, its waters rushing into the chaTinel
of the river and filling the western port of Fiume, after having put in motion the
• Delivery of the Recca at St. Canzian, 5 to HI cubic feet per second. Discharge of the Timavo, 14
to 1,060 cubic feet per second ; average, 323 cubic feet.
THE ADRIATIC PROVINCES.
46
wheels of numerous mills. Unfortunately the enormous mass of sediment carried
down by the river has formed a bar at its mouth (see Fig. 37). No less than
39,200 cubic yards of siliceous mud are deposited every year, the river discharging
during the same period 686,000,000 tons of water. The temperature of this
copious spring averages 50° Fahr. ; that is to say, it is about the same as that of
the rain which falls upon the plateau 4,000 feet above. The temperature of all
the springs along the coast is analogous, and this proves that they are supplied by
Fig. 27. — The Ombla, Gravosa, and Raousa.
Scale 1 : 81,800.
.iWie.
the rain precipitated upon the plateau of the Carso. Some of them rise from the
bottom of the sea. The most copious of these submarine springs gushes out at the
foot of the Monte Muggiore, and after heavy rain the rush of fresh water causes a
great commotion of the sea, dangerous to vessels entering within a circle of 600
feet radius.
Phenomena of the same kind have been observed in connection with the
Istrian Arsa and the Dalniutiiin rivers Zcrmnnja, Krka (Kerka), Cettina, and
Xarenta. On a map these rivers, which bide themselves from time to time
46 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
in underground channels, resemble a serpent cut into pieces. Most of them
flow beneath the surface valleys, but others take their course athwart moun-
tain ranges. Thus the Cuttina, which flows along the foot of the Dinaric
Alps, is supposed to be fed from a lake lying beyond the hills, towards the
east, whilst itself discharging a subterranean branch which reaches the sea
near Spalato. The blue Ombla, which flows into the Bay of Gravosa, and the
spring of Doli, which rises from the bottom of the sea, are supplied by the
Trebindca, a tributar)' of the Narenta, flowing beyond the mountains of Herze-
govina. Others of these subterranean rivers have never been traced to their
mouths, and there are springs supplied we know not how. The Lake of Vrana, on
the island of Cherso (Kres), covers an area of 2'3 square miles, and holds
233,000,000 tons of water. It is undoubtedly fed by springs supplied from the
mainland, for its temperature is lower than any experienced on the island.
The greater part of Carniola and Dalmatia would be altogether without water,
if it were not for underlying impervious sandstones and clay, which occasionally
force the underground rivers to appear on the surface. Besides this, in crossing
these bare and white plateaux, we are occasionally charmed by the sight of a large
depression filled with verdure, like the quarry gardens of Syracuse. The famous
vineyards of Prosecco occupy one of these verdant sinks of the Triestine Carso.
Many identif j' these vines with the vites piicime of the ancients, whilst others seek
them on the slopes of Duino, near the mouth of the Timavo, which yields the
excellent wine known as Rcfosco.
One of the most diflBcult tasks of the people dwelling around the Carso consists
in their protecting themselves against the sudden floods caused by these subter-
ranean rivers. The water, not being able to spread laterally, rises vertically, fills
up the sinks, and even overflows them. The Rieka has been observed to rise
350 feet above its ordinary level in the sink of Trebid. The villages are thus
perpetually threatened by inundations. The inhabitants take many precautions
to avert the danger. They place gratings over the openings of the sinks, to
prevent their becoming choked up ; they occasionally clean ( ut the underground
channels ; and sometimes even resort to blasting in order to open more commodious
passages for the surplus waters. Permanent o*" temporary lakes are formed in
many places, in spite of these precautions. One of the largest is the Lake of
Rastoc, to the north of the swampy delta of the Narenta. It shrinks according to
the seasons, a portion of its bed being alternately covered with water abounding
in fish, or cultivated. Still none of these Adriatic lakes can compare with that
of Zirknitz, which lies on the northern slope of the Carso.
Caverns no longer serving as a passage to rivers are as numerous in the Carso
and the Illyrian Alps as are the channels of underground rivers. They ramify
to such an extent that the whole country has been likened to a petrified sponge.
The most widely known of these labyrinthian passages lie within the basin of the
Save, but those of Dalmatia, though less frequently visited, are quite as curious.
Not only are they curious on account of their stalactites, but also because of their
fauna and flora. A peculiar species of bat is found there, and seven species of a
THE ADRIATIC PEOVINCES.
47
shapeless blind reptile inhabit the wells of Gradisca. There are flies, eyeless
coleoptera, arachnids, centipedes, Crustacea, and molluscs.
Formerly the superstition of the inhabitants peopled these caverns with
demons, vampires, and sorcerers. The Morlaks looked upon one of the deepest
of these chasms as a gate of hell, and a neighbouring cavern they converted
into the dwelling-place of a sorceress, who sallied forth at night to steal little
children, whose hearts she eat. In a cavern near Ragusa dwelt the serpent of
^sculapius, guarding three magic coins lying at the bottom of a limpid pool. A
roaring noise, frequently heard in these caverns at sunrise and sunset during summer.
Fig. 28.— The Nahenta.
Scale 1 : 210,000.
Battkt trhiek
tincm-rr
Dtptha llFalht
Depth over u Fatht
. 4 Miles.
has given birth to and kept alive these superstitions. This curious phenomenon
recalls the singing statue of Memnon, and is due, no doubt, to rushes of air
through narrow fissures. In the autumn of 1825 the sounds heard on the island
of Melada are siid to have frightened away the inhabitants, who fancied they
heard the threatening voices of souls forgotten in purgatory.
The Co.ast. — Isi..\nds.
The coast-line of Istria and Dalraatia is quite as remarkable in its configuration
as are the plateaux and the rivers. At the first glance the Istrian peninsula
48
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
impresses by its niassiveness, but nurrow arras of the sea, bounded by steep
precipices, penetrate far inland. The Valle Quieto and the Canale di Leme pierce
it on the west, while the G.nale di Arsa and the Buy of Fianona are equally
remarkable inlets on the east.
But fur more fantastical than Istria is the outline of iJtilmatiu, with its
peninsulas, and its fringe of islands, isltts, and sunken rocks. Its islands and deep
bays remind us of the slmeren and the fiords of Norway, but this analogy is
merely superficial ; for whilst the fiords of Scandinavia are submarine valleys of
great depth, which intersect the coast range in all directions, and ramify into a
multitude of arms, the canale and bays of Dalmatia are simple chunnels of
Fig. 29. — The Sink of Faoo.
Scale 1 : 1,136,000.
DEPTH IN FATHOMS
0-S
I 3
Over 11
. 5 KilcB.
erosion, less than 160 feet in depth, and extending in the same direction as the
ridges of the Carso and the Dinaric Alps — that is, from the north-west to the
south-east. The peninsulas and islands of Illyria have none of the chaotic dis-
order peculiar to the torn rocks of the Scandinavian coast. The direction of their
hill ranges and valleys is the same as that of the mountains and valleys of the
mainland. Geologically they belong to the same formation as the mainland, the only
exceptions being the eruptive rocks of Lissa and of a few islets far out in the
Adriatic, There can be no doubt that all these islands were formerly joined to the
mainland, the work of erosion which cut them asunder having been favoured by
THE ADEIATIO PROVINCES.
49
the friable nature of the rocks. The sinks have largely influenced the existinf
configuration of the coast and of its fringe of islands. Amongst sinks which
have been converted into harbours, in consequence of the sea having obtained
access to them, may be mentioned those of Buccari and Porto Re, near Fiume.
Others, as that of Pago, are still separated from the sea by a narrow neck of land.
The coast, moreover, is slowly subsiding. In Istria the ruins of the ancient towns
of Sipar and of Medelino may still be distinguished a few yards below the level of
the sea. The island of Cissa, near Rovigno, famous in the time of the Romans
for its dyers, disappeared beneath the waves in the eighth century. The fresh-
Fig. 30.— The Kekka.
Scale 1 : 160,000.
i3''3o'E. of Paris
"t'tVAi
8CALC i.naooo
IMILI
2 Miles.
water Lake of Vrana, near the Narenta, was invaded in 1630 by the sea. On the
other hand, there is not wanting evidence pointing to a local upheaval of the land.
The Narenta, for instance, cannot now be navigated as freely as during the reign
of the Venetians. This, however, may be due to alluvial deposits obstructing its
channel.
One of the most remarkable estuaries of the lUyrian coast is that into which
the Kerka discharges itself between Zara and Spalato. It is at one and the same
time a river, a lake, and an inlet of the sea. The Kerka, above Scardona, forms a
miniature Niagara. On leaving the narrow chasm scooped out by the waterfall,
75
60
AU8TRIA-HUNGAEY.
the fresh water of the river spreads itself over the brackish water of Lake Proklian.
The river then enters a second gorge, through which it flows to the Adriatic.
Of the many bays of Dalinatia, that called Bocche di Cattaro is most widely
known. Its ramifications recall the Lake of the Four Cantons, and although there
are neither glaciers nor pastures, it would be difficult to meet with rocks of bolder
aspect or of more dazzling colours. The " mouths " include numerous ports,
capable of affording shelter to the united fleets of the world. Two passages,
13 fathoms deep, lead into the interior, where the mariner loses sight of the
sea, and finds himself upon a tranquil sheet of water, winding among steep
mountains. VillugKS of fishermen are seen upon the shore, half hidden amongst
Fig. 31. — The Bocche di Cattaro.
Scale 1 : 240,000.
5 Fathoms Line
27 Fathoms Lino
4 Miles.
verdure ; old walls and ruined towers are reflected in the blue water ; barren
rooks peep out in the midst of vineyards and plantations of olive and lemon trees ;
and wherever we look the horizon is bounded by mountains. Few gulfs in Europe-
can rival in beauty these Bocche of Cattaro.
Standing upon the heights of the mountains, we look down on the islands
fringing the coast, their grey or reddish rocks contrasting most admirably
with the blue waters of the Adriatic. Every one of these islands possesses some
feature distinguishing it from the others. Veglia (Krk in Slav) most resembles
the mainland, from which it is separated by the shallow channel of Maltempo.
Cherso (Kres), though nearly surrounded by channels having a depth of over
UM^^t^
o
H
b
O
O
IS
H
O
THE ADRIATIC PROVINCES.
61
30 fathoms, is separated from the neighbouring island of Lussin only by a
narrow cavanella, hardly 20 feet wide, and perhaps excavated by human hands, to
facilitate the passage from the Quarnero into the channel of Quarnerolo. j\rbe
abounding in olives, consists of several parallel ridges, separated by inlets of the
sea and low valleys. Pago, 40 miles in length, terminating in the north in a point
resembling the horns of a narwhal, is bounded by cliffs of eocene limestone, and
Pig. 32. — Panorama of the Bocche di Cattaro.
has in its centre longituditial valleys gradually merging into inlets of the sea,
locally known as mlli, or lalloni ; that is, " valleys." Premula, to the west of
Pago, is well known to mariners as the locality where the Adriatic current
bifurcates, one arm running north towards the Quarnero, Istria, and Trieste, the
other swerving round towards the coast of Emilia. The Isola Lunga, or Long
Island, together with Incoronata, stretches towards the south-west for 40 miles.
Brazzo, off Spalato, is the most massive of the Dalmatian islands. It resembles a
52
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
plateau, is well cultivated, and produces excellent wine. Lesina is a tongue
of land extending towards the west. Sabbioncella is not an island, but a
peninsula, traversed by a range of high mountains, 45 miles in length. The island
of Curzola is a westerly continuation of this range. At Melada (Mljet) the chain of
large Dalmatian islands terminates. Lissa, with its fine harbour, lies in the open
Adriatic. Near it the Austrians and Italians fought a naval battle in 1866.
Pelagosa lies nearer to Italy than to Dalmatia, but belongs politically to the
Austrians, who maintain its lighthouse.
In one respect all these islands, and many others of inferior size, resemble
each other : they are all barren, the forests having long disappeared. Selve and
Fig. 33. — Melada.
Scale 1 : 180,000.
i«TSof:.o(<w-.
DCPTH IN FA THOMS ■
11 — V
Over S7
•I Miles.
Lesina are no longer wooded, as their name implies, and Curzoli has ceased to boast
of the forests which caused the epithet of " black " to be bestowed upon it. All of
them are distinguished by boldness of contour, and their cliffs contrast strikingly
with the gentle undulations presented by the Italian shores. Their rocks are
sterile, but some of the valleys and smaller islands, partly composed of impervious
sandstone, are of exceeding fertility. Thus, whilst Levrera, a limestone island
near Cherso, supports only rabbits, the neighbouring islet of Sansego has been
converted into a veritable garden by its thousand inhabitants.
Climate, Flora, and Fauna.
The climate of the valley of Isonzo, of Istria, and of Dalmatia resembles that of
Italy. The flora of the whole of the maritime region is Mediterranean. Myrtles
THE ADEIATIC PROVINCES.
68
and laurel-trees flourish in the open air at the mouth of the Timavo, 2|° to the
north of Liguria.
The mountains shelter the country towards the north and east, and it is
exposed to the afternoon sun. In the Dalmatian littoral valleys we meet with
locust-trees, orange-trees, and fig-trees. The almond- trees bear blossoms in
December, and peas and beans frequently ripen early iu January. Palm-trees
are first met with at Trau. On the island of Bua they are numerous, and in
the gardens of Ragusa they sometimes bear ripe fruit. Exceptional frosts, how-
ever, have occasionally proved destructive to the olive plantations of Northern
Dalmatia and Istria, and those around Trieste have never recovered since the
terrible winter of 1787. In 1861 the channel of Zara became covered with ice,
and in April, 1804, it snowed there. Twice during ten centuries a considerable
portion of the Adriatic froze, viz. in 869 and in 1234.*
Fig. 34. — San Clements.
Scale 1 : 115,000.
i^ I* SPALMADORI
•'is* ^....■-'
Depth 0-8 Fathomt
,, 8-27 ,,
„ 27-S4 „
■ 2 Miles.
In summer the skies of Dalmatia are usually serene, but in autumn torrential
rains are frequent, as also in the beginning of spring. The winter is generally
rainy, but tlie equinoctial rains are mcst abundant. It is the sirocco which
carries the rain-clouds to Dalmatia, for in its passage across the Mediterranean it
becomes charged with vapours, and to it the country is indebted both for its
heat and its moisture. The land and sea breezes, owing to the lay of the coast,
blow in the same direction as the general winds, and therefore either neutralise
them or add to their violence. The bora, blowing from mountains to the south of
Monfe Re, is more especially dreaded in its encounters with the sirocco. Its violence,
* Average temperature and rainfall in Istria and Dalmatia : —
Gorizia (Ofirz) 55° 63 inches.
Trieste 67-9 43 „
Fiume 570 62 „
Zara 68-5 30 „
Kagiua 62-2 64 „
54 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
like that of the ProveiKjal mistral, is extraordinary. In 1873 it upset a railway-
train above Fiume, and it finds its way even into the ill-constructed houses hidden
in the cavities of the plateau. Mariners fear it, and cautiously approach the
offings of valleys down which it takes its furious course. As a rule it blows from
the north-east, but it is frequently deflected by the valleys. Its approach is
heralded by puffs of wind and by the purple tint of the sea. The violence of the
bora renders the north-eastern coasts of the islands almost uninhabitable, although
they abound in excellent harbours, for the spray of the sea, which it whirls before
it, proves destructive to vegetation, and only tamarisks resist it. The influence of
the bora extends for several miles inland. It appears to blow with greater force
now than formerly. On the eastern side of Pago the wine harvest now fails every
three or four years, instead of every ten or twelve, as formerly. It is the western
slopes of the islands which support the greater part of the population, and are
most carefully cultivated. The tides, too, differ from those of other paits of the
Adriatic, for in the Quarnero Gulf they only flow once within twenty-four hours,
instead of twice, as in the lagoons of Venice and the Gulf of Trieste.
The climatic differences observed on the plateaux, along the coasts, and on the
islands sufficiently account for the differences in the local floras. On the Carso
the floras of Germany, Italy, and Croatia mingle ; in the valleys the flora varies
much according to elevation and exposure to the sun. The Mediterranean
flora, thanks to the numerous inlets of the sea, is most numerously represented,
and the marine flora of Dalmatia is richer than that of any other European sea.
The fauna, too, presents us with a few species not elsewhere met with. Reptiles
are numerous, especially tortoises ; brown bears are met with in the mountains ;
foxes and martens descend to the plains ; but the slag and the wild boar have
disappeared. The jackal, however, which forms a link between the faunas of
Europe and Asia, is still met with on a few islands and in Southern Dalmatia.
The sea abounds in fish. The tunny is caught at Grignano, in the Gulf of
Trieste ; immense shoals of sardines visit the coast of Istria, and eels ascend the
rivers of Dalmatia. A species of crawfish {Neph'rops Norveglcus), formerly supposed
to be peculiar to Norway, is caught in the Gulf of Quarnero.
Inhabitants.
Thk two dominant races of the empire are represented in these Adriatic pro-
vinces only by soldiers, functionaries, and merchants. With few exceptions, the
inhabitants are either Slavs or Italians. The latter, most numerous in Istria, live
principally in the maritime region, whilst the Slavs occupy the plateaux.
We possess little information concerning the Celts and Pelasgians who originally
inhabited the country. We do not know to whom to ascribe the construction of
the castellieri, or castlets, so numerous in Istria. Thus "much is certain — that the
Italian element, in the diiys of ancient Rome, was far stronger, for the names of
many Slav villages nnd families in the interior are clearly of Latin origin. The
Chiches and other Slav tribes first occupied the plateaux between the ninth and the
seventeenth centuries, having been introduced by feudal landowners, Venetians,
THE ADEIATIC PROVINCES. 65
and Austrians to cultivate the land or to defend military positions. Some of these
tribes were admitted as guests, and settled in cultivated districts, a proceeding
against which the Italian Istrians complained as early as 804.
At the present time the uplands are Slav ; the lower basin of the Isonzo,
Gorizia, Trieste, Parenzo, Pola, and all the towns of maritime Istria are Italian, and
the/^rt/wwmmj of Trieste are consequently justified in aspiring to aunion with Italy.
Fiume, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Quarnero, is likewise Italian, whilst
in Zara, Spalato, and other towns of Dalmatia the Italians are in a majority.
German is no longer compulsory in the superior schools, and the language used in
preference by the educated classes throughout is Italian. Even the Furlani of the
valley of the Isonzo, who speak a dialect akin to that of the Ladins, use it.
The Slavs are divided into numerous tribes, speaking a variety of dialects.
Formerly, before a spirit of nationality had arisen amongst them, they yielded
to the influence exercised by the Italian towns. Civilisation and Italianisation
were then synonymous terms. This is the case no longer. The Slavs, in spite
of local distinctions, have learnt to feel that they are kinsmen. Religious
diflerences, however, still separate them, for the Slavs of the coast are Koraan
Catholics, and detest their brethren holding the orthodox Greek faith.
Amongst the Slavs there are still some whose barbarous manners recall
the Uskoks, or Servian fugitives whom the Ottomans drove from Bosnia, and
who, before they became tillers of the soil, lived upon brigandage. The
vendetta still survives in a district near Zara, known as Berlika, and a local
proverb says that he " who does not avenge an injury remains unclean." The
savage mountains and the vicinity of the frontier enable assassins to evade
justice.* This, too, renders it difficult to suppress revolts. In 1869 the
Krivoscians, on the Herzegovinian frontier, successfully opposed the troops that
were sent against them, and in the end the Austrian Government found itself
compelled to grant all they demanded, viz. jhe exemption from military service
and a remission of taxes.
The Morlaks, who are supposed to be a mixture of Albanians, Slavs, and
perhaps Avares, are amongst the least-civilised peoples of Europe. Some of them
are fair, with blue eyes; others olive-complexioned, with chestnut-coloured hair.
Wretched as they and their habitations are, they delight in fine garments, and
the head-dresses of the women are ornamented with gold and, silver coins.
Superstitions are rife amongst them, and old national songs, or pesmes, survive in
their villages.
The Morlaks are a fine race of men, distinguished by tall stature and strength.
The father of the great Frederick set much store by them, but the restrictions of
military life little suited their independent disposition. The islanders of Lussin
Piccolo likewise are noted for their strength and physical beauty. The climate
of Dalmatia is certainly favourable to physical development, and though most
sanitary laws are defied there, the inhabitants attain a greater age than in any
• Between 1851 and 1856 760 murders and attempts at murder are recorded amongst the 8,400
inhabitants of Berlika.
66 AUSTEIA-HUNQAEY.
other part of Austria.* There are, however, a few localities which are noted
for their insalubrity. Such are the swampy lowlands of the Narenta, now
being drained. A local disease — scherlievo — has been observed near Fiume, and
is ascribed to misery, dirt, and promiscuousness.
A few foreign colonies exist on the Adriatic slopes of Austria. Peroi is a
Montenegrin village near Pola, whilst Rumanians have settled on the river
Arsa, which flows into the Gulf of Quarnero.t
The cultivation of the soil leaves much to be desired. Irrespectively of the
vicinity of Gorizia, Trieste, a few places in Istria, and near some of the towns
of Dalmatiu, agriculture is in a most backward state. The earth yields harvests
in spite of man. The wine, which might be amongst the best pi-oduced in
Europe, is fit only for drunkards ; the fruits are small and without flavour. The
land no longer belongs to families collectively, as in the valley of the Save,
nor has it become the absolute property of individuals, a sort of tenure most
unfavourable to its cultivation. The peasants retain the habits of wandering
herdsmen, and think nothing of pasturing their sheep upon a neighbour's fields.
Fortunately the inhabitants of the coast are not solely dependent upon agri-
culture. The Istriotes participate in the commerce of which Trieste is the centre.
The Dalmatians are excellent seamen, and more than one-half the crews of the
sea-going vessels of Austria are furnished by Ragusa and Cattaro. Sbip-buildiug,
sail and rope making, and the salting of provisions occupy many of the inha-
bitants in the coast towns. Commerce is almost exclusively in the hands of
Italians and Jews, and the fisheries appear to have been abandoned to Chioggians,
whose sloops are seen in every creek.
Dalmatia, in spite of its natural wealth and favourable geographical position,
does not enjoy the importance which is clearly its due. lllyria was a far more
populous country in the days of the Romans than it is now, and far better culti-
vated. It enjoyed a second period of prosperity during the Middle Ages, when
Ragusa (the Dubrovnik of the Slavs) was one of the great commercial emporiums
of the Mediterranean, rivalling even Venice, and forming a focus of civilisation
to the Slavs of the interior. The city never recovered from the disasters which
repeatedly overtook it since Charles V. " borrowed " three hundred of its vessels.
The fate of the other towns of Dalmatia has been that of Ragusa.
Far removed from the capital of the empire, it has had the fate of a distant
colony, not possessing sufficient resources of its own to insure its prosperitj'.
Its fine harbours were deserted, for within a few miles from them a boundary
watched by officers of customs separated the country from those inland districts
which might have fed its commerce. The definite incorporation of Bosnia into
the Austrian Empire may possibly revive the fallen fortunes of Dalmatia ; but
for the present that country only exhibits a picture of decay.
• Death rate, 23 to 26 per 1,000 inhabitants.
t Nationality of the Adriatic provinces (187.5) : —
Slavs. Italians. Germans. Rnmans. Others. Total.
Gorizia . . . 150,000 72,000 K.OOO — — 22.5,000
Trieste and Istria . 181,000 219,000 7,000 6,000 — 412,000
Dalmatia . . 408,000 6.>,C00
1,000 478,000
THE ADBIATIC PEOVINCES.
67
Towns.
A LARGE city could not fail to spring up near the point where the roads from
the Danube and across the Alps debouch upon the Adriatic. In the time of the
Romans this city was Aquileja, which numbered its inhabitants by hundreds of
Fig. 35.— Tkiestk.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
n* J0 E of Vans
13° So'EjjEGp
. 2 Miles.
thousands, but was destroyed by the Huns in 452. Although subsequently the
residence of the patriarchs, the city never recovered, for not only had the rival
towns of Venice and Trieste grown into importance, but its environs, owing to a
subsidence of the land, had been converted into a pestiferous swamp. It is now
68
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
a poor village, but a Byzantine cathedral and Eoman ruins recall the time of
its splendour.
Trieste (119,174 inhabitants) is an ancient city too, but its importance dates
hardly farther back than the beginning of the century. It is now the great
commercial emporium of the Austrian Empire, and its growth has been rapid
ever since a railway has connected it with the valley of the Danube, and with all
Germany. The old city is built upon the slopes of a hill crowned by a castle ;
the new quarters occupy a level space between the steep walls of the Carso and
the sea, which has been encroached upon to gain sites for warehouses and for docks.
The roadstead is open, and a breakwater now constructing is progressing but
Fig. 36.— PoLA.
Scale 1 : 86,000.
A D R I A T I
Ite't. olCr.
2 Miles.
slowly, owing to the weakness of its foundations. The lighthouse pier. Instead
of protecting the old port, has accelerated its silting up. But, in spite of these
drawbacks, Trieste far surpasses Venice in commercial activity,* though it cannot
compare with its rival in architectural splendour. In this respect Trieste is
certainly behind many an Italian city far less populous. There are, however, a
rich museum of antiquities and a valuable library.
The belt of verdure surrounding Trieste is of small extent, and a short distance
to the north of it the barren spurs of the Carso descend to the sea. Once past
Miramar, a villa delightfully situated upon a promontory, we could hardly
imagine being so near a populous city, if its vicinity were not betrayed by
numerous vessels of all descriptions. Only after having crossed the Timavo do
• In 1876 15,679 vessels, of 1,970,000 tons hurdcn, entered and cleared. The imports were valued at
£21,81 1,680, the exports at £19,328,100. ITie building yards of the Austrian Lloyd are at Muggia. The
company possesses G8 steamers.
THE ADRIATIC PEOVINCES.
59
we again find ourselves amongst fertile fields, and within sight of towns and
villages. Gorizia (Gorz, 15,300 inhabitants), the principal town of this district,
in its sheltered vale, deserves to be called the Austrian Nice, for its climate is
delightful, and it is as famous for flowers, fruits, and early vegetables as its French
prototype. Lower down on the Isonzo is Gradisca, with an old castle.
No other port of Istria or Dalraatia can aspire to rival Trieste. Capo cFIstria
(7,539 inhabitants), the old Venetian capital of Istria, still looks defiance ; but
its walls are too wide now for its population, and its commerce has gone. Pirano
(7,691 inhabitants), on a bold promontory, has productive salt marshes and a
famous port (Porto Glorioso), capable of sheltering large vessels. Parenzo (2,471
Pig. 37.— FrnnB.
Scale 1 : 25,000.
ia°|7'E.ofriiri«
ce- lito
Half a Mile.
inhabitants), where the Istrian Diet has met since 1861, abounds in Roman
ruins, and boasts of a famous Byzantine cathedral, dating back to the sixth
century. Near it are valuable quarries. Pmno (Pazin, 2,909 inhabitants), in
the centre of Istria, near a vast sink 190 feet in depth, is an important market
town.
Rorigno (9,564 inhabitants) lies in the midst of olive plantations, and exports
much oil. As a place of commerce it is more important than Pola (16,743
inhabitants), so famous on account of the ruins of the Roman city of Pietas Julia.
Not twenty years ago Pola was merely a poor village. It is now the great
naval station of the Austrian Empire, its fine port and dockyards being defended
by numerous forts and batteries.
60
AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
Fiiime (1:3,314 inhabitants), the principal seaport of Hungary, lies at the
bottom of the tranquil Gulf of Quarnero, near the site of the Roman city of
Tarsatica, destroyed by Charlemagne in 799. It is favourably situated for
commerce, and is daily growing in inipoitance. A breakwater is being built to
protect its fine roadstead. The river supplies several flour-mills and other indus-
trial establishments with motive power. Near it is the old mountain fastness of
Tersato, on the site of the ancient Roman city.
The other ports on the Quarnero, such as Buccari (Bacar), Porto Re
(Kraljevica), and Zcngg (Segiia, 3,231 inhabitants), carry on some coasting trade,
Fig. 38.— LussiN Piccolo.
Scale 1 : 80,000.
r . ik ss TN
cff'W,
Ll D H h A T J C
r>
■ ^i '>»*,
<-*,. .
\^AsmB
14° UiE.of G».
— ^-^-^— 2 Miles.
but they all yield in importance to Ltmin Piccolo (7,750 inhabitants), with its
magnificent harbour.
Not one-tenth of the commerce of Austria is carried on through the sixty-two
commercial ports of Dalmatia, for the mariners of these places are not emi^loyed in
the export of the produce of their own country. Most of the towns of Dalmaiia
stand upon the coast, and bear a sort of fiimily likeness. They are all defended
by walls, have narrow tortuous streets climbing steep hills, a small port with
a narrow entrance, and a public square with a town-hull close to the water-side.
They are still quite mediaeval in their aspect.
THE ADRIATIC PROVINCES.
61
Zara (Zador, 8,014 inhabitants), the capital of Dalmatia, has, however, under-
gone an advantageous transfiguration, for its old Venetian walls have been
converted, into public gardens. The famous maraschino of Zara is indebted for
its peculiar aroma to the cherries of Makarska, near Spalato, from which it is
distilled. Old Zara lies about 20 miles farther south, on the site of the Slav city
of Biograd, which the Venetians destroyed in 1167, transferring its inhabitants
to New Zara.
Sebenico (Sibenik, 6,131 inhabitants), on the estuary of the Kerka, has an
excellent harbour, and promises to become of importance, for it offers the greatest
facilities for the exportation of the coal discovered near DrniS, on the slopes of
Mount Promina, and of the agricultural produce of the communes of Sign (Sinj)
and Imnski. The Gothic cathedral of the town is the finest church of Dalmatia.
It was built in the filteenth century by Giorgio di Matteo, a native of the place.
Fig. 39. — Spalato and the " Setie Castelli."
Scale 1 : 82,000.
iG? aoE. OfCr
. 6 Miles.
Sjjal<jto (12,196 inhabitants) is called after the palatium of the Emperor
Diocletian, in which the inhabitants of ancient Salona sought refuge when their
town was taken by the Avares. This ancient palace is a vast structure, occupy-
ing nearly half the area of *the town, and inhabited by 4,000 persons, besides
containing wine vaults, stores, and market-places. An ancient temple of Jupiter,
adjoining it, has been converted into a cathedral, and there still exist Roman
ruins of interest. Spalato has an excellent harbour, and the valley of the Clissa
would facilitate the construction of a railway connecting it with the interior.
The shores of the " Bay of the Seven Castles," which extend to the west of Spaluto
as far as Trail (3,069 inhabitants), are noted on account of their fertility. The
inhabitants of the small territory of Politza, to the east, maintained their
independence until 1807. They dress like Magyars, to prevent being confounded
with the Morlaks.
Venerable Ragum (Dubrovnik, 5,305 inhabitants) rises on a promontory, and
G2 AUSTEIA-HUNGARY.
is surrounded by turrcted walls. In 1667 this " Dalraatiau Athens" had 30,000
inhiibitaiits, and it is still of some importance as a place of commerce. Its
harbour is at Gravosa, a pretty village adjoining it. At Ragusa the vegetation
of Europe mingles with that of more southern latitudes, and the gardens of the
island of Lacroma remind us of those of the Hesperides. Old Ragusa, on the
site of Epiduurus, is delightfully situated, but must yield in beauty to that marvel
of the Adriatic, Cuitaro (2,017 inhabitants), in the bottom of the winding inlet of
the Bocche, and at the foot of the road which scales the scarps of Montenegro.
CHAPTER V.
THE COUNTRIES OF THE SOUTHERN SLAVS.
(Cabmola, Croatia, Slavonia.)
General Aspects.
EOGRAPHICALLY and ethnologically these countries are one,
but politically tliey have been cut asunder. The Germans,
anxious to retain the passes of the Alps which give access to the
Adriatic, have taken possession of the country of the Slovenes
of Carniola, or Krain, whilst the Magyars claim the Servians
and Croats of the " Mesopotamia " formed by the Drave and the Save as
their subjects. The inhabitants, however, )Meld but surlily to their foreign
masters. The Croats more especially not only look to their kinsmen beyond
their own frontiers when clamouring for their ancient independence, but
also appeal to " historical rights." Though far from having attained all they
desire, they have succeeded in making themselves respected, and amongst the
nationalities struggling within the limits of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
they are not the least influential. The Magyar is no longer able to speak of
them with contempt, for the events of 1848 and 1849 have taught him that the
Croat is a redoubtable adversary. The animosity of the two nations has given a
renewed lease to the Austrian bureaucrats. United, they might have gloried in
the foundation of a Danubian Confederation, and spared themselves untold
miseries.
The countries of the Southern Slavs extend far beyond the limits of the
Austrian Empire, for they include Servia, Bosnia, and a considerable portion of
the Balkan peninsula, as far as the Black Sea and the Gulf of Suloniki. In
extent they rival several of the empires of Europe. Their political disunion is
due in a large measure to geographical features. The territories to the south
of the Save and the Danube are filled with a labyrinth of mountains, and are
difficult of access. The Mussulmans, aided by feudal institutions, succeeded in
enslaving most of the inhabitants, for, owing to the difficulties of communication,
their Christian kinsmen beyond the Save were unable to render the succour
which would have been forthcoming under more favourable circumstances. To
G4 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
the north of the Save, which with its forests and swamps forms a formidable
natural boundary, the country is open, hills rising in the midst of plains, which
the Magyars not unnaturally chose to look upon as natural dependencies of their
own country. The Germans, too, considered that they had a natural right to
the passes over the Alps which gave them access to the Gulf of Venice. These
are the reasons which account for the political division of the Southern Slavs.
But though separated politically, these Slavs nevertheless possess a consider-
able amount of national cohesion. Austria, by " occupying " Bosnia and Herzego-
vina, may have precipitated the formation of a great Slav state in the south, so
much dreaded by some politicians. Austrian Croatia, owing to its superior
civilisation and the ardent patriotism of its citizens, would become the natural
nucleus of such a state. Every town and all the larger villages there have their
" reading clubs," or citaonica, in which the discussion of national politics is
industriously carried on. Often the members of these clubs join their voices in
the warlike song of Uboj za narod svoj ! — " To arms for our people ! " Croatia is
a small country, and thinly populated, but its geographical position is excep-
tionally favourable.
The High Alps terminate with the snowy pyramid of the Grintouz, to the
north of Laibach. The spurs which extend thence eastwards, between the Drave
and the Save, are of inferior height. The Slemje (3,395 feet), the Ivantica
(3,477 feet), and a few other mountains to the north of Agram, still exceed 3,000
feet, but farther east the hill ranges grow less and less, until near Diakova they
disappear below a deep bed of alluvial soil. Still more to the east an isolated range
rises in the midst of the plain, viz. the Vrdnik, or Fruska Gora (1,761 feet), the
slopes of which are covered with vines. Tertiary strata predominate in these
hills, eruptive rocks being confined to two mountain masses, those of the Slemje,
near Agram, and to the wooded domes of the Garid, or Moslavin (1,587 feet),
farther east. The mountains of Croatia, in the south-west, present most of the
features of the Carso, such as limestone ridges, parallel valleys, and sinks.*
But though quite as stony as the Carso, the eastern slopes of the plateau of
Jroatia are densely wooded. Beeches and pines grow on the mountains, oaks on the
lower slopes and in the valley of the Save. It is these forests which furnish most
of the oaken staves exported from Trieste and Fiume. . The oak of Croatia does
not yield in beauty to that of Germany or of England, but it will surely disappear,
unless a stop be put to the wholesale destruction of the forests. It is painful to
see magnificent trunks of oaks rotting in the swamps, even in the neighbourhood
of towns, and to look upon extensive tracts where only stumps of trees recall
the forests that have disappeared.
In their hydrographical features the countries of the Southern S^avs abound in
contrasts. Low half-drowned plains and arid mountain ridges, great rivers and
tracts ever thirsty, are met with in close proximity.
The eastern extremity of Croatian Mesopotamia has hardly emerged from the
• The highest summits are the Bittoray, 4,343 feet; the Great and the Little Kapella ; the PlieSivica,
5,410 feet; and the Vcllebic;.
CAENIOLA, CROATIA, SLAVONIA.
65
waters. The Danube at Belgrad discharges between 282,000 and 353,000 cubic
feet of water per second. Its channel being obstructed by rocks, it has not yet
completely drained the vast lake which formerly spread between the Alps and the
Carpathians. Swamps and marshes still occupy the depressions, and in times of
flood the country is inundated for miles. The Save, between Sisek and Belgrad,
is ever scooping itself out fresh channels in the alluvial soil, and no sooner has it
taken possession of one than it deserts it for another. A river of this kind presents
great difficulties to the passage of an army, and we need not, therefore, be surprised
at its having become a political boundary. The swamps and quagmires which
extend along its banks are almost impassable, and the strategical importance of
Brod and Mitrovic, the only places where the banks are high, cannot, therefore, be
over-estimated. The territories subject to be inundated by the Save, in Croatia
alone, have an area of 200 square miles. The tracts exposed to the same peril on
Fig. 40. — The Zone of Inundation of the Save.
Scale 1 : 1,750,000.
.7'EofP.I
i9*fo' E. ot Cr
iKtir rtf inwiulalien
PM»- aium
//ilhi Cinmtry
tOtJK 3'r/lA«iJrtpe
k
the southern bank are even more extensive. No less than 330 villages, with
130,000 inhabitants, are annually threatened by these destructive floods. The
population along the river consequently diminishes from year to year, whilst that
in the hilly tracts increases rapidly. Marsh fevers are naturally prevalent, and
annually decimate the population. The Save, in spite of its great volume, is of
very little service to navigation. Above Agrara it is used only for floating timber.
Below Sisek it is navigated by steamers, but sand-banks are so numerous, and
they 80 frequently shift their position, that the traflic has frequently to be inter-
rupted during summer.
In accordance with the law which governs the administration of the Military
Frontier, the money obtained by the sale of timber cut in the Government
forests is to be applied to the " regulation " of the Save, but little appears to have
been done hitherto to prevent its invading the riparian districts. The only
76
66
AUSTEIA-HUNGAET.
engineering work of importance dates back to the third century, and for it we are
indebted to the Romans. It is known as the Canal of Probus, and partially
drains the swamps to the south of the FruSka Gora.*
But whilst one portion of the country has a superabundance of water, another
portion suffers from the want of it. The hills sloping down towards the Save are
as cavernous as are those facing the Adriatic. Nowhere are underground river
Fig. 41. — The Caverns of Postodja (Abelsbehg).
Scale 1 : 120,000.
I^° I lO'K.ofCr.
^o\n
^ /h
/Rj
~-i 1
■A^ki
Wi
^
.
i
^.».i-.
■"
SCALE I.I3O.00O
SuhUrrantnn course
of the
'■ Piuka and Caverns
channels more numerous than in the range of the Kapella, between Zengg and
Ogulin. Many villages are dependent upon cisterns for their water, although
voluminous rivers flow through inaccessible caverns beneath them. After heavy
rains, and when the snows melt, these rivers appear on the 'surface, and sometimes
• Total length of the Save, 660 miles ; area of its catchment basin, 33,990 sq. miles; difference
between high and low water, 31 feet; discharge per second below the Drina-in summer, 24,900 cubic
feet; when in flood, 144,000 ; average, 39,.500 cubic feet (Zomberg, " Regulirung des Saveflusses").
CAENIOLA, CROATIA, SLAVONIA.
67
form temporary lakes. One of these lakes, formed by the Gaika near Oto6ac,
sometimes attains a depth of no less than 160 feet
The Piuka, which is swallowed up by the caverns of Postoina, or Adelsberg
(Arae Posthumii), so rich in stalactites, is perhaps quite as remarkable a river as
the Timavo. After an underground course of about 6 miles the Piuka once
more reaches the surface, a calm and powerful river. Soon after its junction with
the Unz it is again swallowed up, and only reappears a short distance above
Laibach.
Amongst the rivers which discharge themselves into the Unz is the eflBuent of
Fig. 42 — The Lake op Zirknitz.
Scale 1 : 118,00a
I2°i K.O' I'.i
2 Miles.
the famous Lake of Zirknitz. In the dry season its water is drained off through
the numerous fissures and caverns which perforate its bed. After rains it rises to
the surface, sometimes very suddenly, and occasionally the lake spreads over a
surface of 30 square miles. Drainage works have to some extent regulated
the ebb and flow of the lake. In former times, however, the whole of the plain
was occasionally converted into a lake, and the villagers alternately gained a
livelihood by fishing and by tilling the land when it emerged.
The plain of Laibach, 66 square miles in extent, was formerly occupied by
a lake similar to that of Zirknitz, fed by the Unz, and from numerous sinks,
locally known as " windows." Weeks passed sometimes before the waters were
68
AUSTRIA-HUNGAET.
drained into the Save, for the effluent of this lake, the Gradasca, is but a small
river. The plain is now effectually drained by canals, having a total length of over
600 miles, and much land has been brought under cultivation. In the stone age
the lake afforded shelter to a tribe occupying pile dwellings. The flora and fauna
of the country were then in some respects different from what they are now. A
large species of fish, no longer found, inhabited the lake, and an aquatic plant
(ValUsneria spiralis), now unknown, was eaten by the lake dwellers.
Inhabitants.
The differences of climate in a country extending for 280 miles from west to
east, from the cold Alps and the inhospitable plateau of Liburnia to the lowlands
Fig. 43.— The Plain of Laibach.
Scale 1 : 220,000.
5 Miles.
of the Save and the Danube, are naturally very considerable.* But, in spite of
these differences, the inhabitants belong to one and the same race. On crossing
the Save from Hungary we enter a country inhabited almost exclusively by men
of the same race, speaking dialects of the same language. The easternmost portion
of Slavonia is inhabited by Servians, amongst whom dwell a few Rumanians,
Magyars, and Albanians, the latter near Mitrovic. Farther west, in Croatia, the
foreign elements are still less numerous, for Croats and Slovenes occupy the whole
Menn Temp. RjiinfiiU.
Deg. F. Inches.
• Laibach (Camiola) 49 54
Zavaljo (Plateau of Croatia) 47 51
Agram (Plain of Croatia) . . . ' . . 52 31
Zemun (Semlin, in Syrmia) ,53 20
CAENIOLA, UEOATIA, SLAVONIA. 69
of the country as far as the German districts beyond the Drave, and the Italian ones
on the Isonzo. The only considerable foreign colony is that of Gottschee and its
environs, numbering about 24,000 Germans, whom Zeuss lonks upon as remnants
of the Vandals, who in the sixth century inhabited Pannonia.
Religion is the great element of discord amongst the Slavs of Austria-
Hungary. The Slovenes, who turned Protestants at the time of the Eeformation,
were forced back into the Roman Church, which the lUyrian Slavs had never
abandoned. The Croats, in the west, are Roman Catholics, whilst most of the
Slavonians, Syrmians, and Servians remain faithful to the Greek Church. Reli-
gious animosities, however, are dying out. The dialects, too, are being developed
into a common literary language, Servian having been adopted both in Croatia
and in Slavonia.
The Slavonians and the Croat peasants are probably the purest Slavs to be met
with on the southern confines of the empire. They are tall, strong, and of noble
presence, brave, honest, and good-natured. Their passions are, however, easily
roused when engaged in war, and the name of pandour was formerly dreaded.
The Slovenes, living in a country traversed by great natural high-roads, are far
more mixed. In their manners they assimilate more and more with their German
neighbours.
In Croatia and the neighbouring countries most of the land is still held by
each family in common. The size of these family estates averages between 35 and
70 acres. Each zadrnga, or " family community," numbers between ten and
twenty persons, and is governed by a domaiiii, or goapodar, elected by its members.
Each household has its cottage. The house of the gospodar occupies the centre of
the settlement, and under its roof the members of the miniature republic meet at
meals and for conversation. When one of these associations grows too numerous,
a portion of its members separate and establish a new one. The zadrugas of the
same district most readily assist each other in their agricultural labours. The
social advantages of associations of this kind lie on the surface, but they are
evidently doomed to disappear before individual landowners, who already form a
majority in the neighbourhood of the towns. But though the agricultural
zadrugas cease to exist, so strong is the influence of custom that even in the
Italianised towns of Dalmutia we meet with trading associations formed on their
model. The members of these associations look upon eacli other as brethren.
There are three degrees of brotherhood, viz. the little fraternity, the fraternity of
misfortune, and the fraternity by association. The last is the most sacred of all,
and is blessed by a priest. Girls, too, form these bonds of affection either amongst
themselves or with young men.
The military organization of the Austrian Frontier districts* has partly
ceased to exist since 1873, but most of them are still placed under a military
governor. Formerly every male, on attaining his twentieth year, was bound to
render militjry service, in return for which he received the usufruct of a plot of
• The Military Frontier districts in 18()9 had an area of 7,303 squM^ miles, with 699,228 inhabitants,
and {umi»hod an army of 10U,OUO men for foreign service.
70
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
ground, but no pay, except when serving beyond llie frontiers of the country. A
chain of sentinels extended along the whole of the Turkish frontier, the men
occupying small huts perched on the top of masonry pillars, or csanlaks, so as to
be beyond the reach of the floods.
The natural fertility of the country is great, and Croatian Me-^opotamia will
become one of the granaries of Europe as soon as improved methods of agriculture
have been introduced. Sericulture and. viticulture are making progress, but the
country does not as yet even produce sufficient corn for its own consumption.
Syrmia, at the foot of the FruSka Gora, is one of its most fertile districts. It
abounds in fruit trees and vineyards, and its gently undulating hills and mild
climate render it one of the most delightful districts of the monarchy.
Fig. 44. — A View in the Military Frontier.
Carniola and the Triune kingdom are by no means distinguished for their
mineral wealth. The only mine of world-wide repute is that of Idria, in Carniola,
which for a long time enjoyed with Almaden, in Spain, the monopoly of supplying
the world with mercury. It still yields about 320 tons a year, and is far from being
exhausted. Foimerly only criminals were employed in it. The miners and
woodmen of Idria are in the habit of eating arsenic, which evidently agrees with
them, for many amongst them live to a very advanced age.
Iron ores are found in the valley of the Feistritz, in Carniola, and on the
eastern slope of the plateau of Croatia ; zinc and lead in the upper valley of the
Save ; sulphur near Radoboj ; copper at Simobor ; lignite and coal at Glogovac
and in other localities. These mineral resources are capable of great development.
CARNIOLA, CROATIA, SLAVONIA. 71
There are hardly any manufactures, and the country was one of the last to receive
the benefits conferred by railway. But now that Bosnia has been occupied by the
Austrians, a great international railroad, connecting Croatia with the Gulf of
Saloniki, will no doubt be constructed, and the country will then enter into more
intimate relations with Western Europe.
Towns.
Laihach (Ljubljana, 22,893 inhabitants), the capital of Carniola, lies at the foot
of a castle commanding the Save. It occupies the site of the ancient city of
Fig. 45. — Sexlin and Belorad.
Scale 1 : 165,000.
Wio' E;of Paris
L'o" .I,,' K.orGp.
.'.*." Pmt^omi Itfctificaiiim
^^^-^^^ 5 MUes.
Emona, which the Huns destroyed in the fifth century, and its position is
strategically and commercially of importance, for it lies upon the main road
connecting the Danube with the Adriatic. Krainburg (2,()68 inhabitants), the
old capital of the province, lies to the north of it.
Agram (Zagor, 19,857 inhabitants), the capital of Croatia, is inferior in popu-
lation to Laibacb, but nevertheless aspires to become the capital of a Triune
Slav kingdom, embracing Croatia, Servia (with Bosnia), and Dalmatia. A uni-
versity, Jg^Jafli^^^ 874, has made it the intellectual centre of the Southern Slavs.
72 AUSTRIA- H UNGARY.
A few fine buildings surround the large square in the centre of the town, orna-
mented with a statue of Ban JeladicS, but the outskirts resemble a huge village.
A turreted wall separates the lower town fi;om the cathedral close. Varaidin
(10,623 inhabitants), near the Drave and the Hungarian frontier, is the second
town of Croatia. Karlovac Gornji (Karlstadt, 5,175 inhabitants), on the Kulpa,
not far above its confluence with the Save, is an important grain mart. Si>iek
(1,500 inhabitants), more humble still, nevertheless enjoys a considerable trade in
corn. It is the modern representative of Siscia, which played a prominent purt
during the wars in Pannonia, and had its own mint. Its wide and grass- grown
streets are bordered with small cabins. The bulk of the population of Croatia Lve
in scattered hamlets, and there are but few places which can fairly be called towns.
Essck (Osjek, 17,'247 inhabitants), favourably situated. on the Drave, consists of
a fortress surrounded by numerous suburbs. A railway bridge crosses the river
a short distance below the town. There are silk-mills, and commerce flourishes.
Many Germans and Magyars have settled in the town. Djakovo (2,600 inha-
bitants), in the plain to the south of Essek, is the seat of a bishop. Vororitica,
the capital of a district, has a few German and Magyar colonies in its vicinity.
Syrmia abounds in towns famous on account of the military events with which
they are associated. Peterwardein (Petrovaradin, 5,497 inhabitants), on the
Danube, is connected by a bridge of boats with the powerful citadel of Nnisatz
(Novisad), on the other side of the river, and recalls a defeat of the Turks by
Prince Eugene in 1716. At Karlovac Dohiji (Carlowitz, 1,817 inhabitants), lower
down, the Turks signed the treaty of 1699, by which they surrendered most of the
conquests made in Hungary. Semlin (Zemun, 10,046 inhabitants), near the
confluence of the Danube and Save, is the great commercial emporium of Austria
on the Lower Danube. The " Isle of War " separates it from Belgrad. MUrovic
(5,950 inhabitants), on the Save, is the modern representative of Sirmium, the
birthplace of Probus. Near it is Vinkovci, built on the ruins of Cibalis, where
Constantino defeated Licinius in 314.
CHAriER vr.
HUNGARY AND TRANSYLVANIA.
(Maotabs and Rumanians.)
General Aspects. — Mountains.
UNGARY, with Transylvania, possesses, in its geograpliicul homo-
geneity, a great advantage over the Cisleithan half of the Austro-
Hungarian Empire. Very inferior to German Austria in popula-
tion, wealth, and civilisation, Hungary nevertheless enjoys superior
political advantages. The former is an incoherent conglomeration
of territories stretching from the banks of the Rhine eastward to the Vistula,
whilst Hungary presents itself as an oval plain encircled by mountains. This
plain is the basin of an ancient lake, and the dominant race, numerically as well as
politically, occupies it, and all the other races gravitate towards it. Thus, in spite
of wars and national jealousies, the various peoples inhabiting Hungary, owing to
the geographical homogeneity of the country, have generally been united by the
same political bonds. Together they succumbed to the Turks, and subsequently
to Austria ; and together they now form a self-governing state, proud of having
reconquered the outward signs of its independence. Whatever the future may
have in store, the nation which has established itself in the huge arena encircled
by the Carpathians must always enjoy a preponderating influence in the territory
conquered and hitherto maintained by it. It has been said that the future belongs
to the Aryans, and that all other races will have to submit to them in the end. It
promises well for the destinies of mankind that a nation of non-Aryan origin
should have planted its foot in the centre of Europe. In answer to the haughty
pretensions of the Indo-Europeans, the Magyars are able to refer to their history.
They have bad their periods of apathy, no doubt, but what neighbouring nation
can boast of being their superior in intelligence, bravery, or love of liberty ?
The Alps play a very subordinate part in the orography of Hungary.
Standing upon the heights above Vienna, we perceive in the distance the bluish
hills rising beyond the river Leitha (1,600 feet), an outlier of the Styrian Alps.
The sandy valley of the Vulka separates these hills from the limestone range of
77
74
AUSTEIA-HUNGAET.
Roz&Ha, a spur of the Semmering. Farther south still there are several other
spurs of the Styrian Alps, separated by small tributaries of the rivers Raab (Raba)
and Mur.
To the north of Lake Balaton rises the Bakony (2,320 feet), a distinct
mountain range, separated from the Alps by a plain of tertiary formation. A few
dome-shaped summits rise in it, interspersed by picturesque gorges, filled with
ancient lava streams. The axis of the Bakony runs in the same direction as that
Fig. 46. — Parallel Valleys to the East of Lake Balaton.
Scale 1 : 345,000.
16-E.ofP
i8"20' E.of Cr
. S MUcs.
of the Western Carpathians and the Viennese Alps. Together with the V^rtes and
the Pilis (2,477 feet), it forms a transverse range, which forced the Danube to
deviate from its normal course. At the north-eastern promontory of the Pilis the
river passes through to the defile of Visegrad before it turns south in its course
through the plain of Hungary.
The valleys intersecting these mountains of Western Hungary exhibit a
striking parallelism. Rivers and ravines all run from the south-west to the south-
HUNGAET.
75
east, whilst to the west of Lake Balaton their direction is from north to south. A
similar parallelism of the vallej's has been observed throughout the triangular
district bounded by Lake Balaton, the Drave, and the Danube.
This parallelism is due, no doubt, to the agency of water, but not to rivers, as
in the case of most valleys. If we were to restore the vast lake which formerly
occupied the plain of Hungary, the mountain ranges would rise above it as elon-
gated islands. If we then destroyed the retaining barrier, the lake would drain
rapidly, the retiring water furrowing its bottom in a direction perpendicular to its
centre. On a miniature scale this phenomenon may be witnessed by draining a
tank, the bottom of which is covered with mud.
The hemicycle of mountains known since the days of Ptolemy as the Carpathians*
stretches as a continuous rampart for a distance of 900 miles. It completely shuts
in Hungary from the north-west to the east and south, separating it from Moravia,
Pigf. 47. — Porta Hi'Noarica.
Scale 1 : 1P6,000.
li^SEjOfParU
i7°|j E.QtGr.
5 Miles.
Galicia, the Bukowina, and Rumania. Apart from the few difficult passes which
lead across it, there are but two roads which enable Hungary freely to communi-
cate with the west and the east, viz. the " Porta Hungarica," near Pressburg, and
the famous " Iron Gate " of Orsova. These are the only natural outlets which
place the plain of Hungary in free communication with the outer world. The
influence exercised by this mountain rampart upon the migration of peoples and
upon their destinies has therefore been naturally great.
The Carpathians are uniform in their general features, if we compare them
with the Western Alps, but their mountain masses and secondary chains nevertheless
present much variety of detail. They begin nearly opposite the last spurs of the
Alps, below the confluence of the Danube and the Morava (March). Their first
summit, the Thebner Kogel (1,683 feet), is the culminating point of a detached
range. To the north of a depression through which runs the railway from Vienna
• Fiom Khrebet, a Slav word gignifying mountain range.
76
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
to Pressburg rises the most elevated crest of the Little Curpatbians (2,675 feet),
separated by another depression from the White Mountains (^.ITO.feet), thus called
on account of their bare dolomite summits, and from other ranges, including the
Javomik (3,320 feet) and the Wysoka (3,346 feet), which gradually swerve round
to the east to the Pass of Jablunka. Metamorphic slate enters largely into the
composition of this portion of the Carpathians, and forms veritable mountains,
whilst pastures and forests enhance the beauty of the scenery.
Farther east, the mountain ranges, being intersected by the valleys of the
Vag (Waag) and of its tributaries, are of very irregular configuration. They are
more savage in aspect, and attain a greater height, their culminating summit, the
Fig. 48.— Thb Tatea.
Czarnv St.
W, 50 1. ' f I'i
5 KLilc'S.
JJabia Gora, or "Women's Mountain," rising to an altitude of 5,644 feet. We are
approaching the most elevated mountain mass of the Carpathians. This is the Tdtra,
which ri.ses about 30 miles to the south of the normal axis of the Carpathians,
between the v.Ueys of the Vdg and the Arva on the west, and those of the Poprad
and the Donjec on the east. If those valleys were to be dammed up, a lake almost
surrounding the Tdtra would be formed, and only a narrow neck of land would
connect it with the mountains in the interior of Hungary.
Though far exceeding nil other mountains of Hungary in height, the Tatra
cannot compare with the Alps, and none of its summits pierce the region of
perennial snow. lu some sheltered crevasses pitches of snow may indeed be seen
mjNGAET. 77
in summer, but the snow from the upper summit disappears regularly, although,
above a height of 6,000 feet, snow-storms occur throughout the year. This rapid
disappearance of the snow is attributed to the steep slopes of the mountains. The
Tatra is the boldest mountain mass between the Alps and the Caucasus, and its
steep ramparts, vigorous contour, abrupt promontories, and serrate] crests present a
most striking picture. Though formed of crystalline rocks, the Tatra possesses all
the variety of outline usually associated only with sandst^one and limestone.
There are neither elongated backs nor gentle slopes, and the pastures are of small
extent. Wherever the eye ranges it meets with scarped walls and chaotic rock
masses rising above a green belt of forests. The peaks of Lomnicz (8,633 feet),
and of Kesmark, separated by a narrow gap, known as the " Fork," are amongst
its most formidable summits, but they yield in height to the Nakottlu, or Peak, of
Gerlachfalva (8,683 feet).
The number of lakes is very considerable, if we bear in mind the small area
occupied by the Tatra. M. Hradszky enumerates no less than 1 12. For the most
part they are very small, and the largest amongst them, known as the " Great
Lake " (Vielki Stav), does not exceed 85 acres in area. These lakelets, like those
of the Pyrenees, occupy cup-shaped cavities in the granite. The natives call them
"eyes of the ocean,'' and fancy that every storm at sea agitates them. Most of
them are reputed unfathomable ; in reality, however, their depth is not very
great. That of the Ryby Stav, or Fish Lake, does not exceed 200 feet.
The Tatra is not rich in metals, iron alone occurring abundantly, but the
natives fancy that immense treasures of gold and precious stones are liiddeu in the
lakes, where they are guarded by toads.
The Tatra is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges of inferior height,
which by degrees sink down into the plain. The Little Tatra (6,703 feet) rises
to the south, beyond the valleys of the Vag and the Poprad. Like the Great
Tatra, it is of granite formation. The Krivan Fatra, to the west of it, are far
lower (o,470 feet), as are also the " Metal Ranges " (6,057 feet). Amongst the
foot-hills, more or less detached, which advance like promontories into the plain
of the Danube and the Tisza (Theiss), there is but one which exceeds 3,000 feet in
height. This is the Matra (3,182 feet), the conical summit of which forms a
conspicuous landmark.
The mountain masses surrounding the Little Tatra are nearly all composed of
eruptive rocks, and the hills rising on the margin of the old inland sea are
pierced by igneous rocks. Of all the volcanic districts of Plungary that of the
Matra is in the best state of preservation. Matra is said to mean " hearth," with
reference either to traditional outbursts of fiery lava, or to burnt-offerings made on
the summit of the mountain. The Tatra, the Fatra, and the Matra are the
historical mountains of the Magyars, and the three peaks on their coat of arras
are supposed to repre.sent them.
To the east of the gorge of Poprad the main range of the Carpathians
stretches towards the south-east. Being composed for the most part of sterile
sandstone, this portion of the range is very thinly peopled, except where salt, coal,
78 AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
and other mines have attracted a denser population. Vast forests still cover
the country, and although the mountains are anything but rugged, it is rarely
visited.
Beyond the Pass of Veretske, known also as the " Gate of the Magyars,"
probably because through it they first debouched upon the plain of Hungary, the
Carpathians gradually increase in height, granite reappears, the Pop Ivan attains
a heio-ht of 6,318 feet, reaching far beyond the zone of forests, and for the first
time we observe polished rock surfaces, old moraines, and other evidence of a
glacial epoch. Hydrographically this mountain mass is of greater importance
than the Tatra, for four rivers, the Tisza (Theiss), the Szamos, the golden
Bistritza, and the white Czeremosz, rise upon it and flow towards the cardinal
points of the compass. Spurs, ramifying from this " knot," enclose between them the
mountain citadels of Western Hungary, viz. Marmaros, on the Upper Theiss,
and Transylvania. Amongst the mountains which rise in this part of the chain
that of Pietross (7,240 feet) is the most elevated. It is clad with forests and
pastures, and its extremities terminate in tower-like peaks.
The semicircular range of the Eastern Carpathians forms the eastern citadel of
"Western Europe. It looks down upon the half- Asiatic plains of Sarmatia, and has
turned aside many a host of invaders. It bounds the table-land of Transylvania,
which slopes down towards the plain of Hungary, and is named with reference to
the vast forests which cover a great part of it. Easy of access from the west,
Transylvania presents steep and rugged slopes towards the east and south. It is
thus a great natural stronghold, and its geographiciil features account for the
relative independence enjoyed by its inhabitants whilst the surrounding regions
were held by the Turks.
The Carpathians, to the south of Marmaros, gradually swerve round in the
direction of the meridians. They maintain an average height of from 4,000 to
6,000 feet. The table-land of Hargita, with its deep valleys and dome-shaped
summits,* abuts upon the Carpathians on the west. Farther south they are
separated by magnificent plains, the beds of ancient lakes, from the mountains
filling the interior of the country. These well-cultivated plains are surrounded by
steep, forest-clad mountains, and appear to be designed by nature as the homes of
independent communities.
To the south of the plain of Haromszek the range abruptly turns to the west.
This southern range is known as the Transylvanian Alps, and its summits, of
which the Negoi (8,340 feet) is the highest, yield but little to those of the Tatra.
Like this latter, it is composed of crystalline rocks. In its aspects it is more
forbidding and majestic. Looked at from the plain of Fogaras, intersected by the
beautiful Aluta, we might indeed fancy ourselves in the presence of the Swiss Alps,
if it were not for the small extent of meidows and the absence of glaciers. Bears
are still common in these little- visited mountains, and herds of chamois as well as
marmots are met with. In the Tatra wild animals are far more scarce, although
bears still occasionally invade the herds and oat-fields. In 1865 only five families of
• The Nagy Hargita has a height of 5,713 feet.
HUNGARY. 79
marmots and six or seven chamois were known to exist, but their pursuit having
been strictly prohibited, these animals have again multiplied. The wild goat,
however, has disappeared from all parts of the Carpathians, and the last wisant
was killed in 1775, near Udvhdrhely.
The Transylvanian Alps, extending for nearly 200 miles to the north of
Wallachia, occupy a far greater area than the Tatra. At their western extremity,
in the Banat, they ramifj' into numerous branches, and being rich in coal, ores,
and mineral springs, these are much better known than the main chain in the
east. The main range decreases in height as we travel westward, but at the
" Iron Gate," where the river Danube has forced its passage through it, it is still
of formidable aspect.
Farther east the most elevated part of the Transylvanian Alps is pierced by
three rivers. The easternmost of these rivers is the Buseo (Bodza), a tributary of
the Sereth. Farther west, the Aluta, having drained the ancient lake basins of
Csik, Haromszek, Burzenland, the magnificent valley of Fogaras, and the
basin of Hermannstadt, pierces the main range of the Carpathians about fifteen
miles west of the superb summit of the Negoi. The narrow gorge through which
it has forced itself a passage is known as the Pass of the Red Tower (1,155 feet).
A third river, the Sil (Jiulu), traverses the great mountain range to the west of
the Paring (7,997 feet). The gorge through which it flows is exceedingly rugged,
and the inhabitants, when they desire to cross from Transylvania into Wallachia,
prefer the road over the Vulkan Pass.
The mountains forming the western boundary of Transylvania were no more
able than the Southern Carpathians to resist the pressure of the water pent up in
their rear, and wide valleys have been scooped out, through which it emerged
into the plain of Hungary. The Szamos escapes in the north, the Swift and the
Black Koros in the centre, and the Maros, a fine river rising in the old lake
basin of Gyergyo, runs through a broad valley in the south. These valleys divide
the mountains of Western Transylvania into separate groups, having distinct names.
Sometimes, however, the whole of them are referred to as "Ore Mountains," a
name they are fully entitled to on account of their mineral wealth and the
diversity of their rocks. Granite, porphyry, schist, sandstone, and limestones, as
well as trachyte and lava, enter into their composition. The Detunata, or
" Thunder-struck," one of the most remarkable basaltic summits of Europe, rises
in their very centre, at the head of the Aranyos, or " Gold River." The neighbour-
hood abounds in metalliferous veins, yielding gold, silver, mercury, iron, and other
metals. Rock-salt is not found there, but it is supposed to underlie the bare and
dreary-looking hills of Mezoseg, which occupy the centre of Transylvania, between
the valleys of the Szamos and the Maros. If these hills were to be removed, we
should reach a sheet of rock-salt occupying the whole of this ancient gulf of the
sea. Six hundred brine springs sufficiently attest the nature of the underlying
rocks, and in a few places the salt crops out on the surface. The salt mountain
near Parajd, in the upper valley of the Kis Kiikiillo, a tributary of the Maros,
is twice as large as the famous one of Cardona, in Catalonia. Some years
80
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
ago a cliff of salf, of an estimated weight of 2,500 tons, tumbled down into the
river, and for several days obstructed its course.
The hilly region to the north of the ancient lake beds of the Fpper Aluta is
remarkable on account of the chemical processes going on there. The rock-salt
lies near the surface, and the cellars of many houses are excavated in it. Near the
Fig. 49.— The Pass op the "Ebd Toweb."
Scale 1 : 357,000.
, 5 Miles.
Biidos Hegy, or " Stinking Mountain," vast beds of sulphur are found, and the
sulphurous vapours emitted from crevices in the rocks are supposed to cure a
variety of diseases. Vast quantities of carbonic acid escape near Vafalva, and
sometimes fill the cellars. Acidulous springs are numerous. Combustible gases,
similar to those of Modena, escape near Kis ISaros.
HUNGAEY.
81
Rivers and Lakes.
Hungary and Transylvania abound in rivers. The annual rainfall through-
out these countries averages 26 inches, besides which the Danube conveys to
them an immense volume of water gathered in its upper basin. For 620
miles that river winds through the plains of Hungary, and amongst the
numerous tributaries which join it from all directions there are several of
great size.
There is only one river in all Hungary, viz. the Poprad, a tributary of the
Vistula, fed by the snows of the Tatra, which does not belong to the basin of the
Danube. Three rivers of Transylvania, viz. the Sil, the Aluta, and the Bodza
(Buseo), join the Lower Danube; all others effect their junction with that river
Fig. 50. — The Defile of Vi8egh*d.
Scale 1 : 875,000.
iB* 3o
B.OfML
E.ot Gr
. 6 Milos.
al)ove the Iron Gate of Orsova. Politically this convergence of the rivers is a great
advantage, but not commercially. The Danube is the only water highway which
connects the plains of the Magyars with foreign countries, and even that only imper-
fectly, as long as the rocks obstructing the free passage through the Iron Gate
have not been removed. How much greater would be the commercial importance
of the Danube if, instead of flowing into the inhospftable Euxine, it took its
course into the Adriatic ! But what would then have become of the Magyars ?
Brought into contact with a superior civilisation, and mingling more intimately
with other nations, would they have maintained their language and political
existence ?
The Danube, within the boundaries of Hungary, is a great river. Except
where hemmed in by hills, its banks are undefined, and the agencies of destruc-
82
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY-.
16- 30- 1. of P.
lion and reconstruction are ever at work. At one point the current undermines
the banks, and sweeps away the debris, which it deposits again lower down.
Islands, which in course of time become covered with willows and poplars, are
formed in one part of the river, and washed away in the other. Shallow channels
ramify in all directions, and we wonder how the pilots can pick their way in
this labyrinth. The houses on the banks are hardly visible amongst the trees
which surround them, and sometimes, when we approach clusters of floating mills
anchored in the stream, we fancy that the river population is more numerous than
„. ^, „ ^ „ that of the land. Large herds of
Fig. 51. — Ihe Dkave and tue Uaxihe. °
cattle are seen to wander over the
marsh lands bordering upon the
river, swarms of aquatic birds rise
from cane - brakes, and swallows
build their nests where the banks are
steep.
Immediately after having passed
through the Hungarian Gate, be-
tween the Alps and the Carpathians,
the Danube divides into numerous
branches, forming a labyrinth of
islands collectively known as Schiitt
in German, and Czallokoz in Magyar,
the latter name signifying "deceitful
island," probably with reference to
the changes perpetually going on.
These islands are an ancient lake
delta of the river, and between the
mouth of the Vag and the fortress
of Komarom (Comorn), at their
lower end, they cover an area of
COO square miles.
Below Comorn the Danube once
more flows in a single bed, and
then engages in the narrow gorge
formed by the mountains of Pilis
and Nograd (Novigrad). This de-
file, which connects the plain of
Pressburg with the great plain of Hungary, is historically of considerable
importance. Here, on a promontory, rise the ruined towers of Visegrad, a for-
tress in which was kept the crown of St. Stephen ; there, too, rose the magnificent
palace of Matthias Corvinus. Buda-Pest, the twin capital of all Hungary, has been
built not far below it. At Visegrad the Danube abruptly sweeps round to the
south, and it maintains this direction until it is joined by the Drave, when it as
abruptly resumes its easterly course. The Danube, a more considerable river now
8'50" t.of Gr.
6 Miles.
HUNGARY.
88
than any other in Europe,* traverses the plain in manifold windings. Its islands
and channels change with every flood. Its numerous channels, many of them
deserted, form a perfect labyrinth, sometimes spreading out for 10 miles. Below the
large island of Csepel, upon which Arpad established his camp, the river incessantly
encroaches upon its western bank, not only because of the rotation of the earth,
but also, it is supposed, in consequence of the prevailing south-easterly wind,
known as Kosava to the Servians. Between Peterwardein and Belgrad the river
annually shifts its bed about 18 inches to the westward.
The T>ower Drave rivals the Danube in its sinuous course, but of all the
rivers of Hungary the Tisza (Theissj is the most winding. The valley of that
Fig. 62.— The Tisza (Theiss).
Scale 1 : SSO.OOO.
<L- j^ Kimilo
N.KnnMadaris
20'*0'E.OfGt.
. SMaei.
river has a length of 338 miles ; but the river itself, including its numerous
divagations, meisures no less than 930 miles. "Dead" river channels, swamps,
and marshes line its banks. Formerly it was thought sufficient to connect the
many loops of the river by " cuts," and to construct embankments, in order to
protect some 3,000,000 acres against inundation, and to banish the malignant
fevers bom in summer from stagnant swamps. The landowners of each
district only looked to their own interests, and even the works constructed
more recently under the direction of the engineer Vasarhelyi, though conceived
• Disoharjro at Buda-Pest, when the river level has fallen to zero of the gaupe, 24,700 cubic feet pet
second: when it has risen to » inches above zero, 106,000 cubic feet ; at 18-7 feet above zero, li40,OCiO
cubic feet. '
84
AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
on a wider plan, are far from having removed the dangers of inundation. On
the contrary, owing to the greater fall of the river, flood:; appear to prove more
disastrous now than they were formerly.* Vast tracts of land have certainly
been protected by these embankments, but others, fur more valuable, have been
Fig. 63. — Meanderings and " Cits " oi- the Tisza (Theiss).
Sole 1 : iso.fioo.
|22*'tO'E.oi'Gr.
5 Miles.
exposed to the floods, one of the most disastrous of which occurred in the preseiit
year (1879).
At a comparatively recent epoch the Tisza flowed about GO miles farther to
the east, along the foot of the mountains of Transylvania. But its great
tributaries, the Szamo^, the Kciros, and the Maros, meeting it at right angles,
• In 1872 the emhankments of the Tisza had a length of 776 miles, whilst by means of " cuts " the
main channel of the river had beeu shortened 298 miJes.
HUNGARY.
86
have gradually pushed it back towards the west. The right bank, being exposed
to the erosive action of the river, is high, whilst the left bank is composed of
alluvial soil, deposited by the rivers of Transylvania. Farther south the Tisza
yields to the impulsion given to it by the Danube, and travels to the east. In the
time of Trajun and Diocletian the plateau of Titel was on the right of the Tisza ;
subsequently it became an island ; and now the river flows to the east of it.
In travelling towards the west the Tisza has left behind it a wide tract of
swamps, intersected by ancient river channels. Some of these resemble the actual
river in almost every feature, except that they have no current. The elongated
swamp of Er, which connects the Kraszna with the Sebres Koros, to the east of
Debreczen, is one of these deserted channels, and after heavy rains the Kraszna
flows through it towards the south-west, thus converting the whole of the north-
eastern portion of the plain of Hungary into a huge island. The swamps to
Fig. 84.— The "Iron Gate."
Scale I : 100,000.
2Mile!i-
the ea.st of the Ti.'^za are not only exposed to inundations, whenever the river
breaks through the embankments designed to control it, but they also suffer
occasionally from a sudden bursting forth of subterranean reservoirs of water.
Floods in Hungary, after all, are more or less traceable to the Danube. The
gorge througli which that mighty river escapes to the plains of Rumania is very
narrow, and when the snow melts, or heavy rains fall, the superabundant water
not being able to escape, the river gradually rises, until the swamps lining its
banks are converted into lakes, and the plains for miles above the Iron Gate
stand under water. At the mouth of the Temes a lake 200 square miles in
extent, and 7 feet deep, is formed. So gentle is the slope of the Hungarian
plain that a rise of only li feet in the Danube causes the Tisza to flow back as
far as Szeged, a distance of 87 miles.
No embankments along the upper courses of the rivers can protect the
86
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
lowlands against these Danubian floods. On the contrary, the greater the volume
of water which these embankments cause to flow towards the Danube, the greater
the danger to which tbe dwellers along the lower river courses find themselves
exposed. Of late years even " hilly districts " have been invaded by the floods,
the inhabitants being obliged to fly for their lives, and see their cattle perish
before their very eyes. Whatever local advantages may have been conferred
by the embankment of the Tisza, the country at large has been a loser. The
only efficacious means of preventing these disastrous floods would be to widen
the Iron Gate, and thus provide an outlet for the pent-up waters of the
Danube.
The succession of gorges through which the noble Danube rushes, on leaving
the plain of Hungary, not only abounds in picturesque scenery, but is geologically
Fig. 55. — Fort Elizabeth.
Tliree miles from the Iron Oate.)
interesting, for nowhere else in Europe have such formidable obstacles been over-
come by the irresistible agency of water. The castle of Golubatz and the rocky
islet of Babako stand sentry at the entrance to this wonderful defile, over GO
miles in length. Immediately below these landmarks the Danube rushes over a
bed of rocks, forming a series of rapids, and then engages in the dangerous passes
of Greben, obstructed by blocks of porphyry, where the navigable channels are
hardly 15 feet in width when the river is at its lowest. Beyond the river
broadens, forming the basin of Milanovitz (4,500 feet wide). A precipitous wall
of rock appears to shut it in completely, but an abrupt turn brings us to the
entrance of the famous gorge of Kasan, less than 500 feet in width, and bounded
by steep cliffs of limestone. Roads accompany each bank of the river, that on
HUNGAEY.
87
the Hungarian side being looked upon as one of the marvels of modern engineer-
ing. A famous Roman inscription recalls the glories of Trajan, who " vanquished
the mountains and the river."
Below Orsova and its fortified island the river, here nearly a mile in width, is
obstructed by reefs. This locality is known as the " Iron Gate." Less wild in
aspect than the gorge of Kasan — for here no steep cliffs form the banks — the Iron
Gate is nevertheless the most dangerous part of the Danube, and hundreds of
vessels, including many steamers, have been wrecked there. In 1846 the first
steamer successfully breasted these rapids, a feat only possible between March and
July. The Danubian Steam Navigation Company virtually maintains two inde-
pendent flotillas, one on the Upper, the other on the Lower Danube, communi-
Fig. 56.^Lakb Balaton.
Scale 1 : 080,000.
10 Milea.
cation between both being kept up by a few steamers of special construction, or by
road.*
It is a disgrace to Austria that this obsticle to the free navigation of the
noblest river of Europe should not have been removed long ago. Hardly any-
thing has been done since the days of Trajan to render these rapids less dangerous ;
and it is only now, and in virtue of the treaty recently signed at Berlin, that
Austria and Scrvia have undertaken to accomplish this great work of freeing
the Danube.
The Danube has not yet completely drained the plains of Hungary, for a few lakes
remain behind, the largest being that of Balaton, spoken of as the " Hungarian
• Avcraffe level of the Danube at the Hungarian Gate, 433 feet above the sea ; at the Iron Gate,
128 feet : total fall of the Danube in .iflS milea, 305 foe:. Delivery at the Iron Gate, 360,900 cubie feet
per second.
88
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Sea" by Magyar poets, although its shores were inhabited by Slovenes, and its
name is derived from a Slav word meaning " marsh." The Balaton recalls in no
sense the beautiful lakes of the Alps, but, although partly bounded by low marshes,
its northern shore is picturesque. Hills clad with forests or covered with vine-
yards bound it, old castles occupy the promontories, villas and villages lie
hidden in the valleys, and in the centre of the lake rises the volcanic cone of
Tihany. The fortified abbey built upon its summit long resisted the onslaughts
of the Turks, after all other castles had fallen.
The waters of the Balaton are slightly brackish, for the lake is partly fed by
mineral springs, some of which are thermals, to judge from the differences of
temperature observed. The fishermen dwelling along its shores pretend to have
observed a tide, but this phenomenon is no doubt the same as that of the seiches of
Fig. 57. — The Lake op Neusiedl.
Scnle 1 : 800,000.
5° g.of Paris
l7°20'g.ofGr.
10 Miles.
the Lake of Geneva (see vol. ii. p. 423). The average depth of the Balaton amounts
to 20 feet, and near the extinct volcano of Tihany, where it is deepest, it does
not exceed 150 feet. The lake is drained by the Sio, a small river flowing to the
Danube. The Romans first attempted to drain the lake, and since 1825, in which
year the work was resumed, 490 square miles of swamp have been gained to
cultivation. The lake itself has shrunk, for its level has fallen 39 inches.
Unfortunately the fine sand which covers the parts of its bed now expo.scd is
carried by the wind far into the country. A species of perch, known as foijas, is
caught in the lake, and highly valued for its flesh.*
The Lake of Neusiedl lies in the plain bounded by the heights of the Leitha
and the Bakony. If it were not for the hills which shelter this lake on the west,
• Altitudn of Lake Balaton, 426 feet ; average area, 266 square miles ; conteuts, about 6,320,000,000
tons of water.
HUNGARY. 89
it would long ere this have been silted up, for the cavity which it occupies lies
about 50 feet lower than the bed of the Danube immediately to the north of it.
Its existence even now is intermittent, and occasionally it dries up al together. If
an ancient document can be credited, the lake was first formed in 1300. In 1693,
in 1738, and in 18G5 its waters evaporated, only a few swamps and quagmires
marking its site. The lake, in fact, is largely fed by the Danube. When the
floods of that river are low for a succession of years, the Lake of Neusiedl dries up ;
but when high floods occur, so as to force back the sluggish stream of the Hansag,
which drains it, the lake fills again. It could be drained easily, but it is very
doubtful whether this would prove advantageous. The mud covering its bottom
contains much soda, and the fields surrounding it are largely indebted for their
fertility to the evaporation from its surface. Moreover, fine sand mixed with
crystals of salt would be blown over the fields if it were to be diained. The
insalubrious swamps of Hansag, which extend to the eastward of the lake, ought,
however, to be drained at once. The inhabitants who venture into this half-drowned
region fasten boards to their feet, to prevent sinking into the mud, and cover
the head and the face with weeds, as a protection against innumerable swarms of
flies. The remains of pile dwellings and stone implements have been discovered
in the mud of the Lake of Neusiedl.
The Plain of Hungary. ^
These two lakes are the only remnants of the vast sea which in a former epoch
covered nearly the whole of Hungary, and the ancient beach of which can still be
traced near the Iron Gate, at a height of 118 feet above the actual level of
the Danube. The alluvium which now fills the ancient lake bed varies in thick-
ness according to locality. Near Pest the old lake bottom is reached at a depth of
50 feet, but in the B:inat borings of more than 500 feet have failed to attain the
live rock. It has been estimated that an area of nearly 40,000 square miles is
covered with alluvial soil, averaging 300 feet in depth. The mass of debris
washed down from the Carpathians has been triturated so finely that it would be
vain to search for a pebble. The weapons and tools found in the grave-hills of
the Tisza and its tributaries are made of bones and stag's horn, and not of stone,
as in other parts of Europe.
The plain of Upper Hungary, lying between the Porta Hungarica and the
gorge of Visegrad, has long since lost its original physiognomy. The fertile plain
bounded by hills which lies to the north of the Danube fairly deserves its
epithet of " Garden of GK)ld," and nothing there reminds us of the steppes of
Asia or the savannahs of America. Hungarian " Mesopotamia," drained by the
Danube, the Tisza, and the Maros, however, in a large measure retains its primi-
tive features. To the Magyars this region is the Alfold, or Lowland, as distinguished
from the Felfiild, or Upland. Its aspect is monotonous in the extreme. A height
of land, hardly perceptible to the eye, separates the Danube from the Tisza, but
elsewhere the horizon is broken only by ridges of drift sand and by a few hillocks,
78
90 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
some of them raised by human hands, to serve as places of refuge. This uni-
formity, so distressing to a stranger, delights the native, who throughout this
vast region meets with the familiar scenery of the place of his birth.
The forests which formerly covered a portion of the plain of Pannonia have for
the most part disappeared. Until recently hardly a tree was to be seen in the
central portion of the Alfold, and only dried cow-dung was available as fuel. At
the present time the planting of trees is being proceeded with vigorously, and the
aspect of the country is thus being modified. But there still remain vast tracts
impregnated with salt, which resist all attempts at cultivation, and are available
only as pasture- grounds. These pastures, together with cultivated patches far
away from villages, constitute the veritable PuHzta sung by Petofi and other
Magyar poets. This Puszta is a dead level, covered with grass and herbage, and
abounding in muddy pools, the haunts of aquatic birds. There are no rivers, but
after heavy rains these pools grow larger and larger, until they coalesce. In
summer they often dry up completely, and the herdsmen then find it difficult to
procure sufficient water for their beasts. Natron lakes are numerous, more
especially between Debreczen and Nagy-Varad, and there are also a k-^ saltpetre
ponds.
The Puszta, until quite recently, was a land of herds and flocks, tended by
nomad herdsmen, and although cultivation has made much progress, large
stretches of pasture-land may still be seen. Troops of horses pasture in battle
array, herds of oxen are scattered over the plain, but it is the buffalo reclining
in some swamp which appears to be the master of it. Now and then we see a
stork or a long-shanked crane. We might almost fancy ourselves in a virgin
land, far away from the haunts of civilisation, and the wild horseman racing over
the plain does not contribute towards dispelling this illusion.
Climate and Flora.
Until recently a steppe by aspect, the Puszta still preserves that character as to
its climate. Its mean temperature is not only somewhat lower than under the
same latitude in Western Europe, but the changes from cold to heat are more
sudden. It is not rare for the thermometer to rise or fall 40" within a few
hours, and in midsummer we may find ourselves exposed to an icy-cold wind,
whilst many days in December remind us of spring. The general march of the
seasons appears to be less regular than in Western Europe. Rains and droughts
succeed each other without apparent cause, and storms of great violence occa-
sionally whirl up the dust or drive before them the snow.
Of course, in a country so considerable in extent, we meet with many varieties
in the climate. In Transylvania each valley may be said to have a climate of its
own, and that of the Upper Aluta is exposed even to a southerly wind, resembling
the fohn, which enters through the gap of the Red Tower. Hungary, upon the
whole, has a well-defined continental climate. The so-called Hungarian fever,
which has repeatedly decimated invading hosts, and carries ofi" many emigrants,
HUNGARY. 91
19 believed to be caused by abrupt changes of temperature, and not by miasmata
rising from swamps. The inhabitants are careful to protect themselves against
these sudden changes.*
As the climate is necessarily reflected in the vegetation of a country, that of
the plain of Hungary recalls the flora of the Russian steppes, in spite of the
Carpathians, which separate the basin of the Danube from the basins of the
Dniester and the Dnieper. Asiatic types replace in Hungary the European types
met with farther west, and it is believed that, owing to the clim'ite becoming
more extreme in its character, the former are gaining the upper hand. Wars,
too, have had something to do with this invasion of Asiatic plants, and since 1849
a spring thistle {Xanthium xpiiiosum), formerly unknown, has made its appearance
in the fallows of Transylvania. Popularly this thistle is known as " Muscovite
spine."
Inhabitants.
The inhabitants of the greater part of the bi.d of the old Danubian inland sea
have come from the steppes. The Magyars, whose name appears to signify " sons
of the soil," are undoubtedly kinsmen of the Fins. They have become Euro-
peanised, as it were, but their legends, some of their customs, and, above all, their
language, sufficiently attest that they are Turanians. Whilst elsewhere in Europe
the Uralo-Altaic invaders have been swallowed up by the rest of the population, the
Magyars have firmly established themselves in the plain overshadowed by the
Carpathians. The far-stretching Pnszta reminded them of the steppes they had
quitted, and even enabled them to continue their nomad life.
The Magyars, however, are not confined to the plain ; they also inhabit some
of the hilly districts. Their country is bounded by the Drave and the Mur in the
south-west, by spurs of the Alps in the west, by the outliers of the Carpathians in
the north, by the mountains of Bihar in the east, and by the swampy lowlands
of the Maros and the Tisza in the south. Five millions of Magyars form a com-
pact mass within the limits thus indicated. They occupy also several detached
territories beyond, in the midst of Germans, Slovaks, Rumanians, and Servians.
They are numerous in the valleys of Transylvania and in the mining districts.
The Szekely (Szeklers of the Germans) are the kinsmen of the Magyars of the
Alfold, and, as their name implies, they occupied the frontiers of the country
towards the east. Ancient customs which have long since disappeared elsewhere
still surviving amongst them, they claim to be more noble than their kinsmen in
the plain.
Al'i'ude
Mean Temper»!a-e.
Biin&U.
in Feet.
January.
July.
Yeir.
Inches.
Debreczen .
430
30
72
do
27
Pest .
360
29
71
61
17
Schemnitz .
1,9.50
26
64
iS
36
Szegodin .
280
31
7*
52
29
Prcssburg .
480
29
69
49
21
Hermannstadt
1,400
30
67
48
28
KronsUdt .
1,9U0
26
64
46
30
92 AU3TRIA-HUNGAEY.
The Magyars, although distinguished amongst all other nations by their
patriotic cohesion, are nevertheless the outcome of a commingling of the most
diverse tribes and nations. The conquerors of the country certainly did not
exterminiite the Yazygians, Quades, Dacians, and other tribes whom they found
living within the amj^hitheatre of the Carpathians. When the Roman Empire fell
to pieces, the vast plains of Hungary became a huge fiell of battle. Goths,
Gepides, Vandals, and Alans successively established themselves there. Then
came the Huns, led by Attila, who subjugated Slavs and Germans alike. The
modern Magyars are fond of tracing their origin from these Huns, but they passed
over the country like a swarm of locusts, leaving hardly any traces behind them.
Far more abiding was the influence of the Avares, who governed the country
during two centuries and a half. But so great had been the terror which the
epithet of Hun aroused that the country retained its name of " Hunnia " long
after the Huns had disappeared, and the Magyars, when first they appeared
in the ninth century, were called " Huns," or " Hungarians." The Byzantines
called them Tui-ks.
In reality they are neither Huns nor Turks. They separated from the original
Finnish stock when still living as hunters and fishermen, and long before the dog
and the horse were known amongst them. Subsequently they became associated
with Turkish tribes, who initiated them into the mysteries of cattle-breeding and
agriculture. When they established themselves in Hungary, under the sons of
Arpad, they came into contact with the Slovenes, who became the teachers of the
Magyars, whose language and customs they in course of time adopted. Hundreds
of Magyar words bear witness to the great extent of this influence.
Though scarcely numbering 200,000 men when they first came to Hungary,
the Magyars have not only retained their nationality for ten centuries, but they
have also assimilated many of the other inhabitants of the country. The Bulgarian
Ismaelites and Khazars, who lived in the country as traders, have become
Magyars. The Pecheneges, towards the middle of the eleventh centurj% sought
an asylum amongst their Hungarian kinsmen. Two centuries later the Kumans
were assigned extensive territories in the mountainous region of the north-west
and in the central plain. They too have become Magyars, as have also the
Paloczes (Paloczok) and the Yazygs (Jaszok), who immigrated subsequently.
Even the Germans, in spite of their pretended Aryan superiority, have yielded in
large numbers to " M igyarisatioa." Many villages, originally settled by Germans,
as is proved by the family names and historical documents, have become Magyar.
Great was the terror inspired by the clouds of Magyar horsemen, who extended
their ravages as far as Italy and France. But _ the great defeat which they
suffered at Augsburg in 955 definitely slaked their thirst after conquest, and
thenceforth they confined themselves to their own country. In the ninth centurj'
their seven tribes had formed an alliance, and their princes were made to swear
that thej' would respect their liberties and defend them against all comers.
The Magyar, although he felt constrained to submit to be civilised, retains the
free gait, the dignified bearing, and open glance of a warrior. He is proud of
HUNGAEY.
98
his ancestors, and believes himself to be noble. He addresses his equals as
" Your Grace," and the word " honour " is ever in his mouth. All he says
and does is to be worthy of a gallant gentleman. His fondness of show,
vanity, and heedlessness are often taken advantage of by Germans and Jews.
"Vanity will be the death of my people," said old Count Szechenyi when
Hungary was about to plunge into the revolutionary war of 1849. Of a judicial
turn of mind, the Magyar defends the written law with the tenacity of a
Briton. Great is the love he bears his native land. " Life outside Hungary is
not life."
The Magyar is fond of fine clothes, and the herdsmen in the Puszta delight
Fig. 58. — A View in the Pcrzta.
in their holiday costumes. The hat is ornamented with ribbons and flowers ; a
silk sash confines the blue or red jacket with metal buttons ; the white over-
coat is embroidered with flowers, conspicuous amongst which is the tulip ; while
loose linen trousers descend over the boots, and are ornamented with a broad
fringe. Passionately fond of dancing, it is a sight to see him join in the csdrdds,
for he is really an artist, and his movements are full of manly grace.
Up till 1849 Latin wjis the language of the law courts, and educated natives
conversed in it. The oldest Magyar books were written in the time of the
Reformation, and a rich literature has grown up since then. The government of
the country is now carried on in Magyar, and although the other nationalities
94
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Fig. 69.— Types and Costvmes of Hunoaey.
exhibit considerable attachment to the languages thej' speak, partly in order to show
their aversion to the dominant race, Magyar appears to be steadily gaining ground.
The Magyars of Transylvania are Calvinistic Protestants, but in Hungary the
HUNGARY. 96
vast majority of the population are Roman Catholic. " Rather a desert than a
country inhabited by heretics," said Ferdinand II. ; and if all Protestants were
not actually extermiiiated, as in the Tyrol, this is due to the assistance they
received from the Turks. Religious animosities have almost died out in Hungary,
but the animosities of race survive.
Next to Magyars, the Germans are the most important nation of Hungary,
not so much on account of their number as because of their industry, commerce,
and intelligence. " The Magyars founded the State, the Germans built the cities."
It was they who created a middle class, and nearly the whole of the commerce
of the country was formerly in their hands. Most of the towns which they
founded governed themselves, and even joined in confederations, forming states
within the State. One of these political fraternities included the twenty-four
German pa ishes of Sepasia, at the foot of the Tatra. The German towns of
Transylvania were associated, and enjoyed the same privileges as those of the
Magyars and Szekely. Even Pest, originally a Slav village, as is proved by its
name,* became a German town, and as recently as 1686 the Magyar inha-
bitants complained that no member of the town council was able to speak their
language.
Formerly the Germans of Hungary were known by different names, according
to their origin. The ffieiizen, to the west and south of the Lake of Neusiedl,
are Austrian colonists. The Jleidebaiiern (heath peasants), who dwell between
Neusiedl and the Danube, are Allemans. The German miners in the north-
west are Saxons, whilst the German colonists in the south are Swabians. The
Germans of Transylvania, who inhabit the Burzenland on the Upper Aluta, and
the hills which extend to the north of Fogaras and Hermannstadt as far as Mediasch
and Schassburg, are known as Saxons, but are in reality for the most part the
descendants of Low Germans and Flemings who settled in the country during the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries. They have retained their language and customs
for six centuries, owing no doubt to their superior education, but their political
influence is no longer what it used to be. The Magyars and Rumanians,
amongst whom they live, have not only become more civilised, but they also
increase more rapidly in numbers. Towns and villages formerly inhabited by
Germans have been Magyarised or Rumanised, and relatively the German element
has lost ground.
Hungary offers a favourable field for studying the changes which various nation-
alities undergo in course of time. The Germans in the north, though living nearest
to Germany, have in large numbers become Magyars, Slovaks, or Ruthenians. The
Germans in the south, on the other hand, have succeeded in Germanising both
Rumanians and Servians.
The Slavs of Hungary collectively outnumber the Magyars, but they belong
to different nations. The Slovaks inhabit North-western Hungary, from the
Danube to the Tatra, and a few detached colonies in the plain. They are the
• Pest, or Petj, means " lime-kiln." Ofen, which is the Gorman name for Buda, likewise means
"kUn."
96
AUSTRIA-HUNGAEY.
kinsmen of the Cliechians and Moravians, and it is only since 1850 that their
dialect has become a literary language.
Physically the Slovaks are a fine race— tall, strong, and well made, with open
foreheads and an abundance of hair. They still wear a national costume, con-
sisting, for holidays, of a white shirt, a red jacket or vest, blue trousers or
petticoats. On ordinary occasions the peasants' dress is white. They are very
poor. Nature has not been bountiful to them, and many are obliged to go abroad
in search of work. Slovak pedlars travel as far as France, and, as they are very
Fig. 60. — LiNOuiSTic Map of Tuansyltania.
According to Kelety Karoly
JtoumaHS.(uver7Sj).c.J
ilajyars (over 7ip.c.J
Germans (ijvtr7£p.i-\)
thrifty, they generally succeed in saving up a few gold pieces, with which they
return triumphantly to their native land.
Hitherto the Slovaks have had little influence upon the government of the
country, but they increase rapidly, and many towns formerly inhabited by
Germans or Magyars have been taken possession of by them In part their
growth is due to the interference of the Austrian Government, which expelled
the German Protestants from the mining towns of Upper Hungary, and handed
over their houses to Catholic Slovaks. As an instance of their rapid natural
HUNGARY.
97
increase may be mentioned the two villages of Dettva, in the comitat of Zolyom,
which, from mere farms in the midst of a forest, have grown into places having
over 12,000 inhabitants e.ich. Tiirocz-Szent-Marton may be looked upon as the
literary centre of the Slovaks.
The Ruthenians, or Little Russians, inhabit the hills in which the Theiss and
its upper tributaries have their sources, to the east of the Slovaks. These
Russians— called Oroszok by the Magyars— first established themselves in the
forests which formerly covered the whole of the Carpathians, and gradually spread
over the extensive territory extending from the Tatra to the mountains of
Transylvania. A few districts in which German was spoken a hundred years
ago have become Ruthenian, but elsewhere there are large tracts inhabited by
Fig. 61. — The Slovaks ok Hungary.
Aocotding to Ficker. Scale 1 : 4,126,000.
liE.of Parts
Oeer av t'-c.^
Ovtr to P-*:-^
100 Miles.
Ruthenians, where only Magyar or Rumanian is spoken now. Though kinsmen
of the Russians, the hosts of Paskiewitch, when they invaded Hungary in 1849,
were not hailed as liberators by these the must peaceable of all Slavs. The
principal centre of the Ruthenians in Hungary is Ushgorod (Unghvar).
The Servians, who now form the bulk of the population in the Banat and
elsewhere in the south, first arrived in large numbers after the Servian kingdom
had been overthrown by the Turks. Before that time the Servians were repre-
sented to the north of the Danube by a few colonies only; but in 1690
more than 36,0u0 Rascian zculnigm, numbering perhaps 400,000 or 500,000
individuals, sought a refuge in Hungary. Those of them who were assigned
lands in Central or Northern Hungary gradually disappeared amongst the general
98 AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
population; but in the south, where they settled in compact bodies, they
have preserved their nationality. Brave, intelligent, and patriotic, the half-
million Servians now form an important element amongst the nations inhabiting
Hungary. They offer a more persistent resistance to the political preponderance
of the Magyars than either Slovaks, Germans, or Eumanians, and in 1848 and
1849 they furiously resisted their pretensions in many a hard-fought battle.
One of their societies, known as Matica, or the " Mother of Bees," has done
much for the elucidation of Servian history and philology ; another, the Omladina,
or " Young Men's Society," has become formidable politically. Novisad (Neusatz)
is the literary and religious centre of the Servians of Hungary. They are the
kinsmen of Croats, Bosnians, and Dalmatians, but religious differences have created
a strong barrier between Eoman Catholic Croats and Greek orthodox Servians.
The Chohaczes, or Bunyevaczes, who live at Maria-Theresiopel and elsewhere, are
supposed to be descended from Dalmatian immigrants. They, too, are Catholics.
Representatives of other Slav nations are found within the boundaries of
Hungary. More than 100,000 Croats have settled to the north of the Drave ;
Wends, or Slovenes, are met with towards the western frontier ; 20,000
Bulo-arians have founded colonies amongst the Rumanians of the Banat ;
and Poles have established themselves on the southern slopes of the Carpathians.
In Transylvania, however, hardly any Slavs are found now, although, judging
from the geographical nomenclature, they must formerly have been numerous.
That country is now almost exclusively in the possession of Magyars Germans,
and Rumanians, the latter forming a majority of the population.
The Wallachians of Transylvania, whether we look upon them as Latinised
Dacians or as the descendants of immigrants come from the south, played
no historical part in the Middle Ages. They are first mentioned about the
middle of the fifteenth century. The towns founded or rebuilt by the Romans
were then no longer known by their Latin names. Even famous Sarmizege-
thusa, subsequently named Ulpia Trajana, in honour of the conqueror of Ducia,
had dwindled down into a poor village, known to the Rumanians by its Slav
name of Gredistya. All traditions of a dominion of Rome had died out.
The recent revival of the Rumanian nation is therefore one of the most
interesting events in history. Rumanians in compact masses occupy a con-
siderable portion of the B.mat and of the hilly regions looking down upon the
plain of Hungary. The Szekely and " Saxons " of Transylvania are completely
surrounded by this Latin-speaking people. The Slavs who formerly lived in
Transylvania have been absorbed by them, and their memory only survives
in the names of mountains, of rivers, and of towns. Magyars and Germans have
resisted Latiuisation, but the natural increase of the Rumanians being greater
than theirs, they virtually lo.se ground likewise.*
Whenever one or more Rumanian families settle down in a village they not
only preserve their language, but gain over to it many of the other inhabitants.
* Populntion of Transylvaniii :— In 17fil, 547.2.50 Ruman«, 262,000 Magyars and Szekely, 130,500
Germans. In 1877, 1,275,000 Rumans, 62.5,000 llagyurs aud Szekely, 210,000 Germans, 17,000
Jews.
HUNGARY.
99
Formerly, in the country around Temesvar, hardly anything but Servian and
German was heard, whilst now the Rumauians are very numerous. The Slavs,
in order to escape this absorption by Walluchs, actually flee the country. The
Catholic Bulgarians of the Banat have for the most part become Rumanians,
whilst the Servians of several districts make use of Rumanian in addition to
their native tongue. They are mild and inoffensive, these Rumanians, but once
they secure a footing in a village, their language gains ground rapidly.
The inability or unwillingness of the Rumanians to acquire foreio-n tongues
partly accounts for this curious state of affairs. If the Slavs, Magyars, and
Germans amongst whom they settle desire to converse with them, they must
learn Rumanian. But this is not all. The Rumanian exhibits greater patience
in adversity than the Servian, and maintains his ground under circumstances
Fig. 62. — The Servians of Ht'NOAKy.
According to Fioker.
E.of Paris
E.of O.
[z:zi3
Oivr iu ii.c.fi
UTr 10 li/:Ji
which would induce the latter to emigrate. Nor is the beauty of the Wallachian
women quite without influence in this Rumanisation. " Once a Wallachian wife
enters a house," so says a proverb, " the whole house becomes Wallachian."
Matrimonial fairs are still held in some parts of Hungary with all the ndiceti of
olden times. The " maidens' fair," which takes place at Topanfalva on the day
of St. Peter and St. Paul, attracts the young men for miles around. Hundreds of
girls, accompanied by their relatives, attend this fair, seated upon their trunks,
and surrounded by the cattle which they are to receive as a dowry. A lawyer
sits under a tree, prepared to draw up matrim jnial contracts. As many as
MO girls have " gone off " at one of these popular meetings. Amongst the
Szekely the parents sometimes even sell their children, and Szekely girls are
found in the harems of Asia Minor.
Up to 1848 the Rumanians of many parts of Hungary were devoid of all
100 AUSTRIA-HUNGAEY.
national feeling. Some, the descendants of shepherds, called themselves Fraduci ;
others, in the mining districts, went by the name of Pofaui. At present, however,
they know very well that they are the kinsmen of the Wallachians and Mol-
davians, that their language is akin to that spoken by several nations of Western
Europe, and that numerically they are very formidable. As yet, however, they
do not aspire to national autonomy, and if in 1848 they rose against their old
landlords, this was not owing to a hatred of race.
They are serfs no longer, and if they do not always keep possession of the
land, it is the Jew usurer, and not the Magyar, of whom they have to complain.
These Jews, together with the Bulgarian " Ismaelites," have from immemorial
times been the traders of Hungary. It was they who disposed of the booty collected
by the Magyars, and carried on the traffic in slaves. They themselves were
occasionally reduced almost to a state of slavery, but the money which they
succeeded in amassing frequently enabled them to purchase temporary privileges.
Since 1867 they have been in the enjoyment of full civil rights, but "mixed"
marriages are not yet permitted to them, and the Szekely obstinately refuse to
admit them into their villages.
The increase in the number of Jews since the middle of last century has been
prodigious. There are districts in which they form a majority. Munkacs is a
town of Jews rather than of Christians, and at Pest they have increased from
1,000, in 1836, to 50,000 ! The birth rate amongst the Jews is very high, and
they are said to suffer less than the other inhabitants from epidemic and endemic
diseases.* In 1872 and 1873, when the cholera carried oflF Magyars, Germans, and
Slavs in thousands, the Jews actually increased in numbers. Emigration con-
tributes its share towards this increase. Hardly a village but the " chosen
people " are represented by an innkeeper and money-lender. The land by degrees
passes into the hands of the Jews, and the unfortunate peasant, whilst cursing
in his heart the cause of his ruin, has not the strength of will to avoid it. The
estates of ruined " magnates," too, often become the property of Jews. The latter
sometimes cause the land thus acquired to be cultivated with care, but as a rule
they farm it out to the ousted peasant proprietors.
The Armenian only resembles the Jew in his love of money and attachment
to the national religion. Szamos-Ujvar (Armenopolis) and Ebesfalva (Elisa-
betopolis) are the head-quarters of the Armenian merchants, whose number
is diminishing, and who no longer speak the language of their ancestors.
Hungary has always extended its hospitalities to the Tsigani, or gipsies, who
were granted certain privileges in the fifteenth century, and formed, as it were,
"itinerant republics" each under its headman {egregius), and elected judges
(affiles). Joseph II. undertook to civilise the gipsies by compelling them to
become cultivators of the soil, and to abandon their national dress and language.
Notwithstanding this, a few of their nomadic tribes survive to the present day.
The majority, however, have become peasants or labourers.
• Annual death rate at Pest (1868—1870) per 1,000 inhabitants: -Roman Catholics, 48; Lulherans,
47 ; Calvinists, 34 ; Jews, 18.
HUNGARY. 101
It is to his musical talents that the gipsj'^ is principally indebted for the tolera-
tion granted to him by the Magyar, for no fete can take place in Hungary without
gipsy musicians. The gipsies are undoubtedly a mixed race, for some amongst
them are nearly black, whilst others are fair-complexioned. The majority of them
can, however, be recognised by the expression of their features and the glow of
their eyes.
In addition to the nations mentioned above we meet in Hungary with French,
Italian, and Spanish colonists. It is quite impossible to state the number
belonging to each race. Language alone can be our guide, but the numbers
given by different authors vary exceedingly, according to their national pre-
judices. Many claim to be Magyars who in reality are of different race. If the
number of schools could be accepted as a test, the Magyars would actually appear
to form an absolute majority of the population.*
Agkicultire, Mining, and Commerce.
Hungary is almost exclusively dependent for its wealth on the abundance and
excellence of its agricultural products. There are sterile tracts, no doubt, but the
extent of rich black soil is very considerable, and 92 per cent, of the entire area
is capable of cultivation. The wheat grown in the Alfcild and the Banat is highly
appreciated by the merchants of Western Europe. To an agriculturist there is
no finer sight than the wide plain of Hungary with its waving corn-fields. Hemp
and flax are cultivated with success, and Hungarian tobacco, in spite of vexatious
fiscal regulations, is exported into all the countries of Europe.t
Hungary is one of the most productive European wine countries, and some
of its growths are amongst the most esteemed in the world. The wine of Tokuj,
which is grown on the volcanic rocks of the Kopasteto, its cultivation having
been introduced by Italians in the thirteenth century, has not its equal in any
other part of Europe. Excellent wines are also grown on the southern slopes
of the M4tra ; on the hills bordering upon the Maros, in Trans; Ivania ; around
Arad ; and in the vicinity of Veszprem, Oedeuburg, Pressburg, and Buda. Even
the plains are being invaded by vineyards, and grapes are exported as far as
• Ksti'inalities and religions of Hungary and Transylvania in 1877 : —
Roman Catholics.
Orthodox
Total.
Latin Rite.
Greek Rite.
Greek Catholics.
Protestants.
Miipyars
5,760.000
3,660,000
—
—
2,100,000
RumHnians .
2,360,000
—
1,260,000
1,100,000
—
Germans
1,850,000
1,450,000
—
—
400,000
Slovaks
1,90(1,000
1,100,000
—
—
800,000
Kuthenians .
600,000
—
840,000
—
160,000
Southern Slavs
660,000
80,000
—
470,000
—
Gipsies .
160,000
20,000
—
100,000
30,000
Jews
600.000
—
—
—
—
Oihers .
60,000
13,720,000
—
—
—
—
Total .
6310.000
1,600,000
1,670,000
3,490,000
Srhools, 15,445; viz. 8,404 Magyar, 2,184 German, 2,130 Rumanian, 2,067 Slovak, 620 Rulhenian,
360 Serviiin, 71 Croat, 2 864 mixed.
t Arable land, 31,146,000 acres; vineyards, 787,600 acres; meadows imd gardens, 8,446,000 acres.
102
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Hamburg. Unfortunately the country has been invarled by the phyllo-^cera ;
yet the produce increases from ye.ir to year.* The Hungarian wine-grower is
superior to the ordinary peasant, but has still much to learn. The white wines
bear transport only after they have been " fortified." An " Association of Wine
Growers," formed by an Englishman in Tnin.sylvauia, has done much for the
promotion of viticulture.
The herdsmen, who still hold possession of wide tracts of the Alfoldand of
the mountain slopes, are being hard pressed by the agriculturists ; but whilst
natural pasture-grounds are becomng more and more restricted, artificial meadows
and green crops gain in extent, and cattle and sheep increase in numbers, t The
Fig. 63. — The Viney.vrus of [Ilxgary.
,E.of P
MO
lianuhe
VIENNA
CEdenbourg:
T U R K E Y
20 E.of Gr.
Wine Diatrici*
half-savage oxen, with their tremendous horns, are but rarely seen now, the
cattle plague imported by the Russians in 1849 having destroyed more than
400,000 of them. The buffaloes, too, which are employed as beasts of draught,
and which, being coarse feeders, are highly valued in a country of swamps,
are disappearing. The horses of Hungary are justly valued for their spirit,
sure pace, and endurance. The number of sheep bus increased at a wonderful
rate, and the Magyars, from having been a people of horsemen, have in the
course of this century become a people of shepherds. The breeding of pigs is
* Average produce, 1861—72, 70,935,000 gallons, valued at £3,910,000.
t In 1870 tiiere were 1,820,000 hoiacs, 4,435,000 head of cattle, 13,826,000 sheep, 3,587,000 pigs,
and 404,000 goats.
HUNGARY. 103
more especially of importance iii the south, where oak forests abound, and the
hams of Temesvar are highly esteemed for the delicacy of their flavour.
The great fertility of the soil is unfortunately neutralised in some measure by
the inconstancy of the weather, which renders agriculture a hazardous occupa-
tion. In some seasons not a drop of rain falls for months, in others it rains
nearly incessantly. The almost oriental fatalism of the peasants may possibly
be accounted for by their utter helplessness in the face of such a climate ; and
yet, after months and even years of drought, the wretched Wallachian of Transyl-
vania, although his children cry for food, and a few lumps of coarse malai (maize
paste) are all he has to offer, retains his astonishing placidity.
The distribution of the land in Hungary is by no means favourable to its
intelligent cultivation. By the side of vast domains, many square miles in
extent, we find small patches of land, but hardly any estates of fair medium
size.* As a rule the large domains are badly tilled, yielding hardly more than
twenty pence an acre. The Crown lands (63,000 acres) yield even less, or only
fivepence an acre. The use of manure is unknown in many parts of the country.
Dunghills were allowed to accumulate around the dwellings to keep them warm,
and in 1875, when the cholera ravaged the country, the dung which had accumu-
lated around Pest became a source of danger, and had to be thrown into the
Danube or burnt in furnaces. Such ignorance explains how it is that an acre only
yields four or five bushels of wheat.
Agriculture, nevertheless, is making progress. Hundreds of square mihs
have been drained, the moving sand-hills to the north of the Danube have been
planted with acacias, and the country has in many respects changed its aspect.
But whilst trees are being planted in the plain, the forests in the hills are being
devastated, the opening of railwaj's facilitating the export of timber. The
Mezoseg, or " Land of Forests," of the Central Carpathians deserves that name
no longer, for its oaks, beeches, and firs have gone abroad.
The want of fuel in a great measure accounts for the decreasing importance
of the mines. Iron, lead, and gold are found in the " Ore Mountains " of
Transylvania, and although that country no longer deserves the epithet of
" Treasure-chest of Europe," it still produces annually about £200,000 worth of
gold, most of which is washed in the Verespatak, or " Red River." The " gold-
diggers " lead a miserable life, and could earn more in other occupations, but they
have not the strength to tear themselves away from their and their fathers' accus-
tomed pursuit.
The " Ore Mountains " of Hungary proper rise around Schemnitz and
Kremnitz, and yield silver as well as gold, copper, lead, zinc, and iron, the latter
'alone being of importance, t The principal iron works are at Oravicza, Szepes,
Nagy Varud, and Ard.
Salt and sulphur abound in Transylvania and the comitat of Marmaros.
• There are 1,444,400 proprietors holding under 7 acres, and 903,710 holding between 7 and 12
acres, the two classes possessing between them nearly one-third of the total area of the country.
+ In 1874 Hungary and TransylvMniapr.diiced 80,200 tons of iron (value £823,000 f), £156,000 worth
of silver, 130,400 tons of salt, 1,800,000 tons of coal. Total value of all mining pn ducts above, £3,440,000.
104
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
The mines of both can be worked for centuries at the present rate without
becoming exhausted.
The country is also very rich in coal and lignite. The most productive coal
mines are near Fiinfkirchen (Pecs), between the Danube and the Drave ; at
Ressicza, in the Banat ; at Bersaska, on the liower Danube ; and in the Transyl-
vanian Alps. Petroseny, on the Upper Sil, is the most important mining town in
Fig 64.— The Afripdrous Region of Transylvaxia.
p.. 5... •• .••.•..•;•. s-:^ V„-*W\i
|ia'V, t.ofer.
10 MUes.
the latter. It is of quite modern origin, and its stores of coal have been estimated
at 250,000,000 tons.
Hot and mineral springs abound, more especially in Eastern Transylvania.
Some of the springs of Hungary have obtained a European reputation, but most of
them are hardly known bj' name. The Hercules Baths, near Mehadia, delight-
fully situate at the foot of the Transylvanian Alps, are the most famous amongst
them.
HUNGARY.
105
Railways render it possible to utilise tlie resources of Hungary to a greater
extent than could be done formerly, but the want of roads to feed the railways is
still very great. To some extent the difficulty of procuring metalling for the
roads accounts for their absence. The railways, however, have a great future
before them, whenever the proposed lines across the Balkans and the Carpathians
shall have brought Hungary into close connection with the iEgean and the wide
plains of Russia. Hungary will then in reality become an integral part of
Europe, and a land of transit connecting the West with the East.
Fig. 65. — A View in the Mining District of Kremnitz.
(The Hills of the Miieura )
f
Towns.
The aspect of the towns of Hungary changes but slowly, for it is easier to
modify our dress than to reconstruct our houses. Formerly the great " towns "
in the Hungarian plain were in reality huge villages, having hardly a feature in
common with the towns of "Western Europe. They were classified according to
population and local institutions, but whether known as " royal free cities " or
" maiket towns," they all consisted of an agglomeration of low, detached houses,
separated by wide roads, gardens, and ponds. In fact, the " towns " resembled
79
106 AUSTKIA-HUNGAEY.
vast encampments, recalling the time when the Magyars were still nomads,
municipal buildings and church occupying the central site formerly reserved for
the tents of the chief. When the Turks invaded the country, it never struck the
Magyar peasants that, like the Saxons in Transylvania, they might raise walls as
a defence against the invader.
The spirit of the race may possibly account for the arrangement of the Magyar
towns, but we must not lose sight of the fact that in the Alfold the villages of
Servians, Slovaks, and Eumanians are in every respect similar to the Faluk of
the Magyars. Elsewhere, too, where the nature of the country is the same, as in
the Landes or in the prairies of America, we meet with towns of the same charac-
ter ; but in no other part of Europe is this character so strongly developed. For
hours we ride through the streets of Szabadka, Kecskemet, Debreczen, or
Felegvhaza without meeting anything to break the monotony. And yet these
Fig. 66. — The Coal Basin of the Upper Sil.
Scale 1 : 500,000.
5 Miles.
are " cities " or " towns," and there are " villages " of 10,000 and more inhabitants
which resemble them in every respect. On an average each " town " of the Alfold
has an area of 23 square miles, and rivals Washington in its "magnificent
distances." Szabadka covers no less than 345 square miles.
Buda-Pest {Pestk and Ofen in German), with its ever-increasing population,*
is being rapidly transformed into a thoroughly European city. The surrounding
country, with its noble river, its hills, and its distant mountains, contributes much
towards ennobling the appearance of the town. The fine buildings which line
the left bank, the edifices suspended upon the slopes of Buda, the steeples and
cupolas, the airy suspension bridge, the iron viaduct higher up, and the steamers
moving majestically along the river impart an air of grandeur to the city wliich we
frequently miss in towns of much more importance, and notably in Vienna. The
• Pest, exclusive nf Buda, had lO^.'SOO inlialjitimls in 1849, 200,500 in 1870. In 1877 the two towns
had an estimated population of 320,000 souli.
o
S3
H
O
n
a
o
HUNGAET.
107
houses of Budci-Pest are built of a limestone similar to that employed in Paris.
The city grows, not merely because it is the political capital of the country, but
more especially on account of its fine geographical position on a navigable river,
in the centre of a network of railroads, and at the gate to the East. The steam-
mills grind about 300,000 tons of wheat annually. Buda-Pest is insalubrious,
and the death rate is greater there than perhaps in any other city of Europe. To
some extent this excessive mortality is due to poverty. Thousands are without
means to pay for a bed, and in no other town is the number of labourers, servants,
and others living from hand to mouth equally great.*
Fig. 67. — Debkeczen.
Seale 1 : «32,000.
. 5 MUea.
Amongst the public buildings the National Museum is the most important.
It is a vast edifice, containing a gallery of paintings, a natural-history museum,
a library of 2-J0,00J volumes, and scientific collections of every kind.
Buda is the seat of the civil and military authorities, and many of its buildings
are historically of interest. The tomb of Gull-Baba, the " Father of Roses," in
the suburb of Old Buda, is kept in order in accordance with the stipulations of
the treaty of Carlovitz, and is occasionally visited by Turkish pilgrims.
• In 1870 each room was inhabited by three persons, and ono-fifth of the inhabitants were either
■without beds or lived in common lodgings. (J. Korosi, (■^tat. Jahrbuch der Stadt Pest.)
108
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Tho environs of the twin city abound in delightful sites. The island of
Margarelha has been converted into a park. On it are a hot spring and a bathing
establi>hnient. Gardens and a large park lie to the north and east of the city,
and gentlemen's seats are scattered over the plain of Rakos, upon which the
Magyar Diets met formerly, either to elect the sovereign or to decide upon some
warlike expedition. Farther north is the Imperial Palace of GodoUo. Far more
charming, however, are the hills around Buda, amongst which is the Blocksberg
Fig. 68.— Buda-Pest.
Scale 1 : 245,000.
E.ofGr. ig-gO'
10 Miles.
(Gellerthegy), commanding the finest view of the Danube. Its summit is
crowned with a citadel.
Many of the other towns of Hungary are German in their aspect, and lie
towards the west, and along the Danube, between Vienna and Pest. Frcssburg
(46,540 inhabitants) is one of them, and its castle, its cathedral, and its numerous
palaces recall the time when the Kings of Hungary were anointed there. Lower
down on the Danube is Gt/or (Raab, 20,0:J5 inhabitants), formerly one of the
great grain markets of Europe. Komdrom (Comorn, 12,256 inhabitants), the last
HUNGAEY.
109
fortress to fall into the hands of the Austrians in 1849, raises its walls at the
confluence of the Vag with the Danube. Opposite to it is O Szmiy (2,465
inhabitants), the ancient Bregetio, the residence of the Roman Emperors Valen-
tinian I. and II. Lower down is ^S2ferj^r>m (Gran, 8,780 inhabitants), the birthplace
of the sainted King Stephen and the primutial city of Hungary, with a cathedral
built upon the summit of a hill. Then comes Vdcz (Waitzen, 12,894 inhabitants),
on the opposite bank of the Danube, which there sweeps round to the south.
Szekes-Fijerrdr (Stuhlweissenburg, 22,683 inhabitants), the Alba Eegia of
Fig. 69. — ViBW OP TUB Sacusenstein, oa SzASZKii, near Scheunitz.
mediaeval manusfripts, is the most famous town in South-western Hungary.
During a long period the Kings of Hungary were crowned and buried there.
Vcszpr/m (12,0 .2 inhabitants) is also frequently mentioned in the annals of
Hungary, but Papa (14,223 inhabitants), in the same comitat, to the north of the
Bakony Forest, exceeds it in population. Steinamanger (Szombathcly, 7,561
inhiibitnnts), the Sabaria of the ancients, still boasts of a few Roman ruins, and
having become a great railway centre, promises once more to be of importance.
For the present Oedcnburg (21,108 inhabitant.s), a busy manufacturing town close
IIQ AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
to the Austrian frontier, far exceeds it in population. Oerlenburg occupies the
site of the Roman city of Scarabantia. It lies in the midst of a fertile district
extending to the Lake of Neusiedl.
■ In the basin of the Drave there are a few commercial towns, such as Na/n/
Kanizsa (11,128 inhabitants), and one city, famous on account of its history,
namely, Pecs (Fiinfkirchen, 23,862 inhabitants). It lies at the foot of a group
of hills, and close to a rich coal basin. To the west of it rises the castle of
Szigetvdr, which Zrinyi heroically defended against the Turks in 1566, when
Soliman lost 30,000 men and his own life. At Mohdcs (12,140 inhabitants), to
the east, on the Danube, Soliman, forty years before, defeated the army of
Lewis II., but in lii87 the Turks were there defeated in turn. Higher up on the
Danube is Bima-Fdldvur (12,382 inhabitants).
The towns in the Carpathians are less populous than those in the plain, but
most of them occupy delightful positions in verdant valleys and on sparkling
rivulets. Tijniau (Nagy Szombath, 9,737 inhabitants), with its many belfries, is
an old university town. Trencaen (3,449 inhabitants) has an old castle, formerly
looked upon as impregnable, but now in ruins. Near it are the sulphur springs of
Tepla (Teplitz). Schemnitz (Setmeczbanya, 14,029 inhabitants) and Kremnitz (Kor-
moczbanya, 8,442 inhabitants) are two old mining towns : they were of greater im-
portance in bygone times. The former occupies a valley open to the cold northerly
winds. Several sulphur springs are in its neighbourhood, on the banks of the
river Gran, commanded by the ruins of the castle of the Sachsenstein, or " Saxon's
Stone." Neiisohl (Banska Bytrica, 11,780 inhabitants) is likewise a mining town,
almost exclusively inhabited by Slavs. None of the sixteen towns of the comitat
of Szepes (Zips), at the foot of the Tatra, are of importance. Visitors, however, are
attracted by the charming scenery and the hot springs of Tdtrafured, or Schmec/cs,
near Kesmark (3,938 inhabitants). Kaschau (Kassa, 21,742 inhabitants), a fine
old city, and Unghrdr (11,017 inhabitants), are important market-places. Eperjes
(10,772 inhabitants) is associated with the "bloody assize" held towards the close
of the seventeenth century by order of the Emperor. MunJidcs (8,602 inhabitants),
a dull town, boasts of having been the first place at which the Magyars made a
halt before they descended into the plain. Szigeth is the commercial centre of the
comitat of Marmaros, whilst TokaJ (5,012 inhabitants), with its sunburnt rocks,
Eger (Erlau, 19,150 inhabitants), and Gt/bmjyos (15,830 inhabitants), carry on
the commerce between the mountainous country and the great plain of the Alfold.
In the vast plain of Hungary there are several populous villages, but few
places deserving to be called towns. Szegrd (Szegedin, 70,179 inhabitants),
favourably situated at the confluence of the Theiss and Maros, is the com-
mercial centre of the Puszta. The floods of 1879 destroyed nearly the whole of
the town. Several other towns are likewise of some importance as places of
traffic. Amongst these are Csegled (22,216 inhabitants), to the south-east of Pest ;
Szolnok (15,847 inhabitants), in the midst of the marshes of the Theiss ; Dehreczen
(46,111 inhabitants), the head-quarters of the Magyar Calvinists ; Nyirehusa
(21,896 inhabitants), a town almost exclusively inhabited by Slovaks ; Szathmur-
HUNGARY.
Ill
Nimethi (18,353 inhabitants), at the extreme upper end of the plain, 400 feet
above the sea; and Nagy Vdrad (Gross Wardein, 28,698 inhabitants), on the
Sebes Koros, at the mouth of one of the principal defiles leading into Transylvania.
The Turks frequently held possession of the town named last, and a Nilotic plant
Fig. 70. — NovisAD (Neubatz, ok Uj-Vid£k).
Scale 1 : 75,000.
I.of Pui>
B.ofGr,
. 10 MUes.
{Nymphmrt thermnlis), which grows in the spring of Piispok Furdo, near It, is
supposed to have been imported by them.
Several of the towns are on the banks of the Danube, or not far from them,
such as Knlocsa (16,302 inhabitants) and Baja (18,110 inhabitants). Zomhor
(24,309 inhabitants) is on the Francis Oanal, which connects the Danube with
the Theiss. iVomffrf (iVe««a<z, 19,119 inhabitants) lies on the northern bank of
112 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
the Danube, and is commanded by the guns of Peterwardein. The interesting
plateau of Titel, surrounded by the Theiss and by swamps extending from that river
to the Danube, lies to the west. Pancsova (Pan6evo, 13,408 inhabitants), at the
mouth of the Teraes below Belgrad, is inhabited by Servians.
There are more populous towns on the Theiss (Tisza) than on the Danube. The
following are in the comitat of Jaszkun-Szolnok : — /Sso/wo/; (15,847 inhabitants),
Jdsz Bereny (20,233 inhabitants), Karczay (143,486 inhabitants), Torok-Szent-Miklos
(13,000 inhabitants), and Mezd-Tur (10,447 inhabitants). Between Szolnok and
Szeged the river flows past Csongmd (17,356 inhabitants) and Szentes (27,658 inha-
bitants). Near it are Nagy Koros (20,091 inhabitants), Kecskemet (41,195
\nhd,hita.nis), Felegyhilza (21,313 inhabitants), and H6d-Mez6-Vdmrhely (19,153
inhabitants). Below Szeged we reach 0 Kanizsa, the port of the city of Maria-
Theresiopel (Szabadka, 56,323 inhabitants), after which comes Zenta (19,938 inha-
bitants), where Prince Eugene defeated the Turks in 1697. To the east is the
important market-town of Nagy Kikinda (18,834 inhabitants), as well as Nagy
Becskerek (19,666 inhabitants), on the river Bega, in the midst of a country exposed
to inundation.
Gyttla (18,495 inhabitants), Bekes (22,547 inhabitants), and Szarvas (22,446
inhabitants), are within the basin of the river Kijros. The Maros, a far more
important river, is defended by the citadel of Arad, below which nestles the city of
6 Arad (32,725 inhabitants), one of the busiest industrial centres of Hungary.
Not far from here, at the foot of the hills, lies Vildgos, of mournful memory.
Mako (2 ',449 inhabitants) is the largest amongst the towns below Arad. The
famous stud of Mcsohegyes lies in the Puszta, to the north of the river Alaros.
Temesvdr (32,223 inhabitants), the old capital of the Banat, claims with Arad to
be the most important city of South-eastern Hungary. A few other towns of
consequence are in its neighbourhood, such as Werscliitz (Versecz, 2 1 ,095 inhabitants)
and Oldh Lugos (3,350 inhabitants) ; but we are approaching the hilly country.
The towns can no longer compare in population with those of the Puszta,
and Knrdnsebes, Oravicza (a mining town), and Mehddia are far less populous than
the scattered villages oiHalas (13,127 inhabitants), Ndnds, ov BoHZormemj, which
lie out in the plain.
Kolozsvdr (Klausenburg,Cliusi,26,382 inhabitants) is the most important town in
Transylvania, though not the most populous. It is the capital of the Magyars,
who have their principal schools there. Under the Romans Kolozsvar was one of the
principal cities of Dacia. It then became a German town, and was surrounded
with turreted walls. The suburbs now spread far beyond them, along both banks
of the river Szamos. The only other towns on the river are Szainos Ujvdr
(Armenierstadt, 5,188 inhabitants), a head-quarter of the Armenians, Dees (5,822
inhabitants), and Bidritz (7,212 inhabitants), seated in the midst of magnificent
forests. The small watering-place of Radna (Rothenau) lies near the source of
the Szamos, not far from the frontier.
The largest town on the Maros is Maros Vdsdrhely (12,' 78), principally inha-
bited by Szekely. Having been joined by the Aranyos, which rises in a mining
HUNOAEY. 113
district and passes Tarda (Tliorenburg, 8,803 inhabitants), famous on account of
its salt mines, the Maros flows to the south-west, winding along the foot of the sali-
ferouB cliflFs of J/aros Vjcdr. Below Nagy Euyed (5,779 inhabitants) the Maros is
joined by the Kiikiillo, the main stream of which flows through a countrj' abound-
ing in historical associations. Amongst the towns on its banks are Uilrdrhely
(4,376 inhabitanfs), the old capital of the Szekely, and Schassburg (Segesvar, 8,204
inhabitants), a picturesque old town, where Petofi is supposed to have fallen
fighting against the Russians. Lower down the river are Elisabethstadt (2,250
inhabitants), and Media-ick (Megyes, 4,621 inhabitants). Returning to the Maros,
we arrive at Kar/sburg (Karoly Fej^rvar, 7,955 inhabitants), with a fine old
cathedral, in which the Princes of Transylvania were crowned. Below Karlsburg
and its vineyards the Maros flows past the citadel of Deva, which formerly defended
the road leading into Transylvania. To the south of it is one of the Iron Gates,
which was defended by the Roman city Ulpia Trajana (Sarmizegethusa) Only a
few towns are to be found in this part of the country. The village of Vajda Hunyad
(2,597 inhabitants) lies in a lateral valley. Its ancient castle, built by the
Voyvod Hunyad, is now being repaired.
Kronsfadt (Brasso, 27,766 inhabitants), the largest town of Transylvania, lies
within the basin of the Aluta. It is essentially a German town, but the surround-
ing villages are inhabited by Rumanians.
The river flows past Fogaras (4,714 inhabitants), and having been reinforced
by the stream which comes from Hermannstadt (Nagy Szeben, Sibiu, 18,998
inhabitants), it escapes through the defile of the Red Tower into Rumania.
Hermannstadt is the capital of the "Saxons." It is a curious old city, very dull,
but interesting on account of its architecture.
CHAPTER VII.
GALICIA AND BITKOVINA.
(Austrian Poland and Ruthenia.)
General Aspects, Mountains, and Climate.
ALICIA and Bukovina, lying outside the rampart of the Carpathians,
form part of the Austrian Empire, in spite of the great boundaries
determined by geographical features. Climate and the general slope
of the soil attest that these countries form an integral portion of
the vast plain which stretches from the Sudetes to the Altai.
They also differ ethnologically from the remainder of the empire, which has
held them for hardly more than a century. By annexing them Austria did
violence not only to geographical landmarks, but also to national susceptibilities.
Maria Theresa herself, when she signed the treaty partitioning Poland, avowed
that she " prostituted her honour for the sake of a paltry bit of land." Cracow,
the last remnant of Poland, was occupied by Austria in 1846, in defiance of a
treaty dictated by herself.
The outer slope of the Carpathians is steeper as a rule than the inner one,
and constitutes a very formidable natural frontier. Tlie boundary-line, however,
neither follows the watershed nor the crest of the mountain range. Hungary
has secured possession of the great central group, the Tatra, as well as of the
upper basin of the Poprad, which flows north towards the Vistula. Only a few
summits in Galicia exceed a height of 6,500 feet, but to a spectator standing in
the plain to the north of them, the Carpathians, with their steep scarps and
barren summits, rising above forests and pastures, and covered with snow during
a great part of the year, present a grand sight. The Eastern Carpathians are
still clad with their ancient forests. In the vicinity of the Cserna Gora, or
" Black Mountains," in the BukoA'ina, these forests extend uninterruptedly for many
miles, and the Bukovina is fairly entitled to its Slav name of Land of Beeches, or
" Buckingham." In the south, towards the frontiers of Moldavia, a few trachyte
peaks enhance the beauty of the scenery. Elsewhere, and more especially in
the districts of Stanislawow and Kolomyja, the valleys are without running
streams, the rain disappearing in the fissures of the limestone.
GALICIA AND BUKOVINA.
116
A few level tracts lie at the northern foot of the Beskids and Carpathians,
such as the swampy plain upon which the waters of the Dniestr first collect,
and that at the confluence of the San with the Vistula ; but G<ilicia as a whole
is an undulating table-land, having an average elevation of 820 feet. It forms the
watershed between the Baltic and the Black Sea. Some of the rivers flow north
to the Vistula, the " White River " of the ancient Slavs ; others flow east to the
Dniepr ; others again south-east to the Pruth and the Sereth. To the north of
the valley of the Dniepr the land gradually rises into a table-land of tertiary
Fig. 71- — The Caupathians.
Scalp I : 6.500.000.
50- E.ofGr.
Altitude in Feet
JOJO to sxio
formation. The rivers which intersect this plateau have scooped themselves out
deep valleys, the bottoms of which are covered with fields and meadows, whilst
forests clothe the steep heights which bound them. Some of these forests retain
all their pristine beauty, and nowhere else in Europe do pines grow to such a
height. In the Forest of Pustelnik, near Brody, forty trees exceeding 160 feet in
height have been counted to the acre.
Galicia has a moister climate than might be supposed from its position in the
centre of Europe ; for the rain-laden winds, which blow from the Atlantic and the
116 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
North Sea in the direction of the Euxine, naturally pass through the defile
bounded in the south by the Carpathians, and in the north by the plateaux of
Western Poland and Podolia. But although the rainfall in Gulicia equals that
of the maritime regions of Western Europe, its temperature is altogether conti-
nental. The plateau in the north affords but little shelter against the cold
northerly winds, whilst the Carpathians shut out the warm breezes blowing from
the Mediterranean. The heat in summer is intense, the cold of winter most
severe. At Tarnopol the mean temperature during five months does not rise
above freezing point. Accustomed to so rigorous a climate, the mountaineers of
the Beskids and Carpathians, who annually migrate to the lowlands of Hungary
and Austria in search of work, return to their cherished mountain homes pale,
emaciated, and shaken with fever.*
Inhabitants.
To the north of the Carpathians there has been no struggle between Slavs
and Magyars or Germans. No Magyars live there, and the number of Germans
is comparatively small, and only in the large towns and in a few villages of
Western Galicia are they able to preserve their national speech. Thousands of
German peasants and miners have become Slavs in appearance and in lan-
guage. Germans founded numerous colonies in the thirteenth century, but
nothing except the names of a few towns, such as Landshut or Landskrona,
attests their origin. The Flemish weavers, who came into the country at the
same period, have likewise become Poles in all except their family names.
Where Germans have maintained themselves up to the present time, it has been
because of differences of religion, for nearly one-fourth of the German peasants
are Protestants. Most of these Protestant German colonies survive in the
districts of Lemberg and Stryj.
The Poles occupy Western Galicia, and even extend into Austrian Silesia,
where thej are known as "Water Polaks." These Polaks are despised by their
German neighbours on account of their presumed drunkenness and immorality.
It is quite true that they are wretcbedly poor and ignorunt. The sons of serfs,
and ever pursued by famine, they fall an easy prey to the village usurers. The
Poles dwelling along the foot of the Carpathians and on the Vistula are known
as Mazurs, an epithet properly applicable only to the Poles of Eastern Prussia.
They, too, are poor, and the want of proper nourishment pales their cheeks and
curves their backs. Their women, however, though by no means fond of hard
work, have an appearance of great vigour, and almost seem to belong to a
race different froni that of the men. They wear white or rtd turbans, and a
bright-coloured jacket, showing the white chemise beneath. The variety of
costume is greater amongst the men, every village having a fashion of its own.
The peasants, notwithstanding their poverty, are proud of gay colours, embroi-
Mean Temperature Degrees. Rainfall,
Year. January. July. Indies,
♦ Lemborg 4lo 230 640 26
Cracow 46.i 241 650 19
GALICIA AND BUKOVINA.
117
dered garments, and bright metal buttons. The disease known as Plica Polonica,
from which many of them suffer, is by no means caused by uncleanliness, but is
produced by want of proper nourishment. It is said to have been imported by
the Tartars in the thirteenth century.
Fig. 72. — Peasasts and Jews of Galicia.
The Pok^s of the Beskids are known as Gorals ; that is, " mountaineers." They
are poor, and partly live in underground houses, but spending most, of their
time in the vivifying mountain air, they are physically far superior to their
118
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
kinsmen of the plain. They are said to be intelh'gent, and though the land
they live in is exceedingly sterile, they enjoy more comforts than the peasants of
the lowlands. Many of them annually migrate into neighbouring countries,
especially at harvest-time.
In Western Galicia the ethnological boundaries coincide with the mountain
crests. The Gorals do not extend to the southern slopes of the Beskids, nor
are the Podhalanes, or Polish herdsmen of the upper valleys of the Tatra, met
with in the plains of Hungary ; but to the east of the Tatra we enter a country
having a mixed population, and it is quite impossible to draw a line separating
the Poles from the Ruthenians. Many of the inhabitants speak both languages.
The valley of the San, a river flowing into the Vistula, may, however, be looked
upon as the linguistic boundary, the Ruthenians predominating to the east of
Fig. 73.— The Distbibution op the Polks in Galicia.
According to Ficker. Scale 1 : 6,000,000.
2VK.ofG
^^^»i^
Ovtr so fi/c.
it. Formerly, when the Poles were the sole masters of the country, their lan-
guage slowly gained ground ; but the Ruthenians are now recovering all they
lost, although many educated people in the towns beyond the San prefer to use
Polish. The two nations differ also in religion, for whilst the Poles are Roman
Catholics, the Ruthenians belong to the Greek Church. Most of the small
Ruthenian nobles, derisively called chodaczkova szlachta, i.e. " siindal-wearing
gentlemen," are Greek Catholics, whilst the large landowners belong to the
Roman Church.
The Ruthenians, or Red Russians, have never been able to agree with their kins-
men the Poles. They are Russians certainly, though speaking a dialect differing
from that of the Muscovites, to whom, moreover, they are dissimilar in customs.
The descendants of numberless exiles, who fled the yoke of Russian despotism, live
GALICIA. AND BUKOVINA.
119
amongst them. In the retired villages of the Carpathians they have been able
to preserve their ancient customs, but superstition likewise survives there, and
their ignorance is great.
The Ruthenians around Tarnopol are known as Podolians ; those to the south
of Lemberg as Boiks ; those in the Eastern Capathians as Huzuls. These latter,
not having been demoralised b}' brandy to the same extent as their kinsmen, are
the gayest and happiest tribe of the Ruthenians : though formerly addicted to
brigandage, they are nevertheless more honest than their kinsmen in the plain.
The Ruthenians are fond of poetry and music ; they are said to be kindly disposed
and hospitable, but at the same time vacillating, untrustworthy, and passionate.
The Huzuls excepted, they are physically a feeble race, though tall and well made.
Fig. 74.^The Distribution op the Ruthenians.
Scale 1 : 6,500,000.
ao' E.of Paris
EZZ3
n:n
MiiaiiH M
Over io ;» e.
. 100 Miles.
This feebleness, however, may be due to their povert)', or to the frequent fasts
imposed by the Church and scrupulously observed.
In Bukovina the Rumanians are almost as numerous as the Ruthenians.
A hundred years ago the former were in a majority, but the annexation of the
country by Aubtria has given the preponderance to the Slavs. The population
of this small country is very mixed. Poles are settled amongst the Ruthenians ;
Szekely have crossed the Curpatbians in search of pasture-grounds ; Chechians
have settled down as miners ; Germans have formed agricultural colonies and
mining villages. Several thousand Russians belonging to the proscribed sect
of the Lipovani have found a refuge here, and Armenian communities have
established themselves in the principal towns. To these divers nationalities
120
AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
must be added the ever-present Jews and the gipsies, who pitch their tents
in the shade of the forests. The inhabitants profess eight different religions,
the Greek Catholics being by far the most numerous.
The Jews increase much more rapidly than the other nations, not only in
Bukovina and in Galicia, but throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Nearly one-half the Austrian Jews are massed in Galicia, and, as the Jews are
numerous also in the Polish and Russian border districts, this portion of Central
Europe is far better entitled to be called the land of the Jews than Palestine
or any other country whatever.
It will readily be understood that this multitude of Jews, having no attach-
Fig. 75 — The Jkws in Hungaky and Galicia.
Scale 1 : 6,376,000.
OveriQfyi
f)tvr i.pTo
100 MUea.
ment to the soil or its indigenous populution, and always professing the opinions
of the dominant race, must prove a serious obstacle to the political development
of the Poles or Ruthenians. In Lemberg, Cracow, and other large towns the
Jews constitute one-third of the population ; in Brody and Drocbobicz they
are in the majority ; and there is not a town but the Jew, in his gaberdine,
high boots, and broad-brimmed hat, with curls descending to the shoulders, is
frequently met with. He almost monopolizes the commerce of the country. One
sect of Jews, however, that of the Karaites, supposed to be of Tartar origin, though
GALICIA AND -BUKO VINA. 121
claiming descent from the tribe of Judah, neglects commerce and cultivates the
soil. The members of this sect dwell for the most part near Hulicz, or Galicz,
the ancient capital of Galicia.*
Agriculture and Mining.
The manufacturing industry of Galicia is still in its infancy. Only near
a few of the towns and in the west do we meet with manufactories producing
woollen and linen stuffs and beet-root sugar. About four-fifths of the inhabitants
are engaged in agriculture. The soil is fertile, and the land capable of cultivation
to a great extent ; but Galicia, which nature would appear to have destined to
become one of the granaries of the world, is in reality among the least productive
parts of Austria.! Nor could it be otherwise in a country whose peasantry are at
the mercy of unscrupulous usurers. The peasant, in many parts of the country,
lives in a log-hut covered with straw. His food consists of porridge, which he
washes doWn with bad brandy, for the sake of which he forgets his wife and
children. Most of the surplus corn grown in this country finds its way into the
distilleries. In years of bad harvests the people would perish with hunger if the
landlords or Jews were not to make them small loans. Ever in debt, the peasant
is in reality no better than a serf, and his ignorance is extreme.
Timber and cattle are amongst the articles of export. The cultivation of hops
has much increased since the middle of the present century, for beer is becoming
a favourite beverage. Tobacco is grown abundantly, over 100,000 cwts. being
produced annually.
The mineral resources of Galicia have been better cultivated than its agricul-
tural ones. Iron, tin, lead, sulphur, and even auriferous sand are found on the
northern foot of the Carpathians, but far more useful than either of these are
the coals which are being worked to the north-west of Cracow. Valuable salt
mines, including those of Wieliczka and Bochnia, lie within a short distance of the
city just named. The salt of Wieliczka occurs in huge masses embedded in clay.
That obtained near the surface is very impure, being mixed with clay
and sand. A purer salt, known as spiza, is found at a greater depth ; but in order
to obtain the tuihik, or finest salt, it is necessary to go deeper still. The mines
of Wieliczka have now been worked since the middle of the eleventh century,
and a depth of 1,024 feet (187 feet below the sea-level) has been reached. The
mines, notwithstanding occasional disasters caused by fire, water, or the falling in
of galleries, continue to yield nearly one-half the salt won throughout the Austrian
Empire.* The saliferous strata extend into Bukovina and Rumania. There are
numerous thermal springs, but only Szczawnica and a few other places attract
visitors. Far more important are the petroleum and asphalt springs, which abound
* If ationalitiea of Galicia and Biikovina : —
Jews. Ruimnians. Germana. Total.
510(100 — 148,000 6,444,700
49,000 194,000 41,000 513,300
t In Galicia 46 per cent, of the total area consists of arable land, 24 per cent, of pastures, 24 por
cent, of forest.
t Total yield in 1873, 282,240 tons, of which GaUeia produces 131,500 tona.
80
Entheniana.
Poles.
Oalicia .
2,44.1.700
2,341,000
Bukovina
210 300
6.000
122
AUSTRIA'-HUNGARY.
along the northern foot of the Carpathians. These springs remained almost
unknown until the " petroleum fever " in America attracted attention towards
them. Borishiw, on the Upper Dniestr, became, in 1866, one of the centres of
the Galiciun petroleum region, and in the course of six months grew from a small
village into a town of 20,000 inhabitants.* Subsequently other oil springs
were discovered in Western Galicia, but the produce of all has gradually
declined.
A railway connecting Danzig and Stettin, on the Baltic, with Odessa, on the
Black Sea, and passing through Galicia, has only recently been opened. Before
that time Galicia was hardly accessible, and it was less frequently referred to
than many a less important country in distant Asia. The favourable geographical
Fig. 76. — Cracow and Wieliczka.
Scale 1 : 408,000.
I7"50'
18" E.of Paris
19' 50'
20° ?0' E.ol'G-
. 5 Miles.
position of Galicia, half-way between the Baltic and the Euxine,is only now being
properly appreciated. The railway, which traverses the country from west to east,
places Western Europe in communication with the great granaries of Moldavia
and Central Russia, and in course of time its influence will reach as far as the cities
of Central Asia. Even now the village of Podwotoczyska, formerly never heard
of, and the town of Brody, import annually £2,000,000 worth of corn.
Towns.
Leopol, the capital of Galicia, was built in 1250, and called after its founder,
but better known by its Polish name of Lwow, or its German one of Lemberg
havin'g a to?L"T;hro of £46?^1o''^ '''""" *°°'' "^ "^P^^W (mineral wax), and 11,000 tons of petroleum,
GALICIA AND BUKOVINA. 128
(102,950 inhabitants). It occupies a central position between the rivers Dniestr,
V'istula, and Bug. No navigable river flows past the city, but three railways
converge upon it, and feed its commerce and industry. The old city covers an
area of only 62 acres, but the suburbs spread over 12 square miles. The
former contains the university and most public buildings, whilst the new National
Museum, with its library, is in one of the suburbs.
Cracow (50,000 inhabitants), though inferior to Lemberg in commerce and
population, far exceeds it in interest on account of its historical associations. Up
to the middle of the seventeenth century Cracow was the capital of Poland, and
its population was then double what it is now. When Austria took possession
of the city its fortunes declined rapidly, and in 1775 it only numbered 16,000
inhabitants. The Congress of Vienna constituted Cracow and its environs an
independent territory, but in 1846 the Austrians nevertheless once more took pos-
session of it. The town is favourablj' seated upon the navigable Vistula, or Wisla,
and, although very thinly peopled, its appearance from a distance is m ist
striking. Formerly it was one of the great intermediaries of commerce between
Russia and Germany, but it is now only important as a grain mart. Most of its
commerce is in the hands of the Jews, who occupy the whole of the suburb of
Kazimierz, built upon an island of the Vistula. Cracow has a university founded
in I-"J64, a library of 90,000 volumes, an observatory, and several learned societies.
Many Polish books are published there. The ashes of the Kings of Poland are
preserved in the cathedral, and Copernicus lies buried in another of the thirty-
seven churches of the town. The old castle has been transformed into fortified
barracks, but the fortifications of the city have been razed and converted into
public promenades. Only one of the ancient gates, that of St. Florian, built
in 1498 as a defence against the Turks, has been allowed to remain. A huge
block of granite, dedicated to the memory of Kosciuszko, has been placed on an
artificial mound to the west of the city. That mound, sacred to the great hero
of dying Poland, now lies within the enceinte of an Austrian fort, the guns of
which command the city.
The villages around Cracow are noted for their market gardens, and send
vegetables as far as Berlin and Hamburg. Other articles exported from the
vicinity are the salt of Wieliczka (6,150 inhabitants) and Bochnia (8,200 inha-
bitants), the coal oi Jairorzno, and the cloth o( Biala (6,000 inhabitants).
Most of the towns of Galicia are miniature Lembergs, consisting of a compactly
built nucleus surrounded by scattered suburbs. Tnrnoir (22,200 inhabitants), a
rapidly increasing town, is the principal place of commerce on the Dunajec.
Higher up on the same river is Nowo Sandek (9,S00 inhabitants). Hzeszow
(9,200 inhabitants), halfway between Cracow and Lemberg, exports butter and
eggs. Jaroafaw (11,150 inhabitants), on the San, rises in the midst of orchards.
Its fairs formerly attracted oriental merchants, including even Persians. Przemyil
(11,600 inhabitants), higher up on the San, is the commercial centre of a petroleum
district. Samhor (11,750 inhabitants), on the Upper Dniestr, is an agricultural
town, whilst Drocliohicz (10,900 inhabitanis), surrounded by forests, exports the
124 AUSTEIA-IIUNGART.
petroleum won in the district of Bori/s/aw (10,000 inhabitants). Grodck
(8,900 inhabitants) suffers from the vicinity of its great neighbour Lemberg, which
it supplies with agricultural produce and fish. Stri/j (9,980 inhabitants), at
the mouth of a Carpathian valley, is a favourite summer resort of the Ijemberg
merchants, many of whom have villas there.
Brody (30,500 inhabitants), to the east of Lemberg and on the Russian frontier,
is a great commercial town, exporting horses, cattle, and pigs, and importing corn.
Tarnopol (20,800 inhabitants), likewise near the frontier and on the high-road
from Lemberg to Kief, is also an active commercial city. All the other towns
of Eastern Galicia are only of secondary importance. Brzezany (9,300 inhabitants)
has tanneries ; Halicz (3,150 inhabitants) has given its name to the whole country ;
Kohmyja (17,700 inhabitants) exports timber and tobacco, the latter being
extensively cultivated in its vicinity; Sniati/n (11,100 inhabitants) has agri-
cultural fairs, which are well attended. Other towns are Stanisiaicow, or Stanislau
(15,000 inhabitants), Zioczow (9,500 inhabitants), Horodenka (8,700 inhabitants),
and Tysmienica (8,500 inhabitants).
Czernoicitz (34,000 inhabitants), the capital of Bukovina, is situate on the
Pruth, from the bank of which it rises amphitheatrically. The railway has
proved a great boon to the merchants of the town, whilst Radautz (9,000 inha-
bitants), Sereth (6,000 inhabitants), and Siwsawa (9,000 inhabitants), all of them
farther south in the basin of the Sereth, have suffered in a corresponding degree.
Czernowitz is one of the outposts of European civilisation, and the Germans have
made it the seat of a university.*
• Nationality of tho inhabitants of Czernowitz (1874); — Jews, 283 percent.; Germans, 19-6 per
cent. ; Rumanians, 17'7 per cent. ; Ruthenians, 17'2 per cent. ; others, 17 2 per cent.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE UPPER BASIN OF THE ELBE AND THE MOKAVA,
(BullEMIA, MuUAVlA, ANli At>TU'AN SlLESIA.)
General Aspects, Mountains, and Rivers.
OHEMIA is usually looked upon as occupying the very centre of
Europe. This is not in reality the case, for the geometrical centre
of Europe lies farther to the east, and the Alps, which form the
main watershed, rise to the south-west. Bohemia, nevertheless,
occupies an intermediate position between Northern and Southern,
Western and Eastern Europe. Like a huge quadrangular citadel, it advances into
the heart of the plains of Northern Germany. Of its four ramparts, the Bohemian
Forest and the Sudetes extend from the south-east to the north-west, whilst the
Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), which separate Bohemia from Saxony, and the
plateau of Moravia, stretch from the south-west to the north-east.
The general orographical features of no other country in Europe equal those
of Bohemia in simplicity. But when we come to examine these mountains in
detail we find that they vary exceedingly in their aspects. The Bohemian Forest
is made up of an undulating plateau a system of parallel ranges, and a cluster
of curiously piled-up moimtain summits. Only a few localities recall the Alps,
for the average height docs not quite reach 4,000 feet, and the dome-shaped
masses of gneiss and schistose pyramids do not rise to any great height above the
vallej's. There are, however, a few summits crowned with dykes of white quartz,
locally known as " Devil's Walls." The beauty of the Bohemian Forest must be
sought for in its " running streams," its blue lakelets, and its magnificent trees.
Nowhere else in Germany is the foliage of the beech denser, or the height of the
fir or pine more considerable. Only a few of the highest summits pierce the
region of forests, and reach into that of pastures. The woodman's axe has com-
mitted the usual havoc in these forests, but there exist wide tracts in primeval
luxuriance, with trees nearly a couple of hundred feet in height, and they are still
the home of the boar and the bison, the latter as well as the beaver being carefully
preserved. The wolf has been exterminated, and the last bear was killed in 1856.
The southern portion of the Bohemian Forest is undoubtedly more picturesque
126
AUSTRIA-HUNG A E Y.
tban its less elevated northern extremity, but the latter attracts the larger number
of visitors, for the favourite watering-places of Marienbad and Franzensbad lie
within its valleys. The ])ass, or gateway, of Taus (1,473 feet) leads across the
very centre of the range. The Cerchov (3,500 feet) commands it in the north, the
Oser (4,066 feet) in the south. It was through this gap that the Germans most
frequently essayed to penetrate into the country of the Chechians ; and blood has
flown there in torrents from the days of Samo, the Slav champion, early in
the seventh century, to the war of the Hussites, in the fifteenth. A second
Fig. 77. — The Mountains of Bohemia.
if° E.ofP.
16° E.ol'G.
AtiitwU luo-imo
O 10 30 30 «0 SO MILES
Oi'cr i'iitl J-'tet
pass, known as the Golden Path (Goldener Steig, 2,664 feet), leads across the
mountains farther north. These are the only passes which give ready access
to Bohemia, and railways now run through both of them. Everywhere else the
Bohemian Forest forms an excellent strategical frontier, the interior slopes being
gentle, whilst the outer ones, towards Bavaria, are steep and difiicult of access.
The culminating summit of the range, the Arber (4,783 feet), rises within the
frontier of Bavaria.*
* Total Icnjfth of tho nolicmiim Forest, 137 miles; average width, 19 miles; average height, 2,300
feet in the north, 3,94u feet in the soath
BOHEMIA, MOEAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA.
127
The Erzgebirge, or " Ore Mountains," which bound Bohemia on the north-west,
contrast in several respects with the Bohemian Forest. Rising like a wall above
the vallevs of the Eger and Biela, in Bohemia, they slope down gently on the
Sixon side. Strategically thej' form, consequently, a part of Germany, and in
real tv the whole of their slopes are peopled by Germans, who have brought under
cultivation all the available soil. The highest village, Gottesgabe, lies at an
elevation of 3,440 feet. The range is of more uniform contour than the Bohemian
Forest, and its summits are more rounded. Numerous roads cross it in all
directions. Only towards the extremities does it present really picturesque
features: in the west, where chaotically piledup mountain summits join it to the
Fig. 78. — The Pas* of Tavs (DuMAiLiGn).
Scale 1 : 426,000.
I0°l30 B. of Parts
6 Miles.
Fichtelgobirge, and in the east, where it terminates in the grotesquely shaped
sandstone rocks of " Saxon Switzerland," at the foot of which flows the Elbe.*
To the west of the deep gorge scooped out by the Elbe on its passage from
Bohemia into Saxony rises a mountain system which is geologically a pendant
of the Erzgebirge. It begins with the volcanic range of Lusatia, continued in the
schistose ridge of the JrnMeii (JeSted, 3,32.3 feet). A broad plain separates the
Jeschken from the triple granitic ninge of the Iser Mountains (3,687 feet), and the
crystalline and .schistose masses of the Riesengebirge, or " Giant Mountains," whose
bold contours remind us of the Alps. More elevated than the Bohemian Forest —
the Schiieekoppe rising to a height of 5,186 feet— this mountain mass impresses
• Length of the ErzgeTiirge, 85 railps ; avenge width, 23 miles ; average height, 2,620 feet ; culmi-
nating point (Kcilberg), 4,1 H2 feet.
128 AUSTEIA-HUNGARY.
the beholder by its isolation and its steep declivities, and the luxuriant forests
which cover its lower slopes present a charming contrast to the stunted vegeta-
tion and verdant pastures of its summits. In summer these pastures are the home of
herdsmen, who perfume the butter and cheese they make with aromatic herbs. The
Giant Mountains do not yield subterranean treasures, and the inhabitants employ
themselves in various domestic industries. They are Germans, and geographically,
as well as by legendary lore, the Giant Mountains belong to Germany rather
than to Bohemia. A labyrinth of mountains, surmounted by the granitic crest of
the Adlergebirge, connects the Giant Mountains with the Sudetes, culminating in
the pyramidal Schneeberg (4,648 feet) and the venerable summit of the Altvuter
(4,880 feet). Various passes lead across the Sudetes. To the west of Gratz a
wide gap connects the upper tributaries of the Neisse with those of the Elbe,
and Prussia, fully recognising the strategical importance of this " gate " of
Bohemia, has taken care to secure its possession. Another depression, lying only
960 feet above the sea, separates the Sudetes from the Carpathians, thus opening
a passage into Moravia, defended by the fortress of Oliniitz.
The fourth side of the great Bohemian quadrilateral is not formed by a
mountain range, but by a height of land covered with towns and villages, and con-
stituting no well-defined boundary between Moravia and Bohemia. This accounts
for the two countries named being peopled by men of the same race, and having, in
most cases, shared the same political destinies. Thus, although Bohemia slopes to
the north and is drained into the German Ocean, it forms, politically and geographi-
cally, a portion of the basin of the Danube, and it -is the Erzgebirge and the
Sudetes, and not the height of land between the Danube and the Elbe, which
form the true dividing line between the north and the south of Central
Europe.
The interior of Bohemia is frequently said to form a " basin," and looking to
the ramparts of crystalline mountains which encompass the country, this descrip-
tion is in a certain measure admissible. In reality the country consists rather of
a succession of terraces, decreasing in height as we proceed to the north. These
terraces are formed of sedimentary rocks successively deposited upon the slopes of
mountains of primitive formation, and they have been ravined by the numerous
rivers which intersect them. In the very centre of this Bohemian basin rise
the Silurian hills of Hrbeny and Brdo, whose palaeontology has been studied
with such success by M. Barrande, and which abound in mineral treasures.
Farther north isolated basaltic cones rise in the midst of the sedimentury forma-
tion. The Mittelgebirge, on both sides of the Elbe, is altogether composed of
Tolcanic rocks. There are regularly shaped cones rising to a height of 2,600 feet,
piled-up masses of scoriic, and sheets and streams of lava. The old castles, chapels,
and hermitages which crown the summits of many of these cones enhance the
beauty of the scenery. The decomposed lava at the foot of these hills is of
exceeding fertility, and every village is embowered in a forest of fruit trees. The
mineral springs which rise in this part of the country prove that subterranean
agencies are not yet quite exhausted. Amongst these springs are those of TepHtz,
BOHEMIA, MORAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA.
129
Carlsbad, Bilin, PuUiia, and Sedlitz, whose curative properties annually attract a
host of visitors.
The mountains of Bohemia and Moravia give birth to the three great rivers
of Northern Germany, the Vistula, the Oder, and the Elbe. The Vistula, when
first it escapes from its rocky cradle in the Beskids, irrigates the plains of Galicia
and Poland, whilst the Oder, only a short distance below its source in the Sudetes,
enters German Silesia. The Elbe alone grows into a formidable river before it
crosses from Bohemia into Saxony. It rises in a boggy swamp on the southern
slope of the Giant Mountains, and the whole of Bohemia, a few border districts
Fig. 79. — Volcanic MouNTArss in Northern Bohemia.
According to Hickmann.
,JI'30
12° E.ofParls
13-50
4- 20' B.ofQ.
Batalt fCUaiKMc
Tbrp^t/ry fifeta^ii/rr
excepted, lies within its bounds ; whilst Moravia lies wholly within the basin of
the Morava, after which it has been named, and which is known to Germans
as the March ; and whilst the Elbe flows north towards the German Ocean,
the Morava takes its course towards the Danube and the Black Sea.
The hydrographical nomenclature of the country is full of anomalies. The
Upper Elbe is far inferior in volume to its assumed tributary, the Moldau, or
Vltava. The latter is in realitj' the great arterial river of Bohemia, and a canal
connects it with the Danube and the Black Sea. The Upper Elbe, however,
flowing in the same direction as the united river below Kolin, has given its name
to the entire river system.
The Up])er Vltava and most of its tributaries flow through a region of bogs,
81
180
AUSTRIA-HIHSTGAET.
and the broader valleys abound in swamps and small lakes, which act as
" regulators" when the rivers become flooded. The peasants make no use of the
turf as fuel, but they are imprudently active in converting the bogs into produc-
tive land. The small lakes are utilised with considerable success for breeding
fish. It would be far more prudent to allow the bogs to remain as they are, for a
considerable amount of rain falls in Bohemia,* and the bogs, by sucking it up
like a sponge, regulate the flow of the rivers. Rivers which formerly never
overflowed their banks have done so since the drainage works have been begun.
The Vltava and the Elbe effect their junction below Prague, and soon after,
near the bold rock crowned with the ruins of Schreckenstein, the united river is
joined by the Eger from the west. It then enters the gorge through which it
Fig. 80. — Lake Region in Southbkn Bohemia.
Scale 1 : 375,000.
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escapes from Bohemia. The smiling landscapes of its upper course give place to
bolder scenery. On both banks rise the basaltic cones of the Mittelgebirge,
succeeded by the grotesquely shaped sandstone masses of Bohemian and Saxon
Switzerland. Picturesque towns are seated upon the winding river, and castles
crown the heights looking down upon this gateway of the Elbe, which forms both
a geographical and political boundary, separating Bohemia from the lowlands of
Germany.
INHAHITANTS.
Two thousand years have passed away since Bohemia and Moravia were in the
possession of the Boii and other tribes, usually called Celtic. Near Olmlitz and at
• Rainfall in inches :— Bodenbach, at the gate of the Elbe, 23'6 ; Trautenau, neaz- the source of the
Elbe, 40-6 ; Prague, lfi-7 ; Budweis, on the Upper Vltava, 24-4.
BOHEMIA, MORAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA.
181
Troppau, M. Jeitteles has discovered the remains of pile villages which resemble
the lake dwellings of ancient Gaul. The corals and marine shells found amongst
the potsherds and bones prove that these ancient inhabitants of the country kept
up an intercourse with the Mediterranean.
In the end these Boii were either driven out of Bohemia, or became the
subjects of Germanic Quadi and Marcomanni, who held the country when the
Fig. 81. — The Schreckessteix Arssio, os the Klbe.
Romans first crossed the Danube. To these, at the time of the great migration of
peoples, succeeded Rugii and Longobardi, and later on, in the beginning of the
sixth century, Slavs, who have remained the dominant race of the country down to
the present day. A few districts, however, such as the Schonhengstler, in Upper
Bohemia and Moravia, have, since the dawn of history, remained uninterruptedly
in the possession of Germans.
The Slav inhabitants of Bohemia and Moravia are of the same race. As a rule
132 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
the term Chechians (Czechs) is applied to the Slavs of Bohemia, whilst their
kinsmen in Moravia and within the border of Hungary are known as Moravians
and Slovaks. Tribal names no longer survive amongst the Chechians, but they
do with the Moravians. The Iloraks inhabit the highlands bordering upon
Bohemia, and hardly differ from the Chechians. The Hanaks dwell to the east
of these heights, and in the valleys sloping down towards the Morava. They
number about 400,000 souls. The " Wallachs" live on the frontiers of Hungary.
They are pure Slavs, and have nothing in common with the Rumanians except
the name. Schafarik looks upon them as Boii who adopted the Slav language, and
became known to their German neighbours as Wallachs, or " Welsh."
The Chechians have had to struggle severely to maintain their numerical
superiority. Almost surrounded by Germans, only a narrow strip of country
connects them with their kinsmen in the east. The Germanisation of the country
made rapid progress after the twelfth century. Lands and privileges were granted
to the German colonists whom nobles and ecclesiastical orders called into the
country. It was the Germans who founded most of the towns, and towards the
close of the fourteenth century Bohemia was looked upon as a German land. But a
violent reaction then took place. The Hussite war degenerated into a war of races,
and the multitudes whom ^izka exterminated were Germans. Ever since that time
the Chechians have held their own, notwithstanding their political dependence upon
Germany, and the havoc wrought during the Thirty Years' War, when the popula-
tion was reduced to 780,000 souls, and men were allowed to take two wives, to
repeople the country.
At the present time the linguistic boundary between Slavs and Germans
changes but slowly. The Germans occupy the mountains, the Chechians the hills
and the plains. Both slopes of the Bohemian Forest, the Erzgebirge, and the
Sudetes are inhabited by Germans.
The westernmost district of Europe occupied by Slavs lies close to the Pass
of Domazlice (Taus) and Bavaria. Its inhabitants are Poles, and not Chechians.
According to some they were called into the country by King Bretislav I., and
charged with guarding the frontier towards Germany, on which account they
are known as Chodes, or " Watchmen." They speak Polish no longer, but can
still be recognised by their vivacity and their national costume. The liberties
originally granted to these colonists were finally abrogated in 1628, when they
were reduced to a state of serfdom. Another body of Chodes, settled towards the
south-west, in the upper valley of the Brdlavka, or Angel, were more fortunate,
for they and their German neighbours retained their ancient privileges up to the
middle of the present century, when serfdom ceased to be an institution through-
out Bohemia.
To the south of the Erzgebirge the whole of the country as far as the Eger
is held by the Germans, the villages whose names terminate in griin or rente
("clearing") marking approximately the linguistic boundary. To the west of the
Elbe the Slavs extend to the foot of the mountains, and at one spot even into
Prussian Silesia. Farther south the territory of the Slavs is restricted to a strip
BOHEMIA, MOEAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA. 188
of country between Briinn and Olmiitz hardlj' 40 miles wide, even though we
include in it Igluu and other enclaves exclusively inhabited by Germans. One-
half of Austrian Silesia and that portion of Moravia which lies nearest to Vienna
became German centuries ago. The inhabitants of many districts are bilingual.
Chechian appears to gain ground slowly, excepting to the north-west of Prague,
between the Eger and the Berounka ; and Germans living in Chech ian districts
not unfrequently turn renegades to the extent even of changing their family
names.*
The struggle between German and Slav is an ardent one in Bohemia. The two
detest each other, and the antagonism is all the stronger as it is one of class as well
as of race. The citizens of the towns are for the most part German, whilst the
aristocracy, the peasants, and many of the factory hands are Chech. The rivalrj'
between the two races is stimulated by every political event, and even in the
smallest villages the national antagonism is kept alive by associations of every
kind. The Chechian peasant is by no means ignorant of the history of his
country, and though a Catholic, feels proud of the achievements of John Huss and
Zizka. These historical associations possibly account for the indulgence with
which he looks upon the few surviving congregations of Hussites. On the other
hand, he detests the Jew, whom he looks upon as an ally of his German enemy.
And indeed the Jews, with rare exceptions, take the side of the Germans, for it is
with German citizens or manufacturers that they transact most business. The
Jews speak both languages, but when among themselves thej- prefer German.
The influence of the Jews is by no means inconsiderable, for they are numerous,
and also more highly educated than either Germans or Chechians. Kolin may
be looked upon as their head-quarters, and in several other towns they form a
majority of the inhabitants. The Chechians, however, jwssess an ally beyond
the Carpathians no less powerful, and an exchange of sentiments is being carried
on incessantly between Prague and Moscow.
Whatever the future may have in store for them, the Chechians are undoubt-
edly one of the most compact and energetic nations of Europe, and of all the
Slavs they have most successfully resisted foreign influences. The women of
Bohemia are famous for their clear complexion and fine figures. As to the men,
they do not much diffier from the Germans, except that their cheek-bones are
somewhat more prominent, and their eyes deeper set. Their skulls are very large,
and if cerebral capacity is to be accepted as a test of intellect, they occupy a
foremost position amongst the nations of Eurtpe, ranking high above the Germans.
They have indeed contributed largely to the march of ideas, notwithstanding their
political dependency and the wars which so frequently laid waste their country.
Prague is the oldest university of Central Europe, and Huss, a century before
* NationalitieB in 187d
:_
Chechians.
Germans.
Poles.
Jews.
Total.
Bohemia
3,310,000
2,000,000
—
110,0 0
5,420,000
Moravia
1,5.50,000
508,000
— .
54,000
2,1 12,000
Aiutriao Silesia .
1111,000
279,000
169,000
7,000
555,000
Total .
4,970,000
2,787,000
159,000
171,1100
8,087,000
134 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Luther, raised the standard of the Reformation. Austria has vainly sought to
eradicate the national language by prohibiting its use in schools. The Germans
may predominate politically, thanks in a large measure to a cleverly contrived
electoral law, but the Chechian national spirit manifests itself in a hundred
different ways. The ancient history of the country is being studied, national
songs are being collected, and the educated classes share in the scientific and
literary work of the age. Many of the Austrian journalists and a still larger
number of the Government functionaries are Chechians. Education makes rapid
progress. The Chechians exhibit a peculiar aptitude for mathematics ; they are
also good musicians, though none of their composers can aspire to be placed in the
first rank.
Both Chechians and Germans have discontinued to wear a national costume, for
the dress in which the students of Prague occasionally parade the streets is a
fancy one. The peasant women around Domazlice, however, continue to wear red
bodices and kerchiefs, short petticoats and red stockings. In Moravia, too, and
amongst the Slovaks, the old national costume is not yet extinct. The Hanaks,
who cultivate the fertile valley of the Hana, wear yellow leather pantaloons, an
embroidered belt, a cloth jacket richly ornamented, and a multitude of small metal
buttons on the chest. A white over-coat or a blue cloak, with several collars one
above the other, and a black hat with red or yellow ribbons, complete this
costume. Women as well as men wear heavy boots, which render their walk
very clumsy. But though the peasant women of Bohemia now almost universally
imitate the dress of their German neighbours, they still exliibit a decided
preference for red.
The towns of Bohemia and Moravia do not differ, in outward appearance, from
the towns of Germany ; but in the more remote villages we are still able to imagine
ourselves in the Middle Ages. They consist of dwellings placed around an open
oval or circus. The houses are of wood, with a door and two windows looking
upon this open space. The overhanging straw roof is supported by columns.
Barns, stables, and dunghills form an outer circle. There are few trees or flower
gardens, and the only ornament of these dreary-looking villages consists of a
statue of St. John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of Bohemia. Dances, however,
frequently interrupt the monotony of dailj' life, for the Chechians are passionately
fond of that exercise, and we are indebted to them for some of our favourite
" steps," including the Polka, erroneously supposed to be of Polish origin.
Agriculture, Mining, and Industry.
Bohemia and Moravia are countries of large estates. More than a third of
Bohemia belongs to noblemen, and one of the Princes of Schwarzenberg owns estatps
covering many square miles. The Emperor and the Church are amongst the largest
landholders. These extensive estates, as elsewhere, have led to the impoverishment
and the demoralisation of the great mass of the people. Every one of these feudal
families has its staff of bailiffs and other hangers-on, but the people around the
BOHEMIA, MORAVIA, AND AUSTEIAN SILESIA.
186
sumptuous castles live in misery, and the land is badly cultivated. Although the
most fertile tracts form part of these large estates, they do not yield half as
much per acre as do the holdings of the small proprietors.
Agriculture consequently is still capable of much development, but Bohemia and
Moravia even now are amongst the most productive countries of Austria. The
fertility of some districts is very great. In the lowlands of Moravia and in the
valley of the Hana the peasants are able to live at ease. Other fertile districts are on
Fig. 82. — A Large Estate in Bohemia.
Scale 1 : 490,000.
)» gg E.ofQ.
10 Milc).s.
the Upper Elbe, around Koniggratz ; the " Golden Rod," in the valley of the Eger ;
the "Paradise" around Teplitz; and the" Garden of JJohemia," in the Mittelgebirge.
The best hops of Central Europe are grown around Satiz (Zatec). In addition to their
varied agricultural productions, including wine, Bohumia and Silesia are rich in
coals and ores. The coal mines of the Oder, the Elbe, Pilsen, Kladno, Teplitz,
and Polnisch Ostrau yield about half the total quantity produced throughout the
empire. Graphite is worked in Moravia and in Southern Bohemia, at Budweis.
136
AUSTEIA-HUNGAET.
Tin is found on the southern slopes of the Erzgebirge. Every metal or mineral
useful to man is found in Bohemia, from gold and precious stones to iron and
porphyry, only excepting rock-salt. Kuttenburg (Kutna-Hora) had formerly
one of the most productive silver mines of Europe, but it has been abandoned. At
the present day it is Pribram which yields most silver. This mine has been
worked uninterruptedly since 755: its principal shaft descends 3,300 feet, and the
ore appears to increase in richness with the depth. About 25,000 lbs. of silver
were won in 1860, and 42,000 lbs. in 1872.
The manufacturing industry is highly developed, and the value of the
articles produced annually has been estimated at nearly £50,000,000 sterling.
Fiff. 83. — The Coal Mines op Western Bohemia.
E.ofF.ii°,
E.of G.
rfincijtt'Jul ilawifaatoi'iea
Nearly every branch of industry is represented, for there are cotton, woollen,
and linen manufactories, print and dye works, iron works, machine shops,
chemical works, tanneries, paper-mills, sugar refineries, and breweries. But it is the
glass of Bohemia which is best known beyond the limits of the country, and
which is distinguished by beauty of design, lightness, and brilliancy of colour.
The manufactories are dispersed all over the countrj', but each district carries
on by preference some special branch. Most of the glass works are in the moun-
tains, where silica and fuel abound. The manufacture of porcelain is carried on
around Carlsbad, in the valley of the Egor. Iron works have naturally been
established in the vicinity of the coal mines, at Pilsen, Kladno, and Polnisch Ostrau.
BOHEMIA, MORAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA.
187
The large towns, such as Prague, Briinn, and Troppau, have attracted an extensive
industrial population ; but the great manufacturing region, the Bohemian Lan-
cashire, lies on the Upper Elbe, and its centre is Reichenberg. This district
leads up to the gateway of the Giant Mountains, and is traversed by the high-
road connecting Vienna with Berlin. Strategically it is of great importance,
and the hiUs upon which was fought the battle of Sadowa rise within it. Farther
to the east, through the valley of the Morava, passes the high-road which connects
Vienna with Breslau, Danzig, Warsaw, and Central Russia.
Towns.
Bohemia. — Prague (Praha, Prag, 223,000 inhabitants*), the capital of Bohemia,
is oiie of the fine cities of the world. Humboldt considered it inferior only to Lisbon,
Kg. 84. — Praoie and its Entuiinb.
Scale 1 : 200.000.
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Naples, and Constantinople, and none can look without pleasure upon this " town
of the hundred towers," with its castellated heights of theHrad8liin,it8 fortress of
Vyfiehrad, and its bridges spanning the lake -like Vltava, with its verdant islands.
Prague lies in the very centre of Bohemia, and only Leitmeritz, below the con-
fluence of the Eger and Elbe, and above the gorge leading through Bohemian and
Saxon Switzerland, occupies a geographical position at all comparable with it.
Prague, however, offers far greater facilities for communicating with the countries
lying outside the mountain ramparts of Bohemia, and its natural advantages are
aided by a network of railways converging upon it. Next to Vienna and Buda-
Pest, Prague is the most populous city of the empire, ranking far above every
other town of Bohemia.
The " Old City," in the centre of modern Prague, abounds in historical
• In 1873, 120,000 Slavs, 88,000 Germans, 15,000 Jews.
138
AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
Fiff. 85. — The Karlsbrucke at Pbagub.
associations. The town-hall, with its huge clock tower, recalls the execution of
the Protestant leaders after the battle of the White Mountain. Near it are the
BOHEMIA, MORAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA. 189
Teynkirche, with its curious towers and the tomb of Tycho Btahe, and the
university buildings.* The Karhbriicke, with statues of St. John of Nepomuk and
other saints, connects the old city with the fortified Kleinseite and the phiteau
of the llradshin, upon which rise the Gothic cathedral of St. Vitus, now being
restored, and the royal castle, an extensive pile of buildings, through one of the
windows of which the imperial governors and their secretary were thrown in 1618,
an event which led to the most atrocious war of modern times. The public gardens
of the Belvedere lie to the north of the Hradshin, and afford a magnificent view of
the city and the meandering Vltava. To the west is seen the White Mountain, where
the power of Bohemia succumbed at the commencement of the Thirty Years' War.
Prague is expanding in all directions. Karolinenthal (Karlin) and Smichow, two
suburbs abounding in manufactories, extend along the river ; Zizkov and the
" New Town " occupy the elevated ground to the east of the old city. New
streets have been opened, including the spacious Wenzelsplatz, quays have been
constructed, and sumptuous buildings erected. But there still remain a few
dilapidated quarters, the most remarkable of which is the ancient Ghetto, with
its sombre synagogue and God-forsaken burying-ground.
At the time when Prague was still the capital of an independent kingdom, the
sovereign usually resided at the castle of KarMeiii (Karluv T;^n), erected upon a
commanding rock overhanging the river Berounka ; but the glories of this palace
have departed, and most of its art treasures have been transferred to Vienna.
Prague, however, abounds in magnificent palaces of the aristocracy, although
manufactories are more characteristic of it than these sumptuous edifices. These
manufactories enjoy the advantage of being close to productive coal mines.
Kladno (11,199 inhabitants), in the centre of this coal basin, has the largest
iron works of the country.
Biidweis (Bud^jovice, 17,413 inhabitants), the chief city of Southern Bohemia,
lies near the head of the Vltava, and since 1828 an iron tramway has connected it
with Linz, on the Danube. It carries on a brisk commerce. Near it, in the midst
of an extensive forest, rises the sumptuous castle of Frauenberg. Pkek (9,181
inhabitants) is situate on a river descending from the Bohemian Forest. Castles
are numerous in its vicinity. Tnhor (6,717 inhabitants), which played so impor-
tant a part in the war of the Hussites, and still boasts of a few buildings recalling
its ancient glories, is a sleepy town now, seated upon a plateau commanding the
winding LuJnice. In memory of the great national meeting which took place at
that town, every public political meeting in Bohemia is called a Tabor.
Several towns of importance are situate in the valley of the Berounka (Beraun),
which joins the Vltava a few miles above Prague. Klattau (Klatovy, 8,0C0
inhabitants) is built at the mouth of a valley leading to the villages of the
Chodes. Tarn (Domazlice, 7,647 inhabitants) commands the principal pass leading
into Bavaria. Mariciihfiil owes to its thermal springs such importance as it
enjoys. PHbram (2,212 inhabitants) is widely known on account of its silver
• The universily was founded in 1348 by the Emperor, Charles IV. It has 166 professors, and is
attended by 2,000 stadents.
140
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Fig. 86. — Carlsbad.
Scale 1 : 18,000.
"■"33 E.ofP.
mines. Stribro (Mies) has lead mines. The name of Pikcii (Plzen, 2,800
inhabitants) is known throughout the world in connection with the beer it
exports. The principal brewery, which is carried on conjointly by the 382
house-owners of the town, produces 3,520,000 gallons annually. Coul mines are
worked in the vicinity, but Pilseu is no longer the second town of Bohemia, this
place having been won by its younger manufacturing rival, Reich enberg.
The vsiUey of the Eger,
which stretches along the
foot of the Erzgebirge,
abounds in populous cities.
That amongst them which
is named Ei/er (13,463 in-
habitants), after the river,
is not only an important
railway centre, but has also
manufactures. In its castle
Wallenstein was assassi-
nated in 1634. Asch (9,405
inhabitants), to the north-
west of Eger, carries on
various textile industries.
Carlsbad (7,276 inha-
bitants), the most famous
watering-place of Central
Europe, extends for several
miles along the valley of
the Tepl, a small tributary
of the Eger. Its principal
spring, the Stmdcl, yields
about 5 gallons of water
a second, and the steam
rising from it is seen afar.
Carlsbad depends mainly
upon the 16,000 visitors
who annually remain there
for at least a week ; but it
has also resources of its
own. Porcelain and lace are manufactured in the town. GrasUts (6,549 inha-
bitants) manufactures embroidery and musical instruments, whilst Joachimstlial
(6,586 inhabitants) is noted for its silver mines. Both these towns lie in the
Erzgebirge. Saaz (J^atec, 8,870 inhabitants), on the Eger, produces the best
hops of Bohemia, whilst Komotau {Chovantov, 7,422 inhabitants), in the undulating
plain to the north of it, has metallurgical works.
The valley of the Elbe below the Eger is likewise densely inhabited, the
ofQ-r.
Quarter of a Mile.
BOHEMIA, MORAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA.
141
principal towns being Leitmeritz (LitomSrice, 10,023 inhabitants) and Amsig
(10,933 inhabitants). Two famous watering-places, Biliii and Teplifz (10,156
inhabitants), lie to the west of the Elbe, in a country justly renowned for its
scenery, and several manufacturing towns to the east of that river. Amongst
the latter are JFanisdorf (14,900 inhabitants), Schonlinde (6,218 inhabitants),
Georgswalde (8,220 inhabitants), Bohmisch-Leipa (9,244 inhabitants), and Jung-
Bunztlau{8,69o inhabitants), principally employed in the production of texti'e
Fig. 87. — Bbichenbero and its Envihons,
Boale 1 : 288,000.
12° US' K.ofGr.
^•|& E.ofQT.
5 3JUei.
fabrics ; Steimchoiiau and Gnbhnz (6,752 inhabitants), which engage in the
manufacture of glass; and Reichenberg (30,000 inhabitants), the first town in
the Austrian Empire for its cloth. Placed near to one of the gateways leading
into Bohemia, the town carries on an important trade. Traufenau (7,054 inha-
bitants) occupies an antilogous position near the eastern extremity of the Giant
Mountains.
On the Upper Elbe there are no towns of importance. The river below
Hohenelbc (5,316 inhabitants), with its cotton and paper mills, flows past
142 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
Koniginhof (Kr^love Dvur, 6,222 inhabitants) ; Jnromir (5,442 inhabitants) ;
Josefdadt; the famous fortress of Koniggrdtz (Kralove Hradec, 5,515 inhabitants) ;
industrious Pardubice (8,167 inhabitants) ; Kolin (9,460 iuliabitants), where
the Hussites in 1434 lost 13,000 men, and Frederick the Great, nearly
three hundred years afterwards, suffered one of his rate defeats. The other
towns in the basin of the Elbe include Leitomyil (7,021 inhabitants), Chrudim
(11,218 inhabitants), and Kuttenherg (Kutna-Hora, 12,742 inhabitants), the latter
a very important place in the fourteenth century, when its silver mines yielded
rich treasures, whilst now it is dfependent in a large measure upon the manu-
facture of beet sugar. To the south-east of it lies Cds/av (5,998 inhabitants),
where ^izka lies buried, and Fiederick the Great achieved a victory which yielded
him the greater portion of Silesia.
Moravia cannot boast a city comparable at all with Prague for population,
beauty, or celebrity. Briinn (73,464 inhabitants), the capital of the country, is
a large manufacturing town, the rival of Leeds and Verviers, and commanded by
the citadel of the Spielberg, so famous as the prison of Silvio Pellico and others
condemned for state reasons. Olmiitz (15,231 inhabitants) is, above all, a
fortress, defending the upper valley of the Morava and the northern approaches
to Vienna. Of other towns lying within the basin of the Morava may be men-
tioned Sch'dnherg (7,285 inhabitants), which has iron mines and furnaces;
Sternberg (13,479 inhabitants), with linen factories ; Prossnitz (15,717 inha-
bitants), in the fertile vale of the Hana ; Prerau (7,000 inhabitants) ; Kremsier
(9,823 inhabitants) ; and Ungarisch-Hradisch (3,100 inhabitants). The latter is
only a small town, built upon an island of the Morava ; but a short distance to
the north of it stood Vellehrad, the ancient capital of the Moravian Empire,
built in the commencement of the tenth century.
Iglati (20,112 inhabitants) still lies within the basin of the Morava, but far
away from its main valley, on the road from Briinn to Prague. It is an im-
portant town, with woollen-mills and glass works. Formerly it was a great
mining town. Znaim (10,600 inhabitants) and Nikokburg (7,173 inhabitants),
both near the frontier of Austria proper, depend upon the neighbourhood of
Vienna for much of their trade. The only large town in the region of the Car-
pathians is Neu-Titschein (8,645 inhabitants), in the centre of a productive district
known as the " Land of Cows."
Austrian Silksia lies almost wholly within the basins of the Oder and the
Vistula, and is therefore a natural dependency of Cracow and Breslau, and not
of Vienna. Troppau (Opava, 16,608 inhabitants), the largest town of the province,
lies close to the Prussian frontier, on a small tributary of the Oder, and is known
through the alliance there renewed in 1820 between Austria, Russia, and Prussia.
Troppau and Jdgerndorf (8,121 inhabitants) engage largely in the woollen indus-
try, whilst Freudenthal (6,243 inhabitants), to the west of the latter, is the
principal seat of the linen and cotton manufactures. Still farther to the north-
west lies Freiwaldau (5,242 inhabitants), and near it the hydropathic establishment
of Griifenberg, founded by Priessnitz.
BOHEMIA, MORAVIA, AND AUSTRIAN SILESIA. 143
Teschen (9,779 inhabitants) is the principal town in the eastern or Polish part
of Austrian Silesia, but its trade has suffered somewhat since Oderherg, on the
Prussian frontier, has become the nucleus of an extensive network of railways.
Near Oderberg are the coal basins of Polnisch Ostrait and Karwin, which yield
nearly a million tons of coal a year.
Bielitz (10,721 inhabitants), on the eastern frontier, and separated only by the
Biala from the Galician town of Biala, has important cloth factories.
CHAPTER IX.
STATISTICS OF AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
HE political situation of the twin empire of the Danube is altogether
unstable. Vienna and Pest are geographical centres, no doubt, but
1^^ the incompatibility of the races inhabiting the empire has caused
its boundaries to fluctuate in accordance with the fortunes of war,
and with the success of diplomatic intrigues or matrimonial alliances.
There was a time when the house of Habsburg was the most powerful in the
world. The boastful inscription of A E I 0 U (Austrice est imperare orbi uni-
verso), still to be seen on some public buildings, recalls that time. Then, again,
the empire found itself at the mercy of a ruthless conqueror. For fifty years
Austria swayed the decisions of the German Diet, and her orders were obeyed in
Italy ; but the thunders of Sadowa for ever deprived her of the lead in Central
Europe, and only the East appears able to give her compensation for the losses
suffered in the West.
It might be supposed that Austria's expulsion from Germany consolidated
her strength. Far from it. German Austria aspires to union with the
German fatherland. If the empire were to be broken up, the German Austrians
would certainly not combine with the Austrians of other nationalities, but they
would join their kinsmen in the west and north, for Vienna is German above
all. The non-German nationalities, on the other hand, have taken advantage
of the feebleness of th6 central Government to secure their political autonomy.
Vienna has been compelled to make concessions. "Austrian patriotism " has
given place to national aspirations tending to the formation of a group of inde-
pendent states. If it were not for the esprit de corps which animates the army
and the functionaries, and the power of habit, Austria would long ago have
gone to pieces.
Every great political event shakes the empire to its foundations. Austria has
occupied Bosnia and the Herzegovina, but may not this annexation accelerate its
final dismemberment ? The Slav element has gained greatly in consequence, and
the Slavs, forming a vast majority in the empire, will claim, in course of time,
political advantages equal to those enjoyed by Germans and Magyars.
The Germans, no doubt, would console themselves by a union with Germany,
STATISTICS OF AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. 145
but the Magyars would then occupy a far less favourable position. Hemmed
in on all sides by hostile races, their very existence as a nation would be
threatened. Need we wonder, then, that during the late war they sided with
their old enemies, the Turks, and resisted to the last the threatened occupation of
Bosnia ? They feel that tlje fate of the Turks may one day be their own. Like
them, they are looked upon as strangers in the land they govern.
It would be presumptuous to anticipate the destinies of Austria. Pala6ky,
the historian, said in 1848 that " if Austria existed not, it would be necessary to
invent it ; " but a crisis, attended by vast changes in the balance of power in
Eastern Europe, is nevertheless approaching. If Vienna and Pest are unable or
unwilling to satisfy the aspirations of the nationalities represented within the limits
of the empire, these will look beyond its boundaries for assistance.
But whatever the future may have in store, the material prosperity of Austria-
Hungary progresses as rapidly as that of most other European countries.
Population.
The population increases. In 1816, soon after the wars of the empire, the
Emperor Francis reigned over 28,000,000 subjects. In 1857, when the first
trustworthy census was taken, the empire had 32,000,000 inhabitants ; and twelve
years afterwards, in 1869, 35,943,000. The annual increase thus amounted to
325,000 souls, and if we suppose it to have continued, the Empire must now have
a population of over 38,000,000 souls. In population the empire, therefore, ranks
next to Russia and Germany, but its density is less than in the United Kingdom,
Bel'gium, France, Germany, Italy, or the Netherlands. The birth rate exceeds
the death rate throughout, but varies exceedingly, and whilst the inhabitants
of Dalmatia, Carniola, and the Tyrol live to a good old age, the Hungarians
die young. Pest, amongst all the capitals of Europe, is that where Death reaps his
most abundant harvests.*
AORICCLTURE AND MiNlNO.
In Austria-Hungary, as in other countries of Europe, the towns increase at a
more rapid rate than the villages, but at the present time, at all events, the great
mass of the inhabitants live in the country districts. The great wealth of the
empire consists in its varied agricultural products. Nearly all the food and
" industrial " plants of Europe are grown within its limits. All the cereals are
grown, but it is only in the cultivation of maize that Austria holds the first place
in Europe. t The 3'ield per acre is far less than in Western Europe, and if wheat
and flour are nevertheless exported in large quantities, this can be done only
because Rumanians, Polaks, and Slovenes live almost permanently at a starvation
rate.
• Birth rate (1869), 40-3 ; death rate, 30-0. Death rate in the Tyrol, 23-9 ; in the Military Frontier
districtB, 41-7.
t Annual produce of cereals, about 088,000,000 qiiartera, of which one-fourth consists of oats, one
fourth of rj-o, one-fifth of wheat, and one-aeventh of maize.
82
146
AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
Potatoes are largely grown, and -viticulture is carried on with success. The
Adriatic slopes yield olive oil, the northern provinces the beet employed in the
manufacture of sugar. Tobacco, flax, and hemp are likewise important articles of
cultivation. The forests are very extensive, but only in the Cis-Leithan provinces
are they managed with care and intelligence. These Cis-Leithan provinces,
though inferior in extent to the Trans Leithan ones, are far more carefully
cultivated. The extent of waste land capable of cultivation is very small, whilst
Fig. 88. — The Density of the Population of Austkia-Hcnoart.
Scale 1 : 12,000,000.
E.of Paris 10'
Inhabitants to a Square Mile.
lie-aos.
100 Miles.
in Hungary vast tracts of swamp and steppe still await the ploughman's
sh
are.'
The two halves of the empire exhibit similar differences as to their live stock.
Hungary is poorer in horned cattle than Austria, but has more horses, pigs, and
sheep. The empire is richer in horses than any other state of Europe, Kussia
Distribution of the cultivated land in acres (1870) :—
Cis-Leithania.
Trana-Leithauia.
Arable land .... 2.5,123,600
26,032,900
Meadows 8,912,600
9,430,180
Pastures 11,315,000
10,38.5,200
Forests . ... 23,426,600
20,668,600
■""^ow ■ . . . . 6,410,000
13,609,000
STATISTICS OF AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
147
alone excepted, but in other animals it holds an inferior rank ; and not only wool,
but also horned cattle figure largely amongst the imports.*
The annual revenue derived from the cultivation of the land has been estimated
at £264,600,000 ; that yielded by mines and quarries does not probably exceed
£10,000,000 ; and yet the mineral treasures of the country are most varied,
including as they do precious and building stones, coal and salt, sulphur and
petroleum, slate and potter's clay, iron, copper, gold, silver, and other metals. The
coal mines are being worked with increasing success, for the demands of numerous
manufactories are ever increasing.! The production, however, is still far behind
that of Germany, Belgium, France, or the British Islands. The salt mines of
Austria are inexhaustible, but their yield, including that of the salt marshes of
Fig. 89. — DlAORAM BXBIBITIXO THE InCBBASE IN THE PbODUCTION OF CoAl, 1819 — 1873.
Istria and Dalmatia, hardly exceeds 4,000,000 cwts. a year,
are capable of much development.^
The iron mines, too,
Manufactures.
The manufacturing industry of the empire is rapidly becoming of importance,
and its progress has been far more marked than that of agriculture. In this respect
also the Cis-Leithan provinces are far ahead of Hungary. § Styria and Carinthia
• Live stock in 1870 : —
Cu-Letthania. Trana-Loithania.
Hore« l,38y,600 2,1J«,SUU
Asses ani mules . . . 43,100 33,700
Oxen 7,426,200 5,279,200
Buffaloes 7,000 73,000
Sheep 6,026,400 15,077,000
Goats 979,100 .573,000
Pigs 2,551,500 4,443,300
60,000,000 head of poultry ; 1,000,000 beehives,
t In 1829—1838 the annual production of coal averaged 230,000 tons, in 1861 it was 4,000,000 tons,
and in 1873 12,800,000 tons.
X In 1860 195,000 tons of iron were produced, and in 1873 503,000 tons, the consumption in the
latter year having amounted to 872,000 tons. There are altogether 153,200 miners (66,750 in coal mines).
§ In 1869 there were 2,707,000 factory hands in Cis-Leithania, and 834,000 in Trans- Leithania.
148
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
are the chief seats of the iron industry ; Bohemia and Moravia engage in the
textile industries, in the manufacture of glass and of beet-root sugar, and in the
brewino- of beer. Vienna produces textile fabrics, machines, chemical products, and
a variety of minor articles. Hungary, Transylvania, and Croatia can hardly be
said to have a manufacturing industry, and Pest cannot bear comparison in this
respect with Vienna, Reichenberg, or other manufacturing centres of Bohemia or
Moravia. The proletariat of Austria and Bohemia is essentially composed of old
Fig. 90.— ThB SOKLIKOKUND, OR PlAIN OF ZolYOM, IN THE MlNINO DISTRICT OF ZoLYOM, HuXOAHT.
factory hands, whilst in Hungary it consists of agricultural labourers. In the
latter country male domestics are twice as numerous as in Austria, whose
manufacturing industry offers better chances of remunerative occupation.*
The minor industries are gradually being absorl ed by huge manufacturing
establishments. The peasant linen-weavers have almost disappeared. Huge
distilleries are gradually superseding the domestic stills, and the corn is ground in
• In 1871 there existed 155 cotton-mills, with 1,626,5.55 spindles (in Bohemia 705.279 spindles);
linen-mills with 400,000 spindles ; and 2,335 hreworios, producing 277,200,000 gallons. The beet-root
Bugar factories, in 18; 7-8, consumed 2«,286,074 cwts. of beet-root.
STATISTICS OF AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY.
149
steam-mills belonging to capitalists or wealthy companies. Even the State
contributes towards this preponderance of the manufacturing industry, for ils
arsenals and tobacco factories count their workmen by thousands.*
Commerce.
Up to 1873, the year of the Vienna Exhibition, the progress in the industrial
activity of the empire was rapid. Manufactories increased in number, railways
Fig. 91.— The Viaduct op Kaltbiknb, on thb Srmmerino.
were constructed in all directions, and powerful companies were formed to
work the mines. But then came the Kmc.h of May 9th, 1873. The banks
stopped payment, and thousands of families found themselves involved in ruin.
Millions were lost in the course of a few weeks, and all industrial progress was
arrested. t
Austria can hardly be said to have recovered from this financial crisis. Still
there has been some progress, for the land is now being more carefully cultivated,
• In 1872 there were 36 GoTemment tobacco manufactories, with 36,981 workmen. 'ITiey produced
1,588,105,0.52 cigars and .37,260 tons of manufactured tobacco.
t In 1872 there existed 126 banks, with a capital of £201,058,000 ; in 1874 there ozdy remained 28
banks, with a capital of £72,172,000.
150
AUSTEIA-liUNGARY.
and the now railways have promoted the extension of commerce. The imports
between 1855 and 1875 rose from £23,600,000 to £54,440,000 ; the exports from
£23,900,000 to £55,100,000, and this notwithstanding the loss of some of the
wealthiest provinces.*
The maritime commerce of Austria- Hungary is naturally restricted, and
exhibits but little progress.f The Danube, however, compensates to some extent
for the small seaboard, and much of the merchandise which floats down that river
has ports of the Black Sea for its destination. J This river traffic is capable of much
Kg. 92. — The Kailwats of AnsxRiA-HuNOARr.
Scale 1 : 12,350,000.
lOOMUes.
development, and it will no doubt increase rapidly as soon as the obstacle presented
by the Iron Gate shall have been removed.
The railway system of Austria-Hungary is extensive, far more so than might
be supposed from the amount of the foreign trade of the country. Engineering
difficulties of no mean order had to be overcome when crossing the Brenner, the
Semmering, the Carpathians, or the Carso. The network of railways is, however,
as yet far from complete. Many branch lines remain to be constructed in Hun-
gary, and the junctions with the railways of neighbouring states require multipli-
• The imports and exports in 1875 included-
Articles of food
Other riiw produce .
Manufactured articles
Imports.
£10,300,000
15,-i00,008
29,400,000
Exports
£11,000,000
12,600,000
31,500,000
tons.
t The commercial marine consists of 7,608 vessels of 324,898 tons, inclusive of 99 steamers of 56,868
+ The Danubian Steam Navigation Company owns 156 steamers and 551 barges.
STATISTICS OF AUSTEIA-HUNGAEY. 161
cation. The railways which, in accordance with the treaty of Berlin, are to be
built in the Balkan peninsula will powerfully contribute towards a development
of Austrian commerce.*
Education.
The Germans of Austria-Hungary claim to be the superiors in intellectual culture,
and in many respects their claim must be admitted. The schools of Austria
proper are better attended than any others, and education in the German provinces
is far more advanced than in the eastern half of the empire. In Austria proper
88 per cent, of the adults are able to read and write, in Bohemia only 61 per cent.,
in Hungary 26 per cent., in Galicia 5 per cent., in Dalmatia 1 per cent. Education,
however, is making rapid progress, more especially in Hungary, where the number
of schools has vastly increased since that country has regained its independence.
ris-Leithania. Trans-Leithania.
Schools. Pupils, Schools. Pupils.
Elementary schools . . . 15,200 1,829.000 16,000 1,242,000
Middle-class schools ... 229 6d,689 197 3d,81d
The ten universities of the empire are attended by 12,300 students, amongst
whom the Jews are proportionally very numerous. There are in addition 7
Polytechnic high schools (4,405 students), and numerous seminaries and special
schools.
We are not in a position to classify the nationalities of the empire according
to their morality, but in one respect the Germans appear to hold an inferior
position. The number of illegitimate children is greater amongst them than
amongst their fellow- citizens, and in Carinthia there are villages where more than
two-thirds of the children born are iUegitimate.t
The superior influence of the Germans cannot, however, be doubted when it is
a question of science, art, commerce, or industry. The majority of the books and
journals are printed in German, and even at Pest German papers find a larger
number of readers than those written in Magyar. German is the language by
means of which the educated classes of the whole empire are able to communicate
with each other, and its influence is on the increase. As to the Rumanians and
Ruthenians, they can hardly be said to enjoy an intellectual life. It is truly
remarkable that the number of periodicals published in Hebrew, a language no
longer spoken by the Jews, should be greater than that printed in Rumanian, a
language spoken by nearly 3,000,000 living on this side of the Carpathians.^
* Railways, 11,175 miles; telegraphs, 30,445 miles, 8,02-3,826 dispatches; letters, &c., forwarded by
post, 335,686,000.
t Illegitimate births (1869) in Cis-Leithania, 14 per cent. ; in Trans-Leithaaia, 6-97 per cent. ; in
Carinthia, 4415 per cent. ; in Lower Austria, 31-50 per cent.
I 866 newspapers and periodicals appear in Cis-Leithania, and 325 in Trans-Leithania. Of these
662 are German, 195 Magyar, 107 Chechian, 63 Italian, and 49 Polish.
CHAPTER X.
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
HE Emperor-King exercises his powers in accordance witli a con-
stitution more than once modified since its introduction. He
appoints the ministers and presides over their deliberations, pro-
mulgates the laws, and enjoys the right of pardon. He receives
a civil list of £930,000, one-half being paid by each of the two
states, Austria and Hungary.
The common afiairs of the two states are directed by three ministers — for Foreign
Affairs, War, and General Finance. The Minister of Foreign Affairs presides in
the absence of the Emperor, and, like his colleagues, he is responsible to the delega-
tions nominated by the two Diets. Cis-Leithania and Trans- Lei thania have each
their independent Cabinet, including Ministers of the Interior, of Education, of
Finance, of Agriculture and Commerce, of Public Works, and of Justice. A
member of the Hungarian Cabinet is attached to the Emperor's household, while
another takes charge of the affairs of Croatia. The two Cabinets are responsible to
their respective Diets. The Emperor occasionally may invite the members of these
Cabinets to attend the deliberations of the common ministry, but only when it is
a question of discussing the Budget or foreign affairs.
The legislative Diets and the electoral organization present similar complica-
tions, a curious mixture of feudal traditions, constitutional fictions, and compro-
mises. The Austrian Diet {Reichsrath) consists of a House of Lords {Herreiihaiis)
and a House of Deputies (Abgeordnetenhaus). The former includes the 13 imperial
princes and 54 hereditary peers, 10 archbishops and 7 bishops, and 107 life
members appointed by the Emperor. The House of Deputies consists of 353
members elected for six years. Of these 85 are representatives of the landed
proprietors, 137 are elected by the towns and Chambers of Commerce, and 131 by
the rural districts. The franchise is enjoyed by all citizens who are of age and
possessed of a small property qualification. Practically the electoral laws favour
the return of German deputies.
The Diet (Orszdfj^ms) of Trans-Leithania likewise includes two Chambers, viz.
a Board of Magnates (Feko Hdz) and a Board of Deputies {Also Hdz). The former
consists of 736 members, including 31 prelates, 626 noblemen, 76 governors of
GOVEBNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. 168
comitats and other high dignitaries, 2 deputies of the Diet of Croatia, and the
"Count" of the Saxons of Transylvania. The Board of Deputies consists of
444 merahers, viz. 334 for Hungary, 1 for Fiume, 75 for Transylvania, and 34
for Croatia and Slavonia. The latter are nominated by the Diet of Croatia, itself
composed of hereditary and elective members. The Croat deputies may address
the Board in their own language, but all other members are only permitted to do
80 in Magyar.
The affairs common to both halves of the empire can be discussed only by the
"Delegations," which meet alternately at Vienna and Pest. The Delegation of
each Diet consists of 60 members, one-third of whom belong to the Upper House.
The Delegations discuss separately. In case of a disagreement they address
written " messages " to each other. If an agreement is not arrived at after an
exchange of three messages, they meet and immediately vote. Such is the curious
mechanism of the " dualist " empire invented by Francis Deak for the exclusive
benefit of Germans and Magyars. The Slavs, Rumanians, and Italians can hardly
exercise any influence upon the administration of the country, and time must show
whether an organization which does them so little justice can last.
The organization of the provincial Diets [Landtage) is quite as complicated as
that of the superior representative bodies. Cis-Leithania has seventeen of them.
They are composed of members " by right," such as archbishops, bishops, and
rectors of universities, and of elected members, representing the large proprietors,
towns. Chambers of Commerce, and rural districts. The governor of the province
presides over the deliberations of these Diets and of their executive committees
(Landes-Ausschuss). In Trans- Leithania there is only one of these local Diets, that
of Croatia.
The provincial capitals as well as several other towns are governed by a Muni-
cipal Council and a body of functionaries. In some instances a "Magistrate,"
elected bj' the citizens, exists in addition. Ordiaarj' parishes are governed by
a burgomaster and commissioners (Gemeiiide-Ausschu.ss), elected for three years.
" District Diets," in addition to the above, exist in some of the provinces.
In Hungary and Transjdvania a distinction is made between " communes "
and " municipalities." The former have a representative body composed, in
equal proportions, of elected members and of the citizens paying the highest
taxes. The " magistrate " is appointed by this body. The municipalities enjoy
somewhat more extended privileges, but in every instance the great taxpayers
share the government with the elected of the people. These municipalities
include the comitats (counties), the " free districts," the " royal free cities," and
the "Land of the Saxons" in Transylvania. Government is represented by a
fo-ispdn (Oher Gespann in German), appointed for life, who presides over the
meetings. The " University of the Saxon Nation " is composed of forty-four
representatives of German towns and districts, presided over by a " Count." In
Croatia and Slavonia each comitat has its ukupUina, partly elected, and each
town or village its " municipal delegation."
Bosnia and Herzegovina, though not yet forming officially an integral por-
154
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.
tion of the Austrian Empire, are nevertheless being governed by Austrian officials,
and the probability of these countries being returned to Turkey is a very
remote one*
The area and population of the great political divisions of the empire arc as
follows : —
Provinces.
Austria below the Enns
„ above the Enns
Salzburg
Styria (Steyermark)
Carinthia (Kamten)
Camiola (Krain) .
Gorizia, Istria, Trieste
Tyrol and Vorarlberg
Bohemia (Bbhmen)
Moravia (Miihren) .
Silesia (Schlesien) .
Galicia .
Bukovina
Dalmatia
Army and Navy .
Total, Cis-Leithania
Hungary and Transylvania .
Fiume .
Croatia and .'>lavonia
Military Frontier .
Army .
Total, Trans-:
Aroa.
Popalaaon.
Sq. Miles.
31 Dec , 1869.
31 Dec., 1879.
7,654
1,990,708
2,143,928
4,632
736,057
746,097
2,767
153,159
154,184
8,670
1,137,990
1,178,067
4,005
337,694
338,705
3,857
466,334
469,996
3,084
600,525
6'.!2,899
11,323
885,789
895,653
20,061
5,140,544
5,361,506
8,583
2,017,274
2,079,826
1,988
513,352
558,196
30,308
5,444.689
6,000,326
4,035
513,404
548,518
4,939
456,961
467,5 :J4
—
—
177,449
115,902
20,:t94,980
21,742,884
108,261
13,561,215 )
Between 1870 and 1874
8
17,884
the number of deaths
8,852
1,138,970
> exceeded the births
7,303
699,228
to the extent of
—
92,128 ,
143,225
Leithania
Grand Total
124,424
24", 326
15,509,455
35,904,455
15,510,000
37,252,884
The Church is still a powerful institution in the empire, for its dignitaries
not only enjoy large emoluments, but, as members of the Diets, they also exercise
a considerable political influence. The sovereign must be a Roman Catholic.
The State recognises the Roman Catholic Church, with its three " rites," the
Greek Catholic Church, the Armenians, Lutherans, Calvinists, Unitarians, and
Jews. In Austria all other confessions are admitted, provided they teach nothing
" contrary to the laws of the land and to morals." In Hungary, however, dis-
senters are merely " tolerated."
The Roman Church supports an army of 36,000 priests, and the number of
ecclesiastics, inclusive of monks and nuns, exceeds 51,000, of whom 31,000 reside
in Cis-Leithania.
The Orthodox Greek Catholics had formerly but one patriarch, who resided at
Karlovci, in Syrmia ; but in 1864 the Rumanians separated from the Servians, and
elected a patriarch of their own, whose seat is Hermannstadt. In 1873 Govern-
ment separated the dioceses of Zara and Cattaro from the patriarchate of Karlovci,
and placed them under the Patriarch of Czernowitz.
The Lutheran Churches are governed by a Consistory, and the Calvinists by a
Bosnia and Herzegovina :— Area, 27,367 square miles; population, 1,061,000. See vol. i. p. 126.
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
155
General Synod, both meeting at Vienna. The Consistory of the Unitarians has its
seat at Hermannstadt, in Transylvania.*
The Army is an institution common to the two halves of the empire, the
Militia (called Landicehr in Austria, Uonveds in Hungary) alone having a local
character. In 1868 the army was reorganized on the model of that of Prussia.
The term of service is three years in the active army, seven years in the reserve,
and two years in the Landirehr. On a peace footing the army numbers 285,000 men,
with 47,540 horses, but in time of war the military forces can be raised to a
strength of more than 1,000,000 men, with 1,600 field guns.t
The Navy consists of 68 vessels, with 404 guns, manned in time of war by
12,000 Istrian and Dalmatian sailors. Fourteen of the vessels are armour-clad,
the most powerful being the Tegeihoff, armed with six 25-ton guns, and clad with
armour 13 inches in thickness.
The finances of the empire are in a most unsatisfactory condition, and it
happens frequently that the Government hardly knows where to find the money to
pay its army of functionaries. In the course of the last hundred years it only
happened twice that there was a surplus. The common expenses, towards which
Austm contributes 68 per cent, and Hungary 32 per cent., are met, no doubt, but
the separate Budgets of Austria and Hungary only too plainly exhibit the deficiency
in the revenue. Two-thirds of all the receipts are swallowed up by the army and
the public debt, leaving but one-third to defray the expenses of administration,
public works, and education. The taxation is consequently very heavy, more
especially if we bear in mind the poverty of the inhabitants. The public debt is
increasing from year to year, and amounts already to six years' revenue. We
need not wonder, under these circumstances, that Austria-Hungary enjoys but
small credit in the financial world, and that its bank-notes are never accepted
without a heavy discount. This financial distress most seriously threatens the
* Beligioua coiife88iong(1869) :
' Latin rite .
Roman |
Catholics \
Greek .
Armenian
Protestants .
Orthodox Greeks .
Gregorian Armenians
Jews
Without confession
Total
CiB-LeithnnU.
Trans -Leitbania.
Total.
16,400,000
7,600,000
24,000,000
2,350,000
1,600,000
3,950,000
3,100
5,202
8,300
18,753,100
9,205,200
27,968,300
369,400
3,202,600
3,572,000
462,000
2,590,000
3,052,000
1,200
650
1,850
822,300
653,700
1,376,000
370
220
590
Total 2P.408.370
15,553,370
36,960,740
Officere.
Men.
Horses.
Active army .
23,504
753,992
148,236
Austrian Landwehr .
2,916
118,626
6,070
Hungarian Honved*
3,028
127,234
16,742
Gendarmerie .
—
8,800
—
Kemount Service
Total
143
29.596
6,096
1^137747
—
171,048
156
AirSTRIA-HUNGARY.
power of Austria, embarrasses her politics, and interferes with every measure
calculated to promote the welfare of the empire.*
Common receipts (Customs, &c )
Cis-Leithania ....
Trans- Leithania
Croatia
Total .
Revenue.
1,678,000
37,663,781
21,83:!,949
298,000
£61,473,730
Expenses.
1,678,000
40,356,247
23,341,042
298,000
£65,873,989
The "common expenses" in 1877 were estimated at £11,709,138. and were defrayed out of the
revenues detailed above. For 1879 these expenses were estimated at £10,950,030.
The debt of Austria-Uungary amounted in 1878 to £371,737,000, if not to a larger sum.
The following works on Austria-Hungary are deserving of notice ; —
" Statistischcs Handbuch der Oesterreich-Ungar. Monarchic" (1878); Hain, "Handbuch der
Statistik des Kaiserstaats " (1853); Klun, "Statistik von Oestorreich-Ungarn " (1876); Matkovic,
" Kroatien-Slavonien ; " Lorenz and Wessely, "Die Bodenkultur Ocsterreichs " (1873); Ch. Kelety et
L. Bedthy, " Statistiquo de la Hongrie " (1876) ; A. Fieker, " Beviilkerung der Oesterreichisohen Monar-
chic;" P. Hunfalvy, " Ethnographic von Ungarn ; " A. Patterson, " The Magyars, their Country and
Institutions;" Boner, "Transylvania;" Sehwicker, "Statistik des Konigreiches Ungam " (1877);
Ditz, " Die ungarische Landwirthschaft ; " H. N e, " Dalmatien und seine Inselwelt ; " Lorenz, " Topo-
graphic von Fiume und Umgebung ; " A. de Gferaado, " La Transylvanie et sea habitants ; " A. Lipp,
" Der Handel nach dem Osten."
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^1^
GERMANY.
CHAPTER 1.
General Aspects.
ERMANY (DeiihcAland) occupies the very centre of Europe.
Diagonals connecting the extremities of the continent, whether
drawn from the Hebrides to Constantinople, from the Ural to
Gibraltar, or from the North Cape to Sicily, run through its centre.
Germany consequently appears to be called upon to act that part
of intermediary for the whole of Europe which for ten centuries has fallen to the
lot of France in Western Europe, and which England fills with reference to the
old world and the new.
Germany, as long as there existed no artificial high-roads, possessed fewer
facilities than her neighbour France to enter into direct relations with the countries
of Southern Europe. Shut ofE from the Mediterranean by the Alps, Germany was
less favourably situated for acting as the intermediarj' between the south and
the north of Europe. France lies partly within the basin of the Mediterranean,
partly within that of the open Atlantic, whilst the whole of Germany slopes
down towards the north ; and the seas which wash its shores are almost devoid
of good harbours, such as abound in France and England.
The Baltic is an inland sea, comniunicating with the open ocean only through
the straits separated by the Danish archipelago. Thotigh small in extent, it is
dreaded on account of its .«and-banks, short waves, fogs, gusts, and changeable
winds. In winter its ports are closed by ice. The North Sea, though freely
communicating with the open Atlantic, is likewise full of perils on account of its
low, 4indefined shores, fringed with islands and sand-banks, and its principal
gateway, the Strait of Dover, is at the mercy of France and England. If the
German mercantile marine holds a respectable position amongst the merchant
fleets of the world, this is not because of the maritime advantages enjoyed by
Germany.
Germany, therefore, though its seaboard extends from the frontier of Holland
to that of Russia, can scarcely be called a maritime country. Apart from the
158 GERMANY.
invasion of England by the Anglo-Saxons, the great historical events in which
Germans have played a leading part were decided by land, and not by sea. The
battles and struggles between them and their neighbours, whether Slavs, Italians,
or Latinised Gauls, took place in the region of the Alps and in the Valleys of the
Rhine, the Oder, the Vistula, and the Danube. The migrations of peoples were
facilitated by the open, un definable boundaries of the country, for only in the
south do the Alps constitute a well-defined natural boundary, whilst in the east
and the west the German lowlands merge into those of Russia and the Nether-
lands. The Flemings, who are of more purely German origin than either
Berliners or Viennese, advanced along the shore of the North Sea as far as the
hills of Boulogne, in the centre of France. Other German immigrants followed
the Baltic shores to the east, and penetrated into a country which now forms part
of the Russian Empire. Others, again, descended the valley of the Danube, and
founded colonies in Hungary and Transylvania. In the east the struggle between
Slav and German has been incessant, and the line separating the two races has
ever vacillated. If Bohemia has not been wholly Germanised, like other ancient
Slav countries in Austria and Prussia, this is solely owing to the mountain
rampart which surrounds it.
Whatever boundaries may have been laid down in treaties, the true limits of
the land of the Germans must always remain to some extent undefined, and it
is difficult to saj'' where Germany really begins and where it ends. At the
same time the central portion of the country is divided by mountain ranges into
a number of distinct districts, geographically predestined to become the homes of
separate tribes. These small basins are more especially abundant between the
north-western angle of Bohemia and the Ardonnes, and there the feudal institu-
tions flourished longest, and the small states evolved by it are numerous to the
present day. The extensive plateau to the south of this region of hills and
valleys favoured the formation of a larger state, such as Bavaria, whilst the
extended plain of maritime Germany was shared between a number of independent
communities, which have been gradually absorbed by Prussia.
The mountain ranges of Germany are of sufficient elevation and extent to
have considerably retarded the political unification of the country ; but they
presented no insurmountable obstacles to the migration of peoples, and the
country oh both sides of them is inhabited by men of the same race. No doubt
the vast plains of Northern Germany contrast strikingly with the plateau and
mountains of the south, but the North German nevertheless differs only in minor
respects from the South German. The manners and customs of Frieslanders,
Mecklenburgers, and Pomeranians possess curious analogies with those of
Bavarians, Tyrolese, and Styrians. Central Germany, and above all Thuringia,
played the part of intermediary between the north and the south, and every great
impulse in the political life of the country departed from a line connecting
Frankfort, Leipzig, and Berlin.
The general slope of the country is towards the north, from the Alps to the
Baltic Sea and the German Ocean. The plateau of Bavaria lies at a higher
GENEEAL ASPECTS.
159
elevation than the valleys of Central Germany, and the rivers which drain these
latter take their course towards the great plain of the north. The gradual
decrease in height, on going north, almost compensates for differences of latitude,
and the temperature is thus pretty much the same throughout the country. An
isothermal chart hardly exhibits this feature in a satisfactory manner, for the
isothermal lines do not represent the real temperature observed, but the tempera-
ture supposed to prevail at the sea-level. In reality the temperature of places
80 far apart as are Ratisbon and Hamburg have very nearly the same mean annual
temperature of 48° Fahr. There are, of course, many local differences, depending
upon elevation above and distance from the sea, and the rainfall is greater in
the mountainous districts than in the vast northern plain ; but in its main
Fig. 93. — Hypsoobaphicai, Map of Germany.
According to Leipoldt. Scale 1 ; 12,000,000.
Height* tn Feet
LetatBllee 6eaJ^iKl
features the climate throughout is the same. The valley of the Rhine offers a
remarkable proof of this, for although that river, between Basel and Emmerich,
has a course of nearly 200 miles, the climate throughout is pretty much
the same, notwithstanding the great differences of latitude. This similarity of
climate has no doubt had its share in assimilating the manners, customs, and
modes of thought of North and South Germans. Indeed, the difference of climate
is greater between west and east than between north and south. In the east
the winters are colder, the rains less abundant, and we become sensible that we
are approaching Russia.
Geographically Germany occupies a portion of the northern slope of the Alps,
and has no well-defined boundaries towards the east or west. Geologically, too.
160
GEEMANT.
its boundaries are ill defined, and it forms no unit in the configuration of Europe,
as does Spain, England, France, Scandinavia, or Russia. The limestone Alps of
Bavaria are a continuation of those of Vorarlberg and Appenzell. The geological
formations which fill up the great miocene sea of Switzerland can be traced into
Southern Bavaria, where they are in great part concealed below the debris
deposited by glaciers. The Jura extends through Swabia and Southern Germany
as far as the western corner of Bohemia. The Black Forest, with its granite, red
sandstone, and triassic rocks, corresponds with the Vosges on the other bank of
the Rhine, and the platform upon which it rises extends northward as far as the
plain of Hanover. The rocks on both sides of the Rhine, below Mayence, are of
the same age. The Devonian formation of the Ardennes stretches to the north-east
Fig. 94.— The Isothermal Lines op Gbrmany.
According to Putzger.
5- E.of Paris
tO' E.ofQ.
into Nassau and Westphalia, and is bounded in the north by carboniferous forma-
tions, in the centre of which the plain around Cologne opens out like a vast bay. In
Belgium, as in Germany, the most advanced hills are capped with chalk, or rocks
belonging to more recent formations. Finally, there is the vast northern plain,
covering an area of 150,000 square miles, which merges, on the one hand, in the
plain of Holland, and, on the other, in that of Poland and Russia. Geologically
Germany thus consists of two distinct portions, the south being joined to Switzer-
land, France, and Belgium, whilst the north is a westerly extension of the great
Sarmatian plain.
Volcanic hills are numerous in Central Germany, to the north of the Moselle
and the Main, the craters of some of them being filled with small lakes. They
are the standing witnesses of a time when fiery lava burst forth from volcanoes
GENEEAL ASPECTS.
161
rising near the shore of the ocean which then covered the whole of Northern
Germany. The geological constitution of these volcanic districts, and indeed of
the whole of the hilly region from which rise both the Main and the Weser, is
far more complicated than that of tbe remainder of the country. The variety
of geological formations influences in turn the inhabitants, shi W5 itself in the
configuration of the country, and favours the development of manif >ld industries.
It has been observed that the customs and institutions of the inhabitants of that
part of Germany are distinguished by originality.
The Rhine, in the west, joins Southern and Northern Germany. That river rises
in the Alps, crosses the chain of the Jura, flows along the vale spread out between
the Vosges and the Black Forest, and finally forces its way through the barrier, 120
Fig. 95. — The True Mean Annual Temperature of GERMAlfY.
According to Putzger.
4fi^0* Owrw"
miles wide, which in a former age pent up its waters. The rivers farther to the
east, having been prevented by the Thuringian Forest from flowing in the same
direction as the Rhine, have taken their course along the northern foot of the
Alps, and formed the Danube, which loses itself in an inland sea. In several places
the basins of the Danube and the Rhine are by no means well defined. The
Upper Danube, as far as Ratisbon, flows along the southern foot of the Swabian
Jura ; that is, in exactly the same direction as the Aur, which follows the Swiss
Jura. Many of the smaller tributaries appear to hesitate whether to flow to one
river or the other, and at least one of them is fed through subterranean channels
from the Danube, and discharges itself into the Rhine, thus virtually converting
the Upper Danube into a tributary of that river. The Altmiihl and the Regnitz —
83 .
162
GERMANY.
the one tributary to the Danube, the other to the Rhine— are separated only by a
Bat level, presenting no difficulty to the cutting of a canal. This plain thus forms
a region of transition between the basins of the Rhine and the Danube.
' The rivers of Northern Germany present a remarkable pirallelism in their
course. The Weser, the Elbe, the Oder, and the Vistula flow in the same
direction as the Rhine below Mayence. The analogy presented by some of the
curves described by these rivers is truly striking, and clearly points to a
great uniformity in the geological agencies. But not only is the course of these
rivers a parallel one now, it appears to have been so in a remote geological age.
There was a time when the Elbe, below Magdeburg, continued its normal course
towards the north-west, and found its way through the Aller, now a tributary of
Fig. 96.— Rain Map of Germany.
According to Putzgcr.
5' E. of Paris
Annual RulnfAll In Inches
XS'SS Uixr JJ
the Weser, into the sea. The Oder, instead of sweeping round to the north on
reaching Frankfort, continued towards the north-west, and joining the Elbe, was
tributary to the North Sea. At that time it must have flowed along what is now
the channel of the Spree, a river likened by a modern writer to " a dwarf concealed
in the armour of a giant." The Vistula, which now discharges into the Frische
Haff, turned to the west, and, by way of the swampy valley now occupied by the
Warte and the Netze, it reached the Oder. The Memel (Nienen), which now
enters the Kurische Haff, at that time flowed along the valley of the Pregel into
the Frische HaflT. These changes in the course of the rivers prove that the plain of
Northern Germany must have been upheaved in its western part, causing the
rivers to swerve round to the east. And, indeed, the marks of a subsidence of the
GENERAL ASPECTS. 168
land, observed on the Prussian coast of the Baltic, satisfactorily prove that such
has been the case.
Modern Germany, with its numerous rivers, extensive tracts of fertile lands,
wooded hills, and pasture-grounds, must have strongly attracted the tribes who,
following the lead of the sun, migrated from the east to the west. Of the original
inhabitants of Germanj' we know nothing except what has been revealed to us by
finds in caverns and lakes.
Long before Teutons and Slavs the country was inhabited by a different race,
of a type supposed to be represented by a skull discovered in the Neauder cave,
near Diisseldorf. Similar remains have been discovered, as early as 1700, near
C.innstadt, in Wvirteiiiberg. These primeval inhabitants, with low, retreating
foreheads, narrow and flattened .skulls, and strong bones, are supposed to have
lived in the tertiary age, and had to struggle with bears and hyen is for existence.
It is quite possible that long before the arrival of Teutonic tribes the shores of
the Baltic were in the possession of Fins. This question, however, would appear
to be incapable of solution. Anyhow, the remains discovered in the numerous
tumuli, or " Hiinengraber," scattered all over Germany, are attributed to Slav,
Teutonic, and Gallic tribes. The skeletons with elongated skulls, found from
Switzerland to the extreme east of Prussia, are supposed to be Teutonic, whilst
the others are assumed to be those of Gauls.
As long as the distinctive characteristics of the Gormans had not been deter-
mined, the prehistoric remains disfovered could shed no light upon the character
of the ancient inhabitants of the country. Until recently all Germans were
supposed to he dolichocephalous, but careful measurements have shown that round
skulls are numerous, and even preponderate in some districts. The skulls of
Frieslanders, whom Professor Virchow looks upon as the purest Germans, the
swamps defending their country having preserved them from contact with other
tribes, are broad and high, but relatively not verj' elongated. In a general way
it may be stated that the North Germans are dolichocephalous, whilst broad skulls
are more frequent in Southern Germany.
There was a time when we studied Latin authors in order to find out the
physical characterist'cs of the Germans. It was accepted for a fact that they had
blue eyes and fla.x^rn or red hair. An examination of all the school children
throughout Germany, which has taken place recently, shows very clearly that if
blue eyes, flaxen hair, and fair complexions represent the true German type, only
about one-third (32 2 per cent.) of all the children examined belong to it. In
Prussia this German type is represented by 35 per cent., in Bavaria by 20 per
cent., in Alsace by even a smaller proportion. The mountains -which stretch from
Bohemia to the Rhine separate the fair Germans from the darker-complexioned
ones. Along the rivers the complexions, as a rule, are darker than away from
them, and we may conclude from this that migratory non-German tribes followed
their course.
Thus much may be assumed, that the modern Germans are a mixed race, and
1G4
GERMANY.
no more than Gauls present the features ascribed to them by Roman authors. The
type described by Tacitus only survives in Scandinavia. Fair hair and fair
complexions still preponderate, but blue eyes are now rare. The type may have
become modified through a change in the mode of life brought -about by the
progress of civilisation ; or dark eyes and dark complexions may have issued
victoriously from a " struggle for existence." Curious to rehite, the Jews of
Germany appear to have undergone an inverse change, for the majority amongst
them have chestnut, or even fair hair.
Language constitutes the great bond of nationah union. To southern ears the
Fig. 97. — Linguistic Map of Gekmany.
Upi>rr lit,
, zn UEn r~^ r^m
miuiiiYtavii:,^ iJ i - ■- ^ L ;.:...^.......-cJ L ,
HuthemaH tVcach Jtafj/ar LiHiuaui,
3
sonorous and powerful language spoken by Germans sounds rugged and guttural,
but m the mouth of the poets it is full of tender grace, and capable of adequately
and harmoniously rendering every shade of meaning, and every sentiment. Harsh
and vigorous when used in anger, it becomes supple and tender when giving
expression to the emotions of the soul.
The original dialects are fast disappearing, and hardly more than an historical
interest attaches to them now. Even the Low Germans, who speak dialects akin
GENERAL ASPECTS. 165
to Dutch and Flemish, have accepted the High German of the books. Platt-Deutsch
— that is, the language of Low Germany — is a richer language than literary-
German ; but its doom was sealed as soon as a Thuringian dialect was accepted as
the language of books. It is still understood by about 10,000,000 people, and
books are sometimes published in it, but its literary use is confined to poetry and
occasional novels.
In Central Europe German is spoken by more than 55,000,000 souls. If we
add to these the Jews of Poland and Russia, the foreigners who have studied
the language of Goethe and Schiller, and the German colonists scattered through-
out the world, the domain of German will be found to embrace nearly 6i,000,000
human beings. German has thus become one of the leading languages of human
thought, whether we look to the number by whom it is spoken, or to the historical
part played by Germany, and the influence it actually exercises upon the destinies
of the human race.
Thanks to this universal language, spoken from the Alps to the Baltic,
German unity virtually existed long before it was recognised politically. It was
brought about by the people rather than by the free will of the Governments.
Frieslanders and Bavarians, Prussians and Swabians, undoubtedly stand nearer
to each other in ideas and customs than do Bretons and Proven<;als, Basques and
Normans. Still there exist great diversities in their character, and it is interesting
tp note them before they have been swept away by a levelling civilisation. The
differences still exhibited by supple and good-natured ^^ustrians, naive and obstinate
Swabians, dexterous Hessians, intelligent Saxons, sedate Prussians, and haughty
Frieslanders clearly mark us many provincial types.
And where, amongst these populations, are we to look for the veritable centre
of gravity of the nation ? The Prussians preponderate in politics, it is true, but
they present by no means the best type of the race. That type must be sought
for amongst the inhaViitants of Central Germany, in Thuringia, Franconia, on the
banks of the Rhine, and in Swabia, a country so rich in men of genius. The
Alemanni of South-western Germany are amongst Frenchmen the representatives
of all Germans, or " AUemands," whilst amongst the Slavs of the East, Germans,
whatever their origin, are known as " Swabians." Swabians and Alemanni are
of the same origin, and they consequently enjoy the distinction of being looked
upon, in the West as in the East, as the typical representative Germans.
It would be puerile to follow the lead of the host of authors who have written
on the genius and the moral worth of the German nation. No people has been
raised higher by its admirers, none has been dragged down lower by its
detractors. The very men who declaim about the "vanity" of the "grand nation"
claim for their own race a position morally and intellectually far above that of
other nations. " Deutsch " (German) is used as the synonym of everything that is
true and sincere, " Welsh " for everything that is false and vicious. But there
are not wanting German writers who are fully alive to the failings of their com-
patriots. It is easy, no doubt, to pass a severe judgment upon any nation, but if
we would judge fairly we must leave the common herd, and turn to representative
106 GERMANY.
men who have risen above mediocrity. We shall feel bound then to admit the
German to be capable of a profound love of nature, to possess rare poetical
instincts, and to exhibit a naive and sincere attachment to any cause he may have
embraced. At the same time he is easily led into extremes, true feeling deterio-
rates with him into touchiness, politeness is transformed into an adherence to
rules of etiquette, anger rises into fury, just resentment turns into rancour, and the
pride of being degenerates into extravagance. The German, in spite of his tenacity
and strength of character, possesses less individuality than either Frenchman,
Italian, or Englishman. He is more easily influenced than they are by popular
opinion, and delights to move in masses. There is method even in his follies, and
he readily submits to discipline.
In the history of the world Germany has played a leading part. When first
the Germans entered upon the stage of history, they covered Euiope with ruins to
the extreme west and south ; but once civilisation took hold of them, they
contributed largely towards its conquests. The German cities became workshops
of human thought and industry, and were the rivals of those of Italy and Flanders.
What greater glory can there be than that of having presented the first printed
book to the world ?
The events which proved fatal to the Italian republics led likewise to the ruin
of the cities of Southern Germany. Whilst the Turks closed the direct roads to
the East, the discovery of the New World and of a maritime route to India
revolutionised the world's commerce. Augsburg and other wealthy cities struggled
against the inevitable. They established factories at Lisbon, Antwerp, and
liOndon ; but when Spain ceased to be governed by German emperors, when the
Dutch rose into power, and closed the Rhine and the Mouse against German
merchants, the cities of Southern Germany were doomed to decay.
Then came the Thirty Years' War, which destroyed the industry of the towns,
and flung back the country into a state of barbarism. One-third of the total
population is supposed to have perished during that fearful period, and when the
treaty of Westphalia (1648) put a stop to the horrors of war, Germany, still
bleeding from a hundred wounds, found itself reduced to a very inferior position
amongst the nations of Europe. The small sovereigns who bad divided it between
them took for their motto the words of Louis XIV., " L'Etat c'est moi ! " They
treated their subjects like game, accepted the wages of France to betray their
country, and even sold their subjects to be employed in the wars which England
then carried on in America.* At a time when art and science began to revive in
Germany, the political condition of that country had become most deplorable.
So vile a system of government was doomed to extinction. The French
Revolution shook the organization of the empire to its foundations, and swept
away the greater number of its princes. It was in vain that it was attempted
afterwards to repair the old machinery. The states of the German Confederation
became the battle-ground of Austria and Prussia ; but the nation soon awakened
• Between 1775 and 1783 £2,600,000 was paid to the Elector of Hesse, and £2,.526,000 to other
German princes.
GENERAL ASPECTS. 167
from its torpor, and the idea of a United Germany took root in it long before
events permitted its realisation.
The numerous small principalities into which Germany found itself divided
deprived the country of all political power. The minor princes, jealous of each
other, lent a too willing ear to the foreigner. The small courts, at which it was
sought to imitate the splendours of wealthier capitals, became the seats of vice and
intrigue. Fortunately the whole of Germany was not subjected to this demoral-
ising rule. There yet remained free cities, the guardians of that public spirit
■which had so much contributed to their greatness. In course of time fresh centres
of art, science, and literature sprang into existence, and the nation slowly
recovered from the wounds inflicted by a thirty years' religious war.
Towards the close of the last century, on the eve of the great Revolution,
Germans nobly distinguished themselves by their intellectual labours. Goethe
and Schiller added their immortal works to those previously existing ; gifted
musicians walked in the footsteps of Mozart, Handel, and Haydn ; and Kant
revolutionised ideas. History and its allied sciences have found eloquent inter-
preters in Germany ; philology has been developed there into a science ; mathe-
matics and the natural sciences have employed some of the ablest minds ; and
nowhere else has geography been studied with equal success. The names of
Humboldt, Ritter, and Peschel are amongst those which geographers revere most
deeply.
Germany has reconstituted itself politically within the last decade, but already
the effects of centralisation are making themselves felt. As long as Germany
remained an incoherent congeries of small states, it enjoyed at all events the
advantage of having numerous local centres of life and intellectual light. Had it
always been a centralized empire, such as France became in the time of Richelieu,
it would certainly not now be able to boast of the numerous universities which
constitute one of its great glories. Modem imperial Germany certainly tends
towards centralization. The provinces are gradually being deprived of their
autonomVi and although this maj' further political coherency, a restriction of local
liberties must in the end weaken the nation, and reduce its power of initiative.
CHAPTER II.
THE REGION OF THE VOSGES.
(AiSACK AND German Lokraine.)*
General Aspects, Mouni'ains, Rivers, and Climate.
LSACE and a portion of Lorraine have recently become German by
right of conquest, and contrary to the wishes of the vast majority
of the inhabitants of these countries. These provinces now form
an " imperial land," or ReichslaHcl, the boundaries of which have
been drawn by the sword. And yet these two provinces, if only
they were permitted to form a truly independent state, might they not act as
mediators between the two nations, morally equally culpable, the one for having
risked their loss without the power of defending them, the other for having taken
them as booty of war ?
Alsace has well-defined boundaries, for it embraces the eastern slope of the
Vosges and the plain extending along the left bank of the Rhine. Much elongated
in proportion to its width, its ancient division into a Sundgau and Nortgau
(southern and northern country), now represented by Upper and Lower Alsace,
was an appropriate one. German Lorraine, on the other hand, does not form a
geographical province, for it includes the western slopes of the Vosges to the north
of the g;ip of Zabern (Saverne), together with the hilly country which stretches
westward to the Ardennes. It is divided into distinct sections by the valleys of
the Saar, the Nied, and the Moselle, which traverse it from north to south.
Lorraine not only differs from Alsace in these geographical features, but also by
its history and the origin of a majority of its inhabitants. Fortifications, however,
have converted both countries into one huge entrenched camp, and, as they are
now politically united, we shall consider them conjointly.f
* In Grennan Elmet and Lothringen, Latinised into Alsatia and Lothariugia.
t Alsace : Upper Alsace
Lower „ .
German Lorraine
Total
Area.
Sq. M.
1,353
1,844
2,383
5.580
1866.
473.314
609,987
513,927
1,697,228
Population.
1871.
458,873
600,406
490,459
1,549,738
1875.
452,642
597,S50
481,312
1,531,804
ALSACE AND GERMAN- LOREArNTE.
169
The slope which the Vosges presents towards the Rhine is far bolder than the
western one, which sinks down gently or merges into the plateau of the Faucilles.
The broad vale of the Rhine contrasts strikingly with the hills which bound it.
Standing within it, at an elevation of some 500 feet above the sea, we see unrolled
before us the entire chain of the Vosges, and are able to grasp at a glance the
wealth of Alsace : the meadows, corn-fields, and hop gardens of the plain, the vine-
yards of the foot-hills, the forests and pasture-lands of the more distant moorlands.
For a distance of 50 miles, from the Belchen, or Ballon, of Alsace (4,677 feet)
to the Donon, or Conner (3,313 feet), the Vosges form the boundary between
France and Germany. Farther north Germany holds both slopes of the mountains,
including the famous gap of Zabern (Saverne, 1,247 feet), which has from a remote
age formed the principal military and commercial gateway between the two
Fig. 98. — The Gap of Zabern (Saverne).
Scale 1 : U6,000.
2 Miles.
countries. A canal, joining the Rhine with the Mame, and the railway from
Strassburg to Paris, run through this gap, whilst a fine carriage road crosses the
heights to the north of it. The " Little " Vosges extend northward into the
Palatinate, where they are known as Hardt. Their average height does not
exceed 1,300 feet ; yet, owing to the tortuous valleys, they form a serious strategical
obstacle. Formerly, when the country was but thinly inhabited and rendered
insecure by lordly highwaymen, the ruins of whose castles crown every summit,
only a few roads ran across it, and they were little frequented. The road by the
Lauter, passing along the old boundary of Germany, then afforded the only means
of reaching the Rhine in the north of Alsace.
The Vosges are famous throughout Europe on account of their lofty trees, and
it is not without emotion that we roam through the fir woods of the Hohwald and
170
GERMANY.
the Great Donon. Silver firs and pines have been planted hy the hand of man,
and the latter are by no means common except on rugged slopes having a
southern aspect. Larches are scarce. The fine forests to the north of the gap of
Zabern and in Lorraine consist of beech-trees, silver firs, and pines, and those
around Bitsch and Chateau-Salins, which furnished the French navy with timber,
are noted for their beauty. In Alsuce more than a third of the whole area is
Fig. 99.— The Ruins op St. Ulkich, near RAProLTswr.iLER.
wooded, iu Lorraine hardly a fourth. Nearly one-half of these woods are the
property of the communes— the State, corporations, and private owners sharing in
the remainder. Wild animals have almost disappeared from the forests. The
elk, the bison, the aurochs, the reindeer, the wild horse, the beaver, the lynx, the
bear, the wild goat, and perhaps the chamois, were formerlv met with, but have
now disappeared. The last bear was killed in 1760, no wild goat has been seen
since 1798, and the stag has disappeared from the Eastern Vosges, though still found
ALSACE AND GERMAN LOEEAINE.
171
in Lorraine. Deer have been exterminated, but were recently reintroduced into
the forests of Schlettstadt. Wolves come over occasionally from the Jura and the
Ardennes, and about a thousand wild boars are killed annually ; but wild cats and
I'oxes have become rare.
Fig 100. -The Basin- of the Iil.
Scale 1 : DOn.ono.
10 Miles.
The forests of Alsace, though very extensive even now, have shrunk consider-
ably in the course of centuries, and thousands of acres have recently been
replanted with a view to regulating the climate and the flow of the rivers. Dams
have been constructed across many of the smaller rivers, and water, stored up by
172 GEEAIANT.
these means in reservoirs, is utilised in the summer for the purposes of irrigation
and manufacture. The number of these artifical lakelets is great, and was greater
still formerly- In Upper Lorraine some natural lakes and swamps have been
utilised for the same objects. Many swamps have been drained, but others still
remain, and impede communication.
The 111 is the only important river which belongs to Alsace, from its source in the
Swiss Jura to its confluence with the Rhine, and it can hardly be doubted that the
whole country was named after it.* It drains a basin of 1,770 square miles. On
debouching upon the plain of Miilhausen, instead of flowing direct to the Rhine,
it takes a northerly course, parallel with that river, and only enters it below
Strassburg, after a course of 70 miles. In this respect it resembles the remarkable
lateral streams of the Loire. We have reason to suppose that the 111, in the time
of the Romans, entered the Rhine above Strassburg. It is a very erratic stream,
often changing its course, t and its floods are much dreaded. Strassburg has
frequently suffered from inundations, and it is proposed now to construct an
" outfall " canal above that town, to prevent their recurrence. J
The mud deposited in Alsace by the ancient glaciers and the Rhine is distin-
guished for its fertility, and yields rich harvests, but there are also sandy or gravelly
tracts, which produce onl}^ trees. One of these lies to the east of Miilhausen, and
is known as the Hart, or " forest," but the oaks which grow there are stunted, and
many parts of it are only covered with coppice or shrubs. Farther north, where
sand takes the place of gravel, we meet with luxuriant forests, one of the finest
of which is that of Hagenau. A hundred and fifty j'ears ago it was an oak forest,
but at the present day hardly anything except pines is seen there.
The climate of Alsaie is not as equable as that of France. It is determined in
a large measure by the Vosges, which form a barrier to westerly winds, and by the
broad valley of the Rhine, which is open to northerly ones. The summers are
warm, the winters cold, and sudden changes of temperature frequent. Down in
the plain the winds alternate between north and south, but in the mountains they
follow the direction of the valleys. The rainfall is far heavier there than in the
plain, although the number of rainy days is about the same in both. In Lorraine
the rains are more frequent than in Alsace, and dense fogs, impregnated with the
vapours rising from swamps and bogs, frequently hang over the country. Though
unpleasant on account of their peculiar odour, these fogs are said not to be injurious
to health. They certainly are beneficial to vegetation, for they protect the sandy
soil from the scorching rays of the sun, thus enabling it to retain its moisture.§
* Illsass, Ellsass.
t " The 111 goes where it will," says an Alsatian proverb.
X Delivery of the 111 at Strassburg : -Average, 1,590 cubic feet ; ininimum, 70 cubic feet ; maximum,
8,480 cubic feet a second ^Ch Grad).
Mean Temperature.
Deft Fahr. Rainfall.
January. July. Year. In.
§ Mulhauscn ... ,30 70 52 300
Strassburg 31 gg gj 26-4
Hagenau ..... 37 72 53 264
^etz 31 67 49-0 26 0
ALSAUE AND GEEMAN T.OEEAINE. 178
IXHABITASTS.
Alsace is exceptionally rich in prehistoric monuments, including coarsely sculp-
tured rocks, tombs, and fortifications. One of the most interesting of these
witnesses of an unrecorded age is known as the Heidenmaiter (Pagan's Wall). It
lies to the west of Strassburg, and consists of a triple wall about 6 miles in
length, and enclosing several mountains. This ancient fortress, to judge from the
varied character of the workmanship, would appear to have been put repeatedly
into repair.
Alsace, before the arrival of the Romans, was held by German and Gallic
tribes, and its population, down to the present day, exhibits local differences
pointing to the preponderance of one of these ethnical elements. Nevertheless the
Alsatians and the inhabitants of many valleys of the eastern slope of the Vosges have
been completely Germanised, the Alemannic type preponderating, as in Switzer-
land. The linguistic boundary generally follows the crest of the Vosges, but at a
few places the French tongue has gained a footing on the eastern slope. French
is spoken in the vallej' of the Largue, and at Orbey, La Poutroye, and Les Baroches,
above Colmar. Even the town of Markirch (Ste. Marie-aux-Mines) was more
French formerly than German. In this part of Alsace the German tongue has
certainly lost ground in the course of the last two centuries. This is proved by
the German names of several villages on the Upper Meurlhe, where only French
is heard now.
German Lorraine not only embraces the district known, up to 1751, as the
"German bailiwick," but also a considerable extent of purely French territory.
Metz is and always has been a French town, notwithstanding that many Germans
resided in it during the Middle Ages. The German Government is now making
strenuous efforts to Germanise the newly acquired French parishes.*
The Alsatians are a powerful and tall race, and their services in the French
armies have at all times been highly appreciated. Several of the most famous
generals of the Republic and the Empire were Alsatians. The inhabitants of the
country do not, however, excel only as soldiers ; they are distinguished likewise for
their achievements in the arts of peace. Strassburg and Metz present great natural
facilities for an exchange of merchandise and ideas between France and Germany.
A majority of the inhabitants of the towns are able to express themselves in French
as well as in German, and 97 per cent, of the young men called out for military
service are able to read and write.
Agriccltvre, Mining, and Industry.
The population in the plains and hilly districts is dense. Nearly the whole of the
plains are under cultivation, most of the heaths and the inundated lauds bordering
• Professor H. Kiepcrt estimates (he French at 250,000 ; M. H. Gaidoz, the persons " habitually speak-
ing French," at 3.50,000 souls. According to the former the number of French (exclusive of workmen in
the towns) is .38,000 in Alsace, 192,000 in German Lorraine.
174
GERMAN T.
Kg. 101. — Alsatias Pkasaxts-
upon the HI and the Rhine having been brought under the plough. Wheat and
barley are the principal cereals cultivated. Emerald meadows alternate with fields
ALSACE AND GEEMAN LOBRATNE.
175
of bright yellow rape, poppies, flax, hemp, tobacco, hops, and other plants. The
homesteads of the peasants are embowered in orchards and gardens, and present an
air of comfort. The cellars are rarely without a few casks of wine or kirachtcasser.
The land is very much subdivided,* and Jewish usurers prey as usual upon the poorer
peasant* ; but notwithstanding this the inhabitants of many districts are able to
live in ease. Alsace is one of the luost intelligently cultivated countries in Europe,
and, according to M. Grad, capital invested in agriculture yields between 8 and
lO per cent. The wine district, which extends from Thann to Mutzig, is the
wealthiest and most densely peopled part of the country. Some of the wines
produced enjoy a high reputation. The region of vineyards is succeeded liy that
of the forests, which are managed with great success,! and higher still we enter
the pasture-grounds. The neat stock of Alsace, much of which is i^tall fed, is
Fig. 102, — DiEi-ZE, CHATB4r-SAH.vs, asu the Poho of Inokk.
Scale 1 :3a0,00a
. SHQes.
inferior to the breeds of Switzerland and Franche Comt^, but is being improved.
Much cheese is made in the mountain districts.
Lorraine is far inferior to Alsace in its agricultural productions, both soil and
climate being less favourable to vegetation. There is no broad alluvial vaUey,
like that of the Rhine, and the cultivation of the vine is remunerative only in the
valley of the Moselle and a few other localities. On an average the land only
yields half what it does in Alsace, and extensive heaths are still met with. A
system of " cultivation " peculiar to Lorraine is that applied to the numerous
ponds scattered over the country. About two-thirds of the water are occasionally
drawn off, after which the exposed portion of the bed is sown with wheat or other
cereals, and the fish are caught. The dam is then again closed up, and the
• Averagre area of each property in If 70, T'S acres.
t The GoTenunent forests alone yielded £'■ 44,d80 in 1877, or aboat 198. an acre (8«. after deducting
all expenses).
176 GERMANY.
process repeated after the fish have had time to multiply. The large Pond of
Lindre, in the valley of the Seille, sometimes yields 1,000 tons in a single year.
In a hot climate this curious " rotation of crops " would breed a pestilence, and it
is not quite without its drawbacks under a latitude of 49°.*
Agriculture does not suffice to support the dense population of Alsace-Lorraine,
and vast manufacturing interests have been created since the beginning of the
century. The first cotton-mill was built in 1746, and the first steam-engine set
up in 1812. The progress since then has been immense. At first the manu-
facturers established themselves in the valleys of the Vosges, where streams
supplied them gratuitously with the motive power they stood in need of. In
course of time, however, steam superseded the running water, and the factories
were removed to the towns of the plain, where coal could be procured more
cheaply.
Lower Alsace excels in agiiculture. Upper Alsace in its manufacturing industry,
the great centre of which is at Miilhausen. The manufacture of cotton yarns and
stuffs holds the first place, but there are also woollen-mills, machine shops, and
chemical works. Strassburg, in Lower Alsace, has many factories and breweries
in its suburbs. Niederbronn and the neighbouring villages have foundries,
construct railway carriages, and manufacture enamelled hardware. Lorraine,
being rich in iron and coal, has iron and steel works. The most important of
these are in the valley of the Orne, close to the French frontier : the coal mines
are in that of the Saar, to the south of Saarbriicken. Glass is manufactured at
Forbach, whilst Saargemiind is noted for its enamelled porcelain, its snufl'-boxes,
machines, and mathematical instruments. In addition to coal and iron, Lorraine
yields salt. The principal salt mines lie between the rivers Saar and Seille, and
more especially in the vicinity of Dieuze, Moyenvic, and Saaralbe. These mines
are for the first time mentioned in a document of the seventh century, and appear to
have been worked from the most remote times. Much of the salt is employed in
the chemical works established in their vicinity. Before concluding this notice of
the manufacturing industry of Lorraine we must mention the famous glass works of
St. Louis (Miinzthal), which employ 2,000 workmen, and turn out annually over
£300,000 worth of crystal glass.f
Alsace is well supplied with railways, the line first constructed, that from
Strassburg to Basel, being now joined to the railway systems of France and
Germany. The railway which runs from Ostend by way of Brussels, Luxemburg,
and Strassburg to Switzerland, is one of the great trunk lines of Europe. Since
the Germans have taken possession of the country several strategical lines have
• Of the total area of Alsaco-T.oiTaine, 46 ppr cent, is arable land, 12 per cent, meadows, 2 per cent,
vineyards, 1\ per cent, gardens, 31 per cent, forests, and 7f per cent, uncultivated.
t Occupations (187.5): — 14,.'in8 miners; 11,78.1 persons employed in potteries and glass works;
11,785 in the manufacture of machines imd instruments; 75,075 in the textile industries ; 15,905 worked
in wood; 14,609 were engaged in the preparation of articles of food and drink; 29,850 in making wear-
ing apparel, &e.
Wining (1876) :— Coal, 376,044 tons; iron ores, 664,498 tons: asphalt, 59.238 cwts. ; petroleum,
10,953 cwts. ; salt, 37,304 tons. In the same year 19S,279 tons of pig-iron were made.
ALSACE AND GEBMAN LORRAINE. 1T7
been constructed. They connect the formidable fortresses which have converted
the country into a vast entrenched camp.
Most of the trade in the viUages of Alsace is in the hands of Jews, who are
very numerous.
Topography.
Upper Alsace. — Huningen (2,210 inhabitants) is the first town met with on
leaving Switzerland. It was famous formerly on account of its fortifications,
which were razed in 1815. The Rhine is spunned here by a bridge of boats. The
fish-breeding establishment set up by the French Government is now rendering
good service to its successors.
Mulhamen (Mulhouse, 65,361 inhabitants) is the industrial centre of Upper
Alsace. The " Town of Mills " occupies a favourable position at the foot of the
hills of the Sundgau, and at the head of navigation of the 111. For nearlj' three
centuries (1506 — 1795) a member of the Swiss Confederation, the town was able
freely to develop its indu.stries, and became one of the manufacturing capitals of
Europe. Its leading manufacturers are members of a few old families, united by
ties of relationship like a clan, and thus able to bring their joint influence to
bear upon the markets of the world. In 1853 one of these families constructed the
first " workman's city," which has since served as a pattern to many others. This
cite consists now of over a thousand neat cottages, surrounded by gardens.* Miil-
hausen most energetically resisted annexation to Germany, and thousands of its
inhabitants emigrated into France. The town, however, has recovered since, and,
like all manufacturing places, it attracts numerous settlers.
Altkirch (3,007 inhabitants), on the road to Belfort, is known for its potteries.
All other towns in this part of the country are dependencies of Miilhausen.
MaHmiinster (Massevaux, 2,784 inhabitants) lies in the valley of the DoUer, to the
westward. The river Thur, towards the north-west, rises at the foot of the
Rheinkopf, and flows past Wcmerllitg, St. Amarin (2,025 inhabitants), Thann
(7,544 inhabitants), and Sennheim (Ceraay, 3,965 inhabitants). The Lauch, fed
from an artificial lake at the foot of the Bolchen, propels the wheels of the cotton-
mills of Gebireiler (11,622 inhabitants), Siik (4,987 inhabitants), and BoUu-nlcr.
Of all these towns Gebweiler is the most populous, but Thann, with its fine Gothic
church and the ruins of the Engelburg, is the most curious. The best red wine of
the country grows on the hills near it.
Colmar (22,728 inhabitants), thanks to its central position on the 111, has been
chosen administrative capital of Upper Alsace. It is a mediajval town, with a fine
Gothic church and several curious private houses. Monuments have been raised in
honour of Generals Rapp and Bruat, who were natives of the place. The industrial
establishments of Colmar are for the most part situate on the canal of Logelbach,
to the west of the town. The canal is fed by the Fecht, and, ascending that river,
we pass the old walled town of Tiirkheim (2,547 inhabitants), and reach Miiiisfer
• Each of these cottagea eosts, on an average, £120. After sixteen or twenty-two years' payment of
rent the cottage becomes the property of the tennut.
84
178 GEEMAinr.
(5,148 inhabitants) and its cotton-mills, situated in one of the most picturesque
viilleys of the Vosges. Near Egviheim, a small village to the south of Colmar,
the bones of human beings and extinct animals have been found in the glacial
drift.
Colmar is an open town now, its ramparts having been converted into public
walks, but Neii-Breisach (2,772 inhabitants), to the west of it, is an important
fortress guarding one of the passes over the Rhine, and faces Freiburg and the
principal pass through the Black Forest.
In the fertile plain of the 111, to the north of Colmar, and in the side valleys
of the Vosges, towns and villages are numerous. Kaisersherg (2,507 inhabitants) is
situate at the mouth of the Weiss. Rapjjoltaweiler (Ribeauville, 5,785 inhabitants),
famous for its wines, occupies an analogous position on the Streng. Markirch (Ste.
Marie-aux-Mines, 8,141 inhabitants) stands on the Upper Leber, in the heart of the
Vosges. There are no mines, but the town is a rival of Barmen and Elberfeld,
employing several thousand weavers scattered throughout the neighbouring
villages. Markirch carries on a considerable commerce with St. Die, on the
French slope of the Vosges.
Lower Alsace. — Descending the Leber, we reach Schlettstadt (9,088 inhabit-
ants), a dismantled fortress. Within sight of it the ruins of the Hohe Kdnigsburg '
crown the summit of a hill. Andlau (1,906 inhabitants). Ban- (5,945 inhabitants),
and Mohheim (3,085 inhabitants), lie at the foot of the hills : Waselheim (Wasselonne,
3,250 inhabitants) and Schirmeck (994 inhabitants) are situate within them. The
quarries of the place named last have furnished most of the stone required for
the construction of the new forts of Strassburg.
Strassburg (92,379 inhabitants), the capital of Alsace, is one of the ' historical
cities of Europe. Its geographical position, near the confluence of the 111 with the
Rhine, and at a point where the latter, flowing between high banks, presents a less
formidable obstacle than elsewhere, is a very favourable one. A town has occupied
this site as far back as we know, and modern Strassburg, the " Town of Roads," is
the representative of the Roman Argentoratura. The Frankish kings resided here,
and the fairs of Strassburg were much frequented during the Middle Ages. The
town might have become a great centre of industry had not its fine strategical
position attracted the attention of military men. A " bulwark of the empire "
two hundred years ago, it became, under Louis XIV., one of the great fortresses
of France. Since its recapture by the Germans in 1870 the fortifications have
been much strengthened. Twelve detached forts and numerous smaller works
surround the town at a distance of from 3 to 5 miles, and its environs thus
form an entrenched camp. Three of these forts are on the Baden side of the
Rhine. The old citadel is about to be razed, and its site will be utilised for
the construction of a dock for receiving a military flotilla. Warlike enter-
prises have prevented the town from attaining that importance as a place of
commerce and industry which would appear to be due to the principal stage on
the road from Paris to Vienna.
Strassburg, in its general aspects, still retains much of its old character.
g
n
a
N
M
H
t*
O
o
a
a
H
a
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M
of
ALSACE AND GERMAN LORRAINE.
179
Narrow winding streets abound, as do houses with gabled roofs and carved fronts.
High above all rises the lofty steeple of the famous minster, constructed of red
sandstone. This is one of the most remarkable buildings of the world, being
surpassed in height only by the cathedral of Rouen, the Great Pyramid, and the
church of St. Nicholas at H:imburg. Master Erwin of Steinbach, one of its
architects, has immortalised himself in the great western portal. Standing upon
Fig. 103. — STRA88BUHG.
Scale 1 : 133,000.
■ 2 Miles.
the platform of the minster, the town lies spread out beneath us like a map, and
the eye ranges as far as the Voages and the Black Forest.
A monument has been erected to Marshal Saxe in the Protestant church of St.
Thomas. Statues of General Kleber and Gutenberg occupy the principal square.
As befitted a town which has played a leading part in the history of printing,
Strassburg boasted the possession of a valuable library. The general who
180
GERMANY.
bombarded the town in 1870 had the courage to direct his shells upon the building
which contained this invaluable collection of 300,000 volumes, and it became a prey
Fig. 104. — The Strassdurq Minster.
to the flames. The Protestant library of 100,000 volumes was destroyed on the
same occasion. A new library has siuce been formed, but it is the property of the
ALSACE AND GERMAN LORRAINE.
181
German University,* and not of the town. Strassburg is a centre of much literary
activity, and the seat of many scientific societies.
Thousands of Germans have settled in Strassburg since its recovery, and the
suburbs and surrounding villages are ever incrensing in size. The proposed new-
enceinte will encircle the villages of Schiltigheim (5,653 inhatiitants), Honhcim, and
Rupreehtnau (Robertsau), to the north of the town, as well as the fine park known
as the " Orangerie." Most of the industrial establishments of Strassburg are in
the suburbs. Strassburg is noted for its sauer- kraut, its beer, and its goose-liver
patties.
Hagenau (11,000 inhabitants) is the principal town to the north of Strassburg.
Fig. 105. — 'Worth and Reichshofen.
SuUe 1 : 1,120,000.
7»4o E of a.
■ 2 Milee.
It is a wealthy old city, and was a favourite residence of the Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa. A forest, 42,000 acres in extent, adjoins it. Bmhweikr (t),531
inhabitants), 3 miles to the south-east, on the Moder, has manufactories, and
eo has Niederbronn (:?,830 inhabitants), to the north-west, a charming town, much
trequent^ on account of its mineral springs. Close by are the villages of Worth,
lieicliHhofeii (2,862 inhabitants), and Frosclin-eilcr, near which MacMahon's army
was overthrown in 1870 after a desperate resist incf. Formerly Northern Alsace
was defended by the lines of Wemenburg (6,152 inhabitants), a series of entrench-
• Straagburg Univereity was attended by 658 students in 1877, of whom 88 wero natives of Alsace-
Lorraine.
182
GEEMANY.
ments about 20 miles in extent, which Villers, early in the eighteenth century,
constructed along the right bank of the Lauter.
The hilly region bounding the plain of Northern Alsace has likewise become
famous in the military history of Western Europe. Zaberii ^Saverne, 5,771
inhabitants), the Ilonian Ti'es Taheniw, defends the principal pass of the Vosges.
Near it, during the Peasants' War, 16,000 of these unfortunate beings were
massacred by the troops of Anton of Lorraine after their lives had been promised
them. Pfalzburg (2,420 inhabitants), farther west, on the high-road to Paris, has
been dismantled. It only succumbed to hunger in 1870. The neighbouring fort
of Lutzekttin (Petite-Pierre) was not even defended. Bitsch (1,987 inhabitants),
Fig. 106.— Metz.
Scale 1 : 200,000.
ID 11/
3*40 fl.of r.l
^^.»ar!e^rfht,>.,V_^ " Y^'t^rat-I
(hiilcl
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'y^ij\ ^'■■^y(^Ml^
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. iMHo.
in the north, is really impregnable, its casemates being hewn out of the solid rock.
It only surrendered after the treaty of peace had been signed. The population
of the whole of this district is very warlike. No other town counts so many
generals amongst its children as Pfalzburg.
Saargemund (Sarreguemines, 8,466 inhabitants) is the only important town in
the valley of the Saar (Sarre), but, like Forhach (4,729 inhabitants), St. Acold
(2,715 inhabitants), and other places in the vicinity, it has been surpassed by the
Prussian town of Saarbriicken, which enjoys the advantage of lying in the centre
of a most productive coal basin. The towns of Dieuze (2,659 inhabitants),
Moyenvic, Vic (2,114 inhabitants), and Chateau- Siilim (2,060 inhabitants), on the
Seille or its affluent, the Little Seille, are known on account of their salt mines.
1^
ALSACE AND GEEMAN LOKBAINE. 188
Marsal is an old fortress, which surrendered in 1870 after having been bombarded
for an hour. Bokhen (Bouluy, 2,520 inhabitants) is the only town in the valley
of the Nied.
Motz (53,151 inhabitants), the old capital of the department of the Moselle, is
an ancient city, deriving its name from the Mediomatrici, the people to whom it
belonged before the time of the Komans. Situated on a fertile peninsula formed
by the confluence of the Seille and Moselle, and surrounded by low-lying meadows,
the town was capable of resisting attacks ; and attacks were not wanting in the
case of a city lying within the debatable fr( ntier districts of France and Germany.
Fran9ois de Guise, in 1552, made a stout defence, but in 1870 the town yielded,
together with the 170,000 men who had been thrown back into it after the sangui-
nary battles of Mars-la-Tour, Bezonville, Gravelotte, and St. Privat.
Metz has been much strengthened since it has passed into the hands af
Germany. Its entrenched camp, formed by a line of detached forts, has a circum-
ference of 15 miles, and there are other works farther away from the town.
The outward aspect of the town is the same as before, but its streets are almost
deserted. They are narrow and tortuous, and many of the houses are sombre and
forbidding in appearance. The cathedral is one of the finest Gothic edifices of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The site of the old citadel has been converted
into a public garden, ornamented with the statues of Ney and Fabert, who were
born here, as were also Custine, Paixhans, and Pilatre de Rozier. An abundant
supply of water has been procured from the hills above Gorze, about 12 miles to
the south-weat of the town.
Metz is above all things a garrison town, and its manufactories are of less
importance than those of the far smaller town of Am-sur-MoiseUc (5,708 inhabitants),
which lies close to the frontier. Metz has much decreased in population since
its annexation to Germany, and notwithstanding the vast sums expended upon
fortifications, the town is becoming impoverished. In 1877 there were over 3,000
empty lodgings, and the value of house pi-operty had fallen, in the course of seven
years, from £4,400,000 to less than £2,000,000. Thionville (Diedenhofen, 7,168
inhabitants), to the north of Metz, is likewise a strong fortress, and, in case of
another war, hundreds of thousands of men could be launched forth from these
two places.
CnAPTER III.
THE RHINE AND THE MOSELLE.
(Baden, Hesse-Dakmstadt, Frankfort, Nassau, Palatinate, Bkenish Pbussia.)*
General Aspects. — The Rhine.
HE noble river which, on crossing the frontier of Switzerland, is
already one of the great water highways of Europe, irrigates
regions very different in their aspects. If it were not that the
Rhine forms a connecting link between Baden and Hesse, the
valleys of the Nahe, the Lahn, the Moselle, the Sieg, and the Ruhr
would each have to be studied separately. Tt is the Rhine which stamps a
common cliaracter upon regions so diverse in many respects.
The Celtic names of numerous towns and rivers, as well as the physical affinities
which anthropologists have noticed amongst the inhabitants dwelling along its
banks, prove to us that the Rhine, from the most remote ages, formed oue of the
highways followed by migratory tribes. The great lines of migration, however,
crossed the river transversely. To wandering hordes coming from the East, the
Neckar, the Main, and other eastern tributaries afforded easy access to the river,
but having once overcome the obstacle presented by it, these migrants found
themselves in the face of mountain ranges and plateaux which proved more
formidable than the river had done. Hence those incessant struggles whose
memory survives amongst the dwellers along the banks of the Rhine, and which
have rendered the river so famous. Poets speak of the Rhine almost as of a
sentient being, capable of comprehending the struggles of which it was a witness.
• Area and population of Rhenish Germany, exclusive of Alsace-Lorraine and the upper basins of
the Neckar, the Jlain, and the I.ippe :—
Baden .
Hesse-Da nnstadt
Nassau (I'russia)
Bavarian I'alatinate
Principality of liirkenfeld (Oldenburg)
Rhenish Prussia (Rhoinland) .
District of Amsberg , Westplialia) .
Total
Area.
Population.
Inh.abitants
Pq.M.
1S75.
to a Sq. M.
5,824
I,o07,l79
2.59
2,96o
884,218
298
2,14i5
679,012
3i6
2,292
641,2.54
280
195
37,093
190
10,413
3,804,:i81
366
2,972
981,741
330
2C,S06
8,534,878
319
THE RHINE AND THE MOSELLE.
185
107.— The Density of Population along the
Khink.
They speak of it as " Vater Rhein," and insensible though it be, is it not
virtually the " father " of the towns which rise upon its banks ?
But the Rhine has not only plaj^ed an important part in the struggles
between Gaul and German, it has also largely influenced the commercial history
of Western Europe. The other rivers of Germany rise far away from the
Mediterranean watershed, but the
Rhine descends from the Alps, its ^^
head-streams rising near the passes
affording the easiest access to Italy.
The plain of Switzerland connects the
valley of the Rhine with that of the
Rhone, thus forming a great natural
highway extending from the Mediter-
ranean to the German Ocean. More-
over, the Main and other affluents place
the Rhine in easy comniunication with
the basin of the Danube, thus facili-
tating commercial intercourse.
It is a curious feature that most of
the great towns should have been built
on the left bank of the Rhine, instead
of at the mouths of its eastern tribu-
taries. The fact that the left bank
was formerly occupied by the Romans
accounts for this. The military camps
established by Drusus and others grew
in process of time into cities. Three
great high-roads passing through Gaul
debouched upon the Rhine at Strass-
burg, Mayence, and Cologne, and a
military road ran along its left bank.
The right bank, at that time, had but
few inhabitants, and the Romans only
ventured across the river in their
military expeditions. At th.it period
it formed a veritable political boundary.
The western bank maintained its supe-
riority in civilisation throughout the
Middle Ages ; but an equality has in
course of time been established. Of the two lines of railway which now skirt
the banks of the Rhine, that on the right side is virtually far more important
than the one which supersedes the old Roman road.
The Upper Rhine tonninates in the Lake of Constanz, which separates
Germany from Switzerland, but lies for the most part within Gennan territory.
86
Inhabltanta to « Squmra Mil*
1
IQQ GERMANY.
On issuing from this ancient "Sea of Swabia," the Rhine once more returns to
Switzerland ; but having forced its way through the Jura, it abruptly turns to
the north on reaching Basel, and leaves the region of the Alps for ever
behind it.
The course of the Rhine below Basel naturally divides itself into three
sections. From Basel to Mayence the river meanders over a broad plain, once
occupied by an ancient inland lake. At Bingen, below Mayence, it enters a
mountain defile, which it leaves at Bonn, after which it traverses a wide alluvial
plain, and bifurcating, reaches the sea through several arms, into the principal
amongst which the Meuse (Maas) discharges itself. Each of these sections is
characterized by special features.
There exists no evidence of the wide lacustrine plain of the Middle Rhine,
between Basel and Bingen, having ever been occupied by a glacier. No traces
have been discovered there of the vast river of ice which from Switzerland
spread over the plateau of Swabia, nor have erratic blocks been found on the
Taunus or the Niederwald, ranges of hills which bound the alluvial plain in the
north. Yet, although the ice may not actually have invaded this vast depres-
sion, 170 miles in length and 18 wide, it is to glacial action that the debris, gravel,
and sand which fill it now must in a large measure be traced. The vast deposits,
which now cover to an unknown depth an area of 3,000 square miles, have been
conveyed thither by glacial currents. Most of these deposits are traceable to
the Alps and the Jura, and along the sides of the vaUey they are partially
concealed beneath layers of gravel derived from the Vosges and the Black
Forest. The lateral terraces of the valley, up to a height of 300 and even 600
feet above the Rhine, are in many localities covered with a deposit of loess, or
loam, some 250 feet in thickness. This loess consists of finely comminuted
sand and pulverulent loam combined with carbonate of lime, and is replete with fresh-
water shells of species still living in the arctic regions ; and the bones of extinct
mammals have also been found in it. The Rhine has scooped itself out a passage
through this loess, and although no longer the mighty river as of yore, the
matter held in suspension by it and carried down stream is immense. At
Germersheim the bed of the Rhine is supposed to contain 1,000 cubic yards
of gravel to every yard of length, and to carry this mass annually a distance
of 275 yards down stream. The mud yearly washed past the same place has
been calculated at 2,710,000 cubic yards. M. Daubree estimates that the mud
annually carried down the Rhine would form a cube having sides 340 feet in
length. The sand of the Rhine contains a few particles of gold, but the quantity
is 80 small now as not any longer to repay the labour involved in searching for
it. Up to 1850 about £2,000 worth was abstracted every year.
The Rhine, in its progress through the wide valley extending from Basel to
Mayence, winds much about, and the floods, which occur annually, continually
change its channels and displace its islands. Neuburg, a village near Germersheim,
was built in 1570 on the right bank of the river, but stands now on the left
bank, its original site not having been changed. In the time of the Romans
THE EHINE AND THE MOSELLE.
187
and during the Middle Ages, when quagmires extended for miles along the banks
of the river, rendering access to them difficult, the few favoured spots where its
volume was confined to a single bed bounded by solid banks were naturally
much appreciated. In the present century the Rhine is rapidly being converted
into a navigation canal, having a uniform width of 820 feet. It is no longer
permitted to invade the districts bordering upon it, the old marshes and deserted
channels are being drained and cultivated, and roads and railways running along
loftj' embankments afford access to every part of the country.*
After its union with the Main, the Rhine, being turned aside by the spurs of the
Fig. 108. — MKAWDEHraOS op the HhINE HETWEEN GEaMESSHEIM AND SPEVEB.
Seale 1 : IM.OOa
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Taunus, flows to the west, and having discovered at the Binger Loch, or Gup of
Bingen, the weakest point in the opposing mountain range, it engages in a narrow
rock-bound defile, which forms as it were a fluviatile gateway between Southern
* llie delivery of the Rhine ia as follows: —
At KeM.
At Lanterbur^.
12,360
16,-130 cubic feet per second.
33,763
39,060
16.1,4.56
176,936 „ „
In summer
<)n an average throughout the year .
Whrn in flood .....
The (ffi'ct of the conversion of the Rhine into a nAvigation canal may be judged from the fact that
it« Iftigtli, an far as it waslieB Lower Alsace, has been reduced from 484,290 feet in 1838, to 380,500 feet
in 18UU.
188
GERMANY.
and Northern Germany. The mountains which it traverses, in this part of its
course form a connecting link between those of Bohemia and the Ardennes,
and have a width of 60 miles. It must not, however, be supposed that the
Rhine did not reach the North Sea until it had excavated the tortuous gorge
through which it flows at present. River terraces have been discovered at an
elevation of 550 feet above the present bed of the Rhine. Their occurrence is
explained by a gradual rise of the land, during the progress of which the Rhine
shaped out its present bed.
Formerly the spot where the Rhine enters its narrow gorge was dreaded on
Fig. 109.— The "Mouse" and St. Goab.
account of rapids and sunken rocks. The removal of these obstacles to naviga-
tion may have deprived the landscape of some picturesque features, but the
scenery is even now strikingly beautiful. The town of Bingen, embosomed in
trees, stretches along the river on the left, and climbs a hill, as if desirous of
peeping down into the valley of the Nahe ; the old " Mouse Tower " rises on
a rock in the centre of the river ; the castle of Ehrenfels hangs on the slopes of
the Niederwald, itself surmounted by a colossal statue intended to commemorate
the " Wacht am Rhein."
THE EHINE AND THE MOSELLE.
189
Ehrenfels is the first of a series of castles, many of them in ruins, which
occupy every coin of vantage. Rheinstein, Falkenburg, Sooneck, Fiirstenberg,
and Stahleck occupy promontories on the left bank ; the Pfalz stands on a rock
in the middle of the river ; whilst Gutenfels, on the east, looks down from its
slate rock upon the town of Caub. Then appear Schonberg (Schomberg) and
Fig. 110. — The Vineyards of thb Khinb.
According to PutsPCT.
f- lofGr.
M«Jin Tamp«raturt of Summar
MiM« /Jutriel
Rheinfels on the left bank, and the inimical castles of the "Cat" and the
" Mouse " frown at each other menacingly from two neighbouring hills.
Liebenstein, Sternfels, and Marxburg crown prominent summits lower down
the river. Stolzenfels rises proudly on a rock facing the mouth of the
Labn.
190
GERMANY.
In the side valleys of the Rhine the old castles are equally numerous, and well
may Theophile Gautier ask how their owners, those birds of prey of the Middle Age,
contrived to live, seeing that their area of pillage was thus restricted. But these
ruins are not merely associated with pillage and the clang of arms. Every castle,
nay, every rock and promontory, has its legend, and this legendary lore has
proved a fertile source from which poets have drawn their inspirations. The
bold rock known as the Lorelei is the most famous amongst the promontories.
The Rhine rushes wildly along its foot, and the rocks, which formerly impeded
its course, caused many a boatman to perish, whose cries of anguish were repeated
fifteen times by a mocking echo.
Picturesque scenery, old castles, and historical associations are not, however,
the only things which have rendered the Rhine famous, for its skty cliffs produce
one of the best appreciated wines of the world. The vines are cultivated in terraces,
and in good years the formidable labour of the tcinzers is richly rewarded. Rhenish
wine has supplied German poets -with one of their most fertile themes, and even
prose writers speak of it with raptures.*
The only affluent of any importance which the Rhine receives between
Bingen and Lahnstein is the Wisper, known on account of its alternating gusts
of wind, which blow down towards the Rhine in the morning and up the valley
in the evening. A short distance below the river Lahn, which rises in the hills
of Hesse, the valley of the Rhine widens, and it is joined on the left by the
Moselle, a tortuous river, bounded by steep hills, famous for their wine. So
winding is the course of the Moselle that it is next to impossible to utilise it as
a road of commerce. The main roads, instead of following its valley, run over
the hills which bound it.
Both the Moselle and the Lahn join the Rhine at right angles, and conjointly
they occupy a depression intersecting it transversely, and running parallel with
the general axis of the mountains. The Nahe and the Lower Main, together with
the connecting portion of the Rhine, occupy a similar depression.
To the north of the basin of Coblenz the Rhine enters a second defile, that
of Andernach. This gorge is less wild than that of Bingen, and the hills
bounding the river present gentler slopes. Gradually they retire, and finally
the Rhine debouches upon the vast alluvial plain which now occupies an ancient
gulf of the ocean. Having been joined by a few tributaries — the Sieg, the
Ruhr, and the Lippe — it swerves round to the west a short distance from the
Dutch frontier and the head of its delta. In this portion of its course the
Rhine is as erratic as in the plains of Alsace and the Palatinate. Traces of
deserted channels abound, and between Diisseldorf and Crefold may be seen an
old bed of the Rhine which extends to the north-west, and joins the Meuse
(Maas) to the south of Cleves. Careful measurements continued for more than
a century show that the volume of the river has sensibly diminished. At
Emmerich, with an average depth of about 10 feet, the mean level in 1835 was
• In England Rhenish wine ia usually known as Hock, from Hoehheim, a town on the Main.
THE EHINE AND THE MOSELLE. 191
16 inches lower than it had been in 1770. At Germersheim the average delivery
between 1840 and 1853 amounted to 45,630 cubic feet ; between 1854 and 1867
it was only 37,680 cubic feet.*
MoUNT.tlNS.
Thk Black Forest (Schwarzwald), which bounds the valley of the Rhine in
Southern Germany, is one geological fragment of an ancient mountain system, of
which the Vosges are the other. The wide gap now separating the two originated
during the miocene age, when it was scooped out by torrents flowing to the south,
and the debris deposited at the foot of the Alps. After the glacial age the floods
set in a contrary direction, carrying pebbles and loam into the valley of the
Rhine. Notwithstanding these great geological revolutions, the formations of the
two mountain ranges present singular analogies. Granite forms the nucleus of
both, its pyramids and domes frequently rising for hundreds of feet above the
surrounding beds of red sandstone. Rocks of the oolitic and triassic formations
partly conceal the red sandstone, and porphyry has been erupted not only in the
Vosges, but also in the Black Forest.
The Black Forest is bounded in the south and west by the Rhine and its broad
alluvial plain ; but in the east, towards Swabia, it would be difficult to indicate
its precise boundary. We may, however, accept the beds of shell limesto le as
forming its natural eastern boundary, more especially as those dark forests of
firs and pines to which the Schwarzwald is indebted for its name do not extend
beyond them. The valley of the Kinzig separates the principal group of the Black
Forest from the inferior heights to the north. A railway runs up this river and
one of its tributaries, the Gutach, finally climbing the steep slopes which lead up
to the hilly plateau bounding the valley of the Neckar. Farther north still, the
vallej' of the Murg penetrates the Black Forest, which extends as far as the gap of
Pforzheim (825 feet), where it terminates.
The Black Forest presents a bold front towards the plain of the Rhine, but
merges almost imperceptibly into the plateau of Swabia towards the east. Its
highest summits rise above the region of forests, the most elevated amongst
them being the Feldberg (4,901 feet). They belong to the same geological
formation as the culminating summits of the Alps, and more than eighty species
of Alpine plants have been gathered upon them. A wide bay, the centre of which
is occupied by the city of Freiburg, penetrates the western face of the mountains ;
whilst right out in the plain, and close to the Rhine, rises the detached basaltic
cone of the Kaiserstuhl (Rmperor's Chair, 1,875 feet), upon whoso summit
Rudolph of Habsburg is said to have hold a court of justice. It commands one of
the finest prospects on the Rhine, the surrounding country, with its woods and
mi-adows, being bounded by distant mountains. The Black Forest is rich in
savage and lovely scenery, but the great mass of its visitors are content to explore
the immediate vicinity of Baden-Baden.
• Totallonffth of the Rhine, 699 miles ; area or its catchment basin, 97,218 square miles; average
delivery at Emmerich, "8,050 cubic feet.
192
GERMANY.
Forests still constitute the great wealth of the Schwarzwald, even though
many slopes have been robbed of them. Attempts to cultivate the land thus
disafforested have not always been successful. The peasants of Kniebes, at the
foot of a mountain bearing the same name, destroyed the forest which had
afforded them a maintenance, but the fields which took its place refused to yield a
remunerative harvest. In the end they were driven to abandon their village, and
the forest has been replanted. The mines, which were formerly very productive,
have for the most part been abandoned, and many of the mountaineers annually
descend into the plain in search of work. Those who remain at home employ their
leisure in plaiting straw, and more especially in the manufacture of clocks, a
Fig. 111.-
-The Pass of the Gutach.
Scale I : 158,000.
y 55' KotParls
l^rii^sfefd '150
8"i6' E.ofG.
8*25'
2 Jliles.
branch of indu,stry which originated here. Manufactories, too, are springing up,
and the tourist, stepping out from the dense forest, is occasionally surprised by
suddenly coming upon a factory, with its smoking chimneys and swarms of factory
hands.
The wooded hills which form the continuation of the Black Forest, to the
north of the gap of Pforzheim, attain only a moderate height. They terminate
close to Heidelberg, in the Konigstuhl (1,900 feet). Beyond the Neckar the
country rises once more, forming the Odenwald. This region of hills is of granitic
and crystalline formation in the west, where it sinks down boldly into the vale of the
Rhine and Main, whilst sandstone prevails in the east, with mas.ses of volcanic
THE RHINE AND THE MOSELLE. 193
rocks, one of which forms the Katzenbuckel (Cat's Back, 2,060 feet). The Western
Odenwald is a varied region of gentle hills, well-cultivated valleys, and numerous
villages, whilst the East is generally sterile, and covered with forests. One of the
most remarkable summits in the former is the Felsberg (1,695 feet), rising in the
midst of a " sea of rocks," or Felsenmeer. It is but little inferior in height to
the Malchus, or Melibocus (1,700 feet), the culminating point of the entire range.
Emigration has been very active in the Odenwald, and whilst the " emigration
fever " was at its height, the inhabitants of entire villages, headed by the burgo-
master, quitted their homes.
The Spessart, to the east of the Main, is geologically looked upon as a pendant
of the Black Forest, but is equally a member of the mountain system of Central
Germany. A wide alluvial plain stretches from the Odenwald northward beyond
the Main to the foot of the Taunus (2,890 feet), the reverse slope of which sinks
down gently towards the Lahn. It is pierced in many places by basalt, which
apparently has some connection with the mineral springs which abound in that
part of Germany.
The Hunsriick (2,672 feet), to the west of the gorge of the Rhine, is a
continuation of the Taunus, filling the country between the Nahe and the Moselle.
Like the Taunus, it is composed of argillaceous schists, and wooded, and it forms
bold cliffs towards the valleys which bound it. On the south it joins the Hardt, a
northern continuation of the Vosges, extending into the Bavarian Palatinate.
The Hardt rises steeply from the plain of the Rhine, and slopes away gently
towards the north and west. A large cavity in its centre is now a peat moss, but
was formerly occupied by a lake. Upon the table-land of the Hardt rises the
isolated porphyritic cone known as the Donnersberg, or Thunderer (2,260 feet).
Upon its summit may still be traced a line of ancient fortification, and many Celtic
coins have been discovered there.
Vast tracts of the Hardt are sterile and incapable of cultivation, and the
climate, more especially in the " Westrich," is very inclement, hardly anything but
potatoes succeeding there. Ever since 1689, when the Palatinate was for the first
time laid waste by the French, its inhabitants have emigrated in large numbers.
Recently, however, the discovery of a productive coal basin around Saarbrucken
has led to the foundation of numerous industrial establishments, which provide
employment for the surplus population. This coal basin covers an area of 1,200
square miles, and the coal beds are supposed to extend to a depth of 25,000 feet
below the sea- level.
The country between the Moselle and the Mouse (Maas) is hilly, and deep
valleys, with limpid streams flowing over rocky beds, intersect it. The cold and
dreary plateau of the Ardennes extends into Germany. It is only sparsely
wooded now, but is nevertheless superior in that respect to the arid mountain
group of the Hohe Venn (2,280 feet), to the north of it. Wide tracts there are
covered with peat mosses, and in 1684 and 1825, when the summer was excep-
tionally dry, the turf caught fire, and burnt for sovenil months, until extinguished
by the winter's snow. The Eifel, which extends from the Ardennes and the Venn
194
GEEMANY.
to ihe Rhine, is likewise a sterile country, very thinly peopled. Vast tracts of it
are covered with blocks of rock, which it is necessary to remove before the land
can be cultivated. In some parts the land is allowed to lie fallow for fifteen and
even twenty years, after which the grass that has sprung up in the meantime is
burnt, and oats are sown in the ashes. After two or three years' cultivation these
fields are once more abandoned.
The Eifel is remarkable on account of its extinct volcanoes, presenting regular
cones, craters, streams of lava, and heaps of scoriae. Crater lakes, locally known
as tnaare, form a distinct feature of this volcanic district. The most remarkable
Fig. 112.— The Lake of Laach.
Scale I : 135,000,
. a Miles.
amongst these lakes is that of Laach, which covers an area of 830 acres, and has a
depth of 200 feet. Within a radius of 5 miles of it no less than thirty-one crater.s
have been discovered, but the cnp-shaped cavity now occupied by the lake appears
to have been produced by a gaseous explosion. Lava never flowed from it, though
it ejected scoriae and other volcanic products. Numerous gaseous springs rise on
the bottom of this lake and in its environs, and carbonic acid gas escapes in a
neighbouring peat moss. The surplus waters of the lake are di.scharged through a
tunnel, constructed in the twelfth century. Extensive tracts are covered with
pumice, not only on the left bank of the Rhine, but also on the right, as far
THE RHINE AND THE MOSELLE.
195
as Marburg, 60 miles away. The thick tufa beds of the valley of Brohl supply
millstones, which are exported even to America, The huge lava stream of Nieder
Mendig, to the south of the lake, furnishes excellent building stones, and has been
quarried from the most remote age. The brewers of the neighbourhood have
converted some of the abandoned quarries into beer cellars.
The volcanoes of the Eifel, with the exception of the Aspenkippel, a basaltic
cone near Giessen, are the only ones of Germany which have preserved their craters
intact. The Roderberg, near Bonn, is the northernmost of these volcanoes. The
" Seven Mountains," or Siebengebirge, which face it, are of igneous origin too.
Fig.
18.— Thb
SlERENOEBIROE, OR SeTBN MorNTAINS.
Scale 1 : 133,000.
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but are without volcanic vents They are composed of trachyte and basalt,
and though of inferior elevation, their culminating summit, the Oelberg, only
attaining a height of 1,5"20 feet, they have become famous on account of their
picturesque scenery and their legends. On the Drachenfels (Dragon's Rock),
which rises bjjldly above the floods of the Rhine, Siegfried killed the monster
which guarded the treasures of the Nibelungs.
Schistose plateaux, intersected by numerous tributaries of the Rhine, extend
to the north and east of this volcanic region as far as the hills of Hesse. The
Westerwald (2,155 feet), between the Lahn and the Sieg, has partly been robbed
196 GERMANY.
of its woods, and extensive tracts are now covered with peat mosses. The hilly-
district to the north of the Sieg, pierced in many places by basalt, extends
westward as far as the Sauerland ; that is, " Souther Land," thus named with
reference to its position to the vast plains of Lower Westphalia and Hanover.
The Rothhaar range and the plateau of the Winterberg (2,760 feet) extend
eastward to the banks of the Weser, whilst the table-land of the Haarstrang rises
boldly on the northern bank of the Ruhr, but sinks down gently towards the
north until it merges in the plains of Lippe.
Striking are the contrasts presented by the valley of the Rhine and the
mountains which bound it. The Suevi and Alemanni who dwell in the Black
Forest and the Palatinate, the Franks of the northern heights and the Catti of Hesse,
occupying remote regions, still represent the Germany of a bygone age. The
inhabitants of the plain, on the other hand, have been stirred into activity by
wars and commerce. The " highlanders " of some parts of the Rhine countries
are amongst the least civilised of Germans, whilst the dwellers in the plain occupy
a foremost rank by their industry and commerce. Yet all these flourishing cities
are more or less dependent upon the mountain valleys for their existence. It is
there they recruit their population, and it is the products of the mountains which
in a large measure feed their commerce.
Towns.
Baden. — Consfanz (12,003 inhabitants), at the lower end of the Bodensee, where
the Rhine flows out of that lake, is the first German town we meet in a journey
down the river. In the fifteenth century, when the famous Council was held
there, Constanz was an important town of 40,000 inhabitants, much frequented
by Italian merchants, and noted for its linens. Wars and sieges robbed it of its
prosperity, and towards the close of the last century its population had dwindled
down to 4,000 souls. Of late the town has been reviving, for its delightful environs
attract tourists in shoals, and like its neighbours, Ueberlingen (3,864 inhabitants)
and Meersburg, on the northern shore of the lake, it has become a favourite summer
resort. Mainau is an island near the town, with a summer residence of the
Grand Duke of Baden. Constanz occupies a situation on the Bodensee somewhat
analogous to that of Geneva on the Leman, but no great commercial advantages
accrue to it in consequence, for, owing to the Bodensee forming several large bays,
other towns, such as Lmlwigshnfen on the Bay of Ueberlingen, Eodolfssell (1,803
inhabitants) on the Untersee, and SMii on the Rhine, possess similar advantages.
The great lines of traffic, moreover, cross the lake from north to south, and not from
east to west. Singen, an important railway junction, lies to the west of the lake,
and near it are the lacustrine beds of Oeningen, replete with remains of insects,
fishes, and animals, supposed to have been killed by mephitic vapours which
suddenly arose from the bottom of the lake. A small volcano vomited flames
close by.
In the upper b.isin of the Danube there are a few Baden towns of note,
BADEN.
197
including Villingen (5,578 inhabitants) ; but on the southern slope of the Black
Forest, and along the Rhine below Schailhausen, no town of importance whatever
is met with, the land capable of cultivation consisting but of a narrow strip lying
between the river and the foot of its wooded mountains. Wuldshut (2,347
inhabitants), the most important town of that district, is situate on the Rhine,
opposite the mouth of the Aar. Lorrach (6,249 inhabitants), at the south-western
angle of the Black Forest, owes its importance to the vicinity of Basel, whose
capitalists have founded numerous spinning-mills in the valley of the Wiese, the
mouth of which it guards. A railway runs up the valley to the manufacturing
villages of Schopfheim (2,492 inhabitants), Hausen, and Zell (2,156 inhabitants).
Hebel, the Swabian poet, was a native of Hausen.
The principal towns of the plain of Baden to the north of Basel are built at
Fijf. 114. — The Lake of Const anz (Constance).
Scale 1 : 610.000.
lOUilei.
the mouths of the valleys of the Schwarzwald, and not on the banks of the Rhine.
The first town which we reach by travelling along the ancient highway running
at the foot of the mountains is Miilheim (3,089 inhabitants), near which are
the mineral springs of Badenweiler, already known to the Romans. We next
reach the famous city of Freiburg (30,595 inhabitants), the capital of the Breisgau,
a district named after the town of Breisach (3,212 inhabitants), built on a volcanic
rock opposite to the town of Neu Breisach, on the left bank of the Rhine, and
formerly known as one of the " Keys " of Germany.
Freiburg has prospered no less in consequence of its favourable geographical
position than because of " privileges " granted to it. The route from the Danube
across the Black Forest debouches there upon the plain of the Rhino. The
Romans recognised the importance of this position by establishing one of their
193 GERMANY.
camps there, and later on the Counts of Ziihringen erected a stronghold upon a
neio-hbouring hill. In the sixteenth century, when Danubian commerce was
more brisk than it is now, Freiburg had 40,000 inhabitants. At the present day-
it is known rather for its charming situation and fine cathedral than because
of its commerce and industry. It boasts also of a small university, known as the
Alberfina, from its founder, Duke Albert. A monument commemorates the
memory of Berthold Schwarz, the reputed inventor of gunpowder.
Lahr (8,491 inhabitants), a small manufacturing town, lies in a valley at some
distance from the main road. OJfenbiirg (6,587 inhabitants) occupies a favourable
position on the Kinzig, and at the foot of a pass leading over the Black Forest.
Its growth would no doubt have been more rapid had it not been for the greater
attraction exercised by Strassburg, whose cathedral peeps out above the trees on
the horizon.
Baden-Baden (10,958 inhabitants), the most populous town of this portion of
the Black Forest, is wholly indebted to its springs for the prosperity it enjoys.
Situate in the charming valley of the Oos, this ancient residential seat of the
Dukes of Baden attracts annually some 50,000 visitors, amongst whom French-
men were formerly very numerous. The hottest of the thirteen mineral springs
of this Aure/ia Aquensis of the Romans has a temperature now of 144'^ F.,
bat, to judge from the silica deposited around, it must have been much hotter
formerly.
Historical associations abound in the country which extends from Baden to
Heidelberg. An obelisk near the village of Sasbach marks the spot of Turenne's
death in 1675. Rastatt (12,219 inhabitants), a fortress defending the valley of the
Murg, recalls the Congress which sat there duiing the wars of the Revolution in
1797 to 1799, and at the close of which the French plenijwtentiaries were assas- .
ainated.
Karlsruhe (42,895 inhabitants), the modern capital of Baden, dates no further
tack than the beginning of the seventeenth century. It lies off the great
historical highway, which runs to the east of it, through Ettlingen (5,288
inhabitants) and Durkich (6,782 inhabitants). A creation of caprice, Karls-
ruhe gradually grew into a town of importance after it had become the seat of
Government and the centre of a network of railways. The Grand Ducal palace,
with its park, occupies the centre of the town, and thirty-two radii diverge from
it. It is a neat town, with several fine buildings, a museum, a library, and a
technical high school attended by 800 students.
Pforzheim (23,692 inhabitants), to the south-west of Karlsruhe, on the Enz,
a tributary of the Neckar, recalls the Porta; Hcrcymce of the Romans. It has
become a great industrial centre since French immigrants introduced the
manufacture of jewellery, which now occupies 8,000 artisans in the town and
neighbouring villages. Most of the jewellery manufactured at Pforzheim is of
inferior quality, 13^ carat gold being legally permitted to be used.*
• In 1873 Pforzheim exported 72 tons of jewellery; Hauau, 40 tons; Gmiind, 10 tons; and Stutt-
gart, 6 tons.
B3
a
►J
Q
W
M
BADEN.
199
J9;-Mc//«a/ (10,811 inhabitants) lies on the old high-road, at the foot of the
mountains. Its port on the Rhine is PhilippHburg (2,407 inhabitants), formerly
a fortress of considerable importance. Bretten (-3,606 inhabitants), a small town
ubove Bruchsal, and in the same valley, was the birthplace of Melancthon.
Heidilberg (23,918 inhabitants) and Mannheim (46,453 inhabitants) are sister
towns, the one situate at the juiiCtion of the Neckar with the Rhine, the other
some 12 miles above that junction, where the Neckar debouches upon the
plain. Heidelberg claims to be the most beautiful town of all Germany, and
indeed there are but few places outside the valleys of the Alps which can
compare with it. It occupies a narrow strip of land in the valley of the Neckar,
its houses on the one side climbing the hill-slopes, whilst on the other they
spread out over the plain. An ancient castle, partly destroyed by the French
Fig. 115. — Kaulsruhk.
Scale 1 : 80,000.
it —
. 1 Mile.
in 1692, occupies a hill above the town. The shady walks which surround it,
and the magnificent view to be enjoyed from its terrace, add no little to the
attractions of Heidelberg. The environs of the town abound in delightful walks,
the Konigsstuhl to the south, the Heiligenberg to the north, the villages of Neckar-
geniiind (2,103 inhabitants) and Neckarsteinach, in the sinuous valley of the
Neckar, and the gardens of Schicetzingen (4,277 inhabitants), out in the plain,
forming as many centres of attraction. But Heidelberg is famous, in addition, on
account of its university, founded in 1386, and attended by 800 students, many
of whom are foreigners.
Mannheim, on the other hand, is a mo<lem town, founded by Dutch immi-
grants in the seventeenth century, with streets intersecting each other at right
angles, affording a free prospect of the country except on the side of the Rhine,
200
GERMANY.
where tbe view is intercepted by a huge castle. Far from being a dull place,
Mannheim is politically and commercially a busy hive. Standing at the head of
navigation of the Rhine, its harbour is at all times crowded with vessels. A
suspension bridge and a bridge of boats coimect it with Ludwigshafen, in the
Palatinate. Mannheim, however, is not solely given up to commerce. The castle
contains valuable collections ; there is an observatory ; and the theatre, one of the
best in Germany, boasts of having been the first to produce the plays of Schiller.
Weinheim (6,723 inhabitants), an old walled city on the Bergstrasse, which
runs along the foot of the Odenwald, is the only town to the north of Mannheim
Fig. 116. — Heidelberb and Mannheim.
Scale 1 : ISO.OOO.
- 2 Miles.
belonging to the Grand Duchy of Baden. In this part of the country ancient
customs have survived to the present day, the land being frequently held in
common by the inhabitants. The " common lands " of the parish of Virnheim have
an area of 1,800 acres, and are divided into 550 "lots," distributed amongst the
citizens, the largest plots being allotted to tbe most aged. The village is pros-
perous, its surplus population finding a new home in America, upon lands pur-
chased at the common expense.
The Rhenish Palatinate (Rheinpfalz). — The position of the towns of this
detached portion of Bavaria is dependent, as in the case of those of Baden, upon
HESSE AND NASSAU. 201
the directions of the great natural highways. Most of them are in the fertile
plain of the Rhine, and at the mouths of the valleys which debouch upon it.
Others occupy favourable sites on the banks of the Rhine itself.
Kaiserslautern (22,108 inhabitants), the capital of the province, lies nearly in
the very heart of the Hardt, at a spot where the roads from Lorraine converge
upon those leading to Speyer, Worms, and Mayence. The town is very ancient,
having been founded by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, but numerous factories
impart a modern air to it. One of its churches is the finest Gothic edifice of the
province. Amongst the many old castles rising in the neighbourhood is that of
Landstuhl, in the defence of which died Franz von Sickingen.
Zireibriicken (Deux- Fonts in French, 9,149 inhabitants) has frequently changed
hands, even the Swedes having for many years held possession of it (1654 — 1719).
During the last century it acquired some celebrity as the town where Christian IV. ^
published the Bipontine classics. At the present day it is the seat of the superior
court of justice of the province, and has many factories. St. Inghert (7,000
inhabitants), to the west of it, lies already within the coal basin of Saarbriick.
Pirmasens (10,044 inhabitants), built on a plateau 1,600 feet above the level of the
sea, engages in the manufacture of shoes and slippers.
The strategical road from Zweibriicken to the plain of the Rhine runs through
the valley of the Queich, the mouth of which used to be defended by Landau
(7,579 inhabitants), a fortress constructed by Vauban, but disrated in 1873, as
no longer capable of resisting modem artillery. Its place has been taken by
Germcrshnm (6,455 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Queich and on the Rhine,
spanned here by a permanent railway bridge.
The road to the north of Landau passes through the towns of Neustadt (10,222
inhabitants), Diirk/ieim (5,841 inhabitants), Griinstudt (3,531 inhabitants), and
Frankenthal (7,840 inhabitants), all of them situate at the foot of vine-clad hills,
and much frequented in summer by persons submitting to the "grape cure."
Vineyards and fertile fields have won this part of the country the epithet of
Wonnegau. But this " Land of Gladness " was formerly the property of feudal
lords and priests, whose mansions still crown many of the hills. The most exten-
sive of these ancient castles is that of Hurtenburg, the family seat of the Counts of
Leiningen.
Speyer (Spires, 14,100 inhabitants), the NnviomaguH of the Gauls, the Colonia
Nemetnm of the Romans, is the most famous city of the Palatinate, though not at
present the most populous. It was a favourite residence of the emperors, many of
whom lie buried in the crypt of the cathedral. At a Diet held here in 1529 the
name of "Protestant" originated. The French destroyed the town in 1689, and
it never recovered from that disaster, Liidirigshnfeii (12,093 inhabitants), opposite
Mannheim, having superseded it as a place of commerce.
Hesse and Nassau. — Worms (16,575 inhabitants), a sister of Speyer by its
destinies, is the first town of Hesse below Ludwigshafen. Known to the Romans
under its Gallic name of Borhifomar/un, it subsequently passed into the hands of
the Burgundians, and became associated with the legend of the Nibelungs. Like
86
202 GEEMANY.
Speyer, it was an early bulwark of Protestantism, and like it was razed to the
ground by the French in 1689. It never reoovered from that blow, and instead
of 40,000 or 70,000 inhabitants, as in the time of its prosperity, it now hardly
numbers 16,000. The Jews of Worms claim to be the descendants of a colony
settled in the country prior to the introduction of Christianity. There is a tine
monument of Luther by Rietschel,
Darmstadt (43,695 inhabitants), the capital of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, lies
far away from the Rhine, in the centre of a sandy plain, and there is nothing in
the geographical features of the locality to favour the growth of a city. A small
vUlage occupied the site of the modern town as far back as the eighth century, and
became, in 1319, the residence of a Count of Hesse. Since that time Darmstadt
has grown by degrees, and now that railways facilitate its communications, it has
become an important centre of commerce. The Grand Ducal castle, with its
museums, art collections, and library, is the principal building of the town, which
has also a Polytechnic school and several learned societies. A fine forest extends
close to the houses of the town, but the environs cannot rival those of Heidelberg
in natural beauty.
Frankfort-on-Main (103,136 inhabitants),* unlike Darmstadt, occupies a most
favourable geographical position. Though some 20 miles above the mouth of
the Main, it is nevertheless a Rhenish city, owing to the great natural high-roads
which converge upon it. One of these roads follows the foot of the hills from
Basel to the northward, by way of Freiburg, Pforzheim, Heidelberg, and Darm-
stadt, and crossing the Main, runs through the Wetterau to the Weser. It is
intersected at almost right angles by a road following the Main, the Rhine, and
the Nahe. The whole of the basin of the Main is tributary to the town, and
gives access to the basin of the Danube. Upon Frankfort converge the most
important roads of the west, and the line separating' Northern and Southern
Germany runs through it.
The town was founded by the Franks at a " ford ; " hence its name. Charle-
magne had a palace at Frankfort, and under Lewis the German Frankfort became
the capital of the eastern kingdom of the Franks. Its fairs acquired a European
reputation, and wealth flowed from all quarters into this meeting- place of
merchants, princes, and ecclesiastics. In former times the place where the
Emperors of Germany were elected and crowned, Frankfort in 1816 became the
seat of the Diet of the German Band. In 1866 it ceased to exist as a free city,
and now forms part of a Prussian district, the capital of which is Wiesbaden.
The town, notwithstanding its loss of independence, keeps growing in impor-
tance. It ranks among the great money marts of Europe, and has given birth to
one of the most powerful banking families in the world. Formerly Frankfort was
celebrated for its book trade, and the first daily newspaper made its appearance there
in 1625. The enA-irons are carefully cultivated, and supply all the town requires.
A local proverb says, " The AVetterau (in the north) is Frankfort's granary, the
• With its suburbs (Bornheim, Bockcnheim, Oberrad, and Eodelheim), Frankfort has 134,776
inhabitants.
o
H
a
:0
a
HESSE AND NASSAU.
203
Rheingau (in the west) its cellar, the Maingau (in the east) its timber and stone
yard, and the Gerau (in the south) its kitchen garden." Numerous factories have
been established in the neighbouring villages, as well as at Offenbach (25,911
inhabitants), a Hessian town a few miles above Frankfort.
The fortifications of Frankfort were razed in 1804, and the sites converted into
public walks ; new streets facilitating communications have been built ; and the
famous old Jews' Street (Judengasse) has nearly disappeared. The time when the
Jews were locked up in it during the night and on Christian holidays, and when
they were subject to other disabilities, now lies far behind us.
The old parish church, or Dom, with its fine tower dating back to the
thirteenth century, is most cherished by the natives of the town. The town-
Fig. 117. — Frankfort-ox-Maix.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
8' vo' E.of Or.
«■ ^oE.ofOr.
1 Mile.
hall, known as the Romer (Roman), contains the hall in which the German
emperors were elected, and which is ornamented with their portraits by modern
artists. The Sialhof, close by, occupies the site of Charlemagne's palace. The
circular church of St. Paul recalls the German Parliament of 1848. There are an
Art Institute, with a gallery of paintings, a natural-history museum, a town
library, a botanical and a zoological garden, and several scientific societies. Statues
of Gutenberg, Schiller, and Goethe (the latter the most illustrious of the town's
sons) ornament the public squares. Minor monuments recall Boerne, Feuerbach,
and other famous citizens.
Hanati (22,409 inhabitants), towards the east, at the fork of the great high-roads
leading to Leipzig and Niirnberg, may be looked upon as an outpost of Frankfort.
It first rose into importance about the close of the sixteenth century, when Flemish,
204 GERMANY.
Dutch, and French refugees settled in it. The manufacture of jewellery is carried
on with much success, Hanau ranking next to Pforzheim in that respect, and
there are also tobacco factories, tanneries, and metallurgical establishments.
Hanau was the birthplace of the brothers Grimm, and near it Napoleon, in 1813,
fought his last battle upon the soil of Germany. The hot springs of Wilhebmbnd,
near Hanau, are much frequented by the citizens of Frankfort.
A railway runs along the right bank of the Main, passing high above the
famous vineyards of Hochheim (2,620 inhabitants), and connects Frankfort with
Mainz (Mayence, 56,421 inhabitants), a fortress defending the most important pass
over the Rhine. At the first glance the geographical position of Mayence strikes
us as being even more favourable than that of Frankfort ; but Mayence is not the
point of junction of so many roads, and the Taunus, on the north, appears to shut
it in. The interests of commerce and industry have, besides this, always been
obliged to yield to military considerations. It was here that Drusus, nineteen
centuries ago, constructed one of his most powerful castles, to serve as a barrier
against the Germans. The Mayence of the present day, on the contrary, has its
guns pointed in the direction of Gaul. Its extensive lines of fortifications and
numerous detached forts require a garrison of 20,000 men for their defence. The
victualling yards and bakeries of Mayence are on a sufficient scale to supply the
daily wants of an army of 500,000 men.
There still exist the ruins of an aqueduct of 500 arches, and a few other
remains of ancient Moguntiacum, and the museum in the old Grand Ducal palace
is exceedingly rich in Roman antiquities. The Byzantine cathedral forms the
most striking monument of the town. It was completed in 1340, but parts of it
date back to the tenth century. A statue by Thorwaldsen commemorates the
memory of Gutenberg, the inventor of printing, who was a native of the town.
Mayence is the most populous city of Grand Ducal llesse. The Rhine below it,
as far as the Nahe, has only small villages on its left bank, but one of these is the
famous Oher Ingelheim (2,808 inhabitants), the alleged birthplace of Charlemagne.
Bingen (6,380 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Nahe with the Rhine, has an old
castle, and from the Rochusberg, above the town, may be enjoyed one of the most
extended views on the Rhine.
At a distance of only 5 miles in a direct lino from Mayence we reach another
large town, Wiesbaden (43,674 inhabitants), the old capital of the Duchy of Nassau.
Pleasantly situate at the opening of a valley, and at the foot of the wooded Taunus
Mountains, this town possesses peculiar qualifications as a health resort or place of
leisure. The hot springs— Pontes Mattiaci—were known to the Romans, but it is
only since the begiuning of this century that they have attracted a considerable
number of visitors. The old " village " of Wiesbaden forms but a small portion of
the modern town, which has straight streets, shaded walks, villas, and gardens. A
few minutes suffice either to take us into the wooded hills or to Biebrich (7,690
inhabitants), on the banks of the Rhine, where there is a fine park.
Wiesbaden is the principal watering-place of the Taunus, attracting annually
no less than 70,000 visitors. Schlangenbad, the " Bath of Snakes," thus named
THE RHINE FROM
Scale
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HESSE AND NASSAU. SOS
after the inoffensive adders which abound there, lies to the west, in a wooded gap
of the mountains. The elongated Langen-Schwalbach (2,731 inhabitants) lies
beyond the watershed, in a valley tributary to the Lahn. Nieder Setters, and
many other springs charged with carbonic acid, rise in another side valley of the
Lahn, and furnish the popular Saltzer- water, of which nearly 5,000,000 stone
bottles are annually exported. Towards the east, within easy reach of Frankfort,
are the thermal or mineral springs of Hofheim (2,097 inhabitants), Weilbach,
Soden, Kdnigastein, K7r>rJjerg{2A\1 inhabitants), Kronthnl, and Homburg-vor-der-
Hoke (8,290 inhabitants), a favourite resort of the Frankforters, the gambling-
rooms of which formerly attracted visitors from all parts of Europe. Other springs
rise in the Wetterau, to the east of the Taunus, the most important being those of
Nauheim (2,391 inhabitants). Friedriclmlorf, a village near Homburg, was
founded in 1689 by French Huguenots, whose descendants still speak French.
A short distance below Biebrich commences the most famous wine district of
the Rheingau. Successively we pass the vine-clad hills of Eltcille (2,883 inha-
bitants), Johannisberg, and Riidenheim (3,455 inhabitants). Excellent wine is
likewise grown in the gorge below Bingen, more especially near Asmannshameti.
All these wines have a slaty flavour, highly appreciated by connoisseurs. There
are no large towns along this pjrt of the right bank of the Rhine, only a narrow
ledge of level land intervening between the foot of the hills and the river.
Populous towns, however, abound in the valley of the Lahn, which joins the
Rhine between the castle-crowned rocks of Upper and Lower Lahnstein (conjointly
7,319 inhabitants). The Lahn rises in the same group of hills as the Sieg. It
at first takes an easterly direction, but then turns south, flowing past the university
town of Marburg (9,600 inhabitants) to Giesaen (13,858 inhabitants), likewise the
seat of a university, and situate in the centre of an ancient lake basin. Welzlar-
(6,837 inhabitants), lower down the river, was a place of greater importance
formerly, when it was the seat, between 1698 and 1806, of the Supreme Court of
Justice of the empire, whilst now it is mainly dependent upon its tan-yards and iron
mines. Limburg (5,157 inhabitants), the veritable capital of the valley of the
Lahn, was a great place of commerce in former times, rich enough to support
2,000 troopers for the protection of its merchants, and to build one of the finest
cathedrals of Germany. Mines of argentiferous lead, zinc, copper, iron, and coal
are worked in the environs, and there are also slate and marble quarries. Fine
potter's clay is found in this part of Nassau, and the manufacture of earthenware
is carried on with success.
Still descending the Lahn, we pass the village of Namau, with its old castle,
and reach Ems (6,077 inhabitants), the famous watering-place so often referred to
in the annals of diplomacy. No town would ever have been built in this narrow
valley if it were not for the thermal springs ; yet the environs abound in
delightful walks, one of which conducts us to the village of Friicht, where the
tomb of the statesman Stein is shown to visitors,
BiRKKNFEi.D — The vallej' of the Nahe is partly occupied by the principality
of Birkenfeld, which the collective wisdom of the Congress of Vienna assigned to
206 GERMANY.
the Dukes of Oldenburg. The two small towns of that district, Oberstein (4,094
inhabitants) and Liar (3,521 inhabitants), are well known for the articles
manufactured there of agates and other pebbles. This is a very old industry, but,
as long as the workmen were dependent upon the stones found in the country, it
could not attain a very high development. It has grown into importance only
since 1834, when emigrants from Oberstein discovered stones suited to their
purpose in Brazil. At the present time this industry employs 2,300 workmen.
About 330 tons of agates and other stones are converted annually into fancy
articles, amulets, idols, &c., their value being thereby increased from £30,000 to
£160,000.
Rhenish Prussia —Kreiiznach (13,772 inhabitants), the principal town on the
Nahe, being situate at the head of navigation of the river, enjoys great advantages
for commerce, but is chiefly known on account of its mineral springs. The
environs abound in picturesque ruins, nearly every bluff on the banks of the Nahe
having formerly been crowned by the castle of some robber-knight.
No populous towns are met with in the picturesque gorge which the Rhine
traverses between Bingen and Coblenz. Bachanich, a centre of the wine trade,
occupies a picturesque site at the mouth of a valley. Leaving Caub (2,031 inha-
bitants) on the right, we reach Oberwesel, the ancient Votsozia (2,580 inhabitants),
which stretches along the left bank of the river. Passing beneath the " Lorelei,"
we come upon St. Goar. Then rise the ancient towers of Boppard, the Bondobriga
of the Romans (5,268 inhabitants), and, looking up on the left, we espy the walnut-
trees in the shade of which stood the Konigsstuhl, or Royal Chair, upon which the
King of the Germans took his seat after election.
Passing the mouth of the Lahn, we immediately afterwards reach that of the
Mosel, or Moselle. The towns on the Moselle do not rival those of the Rhine, but
several are rapidly acquiring importance. Foremost amongst them is' Saarbriicken,
which, with its suburb St. Johann, on the other bank of the Saar, has a population
of 19,982 souls, and is rapidly uniting with the neighbouring manufacturing
town of Maktadt-Biirbach (12,433 inhabitants). Saarbriicken is indebted lo
the productive coal-fields of which it forms the centre for its prosperity. These
coal-fields yield annually more than 5,000,000 tons of coal. Furnaces, foundries,
machine shops, and chemical works abound in these towns, and in the neighbour-
ing ones of Dudweiler (10,029 inhabitants), Sulzbach (5,000 inhabitants), Fried-
richdhal (5,002 inhabitants), and Neunkirchen (11,169 inhabitants). But not
only are the factories of their vicinity supplied from the coal-pits of Saarbriicken,
those of Alsace-Lorraine and Switzerland likewise are dependent upon them for
their fuel.
Following the course of the Saar, we pass Puttlingen (6,726 inhabitants), a
manufacturing town; Saarhuk (6,782 inhaliitants\ the birthplace of Marshal
Ney ; Merzig (4,412 inhabitants) ; and Sanrbiirg (1,866 inhabitants). Leaving tlio
confluence of the Saar with the Moselle behind us, we reach Trier (Treves, 32,972
inhabitants), the most ancient city of all Germany, which down to this day
perpetuates the name of the Gallic tribe of the Treveri which founded it. Treves,
EHENISH PRUSSIA.
207
lying below the junction of three Important rivers, the Moselle, the Sauer, and the
Saar, possessed many 'advantages for carrying on the commerce between the
civilised Gallo-Romans and the uncultured Germans. It quickly rose into impor-
tance, and almost deserved the epithet of " second capital of the Roman world,"
which Ausonius bestowed upon it. It became at an early date embellished with
fine buildings, and numerous villas arose upon the surrounding heights. Of the
Roman ruins still existing that known as the Porta Nigra is the most remarkable.
There are also vast underground vaults, and the ruins of an amphitheatre in
which Constantino caused thousands of captive Franks to be torn to pieces by
wild beasts. The cathedral dates back, in part, to the fourth century. The local
Fig. lis. — Saakbrockem.
Scale 1 : 143.000.
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museum, in addition to many Roman antiquities, contains numerous objects of a
more remote age. The " Column of Igel," to the south-west of the city, is the best
preserved Roman tomb in Germany.
Treves, like its great prototype, after having been a political capital, became a
religious one, and for more than a thousand years it was known as Sancta civitas
Trecerorum. Out of every three buildings one was dedicated to religious purposes,
and the entire population was composed of ecclesiastics and their hungers-on.
Many of these ancient religious buildings are now used as barracks, warehouses,
breweries, and private dwelling-houses. A modern city of factories has sprung up
around the old one, and soon it will become necessary to go to the museum in
208
GERMANY.
order to ohtnin a glimpse of ancient Treves. The "holy coat" occasionally
attracts vast numbers of pilgrims to Treves, but that town has recently met with a
formidable rival in the neighbouring village of Marpingen, whence miraculous
appearances of the Virgin Mary have been reported.
The Moselle below Treves has a course of no less than 110 miles before it
joins the Rhine, but throughout this extent not a single town of importance is
. met with, though small villages are plentiful. The narrow valley, bounded by
vine- clad hills, affords no room for a hirge town, and only at the confluence could
space be found for a larger agglomeration of houses. Coblenz (34,130 inhabit-
ants), the ConfluenteH of the Romans, has not attained the importance which its
Fig. 119.— Treves (Trier).
Scale 1 : 124,000.
6'':ir E.of Gk
. 2 Miles.
position would seem to warrant. Its inferiority to Frankfort and Cologne is
accounted for by the fact of its being surrounded by sterile, thinly peopled hills,
possessing few resources. Besides this, the military character of the town must
necessarily cripple its industrial and commercial development. Coblenz has a fine
Byzantine church, a noble railway bridge over the Rhine, and an ancient bridge
across the Moselle, but the structures which principally attract attention are its
fortifications. Right opposite rises the impregnable citadel of Ehrenbreihtcin,
with its casemated batteries. The detached forts surrounding the town aflford
shelter to an army of 200,000 men, and yet all these fortifications can be defended
by 5,000 men, so carefully have they been planned.
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RHENISH PRUSSIA. 209
Once more descending the Rhine, we pass the industrial town of Neuwied
(9,474 inhabitants), partly inhabited by Protestants. On a hill nearly opposite
rises an obelisk erected by the army of the Sambre and Meuse in memory of
General Hoche. The Nette, which flows along the foot of the hill, takes us to
Ma yen (6,839 inhabitants), the principal town of the Eifel. Lower down on the
Rhine is Andernach (4,839 inhabitants), the Antoniacum of the Romans, with
ancient walls, a feudal castle, and a Byzantine church.
The Rhine once more enters a narrow gorge, and village succeeds village, but
it is only after the picturesque Siebengebirge has been left behind that we again
reach a town of importance. This is Bonn (28,075 inhabitants), the ancient
Bonna, occupying a position on the outskirts of the great alluvial plain of
Germany analogous to that of Maestricht on the Meuse. Bonn is best known
now for its university, and as a head-quarter of tourists. A statue has been
erected there to Beethoven, a native of the place. Another great man, Rubens,
probably saw the light of day at Siegeii (12,901 inhabitants), the old capital
of the Sicambri, on the river Sieg, which flows into the Rhine a few miles below
Bonn. Siegen prospers, thanks to its iron, lead, zinc, and copper mines, its
metallurgical establishments and tanneries. Sieghurg (5,668 inhabitants) lies
lower down in the same valley.
Cologne (Kiiln, 154,564 inhabitants) is the principal town of Rhenish Prussia.
Its geographical position on the great natural high-road which from Northern
France to Western Russia runs along the foot of the hills bounding the plain of
Northern Europe is a most favourable one. That high-road crosses the Rhine at
Deutz, the " Dutch " suburb of Cologne. In a time when artificial roads were
still scarce, Cologne bad but few rivals amongst the inland towns of Northern
Europe, and when the Romans founded there their Colonia Claudia Augusta
A grippinensium the town quickly rose into importance. In the Middle Ages it
became the great staple of trade on the Rhine, and long before the Ilanseatic
League was formed the merchants of Cologne concluded commercial treaties with
foreign powers. As early as the tenth century they dispatched their own vessels
to London, where they had a herherghe of their own.* After a long struggle
with their bishops the citizens of Cologne secured their municipal liberties, and
rapidly grew rich. In 1235, 18,000 of them, sumptuously attired, paraded
before the English bride of the Emperor Frederick II., and " Rich as a cloth
merchant of Cologne" became a proverbial expression throughout Germany.
Cologne at that time was not only one of the principal cloth marts of Europe, it
also held a foremost place in the sale of gold and silver, and its artisans were
distinguished in many handicrafts. But in the end disasters overtook the town.
The discovery of America led to the abandonment of the old commercial route
which connected Venice with Augsburg ; the L'^nited Netherlands, when they
acquired their independence, closed the mouths of the Rhine against all vessels
except their own ; and, as if this were not enough, the Catholics, proud of the
epithet of " German Rome " which had beeti bestowed upon their city, suicidally
• On the site of what is now known as Cold Harbour (Colon llerbergho), near tho Tower.
210 GERMANY.
expelled tlieir Protestant fellow-citizens. After this the town decayed rapidly.
Its tortuous streets became changed into gutters, and shoals of mendicants beset
the church doors. Of recent years the recovery has been rapid. Cologne has
become the head-quarters for the steam navigation of the Rhine, the traffic on the
railways converging upon it is increasing from year to year, and numerous manu-
factories, including potteries, spinning-mills, chemical works, and machine shops,
have sprung up in the city and in its environs, not to mention the many "original"
distillers of eau de Cologne. Including its suburb Deufz (14,507 inhabitants), it
has now a population of 169,071 souls, which is probably not much inferior to
what it had in its most prosperous days.
The cathedral, or Bom, is the most famous edifice of Cologne, rising high
above the surrounding houses, a witness to the wealth, past and present, of the city.
During more than three centuries this unfinished structure was allowed to fall
into decay, but work upon it has been resumed, and it is hoped to complete it in
the course of a few years. Many other churches are noteworthy on account of
their architecture. St. Mary of the Capitol, the oldest amongst them, is built in
the Byzantine style ; that of the Apostles is famed for its arcades ; St. Gereon
has a crypt paved with mosaics ; and St. Peter's boasts of an altar painting by
Rubens. The town-hall is an incongruous structure, not wanting, however, in
picturesqueness. Near it is the Giirzenich, with its famous concert hall. A
museum, founded by two citizens, Wallraf and Richartz, contains a collection
of paintings and antiquities. There are also zoological and horticultural
gardens.
Cologne, being a fortress, is enclosed by an enceinte, which will, however, be
razed as soon as the twelve detached forts now building shall have been com-
pleted.
To the west of Cologne, close to the frontier of Belgium, rises another
large city, which for a long time might fairly claim to be the superior of the
Rhenish city. This is Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle, 79,608 inhabitants), situate on
a small tributary of the Meuse, fed from the hot spring which rises in the
" valley of the wild boars," called Porcetum in mediaeval Latin, and now known
as BurUcheid (Borcette, 10,220 inhabitants). Aachen does not enjoy the advan-
tage of a great navigable river, but its many sulphur and thermal springs so
pleased Charlemagne that he made Aquisgranum the capital of his empire, and
there constructed a marble palace, of which marvels are related in old legends.
The palace has disappeared, the town-hall occupying its site ; but the chapel
which Charlemagne built, and in which he was buried, still exists as a portion of
the cathedral which grew out of it. So great a hold had Charlemagne's deeds
obtained upon the minds of his contemporaries that Aachen was proclaimed a
'• holy city " soon after his death, and attracted multitudes of pilgrims.
Thirty-seven emperors were crowned there, seated in the marble throne of
Charlemagne.
The springs, which originally made the fortune of the town, still attract
some 26,000 visitors annually, but Aachen possesses other elements of wealth in
KHENISH PEUSSIA. 211
its coal, lead, and zinc mines,* its metallurgical establishments, cloth-mills, and
manufactories of needles and pins. A technical high school supplies the industrial
establishments of the town and its neighbourhood with competent managers.
The whole of the country surrounding the twin city of Aachen- Burtscheid
abounds in manufactories. Escfiweikr (11,000 inhabitants), in the north-east,
has iron works and coal mines. Siolberg (10,252 inhabitants), still nearer to
Aachen, has iron works, glass works, and other manufactories. Unpen (14,759
inhabitants) is the Bradford of Prussia, its cloths being largely exported.
Moresnet, a small territory conjointly governed by Prussia and Belgium, has
become famous on account of its " Vieille Montague " zinc mines, yielding 40,200
tons of that metal annually. Malniedy (5,671 inhabitants), still farther to the
south, has extensive tanneries. Dilven (14,516 inhabitants), half-way between
Aachen and Cologne, manufactures cloth, and carries on a considerable commerce.
One of the five lines of railways which diverge from it takes us to Jiilich (Juliers,
5,111 inhabitants), close to the Dutch frontier, while another runs past Ziilpich
and the manufacturing town of Eunkirchen (5,489 inhabitants) to Treves, on the
Moselle. Ziilpich is the Tolbuicum or Tolbiac of old writers, where Clovis defeated
the Alemanni in 496.
Soon after leaving Cologne we reach M'ulheim (17,353 inhabitants), a manu-
facturing town on the Rhine, and the port of Bergisch-Gladbach (7,030 inhabitants) ;
but lower down for a distance of 30 miles, as far as Diisseldorf, no town of note is
met with on the river. Bikseldorf (80,695 inhabitants), formerly merely a village at
the mouth of the rivulet Diissel, has grown into a populous city since the Dukes of
Berg made it their capital. It is the natural port of the manufacturing district
of which Barmen and Elberfeld are the centre. The town enjoys the advantage of
having fine public parks and clean streets. Its school of art is famous throughout
Germany. Cornelius the painter, and Heine the poet, were natives of the town.
On the other bank of the Rhine, though at some distance from the river, rise
the walls of Neuim (15,364 inhabitants), which Charles the Bold vainly besieged in
1474 and 1475. Tacitus mentions this town under the name of Novesium, and it
was formerly the capital of the whole district. A canal connects it with the Meuse
and the Rhine, and it is now one of the most important grain marts of Germany.
Manufacturing towns have sprung up in this part of the Rhineland. Crefvld
(52,905 inhabitants), the principal amongst them, is quite American in its appear-
ance, having grown in the course of a century from a small village into a large
and busy town, engaging more especially in the manufacture of velvets, silks, and
ribbons.t The same branches of industry are carried on in the neighbouring towns,
the principal amongst which are Viersen (19,705 inhabitants), Munchen-GIadbach
(31,970 inhabitants), Rhexjdt (15,835 inhabitants), ^uchteln (8,957 inhabitants),
and Kempcn (5,372 inhabitants), the latter the native place of Thomas a Kempis.
To the north of these towns, beyond Geldeni (5,194 inhabitants), the old capital of
• They yield annually SOO.dOO tons of coal, 12,300 tons of lead, and 4,040 tons of zinc,
t C!refeld, in lb74, had '28,1.53 looms, paid £1,030,900 in wages, and exported goods valued at
£3,409,800.
212
GERMANY.
a duchy, the country which extends between the Meuse and the Rhine is quite
rural in its aspect.
On the Lower Rhine there are no towns which equal Dii<seldorf in importance.
Past Uer.Hngm (3/216 inhabitants), the port of Crefeld, the river flows beneath the
railway bridge of Rheinhamen, and we reach Ruhrort (9,051 inhabitants), at the
mouth of the Ruhr, one of the busiest ports of Germany, exporting annually over
1,000,000 tons of coal. Ruhrort has ship-yards and factories, and is the port of a
number of important manufacturing cities, including Ditkhurg (37,380 inhabitants),
Miilheim-on-thp-Ruhr (15,277 inhabitants), and Oberhausen (15,479 inhabitants).
Wesel (19,104 inhabitants) is situate on the right bank of the Rhine, at the
Fig. 120. — Crefeid and its Environs.
Scale 1 : 250,000.
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mouth of the Lippe. It is an ancient town, with gabled houses and an old Gothic
church, growing an abundance of fruit and vegetables in the gardens which
surround it. Wesel defends the Dutch frontiers of Germany, and its works have
recently been augmented. A permanent bridge, no less thsin 6,285 feet in length,
including its approaches, here crosses the Rhine. Xanten (3,292 inhabitants), a
decayed town, and Emmerich (8,107 inhabitants), are the last German towns
Washed by the floods of the Rhine. On a terrace to the west of the latter rises
Cleve (Cleves, 9,233 inhabitants), a name perhaps signifying "clifi"." The legend
of Lohengrin, the " Knight of the Swan," is associated with this town.
The country around Crefeld is one of the most densely populated districts of
RHENISH PRUSSIA. 218
Germany, but it is surpassed by the coal basin of the Ruhr, the veritable
Lancashire of Prussia, where town presses upon town, and the network of
railways is most bewildering. Elberfeld (80,589 inhabitants) and Barmen (86,o02
inhabitants) were small villages a century ago, but now extend for 5 miles
along the valley of the "Wupper. The interests of the inhabitants are almost
exclusively wrapped up in the manufacture of silks, cottons, and ribbons, in
print works and other industrial establishments. Barmen also exports pianofortes.
All the towns of that district present the same aspect, and look like so many
suburbs of Elberfeld scattered broadcast over the country. Romdorf (9,573
inhabitants), LuttringhaKsen (9,471 inhabitants), Lennep (7,753 inhabitants), and
Kronenberg (8,167 inhabitants) are the more important amongst them, IliMcn
(6,787 inhabitants), not far from the Rhine, manufactures silks ; Renucheid
(15,000 inhabitants) is the German Sheffield; whilst Solingen (15,142 inhabitants)
and the towns near it* are known for their cutlery. Solingen is famous for its
Fig. 121. — RrHROHT and its Exviron«.
Scale 1 : 326,ro3.
6 Milrs.
The extent of the ooal baain ia indicated by shading.
sword-blades, the art of tempering them, it is said, having been introduced there
from Damascus.
The number of towns to the north of the railway which joins Diisseldorf to
Elberfeld is somewhat less bewildering. Mettmann (6,500 inhabitants), near which
is the famous Neander Valley with its b<»ne caves ; Werden (6,746 inhabitants),
in the abbey of which was preserved Ulfila's Gothic translation of the Bible until
the Swedes carried it off during the Thirty Years' War; and other towns are still
separated by wide stretches of open country. But to the north of the Ruhr, and
close upon the borders of the country, we come upon another group of manufactur-
ing towns, whose growth has perhaps been even more rapid than that of those
mentioned previously. The most important of these is Ensen (76,450 inhabitants),
which in loss than fifty years has grown into one of the most populous towns of
Prussia. Essen supplies Germany and the world with those famous cast-steel
• Incliuling Mfirw^eid (10,017 inhabitants), Dorp (11,380 inhabitants), HiJscheid (9,969 inhabitants),
Wald (7,701 inhabitanU), &c.
214 GEEMANY.
guns which have made the reputation of their inventor, Krupp. But guns con-
stitute only a small part of the products of Krupp' s huge establishment, which
covers an area of 9G0 acres, occupies 15,000 workmen, in addition to some 5,000
miners, and produces annually 125,000 tons of cast steel. The neighbouring
towns of Aifeiiesnen (12,658 inhabitants), AKendorf {12,675 inhabitants), and Borbeck
(with Bocholt, 20,095 inhabitants) engage in the same industries.
AVestphalia. — The coal basin of the Ruhr extends eastward into "Westphalia,
and there, too, it has caused huge manufacturing towns to spring from the soil.
Dortmund (57,742 inhabitants), however, the most populous town of Westphalia,
dates back to an earlier period, for it is mentioned in chronicles of the tenth century.
Favourably situate on the high-road connecting the Rhine with the Elbe and Oder,
it was one of the first to join the Hanseatic League. Its town-hall and fine
churches belong to that period, and more venerable still, a group of lime-trees is
pointed out, in whose shade the judges of the Holy Vehme met. The surrounding
Kg. 122.— Essen.
district is rich in agricultural produce, but the actual wealth of Dortmund is due
rather to coal and iron mines and iron works than to its trade in corn.*
Bochum (28,368 inhabitants), half-way between Dortmund and Essen, rivals both
as a mining and industrial town.f The other towns of this portion of Westphalia
are equally distinguished for their industry. Foremost amongst them are Gehen-
kirchen (11,295 inhabitants), Witten (18,106 inhabitants). Horde (12,837 inhabit-
ants), and Hagen (26,870 inhabitants). Iserlohn (16,838 inhabitants) has iron and
zinc mines as well as lime-kilns, and, like its neighbours, engages in the manu-
facture of every description of hardware.
But whilst industry has transformed the villages of Southern Westphalia into
large towns. Soest (13,099 inhabitants), which was formerly one of the largest
• The district of Dortmund annually yields 3,300,000 tons of coal and 89,500 tons of iron ore,
while 280,000 tons of ptj^-iron and steel are produced yearly,
t About 0,000,000 tons of coal are raised annually.
"WESTPHALIA.
216
towns of all Germany, has singularly lagged behind in this race for pre-eminence.
In the fifteenth century Soest had 50,000 inhabitants, and its ancient " customs "
enjoyed a high reputation in the towns of Northern Germany. Situate half-way
between the Rhine and the Weser, on the fertile plateau of the Hcllweg, and
having easy access to the valley of the Lippo in the north, and to that of the
Ruhr in the south, Suest enjoyed peculiar natural advantages, and soon acquired
considerable wealth. Vnna (7,3J3 inhabitants), on the same plateau, half-way
Fig. 123.— The Hellweo.
Scale t : 410,000.
SMilra.
between Soest and Dortmund, shares in these advantages, but, like its more powerful
neighbour, it has not participated in the progress of the towns placed within easy
reach of coal and iron.
Arnsberg (5,486 inhabitants), the chief place of the Sauerland, is likewise an
ancient town. Situate on the Upper Ruhr, beyond the coal basin named after that
river, it has remained a small place. Quite in the east of the country, in the
basin of the Weser, rises the Marsberg, upon which tradition places Irminsul, the
Saxon idol OTeithrown by Charlemagne.
CHAPTER IV.
THE SWABIAN JTJRA AND THE VALLEY OF THE NECKAE.
fWuKTTEMBEKG AND HoHENZOLLEBN.)*
General Aspects, Mountains, and Rivers.
HE basin of the Neckar, though tributary to the Rhine, yet forms a
distinct region, as far as concerns its upper portion, bounded as it
is in the west by the ranges of the Black Forest and Odenwald.
Geographical features thus justify the formation of a separate
kingdom, of which the old castle of Wirtineberg, near the site now
occupied by the city of Stuttgart, became the natural nucleus. The boundaries of
Wiirttemberg, as drawn in accordance with treaties, present, no doubt, a few
anomalies, the districts on the Upper Danube and to the north of the Lake of
Constanz lying outside the valley of the Neckar ; but upon the whole Wiirttemberg
forms a world apart, quite able to lead a life of its own. A map showing the
density of the population proves this very plainly. The valley of the Neckar
stands prominently forth upon it as a great centre of population, separated from
Baden, Switzerland, and Bavaria by thinly peopled tracts of country.
The western boundary of this, one of the wealthiest and most active countries
of Germany, is formed by the Black Forest, or Schwarzwald, whose southern
extremity strikes the Swabian Jura at an acute angle. The elevation of the hills
near the point of contact is comparatively small, and easy passes lead across them
into the valley of the Danube, and thence into that of the Rhine. This facility of
communication has enabled Wiirttemberg to extend its political boundaries in that
direction as far as the shores of the Bodensee.
The Jurassic formation gradually increases in width as we travel eastward
from the Rhine. The highest summits of the Swabian Jura rise to the west of
the Danube, on the plateau of tlie Heuberg, the most considerable amongst them
attaining an elevation of 3,320 feet. On its summit the vast amphitheatre formed
by the Black Forest and the Alps lies spread out before us, and through a gap in
the former we are able even to catch a glimpse of the Vosges.
• Wurttcmberg
Hohenzollurn
Area.
Sq. MUoB.
7,5ai
441
Population.
1875.
1,881, SOS
66,466
Inhab. to a
Sq. Mile.
249
151
WURTTEMBERG AND HOHENZOLLERN.
217
To the north of the pass which the railway from Stuttgart crosses at an
elevation of 3,005 feet, the height of the Jura gradually decreases towards the
north-east.
The Swabian Jura differs in its aspect, but not in its geological formation, from
the Jura of France. Instead of consisting of a succession of parallel ridges, it forms
Pig. 124. — Density of thb Population op Wurttembero.
Nu-nbarof tnhibitattt to m Sqit»r9 Mtlt.
an undulating plateau, presenting a bold face to the Nockar nearly 1,000
feet in height, and sinking down gently towards the Danube. The more elevated
ridges are covered with stones, between which grows a scanty herbage. Their
climate is too inclement to admit of cultivatiort, and the name of Rauhe Alp (Rugged
Mountain), which is applied to them by the peasants, is therefore a very appropriate
87
218
GERMANY.
one. But standing upon the western scarpments of the Jura, we look down into
smiling valleys, wending their way to the Neckar, and ahounding in wealthy
villages, homesteads, and oichards. Bold masses of whitish rock project towards
the valley of the Neckar, almost separated from the plateau by the erosive action
of water. . One of these crags is occupied by the castle of HohenzoUern (2,800
Fig. 125. — Urach and Huhen-TJrach.
Scale 1 : 81.000.
■ 1 Mile.
feet), the ancestral home of the reigning family of Prussia and Germany ; another
bore upon its summit the proud castle of the Hohenstaufen (2,240 feet).
The Swabian Jura is quite as cavernous as that of France, and the bones of
bears and other animals now extinct have been found in its recesses. Narrow
gorges or clefts, which divide the plateau into distinct sections, abound. The
gorge of the Brigach, one of the head-streams of the Danube, thus cuts in two
the plateau of the Baar. The gorge of the Fds, an affluent of the Neckar,
WUETTEMBEEG AND HOHENZOLLEEN.
S19
Fig. 126.-
-Heilbronn and the " Loops '
Lauffe.v.
B<»le 1 : 163,000.
more to the north, divides the central plateau of the Rauhe Alp from that of the
Albach. A third river gorge separates the Albaeh from the Ilardtfeld ; and the
Bavarian Wernitz divides the Swabian from the Franconian Jura. These breaches,
or gorges, offer peculiar facilities for the construction of roads and railways.
The limestone mountains of Swabia are as replete with fossils as are those of
Switzerland. The Boll, to the south of Stuttgart, has acquired some fame on
account of the skeletons of fossil reptiles which have been found there. Steinheim,
between the Albach and the Hiirdtfeld, presents the curious spectacle of a huge
atoll, similar in all respects to the atolls built by zoophytes in the Pacific.
The Klosterberg, in the centre of the atoll, with its nineteen distinct varieties of a
species of PlanoibU, is one of the great
battle-grounds of palaeontologists. The
marls of that district are soaked with oil,
apparently consisting of a mixture of
mineral substances with the fat of the
animals buried there. Every square mile
of the bituminous slate of the Swabian
Jura contains, according to Quenstedt,
about 515,000 tons of oil, resulting
from the decomposition of small marine
animals. That portion of Wiirttemberg
which lies between the Jura and the Lake
of Constanz belongs to the plateau of
Bavaria.
Nearly all the rivers to the north of
the Jura flow into the Neckar, the only
exceptions being the Kinzig and the Murg,
which flow direct to the Rhine, and the
Tauber, which is tributary to the Main.
The Neckar rises in a swampy depres-
sion to the west of the plateau of the Baar,
at an elevation of 2,290 feet above the
Reinforced by numerous streams
sea.
> 2 Miles.
descending from the Black Forest and
Jura, it soon becomes large enough to float timber. Below Cannstadt the river
is navigable for barges. For a considerable portion of its course the Neckar is
bounded by steep cliffs, the country on either side of it often lying as much as
500 feet above the surface of the river. These gorges, however, alternate with
wide basins, where the Neckar winds about amongst verdant hills. The scenery
along the tributaries of the Neckar is equally varied. These tributaries are the
Enz, on the left ; the Fils, Rems, Kocher, and Jagst, on the right. Gentle hills,
contrasting with bolder contours and even cliffs, impart much graceful beauty to
the country. Notwithstanding the absence of lakes and of a background of snow-
clad mountains, Wiirttemberg resembles in a remarkable manner the plateau of
220 GERMANY.
Switzerland. Its climate* and vegetation, too, are nearly identical, its more
northern latitude being compensated for by the greater elevation of Switzerland.
Wiirttemberg, quite as much as the region irrigated by the Lower Aar, is a land of
corn-fields and orchards, and even the vine flourishes on the banks of the Neckar,
all the way down from Tiibingen (1,040 feet).
Inhabitants.
The country around Sluttgart and Cannstadt, one of the most carefully culti-
vated of all Germany, was in a former age the favourite haunt of the mammoth
and shaggy rhinoceros, whose bones, mixed with those of horses, oxen, hyenas,
and tigers, have been discovered in the tufa. The caverns of the Swabian
Jura have yielded the bones of reindeer, together with stone implements, from
which it is concluded that the reindeer survived in the forests of Germany long
after it had become extinct in those of Gaul.
This much is certain, that the country had its human inhabitants long before
the dawn of history. The kinship of the aboriginal inhabitants still forms a subject
of dispute between the learned. They were succeeded by Celts, and later on by
Germans. It is even supposed that the designation of the castle which has given
a name to the entire country is a corruption of the Celtic appellation of Virodunum,
the modern equivalent for which is Verdun. It was assumed formerly that the vast
majority of the Wiirttembergers are the direct descendants of the Suevi. An
examination of the old grave-hills has shown, however, that only about one-third
of the present inhabitants of the country exhibit the long skulls and fair com-
plexions which are associated with the Suevi. The majority, more especially in
the south and west, have black hair and round skulls : " one might almost take
them to be Figurians," says Dr. Fraas. The original type of the Swabian sur-
vives only on the plateau of the Rauhe Alp, where nearly all the children have
flaxen hair and blue eyes. This sterile mountain tract has exercised no attraction
upon invaders, and its inhabitants were thus able to perpetuate the type and
customs of their ancestors. Old German superstitions still survive there in the
guise of Christianity. Horse-shoes are nailed to every stable door as a protection
to the cattle, and Ascension Day is not allowed to pass without a fresh wreath of
amaranths being prepared to shield the house against lightning. The inhabitants,
like those of Savoy and Auvergne, migrate annually to the plain, where they gain a
living as pedlars and seed or flower merchants. Ehningen, a village near Reutlingen,
is one of the head-quarters of these Swabian pedlars, and at Christmas-time the
whole of them return to their village to hold what is called their " congress."
Grown rich by trade, the Ehningers have made their village " the prettiest in all
Wiirttemberg."
Fraas, the geologist, has divided the inhabitants of the country into five
Height.
Temperature (Degrees Fahr.).
Feet.
Latitude.
Summer. January. Year.
Basel .
930
48" 47'
65-3 31-2 49-4
Stuttgart
868
47' 34'
66 0 33-3 50-3
WURTTEMBEEG. 221
distinct groups, according to the nature of the soil upon which they dwell. These
groups are determined by the granite and triassic sandstone of the Black Forest,
the shell limestone of the lower valleys, the variegated marls in the north, the
Jurassic rocks of the Rauhe Alp, and the alluvial lands beyond the Danube. As
these formations occur at varying heights, the districts in which they pre-
dominate naturally present differences of climate ; and climate and the nature
of the soil exercise a great influence upon the occupations and customs of the
inhabitants. The woodmen of the Black Forest, living in solitary log-huts, differ
strikingly from the peasants of the plain, who cultivate wheat and the vine,
and retire after the day's labour to their comfortable villages. At the same time
this geological classification of the inhabitants is far from precise, especially
when dealing with the populous districts in the north, which have been exposed to
a great variety of influences. No doubt the men and beasts, the cereals and fruits,
of the marly districts are superior to those of the rest of Swabia, but this appears to
be due to the mildness of the climate and a greater intermingling of races. At all
events it is an interesting fact in the history of humanity that this central district
of Wiirttemberg should have produced such men of mark in the world of thought
as were Kepler, Schiller, Schelling, and Hegel. On the other hand, there are
districts of W^iirttemberg in which superstition is rife, and where ghost stories are
listened to even by men of some education. In no other part of Germany do new
religious sects gain an equal number of converts.
Towns.
Stuttgart (107,273 inhabitants), though not situate on the Neckar itself, occu-
pies a most favourable position in tbe very centre of Wiirttemberg. Its environs,
moreover, are delightful, and well deserve the epithet of " Swabian Paradise "
which has been bestowed upon them. Cunnsfadt (15,065 inhabitants), at the
head of the navigation of the Neckar, would perhaps have been a more favourable
site for the capital of the country, but virtually the two towns, hardly more than
a mile apart, are one, and lead a common life. No other town of Germany has
increased in population at a more rapid rate, for it is hardly a century since
Stuttgart had only 20,000 inhabitants. The " old town," with its tortuous streets,
still occupies the centre of the modern city, but forms only a small part of it.
The number of elegant mansions is large in every part of the town, and amongst
the statues which ornament its public squares there are several which deservedly
rank as works of art. Though not a university city, Stuttgart possesses a library
of 350,000 volumes, a natural-history museum, a gallery of paintings, and many
other collections. Music is much cultivated, and the manufacture of pianos is of
considerable importance, as is also the publishing trade.
Tlie royal park, barracks, and other buildings extend to the north-east of Stutt-
gart in the direction of (Jaunstadt. That town, too, boasts of many fine build-
ings and villas, and its ferruginous springs annually attract thousands of visitors.
Afl to Ludwiyaburg (14,709 inhabitants), in the plain to the north of the capital, it
222
GEEMAiJT.
is merely a dependency of a royal palace, with streets intersecting each other at
right angles. Strauss, the author of the " Life of Jesus," was born there. There
are extensive barracks and other military establishments. The agricultural
academy of Hohenheim, to the south of Stuttgart, is perhaps the best institution of
that kind in Germany.
The Neckar, in its upper course, flows past several towns of importance.
Eoitweil (4,596 inhabitants), with its turreted walls, is a town of salt works and
Fig- 127.— Stuttgart and its Environs.
Scale 1 : 135,000.
Ossweil
3 Miles.
manufactories. Though situate on the northern slope of the Jura, this ancient
free city was for more than two centuries a member of the Swiss Confederation.
Passing Horb (2,043 inhabitants), near which Auerbach was born, and the
picturesque old town q{ Rotttnhury (6,155 inhabitants), we reach Tubingen (10,450
inhabitants), the most curious city on tlie Upper Neckar. It owes its reputation
solely to its university, which is attended by over 1,000 students, many of whom
are no doubt quite as much attracted by the charms of the surrounding scenery
as by the reputation of the professors. Uhlaud was born at Tubingen, and died
there.
WURTTEMBERO.
Reutlingen (15,245 inhabitants), in a ride valley of the Neckar, was merely a
village of serfs in the twelfth century, but through the industry of its inhabitants
it has grown into an important town. There are tan-yards, shoe factories, and
printing-offices. The Gothic churoh of the town is looked upon as the finest
religious edifice in Wiirttemberg.
Metzingen (5,003 inhabitants) and Nurtingen (5,078 inhabitants) succeed each
other on the Neckar, whilst Kirchheim (6,197 inhabitants), at the foot of the
castle of Teck, and Goppingen (9,532 inhabitants), known for its tan-yards and
cotton-mills, occupy lateral valleys at the foot of the Swabian Jura. Emlingen
Fig. 128. — View of Tobinobn.
(15,701 inhabitants), lower down on the Neckar and close to Stuttgart, has
machine shops, iron works, and other manufactories. The grapes grown on the
surrounding hills are converted into " Esslingen champagne," a mischievous
beverage.
Several towns of importance lie in the valley of the Rems, which joins the
Neckar opposite Ludwigsburg, and is one of the most fertile of Wiirttemberg.
WaihUngcH (4,128 inhabitants), near its mouth, is no longer the most populous
town, but under its Italian name of Ohibelliuo it has acquired a great repu-
tation on account of the wars carrietl on in Italy by the emperors of the
224 GEEMANY.
house of Waiblingen or Hohenstaufen. Gmund (12,838 inhabitants), the chief
town of the valley, engages in the manufacture of jewellery. A railway runs up
the valley as far as Aalen (5,928 inhabitants), a town of iron works.
The Neckar, below its junction with the Reins, flows jjast Marbach (2,241
inhabitants), the birthplace of Schiller, whose house has been converted into a
Schiller Museum. Near it the Murr joins the Neckar on the right, the principal
town on it being Backnang (4,923 inhabitants). Besigheim (2,441 inhabitants),
believed to be of Roman origin, is situate at the mouth of the Enz, which rises in
the Black Forest. The hot springs of Wildbad (2,700 inhabitants) rise in the
main valley of the Enz, whilst Leonbirg (2,231 inhabitants), the native town of
Schelling, and Weil der Stadt (1,765 inhabitants), that of Kepler, occupy side
valleys. Freudenstadt (5,237 inhabitants), farther to the south, is the only town
of "Wiirttemberg which lies beyond the watershed separating the basin of the
Neckar from that of the Rhine. It was founded in the sixteenth century by
Austrian and Moravian refugees. Maulbronn, with its famous abbey, lies on the
hills between the Neckar and the Rhine. Near it are several colonies of French
refugees, who settled in the country in 1698 and 1699.
At Lauffen (3,418 inhabitants), thus named after the rapids formed by the
Neckar, that river emerges upon the plain in which rise the houses and factories
of Heilbronn (21,208 inhabitants), the largest town of Northern Wiirttemberg.
The ancient city owes its name of " Healing Burn " to a spring over which a
church has been built. It is a busy manufacturing centre, with sugar-mills,
paper-mills, iron works, and jewellers' shops. Much of the wine produced in the
vicinity is converted into " champagne." Weinsberg (2,186 inhabitants) is near
it. Heilbronn is famous for its fine trees and flowers, and much of the produce
of its market gardens is exported. Quarries and salt works are near it, but the
most productive brine springs of Wiirttemberg are those of Hall (8,430 inhabit-
ants), in the valley of the Kocher.
Mergentheim (4,021 inhabitants), in the valley of the Tauber, which is tributary
to the Neckar, recalls the gloiies of the Teutonic knights, whose property
Napoleon confiscated in 1809.
CHAPTER V.
THE UPPER DANUBE AND THE MAIN.
(Bavabia anu Danvbian Wcrttembehq.)
General Aspects. — Mountains.
F all the states of Germanj', Bavaria, excluding therefrom the Trans-
Khenan Palatinate, has its boundaries drawn most in accordance
with natural features. The country presents itself as a vast quad-
rangle, bounded on the south by the limestone Alps of the Algau,
Tyrol, and Salzburg ; on the east by the Bohemian Forest ; on the
north by the Thuringian Forest ; and in the west by the Franconian and Swabian
Jura. The rivers, it is true, partly belong to the basin of the Danube, and partly
to that of the Rhine, but the passage from one basin to the other presents no
obstacles whatever. This geographical unity has greatly promoted the political con-
stitution of Bavaria. It has kept alive, too, a " particularist " Bavarian patriotism,
old customs, and traditions. There was a time when politicians dreamed of giving
to Bavaria a position analogous to that of Prussia and Austria, but that time is
past, and Bavaria has become a province, though a very important one, of the new
German Empire.*
Austria took care at the Congress of Vienna to secure possession of all the
great passes over the Alps, and not even the rivers which discharge themselves
into the Danube above Passau were wholly assigned to Bavaria. Austria holds
not only the whole of the valley of the Inn and Vorarlberg, but also the upper
valleys of the Lech and Isar. The Fern Pass (4,025 feet), through which runs
the old high-road from Augsburg to Innsbruck and Italy, lies wholly within
Austrian territory. Bavaria, however, may nevertheless boast of possessing some
veritable Alps, with glaciers, perennial snows, lakes, and succeeding zones of
vegetation. Standing upon the Hohe Peissenberg (3,190 feet), an isolated cone
Bavaria to the east of the Khine
Falatiiiate
Total
Area.
Sq. MileA.
26,yuy
2,292
29,291
Population.
1867. 1875.
4,198,3.55 4,381,136
626,066 64I,2.i4
4,824,421
6,022,390
Inhab. to
Sq. Mile.
162
280
172
226
GEEMANY.
rising in the middle of a plain, these Bavarian Alps lie spread out before us,
formLg a magnificent panorama. Their culminating summit, the Zugspitze
(9,099 feet), is the highest mountain within the present limits of the German
Empire.
Some of the Alpine valleys of Bavaria are noted for their picturesque scenery.
Fig. 129.— The Konigsee.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
E of Paris
Eof G.
2 Milea.
The castle of Hohenschwangau, to the east of Fiissen, commands an extensive
view of the valley of the Lech and of a country of moraines, now covered
with forest. The beautiful valley of Partenkirchen opens out at the foot of the
Wetterstein, and near it the Walchensee occupies a huge natural amphitheatre in-
the mountains. The Ti gernsee, with its villas, lies farther to the east, whilst the
BAVARIA.
227
Konigsee occupies a much-admired site in the midst of the mountains. This latter
is the most beautiful lake of all Germany. Its grey-green waters reflect the snow-
capped summit of the Watzmann (8,987 feet), cascades sparkle amongst the
foliage, the forests descend in many places to the edge of the water, and villas
occupy every coin of vantage around it. The foaming rivulet which escapes
from this charming lake flows through the valley of Berchtesgaden towards Salz-
burg. There is no more delightful valley in all Bavaria than that of Berchtes-
gaden, with its brine springs and salt works, its watering-places and summer
Fig. 130. — VlBW OF THE KoNIOSBB.
resorts. And yet man there is physically most wretched. Subjected for ages to
the hard rule of monks, the dwellers in this earthly paradise became so poor that
the peasants of the neighbourhood refused to give their daughters in marriage to
them. Consanguineous marriages and physical deterioration were the result, and
in the district of Berchtesgaden one amongst every fourteen inhabitants is afflicted
with goitre, and one in a hundred and fifty is a cretin ! Their occupation —
the carving of wooden images — necessitating much confinement, only increases
these evils.
The mountainous region which bounds the plateau of Bavaria on the east, and
228 GERMANY.
separates it from Bohemia, commences immediately to the north of the Danube.
An inferior range of crystalline formation, and partly wooded, stretches along the
river, attaining a height of 3,000 feet, with summits rising several hundred
feet higher. This range, known as the Bavarian Forest, is separated by the
longitudinal valley of the Regen from the more elevated range usually called the
Bohemian Forest. The Arber (4,841 feet) and Rachel (4,782 feet), the cul-
minating points of this range, rise within the Bavarian frontier. We have
already seen how formidable an obstacle this wooded region has at all times
proved to the march of armies. Only one good pass leads across it, connecting
the Bavarian town of Furth with Taus in Bohemia. Farther north the Bohemian
Forest is less elevated.
The Fichtelgebirge — "Pine Mountain" — a protuberance of granite and
gneiss pierced here and there by basalt, forms the north-eastern boundary of
Bavaria. It is by no means very elevated, but, owing to its rugged nature, its
inclement climate, sterile soil, and sparse population, has at all times proved a
serious obstacle to the free intercourse between North and South Germany. The
rivers which rise in these mountains — the Main, a tributary of the Rhine ; the
Naab, a feeder of the Danube ; and the Saale and Elster, which both flow to the
Elbe — indicate the position of the most favourable locality where they can be
crossed. This gap lies close to Bohemia, between the Ore Mountains and the
Fichtelgebirge, and from the most remote time it has maintained its rank as an
important highway.*
The mountains which extend from the Fichtelgebirge to the westward attain
their highest elevation outside the political borders of Bavaria. Only one group
of mountains lies almost wholly within Bavaria, viz. the Spessart, or " Wood-
pecker's Forest," culminating in the Geiersberg, or "Vulture Mountain" (2,017
feet). The Main almost encircles the Spessart before it continues its course
towards the Rhine. The climate of this mountain group is rude, its inhabitants
are poor, but the forests of beeches and oaks are magnificent, and game, including
wild boars, deer, and wild cats, is plentiful. Formerly it was haunted by
brigands.
Wide plateaux separate the basin of the Danube from that of the Main.
These plateaux are a continuation of the Swabian Jura, which towards the north-
east assumes the name of Franconian Jura. Much broader than that of Wiirttem-
berg, the Bavarian Jura is far less elevated, and it does not terminate in a range
of clifis, as does the Rauhe Alp. It is intersected by narrow gorges, which
present great facilities for the construction of roads. Its surface is diversified by
the remains of ancient atolls, and by cavities formed by volcanic explosions. The
plain of the Ries, in the centre of which stands the town of Nordlingen, is thus bounded
on all sides by hills exhibiting violently contorted strata, and its fertile soil results
from the decomposition of igneous rocks. The Bavarian Jura presents the same
geological features as the otber parts of the system. It, too, abounds in fossils.
One of its uppor beds furnishes the famous lithographic stones of Solenbofen, the
• The Schaeeberg, 3,587 feet, is the highest summit of the Fichtelgebirge.
BAVAEIA.
229
quarries, seen from afar, presenting the appearance of a glaring white town built
in the midst of a forest.* Amongst the fossils found in the strata of Solingen is
the Archwopteryx, an animal half bird, half reptile. The Franconian Jura abounds
in caverns, most of them yielding the bones of hyenas, bears, and other extinct
animals, and sometimes also human remains. The cavern of Gailenreuth is that
which is best known to geologists, but thousands of others yet remain to be
explored. The entrance to these caverns is for the most part through sinks,
locally known as Schauerlocher or Wetteiiocher, and popularly supposed to have
been caused by thunderbolts.
Although the Alps occupy but a small portion of Bavaria, their debris can be
Fig. 131. — A RiotoN OF Moraines in UpPKa Bavaria.
Soak 1 : 800,000.
9° E.of Paris
.6 Miles.
traced for nearly 100 miles from their northern foot, even to the other side
of the Danube. Nearly one-half of Bavaria is covered with soil resulting from the
disintegration of the mountains. The blocks of rock, the gravel, sand, and clay
which cover the plateau of Bavaria to an unknown depth can all be traced to the
Alps.
The plain does not extend to the foot of the Bavarian Alps, but is separated
from them by a region of hills, torrents, lakes, and swamps. These hills are
nothing but ancient moraines which the glaciers carried down on their backs, and
deposited outside the valleys. Still farther to the north, and opposite the mouths
• On an average 13,100 cubic yards of stone are qnarriod annually, at a cost of £200,000. They sell
for ^£2,000,000.
230 GERMANY.
of certain valleys, erratic blocks are found in large numbers. None have hitherto
been discovered to the north of the Algau Mountains, whilst in the valley of
the Inn they extend as far as Krayburg, a village lying some 25 miles from the
actual foot of the Alps.
The pebbles, which in the plain sloping down towards the Danube are covered
with a thin layer of vegetable soil, gradually decrease in size as we travel away
from the mountains. Most of them are calcareous, and have evidently come from
the limestone Alps ; but mixed with them are found fragments of granite, gneiss,
and crystalline slate, undoubtedly derived from the more southern crystalline Alps,
which in the glacial epoch must thus have surpassed the limestone Alps in height.
Beyond the Danube the pebbles traceable to the Alps are mixed with debris
resulting from the disintegration of the Swabian Jura, and with quartz and other
flints brought thither by the torrents descending from the Bavarian Forest. In the
course of ages carbonato of lime has compacted some of these pebbles, but for the
most part they occur in loose accumulations. Engineers engaged in the con-
struction of railways found it impossible to drive tunnels through these masses of
shingle and gravel. The cuttings which had to be substituted for the tunnels are
sometimes of astonishing dimensions : one of them is no less than 105 feet in
depth, whilst a railway embankment rises to a height of 170 feet.
The beds of pebble decrease as we approach the Danube, loess, or loam, taking
their place. At the foot of the Alps only very thin layers of loess are met with in
a few localities. lu the plains bordering upon the Danube the loess has a depth of
several yards, and the bones of mammoths have frequently been found in it. To
the north of the river it covers the hill-slopes to a height of 200 and even 400
feet above the plain, and its great fertility makes the country extending from
Ratisbon to the confluence with the Isar the granary of Bavaria. This district is
known as the Dunkelhoden, or " dark bottom " — a corruption of the older Duiigau-
boden ; that is, Danube valley bottom.
Lakes, Bogs, and Ri\'ers.
Owing to the irregular configuration of the valleys through which the waste of
the mountains found its way into the plain, the deposition proceeded at a very
irregular rate. The plateau of Bavaria, far from being a plain, has an undulating
surface. Ridges of hills usually extend along both banks of the rivers, whilst
the cavities beyond these ridges are occupied by lakes or swamps. The general
slope of the land facilitates drainage, and hundreds of small lakes have already
been drained, but there still remain a large number which for extent and depth
may fairly compare with any but the largest lakes of Switzerland. The Amraer
Lake, one of the largest amongst them, has low wooded shores. The Wurmsee, or
Lake of Starnberg, is bounded by wooded hills of graceful outline, and its villages
are indebted to the vicinity of Munich for a large number of summer visitors. A
castle now occupies one of the islands, which in a former age was the site of a
lacustrine pile village. As to the Lake of Chiem, though larger than the others,
BAVAEIA. 281
and hence known as " Bavarian Sea," it lies wholly in the plain, and swamps and
reeds render it inaccessible in many places. Numerous erratic blocks are found near
it, and on Herrenworth, the largest of its three islands, rises an old monaster)',
now converted into a brewery.*
The actual lakes of Upper Bavaria are but the remnants of ancient lakes of far
larger extent, whose position is vaguely indicated by the swamps which cover
a great part of the country. To the north of Munich bogs or mosses stretch in
narrow strips towards the Isar and the Amper, through which they discharge
their surplus waters. For a long time these swampy tracts resisted all cultivation.
The few inhabitants lived in wretched villages built on mounds rising like islands
above the swamps. They were lean and emaciated like their cattle, and led a life
of great hardship. Of late years extensive drainage works have converted many
of these bogs into fertile land, and fine villages have taken the place of miserable
hovels. Still much remains to be done before the work of amelioration has been
accomplished, and curiously enough, the immediate vicinity of the capital, owing
to these swamp»s, is the least-peopled portion of the whole kingdom. Fogs, one of
the most unpleasant features of the climate of Bavaria, are rendered more dense
and frequent by the humid soil. The fogs in the district known as the Danubian
" Ried" are notorious, and how prejudicial these swamps are to the health of the
inhabitants may be judged from the fact that out of every 100 conscripts of
Bavarian Swabia, 54 arc found on examination to be physically unfit for service, t
The rivers rising in the Alps all resemble each other. Alternately flooded by rains
or melting snow, or reduced to trickling streams, they take their course through the
accumulations of pebbles, which offer but little resistance to their erosive action.
Hence they frequently change their beds, and whilst at one place they are confined
between steep banks, they spread elsewhere over the plain. The Lech, which has
an average width of 200 feet, is over 3,000 wide where it is joined by the Wertach,
below Augsburg. The Isar has frequently changed its course, and appears
formerly to have been tributary to the Inn, which it joined at Rosenheim. The
old channel of the Isar can still be traced, and is known as the " Devil's Ditch."
But though they wander over the pebbly plain, the Alpine affluents of the Danube
nevertheless exhibit in their more general features the pervading influence of a
law common to all. The Iller, the first Alpine torrent which joins the Danube,
• The principal lakes of BaTaria : —
Altitude. Area. Depth.
Feet. 8q. Miles. Feet.
Walchensee 2,625 61 700
Tegemsoe 2,400 3 0 306
Kcinigsee 1,980 1-9 626
Ammcreee 1,768 16-2 803
Wurmsec (Lake of Starnbcrg) . 1,913 20-8 272
Chicmseo 1,723 73-4 460
t Mean temperature in Upper Bavaria : —
Alti'u*1e. Spriug. Summer. Aotumn. Winter. Year.
Feet. Deg. F. Deg. F. Deg. F. Deg. F. heg. F.
Tegemsee . . 2,400 41-0 o5-U 42-9 296 41-1
Munich . . 1,673 45 3 67 3 80-4 31-6 451
Augsburg. . 1,610 44-5 36-9 44-2 300 43-9
Ilatisbon . . 1,065 45-5 57-9 445 29-9 44-3
232
GERMANY.
flows nearly due north ; the Lech trends towards the east ; the Isar flows to the
north-east; wliilst the Inn, in a portion of its course, flows due east. In fact, the
sediment deposited along the northern foot of the Alps forms a sort of glacis, or
Pig. l.'!2. — The Dantjbk and its Upi-er Affluent^.
£]^iard>
SCALE I : 6.000.000
XAW-ASSt/ Fcut
Fig. 133.— AuQSBCHO.
Scale 1 : 200,000.
8";3o E.or P«ri«
a°W
mound, and the rivers which flow over it open out like the sticks of a fan. Other
causes have, however, contributed towards this easterly trend of the rivers, fore-
most amongst which is the tend-
ency of all rivers of the northern
hemisphere to encroach upon
their right bank.
The rivers of Bavaria are by
no means formidable on account
of their volume, but their fre-
quent floods and the marshes
which line their banks render
them serious obstacles to loco-
motion : hence their importance
as strategical lines. With the
exception of the Isar, which is
inhabited on both banks by men
of the same race, the other great
rivers of Upper Bavaria — the
lUer, Lech, and Inn — have suc-
cessively become ethnological
boundaries. Most of the villages,
instead of being built upon the
banks of the river, occupy the
watersheds, and the roads, in-
stead of running through the
valleys, conduct us over the heights which separate them. Sites possessing special
advantages have exceptionally caused towns to be built on the rivers themselves.
'M^M l!.<if<i.
■ 2 Miles.
BAVAEIA.
Thus Augsburg lies at the northern extremity of the Lechfeld, a height of land
separating the Lech from the Wertach, but all the neighbouring villages occupy
the hills commanding the swampy bottoms. The inhabitants of Bavaria were
only able to approach the rivers of the country after they had "regularised"
them. As to the minor streams which rise on the plateau itself, and flow gently
towards the Danube, they have naturally attracted a considerable population,
for the valleys which they traverse are fertile.
The Danube, in the upper part of its course, is a gentle river, rising in the
Fig. 134. — BlAUBEUKEN.
Scale 1 : 220,000.
3»|»s' ii.«f n
a-5»l
. SMilea.
Black Forest. Its head- streams, the Brigach and Brege, rise the one to the north,
the other to the south, of the Tryberg, a mountain within the Baden boundary,
much frequented by pilgrims. These two streams unite at Donaueschingen, where
they are reinforced by a clear spring, usually described as the veritable source of
the Danube. At all events thence to the Black Sea the river has been known as
the Danube since the legions of Tiberius first set foot upon its banks. For some
15 miles the river flows to the south-east, aS if about to discharge itself into the
Lake of Constanz ; and indeed a considerable proportion of its water finds its
88
284
GERMANY.
way through subterranean channels into the Rhine. The spring which gives birth
to the Aach, a tributary of the Rhine, is almost wholly fed from the Danube. In
1876 fresh fissures opened in the bed of the river, and they would have swallowed
up the whole of its water had not the neighbouring manufacturers, fearful of
losing their water-power, stopped them up.
At Immendingen, close to the Wurttemberg frontier, the Danube turns away
to the north-east. It now flows through a gorge of the Swabian Jura, hemmed in
by cliffs 300 feet in height, but occasionally widening into secluded valleys, with
groves of birches and beeches. The rivulets which join the Danube in this part
of its course are distinguished, like all others flowing for long distances through
Fig. 135. — The Donau-Ried.
Scale 1 : 216,000.
U)*|»s'. ■BotO.
4 Milcu.
subterranean channels, for their blue transparent water. One of these tributaries,
the Elau, rises from a cavern opening at the foot of a hill near Blaubeuren, known
as the " Blue Pot," on account of the colour of the water which fills it. At Ulm
the Danube enters Bavaria, and thanks to the volume of water discharged into it
by the Alpine-born Iller, it at once becomes the great river highway of Southern
Germany. The Iller itself is navigable, and the Danube below its confluence has
a width of 210 feet, and an average depth of 3 feet. Large square barges,
known as " Schachteln," or bandboxes, at Vienna, and capable of carrying a
hundred tons of merchandise, almost daily take their departure from Neu-Ulm,
opposite the mouth of the Iller. Each of the tributary streams adds its
BAVAEIA.
286
contingent to this flotilla, which at Donauworth is reinforced by steamers.
Nine tenths of the barges only descend the Danube once, for on reaching Vienna
they are broken up, to be used as fuel or timber.
In its course through Bavaria the Danube makes a wide sweep to the north,
flowing along the foot-hills of the Swabian and Franconian Jura and the Bavarian
Forest. It passes through a few rocky defiles, but for the greater part of its course
alluvial soil forms its southern bank. The river, which formerly spread out into
a lake covering the whole of the Bavarian plateau, is now represented only by the
marshy tracts known as the " Donau-Ried " and the " Donau-Moos." The lateral
branches of the Danube are gradually disappearing, man aiding the operations of
nature. Of the tributary rivers those entering on the right are by far the most
Fig. 136. — The Donau-Moo8.
Scale 1 : 104,000.
n'«'| E.of o~
D'lU'
. 2MUea.
important, not only on account of their volume, but also because of their traversing
the whole of the Bavarian plateau. The Inn, a larger stream than the Upper
Danube, though much inferior to it as an historical highway, thus flows for more
than 100 miles over the plateau before it joins the Danube in the gorge of
Passau. The Alpine tributaries of the Danube divide the whole of Upper Bavaria
into a number of lozenge-shaped sections, and they exercise a considerable influence
upon the direction of the aerial currents. The prevailing winds blow either from
the west or the east, thus following the foot of the Alps, but the secondary winds
ascend or descend the valleys leading up into the Alps.*
• Altitudes along the Danube ■— The Bregfc at Fiirtwanpen. 2,.536 feet; the Brigach at Villingen,
2,316 feet ; conflnenee of the Brege and Brigach, 2,220 feet : at Tuttlingcn, above the gorge of the Jura,
2.106 feet : at Sigmaringen, below the gorge, 1,777 feet ; ' at Ulm, 1,634 feet ; at KatiBbon, 1,010 feet ; at
Passau, 957 feet.
286
GERMANY.
The Main is the principal river of Northern Bavaria. It is formed by the
junction of the Red and White Main, both rising in the Fichtelgebirge. Of all
the rivers of Germany the Main has the most winding course, for from its source
to its mouth is only 155 miles in a straight line, whilst the development of the river
amounts to more than double that distance. The Main, being a gentle river, would
form a valuable water highway if its volume were more considerable, and its course
less circuitous. It is not navigable in summer, and its traffic is almost entirely
local. As an historical high-road, connecting the basin of the Danube with the
valley of the Rhine, the Main, with its principal tributary, the Regnitz, is of
Fig. 137.— Thb Swabian Rezat and the "Fossa Cabolina."
Scale 1 : 204,000.
8* 35' E.of Paris
10" 53' E.ofO,
ZMilea.
paramount importance. Far from being separated by elevated mountains, two
rivulets — the one tributary to the Main, the other to the Danube — actually rise in
a swamp occupying a plain formed by the denuding action of water. One of
these, the Swabian Rezat, flows north into the Regnitz, tbe other south into
the Altmiihl, a tributary of the Danube. Charlemsigne already conceived the
idea of connecting both river systems at that spot by a canal. A trench {Fossa
Carolina) and the village of Graben ("Canal") prove that the work of excavation
had actually been begun. The existing canal has been excavated farther to the
east. It follows the main valley of the Regnitz, crossing the watershed at
BAVAEIA. 287
Neumarkt, 1,443 feet above the level of the sea. Though one of the most
important canals of Germany, it cannot compete with the railways which run
along it, and its traffic decreases from year to year. The plateau to the east of
Weissenburg (see Fig. V67) is crossed by a wall constructed by the Romans, which
extends thence to the Taunus and the Rhine near Mayence. This wall is known
as the Pfahlmauer or Teufehmauer (Palisade or Devil's Wall).
Inhabitants.
There can be no doubt that Bavaria was inhabited formerly by a race different
from its present inhabitants. Gauls lived in the country, as well as other tribes,
whose memory survives only in the names of a few localities. The old graves
near the Luke of Starnberg contain the skeletons of Alemanni and Franks, whose
skulls differ from those of the modern Bavarians. Here, as all over Europe, race
has struggled against race, until one of them issued victoriously.
The ancient Bavarians — Boiovari or Baiouvari — who have given their name to
the country, appear to have settled in it about the sixth century. But whence
did they come ? They are certainly not to be confounded with the Boii.
Probably they were of the same race as the Marcomanni of Bohemia, whose name
disappeared about the epoch when the Boiovari are first mentioned. It was the
Bavarians who sustained the attacks of Avars, Croats, and Servians, and who
repeopled Styria and Lower Austria, which these invaders had devastated. On
the west the Bavarians do not extend be3'ond the Lech, which separates them
from the Swabians.
These Swabians of Western Bavaria hardly number half a million souls. The
Alemanni, who are confined to the upper valley of the Iller, hence known as
Algau, are less numerous still. The Franks, on the other hand, occupj'^ nearly the
whole of Northern Bavaria. They are brisk and supple, gay and spirited, and
fought bravely for their liberties during the Peasants' War of 1524. The Swabians
are more sedate and reflective. The inhabitants of Lower Bavaria, between
Ratisbon and Passau, have intelligent features and quickness of perception, but
their passions are easily roused, and they resort only too often to the use of the
knife. As to the dwellers on the plateau, they can lay no claim to good looks or
manners, and are well aware of this fact, for in one of their songs they describe
themselves as " regular boors." Fair hair and blue eyes predominate in the
north of Bavaria, chestnut hair and brown eyes on the Danube and in the districts
of the Lech and Isar.
German alone is now spoken within the boundaries of Bivaria, the Latin
idiom, which formerly prevailed in some Alpine valleys, having been extinct since
the ninth century. The dialect spoken in the greater part of the country differs
very much not only from High German, but also from the Alemannic dialects of
Swabia, Switzerland, and Alsace. The Bavarian dialect is less flexible than High
German, and not so rich in words. It is deficient in pronouns, prepositions, and
conjunctions. Entire syllables and letters, notably the I and the r, are suppressed.
238 GERMANY.
The pronunciation is far less distinct than in Northern Germany. The transition
from Bavarian to Swabian is very abrupt, but in the north the change takes phice
gradually, and the patois spoken near the frontier does not much differ from High
German.
Education is progressing, but of all the countries of Germany Bavaria is
the most backward in that respect. Old custom^ maintain their ground more
firmly than elsewhere, for the population is almost wholly agricultural, nearly six-
sevenths of the inhabitants living in villages or isolated homesteads. The
Bavarian is a stay-at-home, he travels little, and furnishes but a small contingent
to the host of emigrants who annually leave Germany.* Commerce and industry
are not sufficiently developed to attract immigrants, and the number of populous
towns is small.
About three-fourths of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics. Protestants are
numerous in the district extending from Niirnberg to the Swabian plateau, and
many Jews have established themselves amongst them. In districts like that
around Nordlingen Catholics and Protestants can frequently be distinguished by
their dress, the former preferring bright, the latter sombre colours. A Catholic
will thus ornament his hat with a yellow or green ribbon, whilst a Protestant is
content to wear a black one. Tlie decorations of the houses in the Bavarian
highlands recall the fact of our being in a strictly Catholic country. A small
basin with holy water is fastened near the door ; a crucifix occupies a sort of
household altar ; the initials of the names of the Three Holy Kings — C 4^ M "f" B
— are written upon the wall ; and a paper dove, representing the Holy Ghost, is
suspended from the ceiling.
The old Passion Plays still survive in the Swabian and Alemannic districts of
Bavaria. In the village of Ober-Ammergau, close to the Tyrol, these " mysteries "
are performed once every ten years, more than four hundred actors taking part in
them. The young man who plays the character of Christ is exempted from military
service, so that nothing may interfere with his " study." The other actors, too,
identify themselves with their parts, and the entire performance impresses by its
realism. The villagers of the whole of Upper Bavaria are very fond of theatricals,
and until quite recently they not only performed religious mysteries, but also
mediaeval secular pieces and pantomimes, and even modern dramas adapted by
some local poet. Government, instead of encouraging these dramatic representa-
tions, set its face against them, and the priests in many villages confiscated the
theatrical properties, and burnt them as " accursed objects."
Towns.
WuiiTTEMBERG. — There are several towns in the upper valley of the Danube
which belong to Wiirttemberg, and not to Bavaria. Tuttlincjen (7,231 inhabitants)
rises on the Danube, where that river is a mere rivulet, but several important
• Birthplaces of the inhabitants (1875) :— Bavaria, 4,906,000, or 97-7 per cent.; other parts of
Germany. 6a,000, or 1-3 per cent. ; foreign countries, 53,000.
BAVARIA.
hiwh-roads pass througli, including the one which connects the Upper Neckar with
SchafFhausen and the Lake of Constanz. Ebingen (5,605 inhabitants), a small
manufacturing town, lies in the centre of the Jura, at the head of a stream which
joins the Danube above Sigmaringcn (3,729 inhabitants), the cheerful capital of
the principality of Hohenzollem.
Ulm (30,222 inhabitants) is the largest town of Danubian WUrttemberg, but
its suburb on the left bank of the Danube, Neu-Ulm (6,930 inhabitants), belongs
to Bavaria. Tbe Danube here first becomes navigable. The strategical importance
of Ulm is very considerable, and it is defended by formidable fortifications. The
citadel occupies the very site where the Austrian General Mack, after the battle
of Elchingen, surrendered to Marshal Ney (1805). From the fourteenth to the
Pig. 138. — Entuamce to the Pokt of Lindau.
seventeenth century Ulm was a flourishing city, and it was during that time of
prosperity that the Gothic cathedral was built, one of the greatest architectural
achievements of Germans. The tower, as originally planned, was to rise to a height
of 490 feet, but has not yet been completed.
One of the railways radiating from Ulm takes us to the Wiirttemberg town of
Hcidenheim (5,677 inhabitants), where there are woollen-mills and bleaching
grounds. The principal line, however, connects Ulm with the Lake of Constanz.
It takes us past the old town of B'brrach (7,376 inhabitants), the birthplace of
Wieland. At Schusmnried (1,360 inhabitants), farther on, prehistoric weapons,
with the bones of the reindeer and other animals, have been discovered in the
peat bogs. Rnvenaburg (9,078 inhabitants), with its picturesque towers, lies
likewise on the road to the lake. Vineyards surround it, as well as one of its
240
GERMANY.
neigliliours, appropriately called Weingarten (5,188 inhabitants). Fried) ichsliaf en
(2,908 inhabitants) is the Wurttemberg port on the Lake of Constanz. It is not a
large place, but exports great quantities of corn and other produce to Switzerland.
The first steamer on the Bodensee left this port in 1 1^524.
Bavaria, too, has a port on the Lake of Constanz ; not an artificial one, like
that of Friedrichshafen, but one well protected by nature, and probably identical
with the recpptaculmi of Tiberius. Lindan (5,124 inhabitants) is undoubtedly a
very ancient city. Built upon two islands joined to the mainland by a wooden
bridge and a railway embankment 1,970 feet in length, this Swabian Venice
not only exports large quantities of corn, but also manufactures silk. The town
aiTords a magnificent panorama of the Alps, and is much frequented by strangers.
The railway which connects Lindau with Augsburg has had to be accommodated
to the political boundaries of Bavaria, for the configuration of the ground. would
certainly have admitted of the construction of a more direct line. It crosses the
watershed between the Danube and the Rhine at an elevation of 2,598 feet. It
passes Kempicn (12,377 inhabitants), a busy manufacturing town in the upper
valley of the Iller, with saw and paper mills and woollen factories. This town —
the ancient Camponudum — is the most important in the mountainous portion of
Bavaria. Memmingen (7,762 inhabitants), a few miles to the east of the Iller, in
the midst of hop gardens, formerly surpassed it in wealth and population. Kauf-
beuren (5,553 inhabitants), on the Wertach, the principal affluent of the Lech, is
an old imperial free city.
The towns along the Danube present remarkable contrasts. Those in the west
are for the most piirt built on the left bank, whilst those below Ratisbon occupy
the right. The nature of the soil amply accounts for this feature. On the
Upper Danube the right bank is swampy, and the country is intersected by the
ever-shifting torrential rivers flowing down from the Alps. Peasants, monks,
lords, and soldiers, they all preferred to establish themselves on the more solid
ground offered by the lower terraces of the Jura. At Ratisbon, on the other
hand, the Bavarian Forest approaches close to the river, leaving no room for the
construction of towns, and the inhabitants preferred to settle in the more fertile
plain extending from the river to the Alps.
Dillingen (5,029 inhabitants) is the first Bavarian town which we reach below
Neu-Ulm and Giinzburg (3,808 inhabitants). It was the seat of a university
until 1804, and is frequently referred to in militai-y history. Ilochstddt and
Blindheim (Blenheim) are villages in the neighbourhood, rendered famous on
account of the victory achieved by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince
Eugene in 1704. This portion of the Danubian valley has suffered a great deal
in time of war, for an army desirous of avoiding Ulm can cross the Danube here,
and, by occupying both banks, command the roads leading into the vnlloy of the
Neckar, to the plains of Franconia, or to Augsburg and Munich. Donaiiuorth
(3,758 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Danube and Wernitz, is another
important strategical position. The old abbey of Knkhcim, near it, has been
converted into a penitentiary. In the valley of the Wernitz, wliich rises in
BAVAEIA. 241
Franconia, to the north of Dinkekhiihl (5,113 inhabitants), there lies another
city famous in the annals of war. This is Nordlingen (7,223 inhabitants), still
quite mediaDval in its aspect. Situated in the fertile plain of the Hies, this
town commands the roads which separate the Swabian Jura from the hills of
Franconia.
An accumulation of gravel and the errant course of the Lech have prevented
the foundation of a city at the exact spot where that river enters the Danube, but
some distance up the Lech there stands one of the great historical cities of Europe.
This is Augsburg (57,213 inhabitants), the ancient Augusta Vindelicorum. The
town occupies a ridge commanding the liOch and its affluent the Wertach.
Several old Roman roads, now partly superseded by railways, converge upon it.
The most important of these old roads followed the vallej' of the Lech up to the
Fern Pass, which it crossed into the valley of the Inn. Another road, for centuries
known as the " Salzstrasse," led to Salzburg and the salt works near it. It was
beneath the walls of Augsburg that the united strength of all Germany put a stop
to the incursions of the Magyars, who fled back to the plains of the Carpathians,
which they have not quitted since.
Augsburg, however, is glorious rather on account of the triumphs it achieved
in the arts of peace than because of its military history. As early as 1368 the
trade guilds had sufficient power to upset the government of the patricians, and
from that time dates the prosperity of the Swabian city. In 1372 the citizens
repulsed a Bavarian army, and for more than a century and a half afterwards they
maintained their independence. Aagsburg, being in alliance with the Italian
republics, carried on commerce with the Mediterranean countries, and, as a member
of the Confederation of Swabian towns, it exercised much influence in Germany.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century the merchants of Augsburg extended
their commercial operations as far as India. In 1527 a banker named Welser sent
an army of conquktadores to Venezuela, which had been mortgaged to him by the
Emperor. The Fuggers of Aug.sburg were the Rothschilds of their time, and
furnished Charles V. with the sinews of war. In 1519 a member of this family
built a working men's quarter, known as the " Fuggerj'," and imitated by our
modern philanthropists. It was at Augsburg in 1530 that the Lutherans presented
their " Confession of Faith "to the Emperor Charles V. But when Augsburg
was deprived of its popular government it decayed rapidly, and during the Thirty
Years' W'^ar its population dwindled down to 16,000 souls'.
Augsburg does not boast many mediaeval buildings, but possesses several
remarkable edifices of the Renaissance. Many streets and public palaces retain the
character of that epoch. The cathedral is a more ancient structure, raised on
Roman foundations, with famous stained windows and brazen doors, said to be as
old as the eleventh century. Several private houses are ornamented with frescoes,
and the public picture gallery is rich in paintings illustrating the history of
German art.
Aug.sburg has slowly recovered from its decay, but it will never again rise to
its former importance as a commercial and banking centre. Its capitalists,
89
242
GEEMANY.
however, have established cotton-mills and other manufactories not only in
that city, but also in other parts of Bavaria. The present population, if we
include that of the suburbs and of Lechhausen (6,724 inhabitants), is probably
as numerous as during the most prosperous time of the city. Augsburg slowly
shifts its ground, for whilst ancient quarters in the east of the town have been
deserted, new ones have sprung up in the west, outside the old town walls. The
fertile Lechfeld extends between the Lech and the Wertach, to the south of the
city.
Neuburg (7,291 inhabitants) is the first town on the Danube below the mouth
of the Lech. The town is favourably situated at the head of the great " Moss,"
now converted into productive fields (see Fig. 136). Ingolstadt (14,485 inhabit-
ants) lies below this swampy track, almost in the centre of the kingdom, and
half-way between Munich and Niirnberg. It is the strongest fortress of Southern
Germany. At Ingolstadt the Jesuits founded their first college in Germany, and
Fig. 139. — Ratisbos (Regensbubg).
Scale 1 : 168.000.
9° Uo- E.of Paris
'.' Miles.
the university, another bulwark of the Catholics, was attended, towards the close
of the sixteenth century, by 4,000 students.
The Danube, before it effects its junction with the Altmiihl, traverses a narrow
gorge, or Iron Gate, which the Romans fortified against the Marcoraanni.
Their entrenchments can still be easily traced, and are known as Heidcnmauem.
The hill rising above Kelhcim (2,838 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Altmuhl,
IS surmounted by a temple erected by Ludwig I. in commemoration of the German
War of Liberation (1813—15). Ek-Utddt (7,136 inhabitants) is the only town in
the valley of the Altmuhl. The famous quarries of Solcnhofen lie higher up,
above the village oi Pappenheim (1,718 inhabitants).
JiattxboH (Regensburg, 38,271 inhabitants), Radaspona of the Celts, occupies
a position on the Danube analogous to that of Orleans on the Loire; but it
possesses the additional advantage of several tributary valleys converging upon it.
The Regen, to which the town is indebted for its German name, here joins the
Danube, and by following it we reach the only practicable pass leading into Bohemia.
•A
BAVARIA.
243
The Nuab, which flows into the Danube a short distance above the town, leads up
to the pass between the Fichtelgebirge and the Bohemian Forest. The Altroiihl,
higher up, affords an easy road into the valleys of the Neckar and the Lower Main,
whilst the plain stretching to the southward presents no difficulties to a traveller
proposing to penetrate the Alpine valleys of the Isar or Inn. Add to this that
the Danube at Ratisbon is navigable throughout the year for vessels of considerable
burden, and it must be conceded that that town enjoys peculiar facilities of
communication. This advantage has been recognised from the most remote time,
Fig. 140.— Thb Walhalla.
I«:il«|iflj
and numerous grave-hills have been discovered along the great natural high-roud
which extends towards the north-west, in the direction of the Regnitz. This high-
way has been known since the days of Charlemagne as the " Road of Iron.
The Romans called Ratisbon Cmtrn Reginci, and made it their head-quarters
on the Upper Danube. Charlemagne converted it into a bulwark oJ his empire,
and the town was always a favourite place of residence of the German emperors.
Ever since 887 Ratisbon has been a " meeting-place of traders, a staple of gold
and silver, linen and scarlet cloth, and a busy port." In the time of the Crusades
2^^ GERMANY.
the vessels of Ratisbon held the same rank on the Danube as did those of Genoa
and Venice on the Mediterranean. Commerce enriched the town, whose
merchants frequented every fair of Europe, and established factories in Asia
Minor The prosperity of Ratisbon aroused the jealousy of Vienna, and of
other towns below, and when the Turks closed the mouth of the Danube and the
Black Sea against commerce it decayed rapidly. Ratisbon had to suffer, moreover,
from military events which took place in its neighbourhood, and more especially
during the Austrian retreat after the battle of Eggmuhl, or Eckmuhl, in 1809.
But it is surprising, notwithstanding, that a city which for a century and a half
was the seat of the Diet of the empire, and which occupies so favourable a
Fig. 141.— Passau.
Scale 1 : 70,000.
1 Mile.
geographical position, should not be more populous. Had Ratisbon been chosen
the capital of Bavaria, it would no doubt have grown into a large town. Don Juan
of Austria, the hero of Lepanto, was born at Ratisbon, and Kepler died there.
Whether seen from one of the islands of the Danube or from the suburb of
Stadtamhof, Ratisbon must be admitted to be one of the most picturesque towns of
Europe. Its gable-roofed houses, watch-towers, and walls are quite mediajval in
their aspect. The Dom, begun in 1275 and completed in 16^4, is perhaps the
finest edifice of that kind in all Germany. On a hill to the west of the town rises
the famous Walhalla, a sumptuous imitation of the Parthenon, built by King
Ludwig of Bavaria as a temple of glory of Germany's great men.
Ambvijj (13,380 inhabitants), the old capital of the Upper Palatinate (Ober-
BAVARIA. 245
Pfalz), is the only town of importance in the valley of the Naab. The banks of
the Danube are more densely peopled than that valley. Straubing (11,590 inha-
bitants), the native town of Frannhofer, and an important corn market, rises on the
right bank. Dvggemlorf (6,744 inhabitants), on the opposite bank, is the principal
market-place resorted to by the inhabitants of the Bavarian Forest. It lies nearly
opposite the mouth of the Isar, a torrential river which frequently overflows its
banks. The turgid floods of the Inn join the transparent water lower down, and
a town of historical importance has arisen on the peninsula formed by the con-
fluence of the two rivers. A second river, the Ilz, joins the Danube from the
north. On the spot now occupied by the German city of Fassau stood the Batara
Casfra of the Romans, whilst the suburb of Innstadt marks the site of the Celtic
town of Boiodurum. Passau, ever since the eighth century, has been a bulwark
of Christianity against Avars and Turks. It was the Bishops of Passau who
founded churches and villages along the banks of the Danube as far as Hungary,
but their residence never attained the commercial importance of either Ratisbon
or Niirnberg. Even had a freer development been possible under the somewhat
severe rules of these bii*hops, the paucity of population in the hilly country around
the town must have stunted its growth. Passau is a frontier town between Bavaria
and Austria.
Munich, or Miitichen (212,376 inhabitants), the capital of the country, occupies a
site which can hardly be said to possess any natural advantages. The underground
channels of the Isar produce dampness, extensive swamps occupy a portion of the
neighbouring plain, and no part of that plain is fertile. The river which flows
past Munich is hardly more than a torrent, only fit to float timber ; the climate is
rude and humid ; and the monotony of the surrounding countrj' is relieved only by
a distant view of the Alps and a few patches of forest. Any other site selected for
a capital on the plateau of Bavaria would have answered as well, for the existing
town owes no facilities of access to natural highways. The caprice of Duke Henry
the Lion in 1156 converted a small village into the capital of the country, and the
merchants of Southern Germany soon found their way to the nascent city. Still
its population increased slowly. In 1580 it only bad 20,000 inhabitants, in 1801
40,000, but since that time the facilities of access presented by railways have
caused it to rise rapidly, and it has become one of the most populous towns of
Germany, and its leading com mart. It is also one of those cities which attract a
large number of visitors, desirous of inspecting its museums and galleries.
Ludwig I. and his son Ma.\imilian have converted Munich into a sort of
architectural museum, where buildings representing all styles and ages can be seen.
In the new quarters of the town we can study the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian
orders. An. Italian basilica, in the style of the sixth century, rises near the
" Propylaea," erected to commemorate Hellenic independence. An imitation of
Constantine's Arch terminates one of the wide avenues in the northern part of the
town. A Gotliic steeple rises in the suburb of Au. The new Royal Palace recalls
that of Pitti at Florence, whilst the neighbouring gallery reminds us of the
Loggia dei Lanzi. Numerous buildings have been erected in a composite style,
2-46
GEEMANY.
blending the forms of the Middle Ages and the Renuissance. Of statues in marble
lind bronze there is a f.ir supply, the most colossal amongst them being the
" Bavaria " on tlie Theresien-Wiese, outside the town.
The painter's brush has been made tributary to the embellishment of Munich uo
less than the sculpt.)r'8 chisel, and historical and allegorical fresco paintings ornameut
the arcades bounding the royal park and other buildings. The inscriptions placed
upon some of the monuments by King Ludwig himself are not always appropriate,
and in some instances they are altogether unintelligible. As a whole the royal
buildings of Munich look almost like stage decorations, and leave the beholder
cold. They are neither German nor Bavarian in their character, and far prefer-
Pig. 142. — Munich.
Scale 1 : 125,000.
5 Miles.
able to them are the Church of our Lady, erected in the fifteenth century, and the
modem Town-hall.
Munich is exceedingly rich in art collections. The " Old Pinakothek" ranks
next to the Gallery of Dresden as a collection of paintings, and includes master-
pieces of all schools. The "New Pinakothek" contains paintings by modern
masters. The Glyptothek is a gallery of sculpture. A national museum, similar
in its scope to that of South Kensington, abounds in wenpons, textile fabrics,
ivories, and other works of art of every age. The Academy of Art of Munich is
the most famous of Germany. The university is attended by 1,300, the technical
high school by 1,100 students, and there exist numerous scientific societies. The
Royal Library numbers 800,000 volumes. The Observatory, at Bogenhausen,
to (he east of the Isar, is furnished with excellent instruments by Frauuhofer.
BAVAEIA.
247
Munich has become an important centre of industry. Iron and hrass castings,
bronzes, mathematical and scientific instruments are manufactured there. The
publishing trade, too, is an active one, and the number of periodicals, especially
of Catholic ones, is very large, for Munich is the head-quarters of the Ultramon-
tanes in Southern Germany.* But far more important than either of the above
branches of industry are the breweries, and the drinking-halls attached to them
attract more visitors on holidays than do the shaded walks of the " English
Gbrden " on the Isar, or the park of Nymphenbarg (1,788 inhabitants), the
Bavarian Versailles, t
In summer the charming lakes at the foot of the Alps are much frequented
by the inhabitants of Munich. Parteukirchen, in the upper valley of the Loisach,
Berchiesgaden (1,816 inhabitants), Reichenhall (3,302 inhabitants), and other
Fig. 143. — The Aqueduct of Reichenhall.
Scale 1 : 670,000.
.10* E.of Parts
I2*?0' E.ofO.
12° 50'
10 Mile*.
watering-places in the vicinity of Salzburg and at the foot of the Untersberg,
whose quarries have supplied most of the stone for the large buildings of Munich,
are favourite resorts. Reichenhall, owing to the abundance and efficacy of its
waters, sees most visitors. The springs of that " Hall " — a name by which all brine
springs were known to the ancient Celtic inhabitants of Germany — are fed by
water which percolates through the saliferous strata worked at Berchtesgaden and
at Hallein. An aqueduct, constructed in 1817, conveys the brine of Reichenhall
to Traunstein (4,466 inhabitants), and thence to Rosenheim (7,501 inhabitants),
the Pons (Eni of the Romans, on the Inn. This aqueduct has a total length of
60 miles.
• In 187fi, 2.36 Catholic periodicals, having 1,040,000 suljsciibers, were puhlished throughout
Germany. Of these .54, having ;i80,000 suhscribers, appeared in Bavaria.
t In 18"o the 20 breweries of Miinieh produced 2.5,792,008 gallons of beer, of an estimated value of
£1,209,280; I,llG,.iOO gallons were exported, 531. 350 gallons imported; and there were thus consumed
in the town nearly 12 i gallons per head annually, or ^-6 pints daily I
248 GERMANY.
The only important towns on the Isar below Munich are Freising (8,253
inhabitants) and Lamkhut (14,7S0 inhabitants). The former, an old- episcopal
see, has a Byzantine church of the twelfth century. Landshut, though of more
modern origin, is a larger city, remarkable, moreover, for its arcbitecturul features.
The Gothic church of St. Martin has a steeple nearly 4G0 feet in height. On a
neighbouring hill rises the castle of Trausnitz, the birthplace of Conradin, the
last of the Hohenstaufen.
Nurnbevg (Nuremberg, 94,878 inhabitants) holds as prominent a position in
Fr<mconia as does Munich in Bavaria proper. Niirnberg lies on the Pegnitz, a
small river tributary to the Regnitz. The names of these rivers prove that the
country was formerly peopled by Slavs. But in. 1050, when the Castrum
Norcnberc is first mentioned in history, these Slavs, or "Wends, lived under the
protection of a fortress built by Germans. The tomb of St. Sebaldus attracted
many pilgrims to the town, and Niirnberg very quickly became one of the most
important commercial cities of Germany. The old high-road from the Rhine to
Italy led through it, and thence to Augsburg and up the Lech. Another road
connected Niirnberg with Thuringia and Northern Germany, and so extensive had
the commercial relations of the Franconian city become that a contemporary
proverb said, " Niirnberg's hand is seen in every land."
Though situated in a sandy plain at a distance of several miles from the
wooded hills, Niirnberg, with its old castle, its towers and walls, has an appearance
of imposing grandeur. Of all the large towns of Germany it presents us with the
best picture of what an " imperial free city " used to be in the Middle Ages. The
old gates and city walls, and the castle in which the emperors used to take up
their residence, have now partly fallen, and the ditches have been planted with
trees, suburbs and market gardens extending far beyond them. Houses with gable-
ends and oriel windows abound in the sinuous streets, and beautiful fountains
ornament the open places. The Gothic church of St. Lawrence is famous on
account of its large rose-window, whilst that of St. Sebaldus, the patron saint of
the city, has a Byzantine choir. The churches and public buildings have been
ornamented by Adam KrafFt, Veit Stoss, and Peter Vischer, the great masters of
the German Renaissance.
Nurnberg has very appropriately been chosen as the city in which to establish
the "Germanic Museum," founded in 18.i2 by Baron Aufsess. Its collections
are displayed in an old monastery, and they enable us to obtain a very clear
insight into the public and private life of mediajval Germany. The town-hall
contains paintings by Albert Durer, the most famous amongst the sons of Nurn-
berg, which was also the birthplace of Wohlgemuth the painter, Hans Sachs the
poet, and Martin Behaim the traveller.
On the conclusion of the Thirty Years' War Niirnberg found itself reduced to a
position of impotence. At the beginning of the nineteenth century it only had
26,000 inhabitants. A revival has, however, taken place ; Nurnherger WUz*
proverbial during the Middle Ages, is once more exercising itself; and the manu-
• Niirnberg ingenuity.
cq
O
BAVARIA. 249
factories of the town and its suburbs are the most important of Bavaria. Glass,
mirrors, metal work, chemical products, locomotives, and machinery are produced in
them. Furth (27,360 inhabitants), a few miles to the west, is a manufacturing suburb
of Niirnberg, whilst Stein, a neighbouring village, boasts of possessing the largest
pencil manufactory of the world. Six railways converge upon Niirnberg, and
amongst the articles exported are the wooden toys manufactured in the villages of
Franconia.
The basin of the Regnitz has a dense population. Weissenbiirg am Sand
(5,019 inhabitants), on the Swabian Rezat, has breweries; aaA. Ansbach (13,299
inhabitants), on the Frauconian Rezat, is the old capital of the Margraves and the
birthplace of Platen, the poet. The old town of Schwahach (7,024 inhabitants)
rises on the Regnitz, above Fiirth ; it aflforded shelter to many French refugees
after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Erlungen (13,597 inhabitants), lower
down, in a sandy plain covered with forests, owes most of its industries to French
immigrants, who introduced the manufacture of gloves, stockings, and leather. It
is the seat of a Protestant university, founded in 1743. Lower down still, on the
Regnitz, rise the old walls of Forchheim (3,847 inhabitants), one of the places of
residence of Charlemagne. Bamberg (26,951 inhabitants), a famous old city,
crowns five hills at the confluence of the Regnitz with the Main. Amongst its
many churches the Byzantine cathedral, founded in the beginning of the eleventh
century by the Emperor Henry III., is the most famous. It contains the sarco-
phagus of Henry II. and his wife Kunegunda. The library is rich in precious
manuscripts, amongst which is a Bible copied by Alcuin for the use of Charle-
magne. Bamberg was formerly looked upon as the " umbilical city " of the
empire, and its position at the fork of the roads which hence lead to Frankfort,
Leipzig, and Niirnberg is a favourable one for commercial purposes. It exports
large quantities of fruit and vegetables grown in the neighbourhood.
Bayretith (18,609 inhabitants), on the Red Main, rivals Bamberg bj- its popu-
lation and industry. Formerly the residence of the Margraves of Brandenburg, it
succeeded its neighbour Kulmbach (5,271 inhabitants) as the capital of Upper
Franconia. On a hill to the north of the town stands Wagner's National Opera
House. The town holds a position in the history of letters, for Jean Paul Richter,
a native of Wunsiedel (3,784 inhabitants), in the Fichtelgebirge, lived and died
there. The painter Lucas Cranach was a native of Kronach (3,685 inhabitants), a
village in a valley of the Thuringian Forest. Lichtenfets (2,359 inhabitants), on
the Main, is known for the baskets it exports.
Schiceiiifurt (11,233 inhabitants) is the first large town on the Main below its
confluence with the Regnitz. This ancient free city, the birthplace of Riickert,
manufactures sugar, carpets, and colours. The name evidently signifies " swine's
ford," but the inhabitants insist upon its being a corruption of "Swabian ford."
Kimingen (3,471 inhabitants), a favourite watering-place, lies to the north-west of
Schweinfurt, on the Franconian Saale.
Continuing our journey down the Main, we pass Kitzwgen (6,393 inhabitants),
a town of breweries, and Oc/inen/tirt (" Oxford," 2,443 inhabitants), the etymology
250 GEEMANY.
of which presents no difficulty, and reach Wiirzhurg (44,975 inhabitants), the
largest city of Franconia, and one of the oldest. Its appearance is very picturesque,
the four towers of the Byzantine cathedral, the Gothic spire of St. Mary, and the
grey belfry of St. Burkard rising above the ramparts which surround it. There is
a sumptuous episcopal palace surrounded by gardens ; but the building which con-
stitutes the real glory of Wiirzhurg is its university, founded in 1582, and much
frequented by students of medicine, attracted thither by a model hospital, a
valuable anatomical museum, and capital laboratories. Wiirzhurg has machine
shops and various factories. The wine grown in the vicinity, and especially on the
hill crowned by the citadel of Marienburg, enjoys a high reputation. It is known
as " Leistenwein " and " Steinwein," and is sold in curiously shaped bottles called
hoxheuteh. Walter of the Vogelweide, the most famous of the Minnesingers, died
at Wiirzhurg. In accordance with his last will and testament, crumbs of bread
are still scattered every morning over his grave for the birds to feed upon.
Aschnffenhurg (13,479 inhabitants) is the last Bavarian town on the Main. It
lies out in the plain, and, like Frankfort, belongs geographically to the region of
the Rhine, and for centuries it was a summer residence of the Archbishops of
Mayence, whose old castle is the most remarkable building of the town. As to
Rothenburg (5,241 inhabitants), on the Tauber, a southern affluent of the Main, it
ought to have been assigned to Wiirttemberg rather than to Bavaria. This town
has thoroughly preserved its medieval aspect. Quarries of granite, limestone, and
sandstone are numerous in its neighbourhood.
ITo/ (18,122 inhabitants), an important manufacturing town, with cotton-mills
and other factories, lies in the basin of the Elbe. The manufacturing districts of
Saxony and Northern Bohemia extend thence along both slopes of the Ore
Mountains.
CHAPTER VI.
THURINGIA AND THE HARZ.
(Hesoe-Casssl, Thvbinoia, Ebfckt, Southekn Hanover, asd Brunswick.)*
General Aspects, Mountains, and Rivers.
HAT portion of Germany which separates the south from the north,
the basin of the Danube from those of the Weser and Elbe, forms
a distinct region, historically and geographically. Though abound-
ing in easy passes, it has for ages formed a world apart, around
which political and social life has had a development of its own.
As a barrier of separation between north and south, Thuringia proved all the
more efficacious, as the mountains of Bohemia advance there like a bastion fur
towards the west. In Europe the tendency of migratory tribes has always been
to follow the path of the sun, and hence they passed either to the north or
south of Thuringia, without interfering with the tribes who had settled in its
valleys. Owing to the great diversity of the country, and its many river basins,
these tribes grouped themselves into independent communities, and this accounts
for the complication of existing political boundaries. Saxe- Weimar, for instance,
consists of three main portions, with twenty-four outlying bits of territory.
Hcsso-Cafac'l (Prussian district of Cassel) .
Principality of Waldeck
Grand Duchy of .Saxe- Weimar ...
Duchy of isaxc-Meiningen . . . . .
„ t^axe-Altenburg ....
„ Paxe-Coburg-Ootha ....
Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt .
„ Schwarzburg-Sondcrshausen
„ Rcuss, senior branch
„ Rcuss, junior ....
Prussian district of Erifurt ....
Circles of the Harz (Prussian province of Hanover) .
Hilly part of the Duchy of Brunswick
Principality of Lippc-Detmold
„ Schaumburg Lippe . . . .
Area-
Population.
Inhabit
Sq. Miles.
1875.
toa Sq
3,902
788,886
202
433
64,743
126
1,387
292,933
211
9fi2
194,494
204
510
145,844
286
760
182,.599
240
365
76,676
210
333
67,480
203
122
46,986
385
320
92,375
288
1,363
886,499
283
1,0.33
298,450
191
616
110,060
170
469
112.4.52
243
171
33,133
194
Total 13,226
2,881,709
218
252
GERMANY.
Princes and commoners, when they divided the land between them, always sought
to secure wooded mountains as well as plains fit for cultivation. Thus each of
the principalities of Schwurzburg consists of a "hill domain" and a "lowland
domain." Brunswick, similarly, has its "highlands" in the Harz Mountains,
and its lowlands along their foot. In several instances the divisions of landed
property are carried to an extreme length, and the soil, the forest which grows
upon it, and the game which roams over it belong each to different owners.
Politically, however, the frontiers of this congeries of small states are gradually
beino- obliterated. As far as courts of justice and superior schools are concerned.
Fig. 144. — The States of Thukinoia.
Scale 1 : 1,900,000.
1. Saxc-Weimar.
2. taxe-Coburg-Gotha
3. Saxe-Meiningen.
4 Saze-Altenburg.
ib Miles.
6. Schwarzhurg-Snndershausen.
6. Schwurzburg-Rudolstadt.
7. Reufis, senior branch.
8. „ junior branch.
9. Hene
10. Prussian Saxony.
11. Kingdom of Saxony.
12. Bavaria.
13. Bohemia.
they exist no longer, and Prussia, which has secured a footing in Thuringia,
has largely contributed to that result. Hence, in considering this central region
of Germany, we shall discard arbitrary political divisions, and adhere to those
traced out by nature.
The geological formation of the Thuringian Forest is varied, but in their
contours the hills exhibit much uniformity. The back-bone of the range consists
of granite and porphyry, rising above the sedimentary strata, and extending in
a straight line from the banks of the Werra, in the north-west, to the plateau
of the Franconian Forest, or Frankenwald, in the south-east, a distance of 120
THURINGIA AND THE HAEZ. 263
miles. There are no very elevated summits, for the loftiest among them, the Grose
Beerberg, attains only a height of 3,228 feet.* On the other hand, there are no
deep depressions, and the contour presented by the top of the range is feebly
undulating. The sedimentary strata, however, which form the slopes of the
range, are traversed by deep gorges, and present bold cliffs towards the plain.
It is less difficult to walk along the crest of the Thuringian Forest than over its
foot-hills, and nothing would have been easier than to construct a carriage
road along it. Indeed, a rude roid of mysterious origin, now known as the Renn-
8teig,t runs over the top of the mountains, forming in many instances a political
boundary. This Rennsteig is the true line of separation between Franconia
Fig. 14.5. — The Rennsteio.
Scale 1 : 420,000.
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and Thuringia properly so called — between Southern and Northern Germany.
Everything differs on the two slopes of the range — dialects and customs, no less
than national dishes, clothing, and the style of the houses. This ancient boundary
is probably referred to in a letter which Pope Gregory III. addressed to the
princes of Germany in 738. Walking along it, we occasionally obtain a glimpse
into the valleys which lead down to the plain, and a sight of the ancient castles
crowning the promontories jutting out towards it. Carriage roads now facilitate
• other summits are, the Schneekopf, 3,208 foot, and the Insolberg, 2,998 feet. The mean hciglit
of the chain is 2,.i20 feet; that of the plateau at its hase is 1,1.50 feet
t A corruption, probably, of Jiainsteg ; that is, Jioundary path.
254 GERMANY.
the intercourse between the two slopes, but not a single railway yet crosses the
Thuringian Forest, and travellers pressed for time are still compelled to double
its extremities. The number of pleasure-seekers, however, who annually visit
the towns and villages of Thuringia is very large. Magnificent forests of beeches,
pines, and iirs, sparkling rivulets, verdant valleys, and cavernous rocks abound,
and fairly entitle Thuringia to be called the " park " of Germany.
The hills and limestone plateaux which stretch along the northern foot of
the main chain abound in caverns, through which the rain-water finds its way
to springs rising in distant valleys. The most famous of these caverns is that of
Venus, in the Horselberg, to the east of Eisenach. Formerly it was looked
upon as one of the entrances to purgatory, and the sounds produced by rushes
of air were much dreaded. Legend has converted this cavern into a dwelling
of Venus, and of her court of fascinated admirers. It is a remarkable feature of
the caverns of Thuringia and "Westphalia that they do not present us with the
curious fauna of insects and other blind animals discovered in the caverns of
Carniola and the Pyrenees.
The Werra, or Upper Weser, bounds the Thuringian Forest in the west,
and flows through the rich saliferouo basin which in the first century of our
era gave rise to the Salt War, when the Hermunduri defeated their neigh-
bours the Catti. The mountain group of the Hohe Rhon rises beyond. It
consists of numerous cones of basalt and other erupti\'e rocks, similar to the
volcanic hills of Bohemia, though more rounded in their outlines. Some of
the summits are even formed of horizontal sheets of basalt, now covered with
moss. Secondary volcanic cones surround the great central group of the Rhon,
erupted through the limestone overlying the sandstone plateau. The elevation
of the Rhoa (3,120 feet) is nearly as great as that of the Thuringian Forest ;
but its aspect is altogether different, for instead of smiling valleys we meet with
Nature in her most deterrent mood. There are few villages, and many old fields
have been converted into pasture-lands, for the inliabitants prefer to dwell in
the plain.
The Vogelslierg — " Bird Mountain " — to the west of Fulda, is likewise of vol-
canic origin. Unlike the Rhon and its numerous peaks, the Vogelsberg consists
of one truncated cone, rising very regularly to a height of about 2,000 feet above
the surrounding plain.* For 10 or 20 miles around the country is covered
with lava. The huge cone is ribbed by a multitude of divergent valleys,
presenting us with a miniature image of the volcano of Semeru, on the island of
Java, The ancient craters have become obliterated in the course of ages, but
the remains of a number of lateral cones impart some variety to the scenery.
The soil resulting from a decomposition of the basaltic lava is of exceeding fer-
tility, and nowhere else in Germany are the fruit trees more vigorous or productive.
The average elevation, however, and the paucity of running stre.jms, have pre-
vented the whole of the mountain being cultivated, and it is very thinly inhabited.
In the north of the Vogelsberg the hills of Hesse extend to the slate moun-
* Its total height is 2,532 feet.
THUfilNGIA AND THE HAEZ.
255
tains bordering the banks of the Rhine. They rise in detached groups, nowhere
exceeding a relative height of 1,300 feet, or impeding facility of intercommuni-
cation between the basins of the Weser and Rhine. Some of these groups are
nevertheless of very bold aspect. The Habichts Wald — "Goshawk Wold" — to
the west of Cassel (1,950 feet), with its basaltic promontories, forms a conspicuous
Kg. 146. — Thk Vooelsbeko.
Soale 1 : SOO.OOO.
£'uptl^9 Rocka
Othtr Formatlant
. 10 Mile*.
and picturesque feature of the landscape. Another basaltic cone rises between
Cassel and Eschwege. This is the Meissner (2,464 feet), the most famous
mountain of Hesse. The basalt has there spread over more ancient rocks,
abounding in lignite, which is being worked all around the mountain.
The hills which bound the Weser along its middle course differ from those
25g GERMANY.
of Hesse by their regularity. Like the Jura, which they resemble in their
geological formation, they constitute distinct chains, running from the south-east
towards the north-west; that is, in the same direction as the Bohemian and
Thuringian Forests. The Teutoburger AVald is the most famous of these ridges,
for it was there the legions of Varus were destroyed by the Germans. It
stretches away into the plain of Hanover, and its last promontories look down
upon the valley of the Ems. This was the first mountain range which the
Romans encountered after they had crossed the Rhine and traversed Westphalia,
and it was there they suffered their first serious defeat, avenged soon after by
Germanicus. Many battles have since then been fought for the possession of
this rampart of Thuringia and Lower Saxony. As in the days of the Romans,
these hills are still covered with forests ; but along their western base the trees
have almost disappeared, and the greyish tint of the plain contrasts curiously
with the wooded heights rising above it. A veritable steppe, known as the
Senne and famous for a small breed of horses, extends along the foot of the
mountains of Teutoburg, to the north of Paderborn, whilst a stony, waterless
tract, the Sintfeld, stretches away to the south of that town. The Teutoburg
Forest, like the Jura, is cut up by breaches, locally known as " doors " (Boren),
into sections, and the principal towns have been founded close to these doors,
or passages. The railway from Cologne to Berlin passes through one of these
doors at Bielefeld, and farther on, near Minden, it utilises a similar gap in a ridge
running parallel with the Teutoburg Forest. The Weser at that place has scooped
out a practicable road for the use of man. This is the famous Porta Westphalica,
whose majestic entrance is seen from afar. Many battles have been fought for
this great highway of nations. On the promontory which commands it on the
west are still visible ancient entrenchments, which tradition attributes to Witti-
kind, the Saxon Duke.
The Harz, which rises to the east of the Weser, is one of the most remarkable
mountain groups of Germany. Its isolation in the midst of a vast plain, its steep
scarps, relative height, and frequent mists, give it an importance much greater than
that enjoyed by other mountains of far superior height. For a long time the
Brocken, or Blocksberg (3,743 feet), its principal summit, was looked upon as the
highest mountain in all Germany. The ancient rocks composing the Harz have
been pierced by granite and other eruptive rocks, but the disposition of the
mountain group is nevertheless most regular. It consists of a succession of
elongated ridges extending towards the north-west, and of lateral chains following
the same direction. In its entirety it occupies an oval. The boldest slopes and
most elevated summits rise in the north-east, immediately above the low plain at
their foot. The valley of the Unstrutt bounds the Harz on the south. It is an
old lake basin, and the fertility of its alluvial soil has won it the epithet of
Goldne An, or " Golden Meadow" (470 to 560 feet).
The Harz, or Hart, as it was called in the Middle Ages, perpetuates the name
of- Hercynian Forest which the Greeks applied to the mountains of the whole of
Central Germany. It is still wooded for the greater part, especially on the lower
THUEINGIA AND THE HARZ.
257
slopes and in its south-east portion, known as Unter Harz. The cold northerly
winds which blow on its higher slopes prevent the forests from recovering, and the
vegetation is confined to mosses and lichens. In many parts the rocks are
perfectly naked, and the inclemencies of the weather have split them up into
grotesque masses. " Seas of rocks," similar to the " lapiaz " and " Karrenfelder "
of the Alps, are met with; they are the "cursed rocks," in whose midst the
witches executed their dances in the Walpurgh Night. The Harz forms the first
obstacles which the moisture-laden winds meet with in their passage across
Germany. This accounts for the frequency of mists and torrential rains.
But notwithstanding the great amount of precipitation, springs are rare in the
Fig. 147. — The Brocken and Wernioehodb.
Scale 1 : 135,000.
2 Miles.
Harz, the water being sucked up by fissures. The elevated mosses fortunately
retain a large quantity of moisture, and, like the glaciers of the Alps, they regulate
the flow of the rivulets.
The Harz abounds in mines. Whilst the hills bounding the Weser princi-
pally yield salt, the more elevated mass of the Hercynian Forest has been famous
for ages on account of its mines of silver, lead, and iron. The Harz is one of the
oldest mining districts of Germany. The argentiferous ore of Rammelsberg, near
Goslur, is said to have been discovered towards the close of the tenth century, and
already enriched the neighbouring towns during the eleventh. It was the miners
of the Harz who became the instructors of those of the Saxon Ore Mountains. In
90
258 GERMAKY.
some parts the mountains have been hollowed out by miners to such an extent,
that the " underground forest of struts is more extensive than the living forest
still growing on the hillsides." The mines have given birth to large villages and
towns, at an elevation which, under other circumstances, would have but few
inhabitants. If Lombardy offers the finest example of a system of irrigation, the
Harz presents us with an instance of the thorough utilisation of water as a motive
power, not a drop of the force gratuitously furnished by nature being allowed to run
to waste. Relatively the raining industry of the Harz is less important than it used
to be, although 100,000 tons of ore are still raised every year. Many of the mines
have been invaded by underground water ; but the ever-increasing number of
tourists who annually visit the Harz, to breathe its pure air and contemplate from
its summits the vast plain stretching thence to the North Sea, affords some com-
pensation to the inhabitants.
The legends of the Harz form a fertile source whence German poets draw their
inspirations. Goethe has made good use of them in his version of Faust. The hills
to the south of the Harz and the " Golden Meadow " are equally rich in legends.
One of them is connected with the Kyfthdmor (2,430 feet), a granitic peak with a
ruined castle. The merchants who formerly visited the fairs of Leipzig looked
upon the Kyffhauser as a Cape of Good Hope, for on approaching the Emperor's
castle they were secure from pillage by robber knights. But the Emperor no
longer protects the traveller. Seated at a marble table in a dark cavern of the
mountain, he slumbers, to awake only on the day of Germany's resurrection.
Thuringia is, indeed, a land of legends, which attach themselves to every spring,
rock, stream, cavern, or ruined castle ; nay, even to the clouds and the wind. It is
there that the " Wild Hunt " may still be seen on dark and stormy nights.
Inhabitants.
The Sorabian Slavs penetrated as far as this part of Germany. In Saxe-
Altenburg they still live apart, and although they no longer speak their native
language, they differ from the otlier inhabitants by their dress and customs. Like
most of their kinsmen, they are fond of shining buttons, loose trousers, and heavy
boots. The women wear close-fitting black caps, confining the tresses ; long
ribbons descending over the back ; vests with speckled sleeves ; and very short
petticoats, hardly reaching the knees. In accordance with an ancient custom,
property amongst them descends to the youngest son, and the older brothers often
stay with him as his servants. The Germans frequently accuse the Sorabians of
being too fond of money and good cheer, but we fancy that these latter might
successfully retort.
The Thuringians who inhabit the northern slopes of the Thuringian Forest
and the country as far as the Harz are one of the most purely German tribes of
Germany. Inhabiting one of the wealthiest countries of Germany, they are
said to excel their fellow-countrymen in gaiety of spirit, love of music, and
THUEINGIA AND THE HAEZ.
Fig. 148. — SoBABiANS OF Saxe-Aliembcbo.
259
.>-.\"^^"5<:
dancing. In these respects they diflfer notably from their western neighbours,
the Hessians, who are the descendants of the Catti. Inhabiting a cold and moun-
2eo GEEMANY.
tainous country, the Hessians, in many cases, have to sustain a severe struggle for
existence.
"Where a Hessian can't thrive,
None other need strive ! "
So says a German proverb with reference to the life of labour led by them.
It is indeed all work with them, and they are altogether devoid of the gaiety of
their neighbours. In many cases, however, their serious and brooding disposition
is ascribable to poverty ; for potatoes and bad brandy do not suffice to sustain a
man in vigour, and the inhabitants of some districts are visibly degenerating. In
the small principality of Waldeck, to the west of Cassel, the number of blind and
idiotic is greater than anywhere else in Germany.* The Hessians are said
frequently to be carried away by an excess of zeal, and have hence been nicknamed
" blind Hessians " by their compatriots.
Towns.
The Basin of the Weser. — Cassel (56,745 inhabitants) is the most populous
town of the hilly region of Central Germany. Situated upon the Fulda, in the
centre of a wide basin, and on a road joining the valley of the Weser to those of
the Lahn and Main, Cassel may originally have been a Roman ccistellum, but is
first heard of in history in the beginning of the tenth century. The old capital of
Electoral Hesse and the kingdom of Westphalia is a sumptuous town, many of its
palaces having been built with the money obtained by the sale of Hessian
" subjects " to England. There are museums and libraries, open squares, wide
streets, and public parks, and in the distance is seen the palace of Wilhelmshohe,
on a site far better endowed by nature than are the environs of Versailles. Cassel,
moreover, is a place of manufactures, first introduced by Flemish and French
refugees, and the railways which radiate from it enable it to carry on a con-
siderable commerce. There are foundries and machine shops, pianoforte and
carriage manufactories.
Marburg (9,600 inhabitants), a pretty town on the Lahn, has the oldest
university founded without the consent of the Pope ; and yet Marburg is one of
the " holy towns " of Germany. The oldest church of the whole -country rises on
the neighbouring Christenberg, on the site of a pagan temple, and the footprints
of Bonifacius, its founder, are still objects of veneration to numerous pilgrims. An
isolated basaltic rock, to the east of the town, was occupied formerly by the castle
of Amoneburg, a famous abbey. Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, a great saint, lies
buried in the fine Gothic church of Marburar.
Fulda (10,749 inhabitants), on the river of the same name, is equally celebrated
in the religious annals of Germany. A statue of St. Bonifacius recalls the con-
version of the Germans, and the Abbots of Fulda formerly bore the title of
" Primates of all the Abbeys of Gaul and Germany." Fulda is important now
• Blind in Germany, S9 to every 100,000 inhabitants; in Waldeck, lol. Idiots in Germany, 139
to every 100,000 inhabitants; in Waldeck, 217.
THUEINGIA AND THE HARZ.
261
as the intermediary of the commerce carried on between Frankfort and the
valley of the Weser. Hers/ild (6,929 inhabitants) is the only other large town
on the Fulda as far down as Cassel.
The Upper AV'erra, the head-stream of the Weser, takes its coarse through
the Saxon duchies of Cohurg-Gotha and Meiningen before it enters Hesse.
Hildburghausen (5,162 inhabitants) is the principal town near its source. Meinin-
gen (9,521 inhabitants) enjoys some importance as the capital of a duchy, but
is inferior in industry to its neighbour Sithl (10,512 inhabitants), a Prussian
town, in the midst of the mountains, and not fur from the crest of the Thuringian
Forest. Suhl has many iron mines in its vicinity, and formerly it deserved to be
Fig. 149. — Cassel and its Environs.
Scale t : 100,000.
J* 5 CafPirn
' 2 Miles.
called the " arsenal " of Germany. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it
supplied vast quantities of armour, and during the Seven Years' War furnished
both Austria and Prussia with swords. It still manufactures arms of every
description, including rifles, though far inferior now to Essen and Solingen.
Schmalknhlen (6,185 inhabitants), like Suhl, lies in a tributary valley of the
"Werra, and owes its prosperity to its iron works. The outer physiognomy of
the town has undergone but little change since 1531, in which year the Pro-
testant princes met there to combine against Charles V. There are salt works
at Bchmalkalden, but those of Salzniigen (3,724 inhabitants), on the Werra, are
far more important. Near the latter is the favourite watering-place of Liebeii-
atein.
262
GERMANY.
The Werra, having emerged from the deep valley through which it flows
around the western extremity of the Thuringiun Fore-^t, is joined by tlie Nesse,
upon which are seated two of the rnosr, celebrated cities of Thuringia, viz. Gotha
and Eisenach. Gotha (2J,687 inhabit mts) is the most populous town of the
smaller duchies, and, like all other capitals, it has its library and museum. To
geographers, however, it is more especially interesting on account of its Geogra-
phical Establishment. Eisenach (16,163 inhabitants), the birthplace of Sebastian
Bach, though beautifully situated in the midst of gardens, is less interesting
as a town of art and science than Gotha, but posses.ses a considerable centre
Fig. 1.50.— The Wabthukg.
of attraction in the Wartburg, one of the most curious castles of Germany, which
crowns a neighbouring height. The castle was built in 1 070. Here Attila cele-
brated his nuptials with Chrimhilde; a famous minstrel's war took place in 1207 ;
and Luther, in 1521, translated the greater portion of the Bible. The environs of
the Wartburg are delightful. Rnhln (4,398 inhabit;ints), in the hills near it,
sends pipes and purses into every part of the world, and its women are reported
to be the best-looking in Germany.
The Werra, on entering Hesse, flows past Emhin-ge (7,742 inhabitants), a
town of tan-yards, and having been reinforced by the rivulet upon which is
THUEINGIA AND THE HAEZ. 2C3
situated the Prussian town of Heiligenstadt (5,193 inhabitants), with its cotton-
mills, it joins the Fulda, and is thenceforth known as the Weser. Mutiden (5,607
inhabitants) occupies the delightful basin within which the two head-streams
join, and at the head of navigation of the Weser. Farther north that river is
joined by the Twiste, which rises in the principality of Waldeck, near the little
town of Arolsen ('-^,460 inhabitants), the birthplace of Ranch and Kaulbach.
The Weser then flows past Hotter (5,645 inhabitants), an old Hanseatic city, near
which lies the famous Benedictine abbey of Corvey ; Hohmiiiden (6,887 inhabit-
ants), where much iron and linen are shipped ; and Hamcln (9,520 inhabitants),
likewise an old Hanse town. In a delightful valley to the south-west rise the
springs of Pi/rmont (4,619 inhabitants), formerly much more frequented than they
are now. There are several other watering-places in the principality of Lippe,
whose only towns are Detmold (6,917 inhabitants) and Lvmgo (5,108 inhabitants).
At the former place the Cherusci held their popular meetings, and Charlemagne
defeated the Saxons in 783 ; and, if tradition can be believed, Hermann triumphed
in its vicinity over the legions of Varus. A colossal statue, 186 feet in height,
has been erected upon a neighbouring hill to commemorate this event. Near
Horn (1,717 inhabitants), to the south-west, are the Externsteine, huge blocks
of sandstone, no less venerated by the heathen Saxons than by their Christian
descendants.
The Leine, which flows through the AUer to the Weser, traverses a hilly
region in its upper course. Near its source it flows through Goitimjen (17,038
inhabitants), the most important town of the detached portion of Hanover.
Gcittingen, an old Hanse town, has woollen, linen, and jute factories, but its
glory is being the seat of one of the most famous universities of Germany, now
attended by 3,000 students. Its library of more than half a million volumes
is the most carefully selected in the world, and the Gehhrte Anzeiijcn, published
by its Academy since 1750, is the oldest critical scientific journal in existence.
Gottingen is the birthplace of Bunsen, the chemist.
Northeim (5,661 inhabitants), to the north of Gottingen, is an important
market town, and the starting-place for visiting the great industrial towns in
the Harz Mountains, including Oderode (5,658 inhabitants) and ClauHthal (8,548
inhabitants). The latter is surrounded by mountains. It has a mining academj',
and owes its prosperity to its mines. Their yield having gradually diminished,
Clausthal, as well as its neighbour Zt'llerfeU (4,260 inhabitants), is decreasing
in population, for its inclement climate, which hardly allows the corn to ripen,
is not calculated to attract inhabitants.
Eiiibeck (6,385 inhabitants), near the Leine, to the north of Gottingen, is famous
for its beer, and during the Thirty Years' War many of its brewers fled to Southern
Germany, where they introduced their craft. Gos/ar (9,823 inhabitants) is like-
wise situate in the basin of the Leine, but far away to the north-east. It is one of
the most famous cities of Germany, but its glories have departed. The Guildhall
has been converted into an hotel, the imperial palace is used as a warehouse, an
abbey has been transformed into a boarding-school, and an old keep now serves as
264
GERMANY.
a restaurant ! Near Goslar are the silver and other mines of the Eamraelsberg,
which annually yield above £300,000 worth of ore. On a neighbouring hill may
be seen the ruins of the Harzburg, an old castle of the Emperor Henry IV., who
went to Canossa. An obelisk is to be erected on the site in honour of Prince
Bismarck, as not being likely to go there.
Fig. 151. — Clacbthal.
Scale 1 : 200,000.
1 5 Miles.
The Basin of the Main.— The small states of Thuringia hold little territory
in the basin of the Main, but within it lies Coburg (14,567 inhabitants), one
of the principal towns, commanded by an old fortress, the Veste Coburg (1,500
feet). A large collection of works of art has been placed in this citadel and in
the neighbouring castle of Ehrenburg. The ducal family of Coburg, as is well
THUEINGIA AND THE HAEZ. 266
known, has supplied modem Europe with more ruling princes than any other
reigning house.
Sonneherg (7,322 inhabitants), to the north-east of Gotha, is famous as the
place where nearly all the wooden toys called after Niirnberg are manufactured.
In the Middle Ages all Western Europe procured its toys from this Thuringian
town, which now sends its produce into every part of the world. About 8,000
persons are exclusively engaged in the manufacture of toys, but so badly are they
paid that their average earnings do not exceed sixpence a day. It is estimated
that 3,000 tons of toys are annually dispatched from Sonneherg bj' rail.
The Basin of the Elbe. — The Saale and its tributaries drain the whole of the
northern and eastern slopes of the Thuringian Forest into the Elbe. The first
town washed by the Saale after it leaves Bavaria is Saalfcld, in Saxe-Meiningen
(7,428 inhabitants), an old stronghold which the Germans built as a defence
against the Slavs. It then flows past Rtulolsfadt (7,638 inhabitants), the capital of
a principality. To the east of it, in a lateral valley, lies the industrial town of
Possneck (6,202 inhabitants). Near Rudolstadt, and in one of the most delightful
parts of Thuringia, stands the village of Kcilhau, where Frobel (1817) founded his
famous college.
Jena (9,020 inhabitants), in Saxe- Weimar, on the Saale, in the midst of
gardens and orchards contrasting pleasantly with the scarps of the arid plateau
rising above the valley, is the seat of the Supreme Court of all Thuringia, and of a
university founded in the sixteenth century. Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel taught
there at the beginning of this century, and after the War of Liberation the students
of Jena distinguished themselves by their patriotism. On the arid limestone
plateau to the west of Jena was fought the battle (1806) which led to a temporary
collapse of Prussia's power.
Weimar (17,522 inhabitants) is the principal town on the Ilm, a western
affluent of the Saale. It is the residence of a court, and as such has its castle,
museum, library, park, and gardens, but is famous, above all things, for having
been for a time the centre of the intellectual life of Germany. Herder, Wieland,
Goethe, and Schiller there composetl many of their works, and the town has done
itself honour by erecting statues in their memory.
Apolda (12,427 inhabitants), to the north-east of Weimar, also on the Ilm,
enjoys the epithet of " Little Manchester," because of its factories. It is a
place of some importance, no doubt, but the Prussian town of Erfurt (50,477
inhabitants), to the west of it, on the Gera, far surpasses it. Erfurt is mentioned
as a stronghold before the introduction of Christianity into Germany. In course
of time it became the capital of Thuringia, and the principal commercial town
between Niirnberg and the Hanseatic seaports. In the sixteenth century it had
60,000 inhabitants, and Luther, who lived there when a monk, said it was " twice
as large as Nurnberg." But when Erfurt became a fortress it decayed as a place of
commerce, and towards the close of last century its inhabitants had dwindled down
to 15,000 souls. In our days the population once more increases from year to
year, but there still remain wide open spaces within the walls not yet built upon.
266
GERMANY.
The centre of the town is still quite mediaeval in its aspect, and the Gothic
cathedral, together with the old buildings in its vicinity, forms a very picturesque
object. Erfurt is famous for its market gardens and nurseries, irrigated by canals
derived from the Gera. Reichard, in the eighteenth century, contributed much
towards their flourishing condition. All kinds of vegetables, medicinal and orna-
mental plants are exported into every part of the world. The partial destruction
of the old ramparts has admitted of an extension of these productive gardens.*
Arnstadt (9,243 inhabitants), higher up on the Gera, is the principal town
Fig. 152.— Jena.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
. 2 Miles.
of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Its brine baths and delightful environs attract
many visitors. Ohrdruf (5,626 inhabitants), a small manufacturing town, lies in
a lateral valley, but it is at the foot of the hills, in the wide basin irrigated by
the Unstmtt, that the largest towns next to Erfurt and Gotha are met with.
The Unstrutt, not far from its source, has a sufficient volume to be useful
as a motive power, and the city of Miihlhamen (20,926 inhabitants)— that is,
• These gardens cover an area of 420 acres. The principal vegetables e.vported are asparagus,
cauliflowers, cress, and cucumbers. Asters and waUflowers are cultivated with special care.
THURINGIA AND THE HAEZ.
267
" town of mills " — consequently arose upon its bank. Like its Alsatian name-
sake, Miihlhausen is a town of factories. It has cotton and woollen mills, and
Pig. 163.— Thb Catkbdeal at Ebfukt.
manufactures iron articles of every description, from needles to steam-engines.
At the time of the Reformation the Anabaptists were numerous at Miihlhausen,
and Thomas Miinzer was beheaded there.
268 GERMANY.
Langcnmha (9,8o5 inhabitants) and Sommerda (5,945 inhabitants) are other
manufacturing towns on the Unstrutt, the latter being famous as having given
birth to the needle-gun. Sondershausen (5,723 inhabitants), the capital of the
princip;»lity of the same name, lies in a side valley of the Unstrutt, as does also
Frankenhauxen (5,500 inhabitants), a town of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Nord-
hausen (23,570 inhabitants), a very ancient city, partly enclosed within walls,
lies likewise within the basin of the Unstrutt. It has distilleries, vinegar manu-
factories, and chemical works. Thousands of oxen and pigs are slaughtered there
every year and pickled, whence its epithet of " German Cincinnati."
The towns in the valley of the Elster, close to the Saxon frontier, are populous
and the seats of industry. Greiz (12,657 inhabitants), an old town of the Slavs,
and its neighbour Zeulenroda (6,300 inhabitants), have numerous factories. Weida
(5,404 inhabitants) lies lower down on the Elster, which then flows through
Gera (20,810 inhabitants), the largest town of Reuss, sometimes likened to
Leipzig, on account of its commerce and manufactories. Ronnebcrg (6,224
inhabitants) and Sclimolln (5,173 inhabitants), in the east, and Eisenherg (5,509
inhabitants), in the north-west, are likewise manufacturing towns, whilst Alteii-
biirg (22,263 inhabitants), on the Pleisse, being the capital of a duchy, boasts of
a few fine edifices and scientific collections.
CHAPTER VIT.
THE PLAmS OP THE ELBE AND WESER, AND THE SHORES OF THE NORTH SEA.
(Lower Westphalia, Hanover, Oldenbiro, Lower Bbvnswick.)*
General Aspects. — Boos and Heaths.
HAT portion of Lower Germany which lies to the west of the Elbe
and to the north of the hills of the Sauerland, Hesse, and the
Hiirz, presents a great uniformity of geographical features. It
is an ancient sea-bottom, in many parts perfectly level, and now
covered with swamps, bogs, pastures, and fields. The political
condition of this region reflects its natural conformation. Instead of a congeries of
small states, such as arose in the hilly districts farther south, we meet with
large political domains. Nearly the whole of the country formerly formed part
of a single state, recently incorporated with Prussia. A " particularist " spirit
survives, however, in Hanover, for that country is to a great extent peopled by
peasants, tenacious of old customs. But the bonds which now join Hanover to
Prussia are indissoluble, and the old capital of the defunct kingdom differs in
no respect from any other provincial capital. Bremen, which still rejoices in
being a " free city," is one of those towns where the sentiment of German unity
has always been most lively.
The promontories of the Forest of Teutoburg and other hills which mark the
ancient extent of the sea -are not the only heights that look down upon the
plains of Hanover. There are a few isolated groups of hills. The wooded hills
of Schoppingen, to the west of Miinster, attain a height of 490 feet. The hills
of Bentheim, farther to the north, rise like a group of islands above a sea of
swamps and heaths. They, too, are wooded, and furnish building stones and metal
• Lower Westphalia (Mindon and Munstcr) .
Hanover (exclusive of the Harz)
Oldenburg (exclusive of Luheck and Birkenfe'.d)
Brunswick (lowland)
Bremen
Bailiwick of Bitzchiittcl (Hamburg) .
Total ....
Area.
8q M.
4,828
Population.
72.5,985
TnhabitantB to
a fiq. M.
150
13,249
1,718,943
130
2,075
248,136
119
966
215,041
223
98
142,200
1,451
32
6,957
217
21,248
3,057,262
144
270
GERMANY.
for roads. The surface of the heaths of Liinehurg is only slightly undulating, but
their northern edge sinks down abruptly, and, viewed from afar, resembles a range
of hills. The heights seen in Oldenburg are evidently ancient dunes consoli-
duttd by the furze which has taken root upon them. Whenever the protecting
Fig. 164. — The Peat Bogs of Coesfeld.
Scale 1 : 126,000.
f»''iVo' E.of P.iris
Veiiu 1 , ,v
Tiir/ l\u
I'<'al Jttigt
•2 MUes.
cover of furze is removed the wind gets hold of the sand beneath, and wafts it
over the fields in the vicinity. The Hiimmling, a range of heights to the east
of the Ems, is likewise an old chain of dunes.
Long after the plains of Northern Germany emerged from the sea, consider-
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE, ETC.
271
able portions of them must have continued under water. The remains of these
ancient lakes are few and insignificant. The Diimraersee and the Steinhuder Meer
are mere shallow ponds. The ancient gulfs and lakes have long ere this been
filled up by an accumulation of peat, and peat bogs cover hundreds of square
miles. The most extensive of these tracts of land is the Morass of Bourtange,
Fig. 15.5. — The Morass, or "Moob," of Bouutanoe.
Scale 1 : 206,000.
k° ;V5 E.of Parts i'',:>o'
which covers some 540 square miles to the west of the Lower Ems, and is inter-
sected by the boundary separating Hanover from the Netherlands. The human
habitations built in this swamp rise gradually above the horizon as we approach
them, like ships on the ocean. It would be dangerous to venture without a
guide upon the quaking and treacherous soil of the morass. The natives who
cross it make use of leaping-poles, to the end of which is fastened a plank, to
2Y2 GERMANY.
prevent their sinking in the mud, or they wear "mud-shoes," similar in shape to
the Canadian snow-shoes. Even animals are made to wear similar contrivances.
When Germanicus crossed this morass with his legions he caused pontes longi to
he constructed, which have heen traced as far as the Steinhuder Meer, where he
is supposed to have fought the hattle of Idistavisus against Hermann. These
Roman pontes longi resembled in every respect an American plank road. They
were made of oak, about 10 feet wide, and bordered by ditches. A layer of peat
3 feet thick now covers these Roman roads, which were far more solid than the
" batten " laid down by the present inhabitants of the country.
There are no bog lands to the east of the Ems which equal the Morass of
Eourtange. Still the swampy tracts of the Saterland and Arenberg cover areas far
larger than those of several small principalities. The Hamme, which joins the
Wumme above Vegesack, to the east of the Weser, traverses a marshy tract which
in many respects is one of the most remarkable in Europe, for the spongy soil,
though cultivated in many places, still floats upon the surface of the water. When
the snow melts, and the Hamme and the numerous swamps in its basin become
overchar<^ed with water, much of the lowlands of Waakhusen and St. Jorgen is
actually uplifted by the flood. The remainder, being firmly attached to the
bottom of the morass, is inundated, sometimes to a height of 10 feet. Occasionally
the inhabitants are forced to fly from their dwellings erected on the most elevated
sites afforded by the " solid land," and seek refuge on their " floating fields." After
having been cultivated for a number of years the spongy soil loses its power of float-
ing, and definitely settles down upon the bottom— an event very much regretted.
High winds are an enemy much dreaded by the cultivators of floating islands ; for
they uproot trees, and sometimes drift the land upon which they grow far out into
the swamp. In winter the cultivator of this curious country is menaced by other
dangers. Land and water then are compacted into one mass, and, when the thaw
sets in, large fragments are sometimes torn from the bank and float away. A
hole filled with water thus remains behind. Again, in the middle of winter,
the frozen morass sometimes cracks with a loud explosion. The fissure then
formed runs across fields, houses, and dykes, and is sometimes wide enough to be
used as a navigable canal.
The mode of cultivation until recently pursued in the bogs of Northern
Germany was a very barbarous one. Having superficiallj^ drained a bit of
land and dug it up, the peasant set fire to the peat, which burned down to a dejith
of 30 inches, the acrid smoke rising to a great height. He then sowed buckwheat
in the ashes for six years consecutively, and later on oats or rye. This exhausted
the soil, which was then allowed to lie fallow for thirty years. The consequences
of this burning of the peat made themselves felt over a vast expanse. The
smoke, or moorruuch, rose to a height sometimes of 10,000 feet, and, spreading out
in the form of a cloud, was carried by the wind to an enormous distance. In
May, 1857, a north-westerly wind drifted it as far as Vienna and Cracow, a distance
of 500 miles, and in July, 1863, it was even traced to Morges, on the bunks of the
Lake of Geneva. It has been calculated that 30,000 acres of peat were fired
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE, ETC.
S78
annually, and that the vegetable mitter destroyed in this manner or carried away
by the wind amounted to several thousand tons. Societies have consequently been
formed to agitate against this wasteful practice, which has virtually been pro-
hibited in many districts. Intelligent agriculturists have introduced the Dutch
Pig. 156. — Papenmuro.
Scale 1 : 170,000.
7° 80 li'E.olG.
2 Miles.
method of cultivating bog lands. They carefully drain the land, then remove the
layer of vegetable matter until they reach the bottom, which they cultivate like
any ordinary field. The peat is removed in barges which navigate the larger
drainage canals. In this manner small oases are being formed in the midst of
91
274 GERMANY.
these dreary districts, and the aspect of the country is rapidly changing. It was
' in this way that the "Devil's Morass," to the east of Bremen, was reclaimed.
Similar success has attended the work of reclamation in th« morasses to the east
of the Ems. Papenburg, which formerly consisted only of a ruined tower, has
become a flourishing town, surrounded by gardens, fields, and meadows, extending
for several miles along a navigable canal.
Below these morasses lies the region known as the Geest, or Gast, the soil of
which consists for the most part of thick layers of sand mixed with clay marl.
The Geest has an uneven surface, and to an inhabitant of the coast or the morasses
its elevations almost assume the appearance of mountains. Its depressions are
filled with peat. Where rivers have scooped themselves out broad valleys by
carrying away the sand, the exposed clay and marl yield remunerative harvests.
Elsewhere the soil is loamy, but there are also extensive tracts of sand, which the
wind has piled up into drifting dunes, and which produce only furze. In many
instances these dunes have been planted with pines.
The Heath of Liineburg, to the east of the plain of Hanover, is an eastern
extension of the Geest, though never referred to by that designation. It is one of
the least picturesque countries of Germany, although flowers, clumps of trees,
ravines, and an unbounded horizon render it more attractive than would be
imagined from the ironical remarks made respecting it. Villages are few and far
apart in this sterile tract, of which shepherds in charge of vast herds of small black
sheep, known as Meiikschnucken, hold undisputed possession. Attempts to cultivate
the heath have hitherto failed, owing to a want of water, and only a little buckwheat
is grown upon it. Still forests are being planted, and agricultural settlements
have been formed. Birches, oaks, and beech-trees grow luxuriantly in the bottom-
lands, and a time when the herds of native sheep will be displaced can be foreseen.
Erratic blocks derived from the glaciers of Scandinavia abound on the plateau
of Luneburg, on the Hiimmling, and throughout the plain irrigated by the Ems
and Weser. Some of these blocks have even found their way through the gaps in
the advanced chains of Central Germany, as far as the foot of the Thuringian
Forest. The Kyff'hiiuser is surrounded by them, and from the Harz they can
be traced to the plain of the Lippe and Ruhr, and even across the Rhine as far
as Crefeld. This abundance of stones enabled the ancient inhabitants of the
country to raise numerous cromlechs and other structures of the kind. On a ridge
near the mouth of the Weser may still be seen a cromlech the covering stones
of which weigh 100 tons each. Most of these ancient monuments have disap-
peared, for the Hanoverians sell them to the Dutch, who use the boulders in the
construction of their embankments.
The Littoral Region.
The profile of the coast of Northern Germany has undergone many changes
even during the short period which has elapsed since the Romans invaded the
country. The coast of all Hanover has been gnawed by the ocean, which in
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE, ETC. 276
many places has recovered the ground it lost formeily. MediaDval chronicles
record many disasters caused by sudden irruptions of the sea. In 1066 the sea
invaded the gulf of the Jade, sweeping away the castle of Mellum, whose site is
still indicated by a sand-bank bearing its name. Fresh irruptions of the sea
in 1218 and 1221 scooped out what is now the deepest part of the gulf, to the
south of Wilhelmshafen. More disastrous still were the floods of 1277. A
fearful tempest forced the sea up the estuary of the Ems, where it swallowed up
forty villages and formed the sinuous gulf of the Dolhirt. Another disaster
happened on the 1st of November. 1570, when the sea forced the dykes from
the mouths of the Meuse to the Forest of Skagen, destroying 100,000 human
beings ; and manj' times since then has the sea broken through the embankments
erected as a protection against it, involving numerous vilLiges in ruin. A slow
subsidence of the land probably accounts for these irruptions. M. Prestel has
computed the annual advance of the sea along the coast extending from the Texel
to the northernmost capte of Denmark at 18 feet, which must have resulted in a
loss of 1,500 square miles since the thirteenth century.
But whilst the sea thus encroaches upon the coast, there are agencie-s at work
which result in the formation of new land. In the estuaries of the Ems and
AVeser, and near the mouths of the smaller rivers, where salt and fresh water
mingle, the matter held in suspension is deposited before the turn of each tide ;
and not only do small particles of sand and clay sink to the bottom, but some
chemical process goes on simultaneously, the salts of lime and magnesia mingling
with the ooze. At the same time innumerable infusorial animals, which die in
the brackish water, and myriads of marine organisms, which are killed by the
fresh water of the rivers, sink to the bottom, forming, in the course of ages, thick
layers of wonderfullj' fertile soil. Professor Ehrenberg states that the ooze, or
Schlick, in the lays and port of Emden consists, to the extent of three-fifths of its
volume, of the remains of animalculae. Amber was formerly found on the shores
of the North Sea. This amber contained none of the insects so frequently met
with in that of the Baltic, and it has hence been concluded that the coast of
Frieslind was as poor in beetles at that epoch as now.
When the mud-banks first emerge from the water they become covered with
saline plants. After awhile sedges and clover make their appearance, and it
is then that man first attempts to secure these rich lands, which, once embanked,
yield harvest after harvest for a century, without requiring any artificial manure.
Originally a family of the Geest, desirous of embanking a mud-bank, esta-
blished iiself upon an old island, beyond the reach of the flood, or constructed
a tcar/cn, or wharf, placing it beyond the reach of the sea. For ages, however,
the work of embankment has been taken in hand collectively, and the dykes of
German Friesland are no less remarkable than those of the neighbouring
Netherlands. Most of them average between 15 and 30 feet in height, but
there are some as high as 40 feet, and their maintenance has been very costly.
But the inhabitants are obliged to construct dykes, or to go away : —
"De nich will diken,jnut wiken."
276
GERMANY.
It is a century now since man obtained this mastery over the sea. Sheltered
behind his " walls of gold," he may feel secure from the assaults of the sea, and
fresh walls of defence are raised whenever the alluvial soil has sufficiently
accumulated beyond the existing barriers. That much land has th,.8 been
recovered in the course of centuries is certain. The town of Jever, in the alluvial
tract to the north-west of the Jade, was a seaside town in the days of Charle-
magne, but lies now nearly 10 miles inland. In going from Wittrnund to the
sea a distance of 12 miles, we cross nine main dykes, marking as many
successive conquests of the " dykers." The oldest of these embankments was
thrown up in 1598. Still much remains to be done towards the " sanitation " of
Pig. 157. — The Coast of East Frieslawd.
Scale 1 : 1,255,000.
• 5 Fiilh'"»» t'iiie
, 26 Miles,
the country and the conquest of the Watteii, or sand-banks, covered by each
advancing tide.
The islands skirting the coast have apparently undergone more striking
changes than the mainland. They are evidently the remains of an ancient
coast-line broken up into fragments by the assaulting waves. Pliny enumerates
twenty-three islands as lying along the coast of Gerniania. There are now only
fourteen, seven of which lie off the coast of German Fiic sland. Borkum — the
ancient Burchana — must have been very much larger than it is now, for nineteen
centuries ago its inhabitants were sufficiently numerous to offer an armed resist-
ance to Drusus. In the twelfth century the island still had an area of 380
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WE8EE, ETC.
877
square miles, but history hardly alludes to it since without telling us about some
dreadful irruption of the sea. In the seventeenth century Borkura still had
its seaport, its commercial fleet manned by natives of the island, and productive
farms. It is a mere shadow now of its former self. Wangerooge was well
cultivated up to 1840, when an incursion of the sea reduced it to a mere sand-
bank. The other islands present no more favourable picture. Inhabited bj- a
few fishermen, they would long ago have been washed away by the sea, if reeds
had not been planted to consolidate their sands. Norderney is the only one of
Rg. 168. — NoEDEBNEY, BalTKUM, AND THE KEtOHUOUSmO CoAST.
Scale 1 : 2W,00U.
|/»iiB.of q7
. 6 Miles.
these islands which exhibits traces of life during the fine season, when it is much
frequented for its sea baths.
Neuwerk, a smiU fortified island at the mouth of the Elbe, is an outlying
remnant of the ancient coast. Further away from the land lies the famous island
of Heligoland, certainly within German waters, though occupied since 1808 by
England. At that time Heligoland was of considerable strategical importance,
for its crescent-shaped sand-bank afforded shelter to men-of-war. This bank is
known as the " Brunnen," a word supposed to menn shield It forms a kind of
uuturui breakwater, and there can be no doubt that up to the close of the
278
GERMANY.
seventeenth century a narrow isthmus joined its eastern portion to the island. The
latter was much larger formerly. Adam of Bremen describes Heligoland as
being rich in corn, cattle, and poultry, but now there is hardly room enough for
a few potato patches. The fossils discovered prove that the ancient fauna had a
continental character. The onslaught of the sea has reduced Heligoland to a
mere rock of variegated sandstone, shaped by the weather into fantastical forms.
The scanty inhabitants and their visitors during the bathing season have established
Fig. 159. — Heliooland.
themselves at the foot and on the summit of the easteni cliff. A few small
vessels may generally be seen in the roadstead ; whilst far away, but within sight,
pass the merchantmen bound for the Elbe and Weser. Volcanic phenomena
may possibly have contributed towards the destruction of Heligoland. At all
events, the sea has been observed to boil up on two occasions — on June 13th, 1833,
and June 5lh, 1858 — as if heated by submarine lavas.*
• Heligoland, or Helgoland, i» generally supposed to mean " holy land," but it is more correct to
derive the modern name from Hallaglun, or Halligland; that is, "land of banks which cover and
uncover." In 1860 the island had 2,860 inhabitants, but in 1872 only 1,913.
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEB, ETC.
279
Inhabitants.
The dwellers in the plains stretching away to the west of the Elbe are upon
the whole of homogeneous origin, and anthropologists search amongst them for
the purest representatives of the Germanic type. Yet until quite recently men
of foreign speech and origin occupied a part of Hanover. The Slavs, who in the
" March " of Brandenburg became quicklj- merged in the Germans whose
speech they adopted, maintained themselves much longer in the so-called Wend-
land of Hanover, a district irrigated by the river Jeetze. Even in the beginning
of this century most families there spoke Wendisb, and their descendants still make
Fig. 160. — Helioolamd.
Scale 1 : 150,000.
t^Fttthoiiu' Li Ht
Ihl^k Imlhant Falhont
S lt> 1 1 Fnlh'»HM
— 2Milea.
r~~i
use of nearly a thousand words incomprehensible to the Germans in the surround
ing districts. This persistence of Slav speech in the midst of Germans is
accounted for by the geographical configuration of the country. The " Land of
the Wends " is bounded on the one side by the Heath of Liiiieburg, on the other
by the swamps and lakes of the Altmark, both presenting more formidable
obstacles than a river would have done. These Slavs, unfortunately for themselves,
were but a small tribe, unable to cope with the German bar .ns of the neighbour-
hood, whose subjects they became, and at whose hands they had to suffer all
those indignities which a conquering race usually inflicts upon its victims.
Other tribal associations have maintained their ground in swampy districts
280 GERMANY.
and the sterile regions of the Geest. Gipsies camped until recently on the downs of
the Huramling, to the east of the Ems. In addition to them there" were errant
bands of outcasts, supposed to be the descendants of refugees driven out of their
homes during the Thirty Years' War, and known as " Scissors Grinders." These
two " accursed " peoples mutually detested each other, and never lost an opportunity
of inflicting injury upon one another. In the end thej' were made to settle down
in homesteads, and all traces of them have disappeared. The dark-complexioned
inhabitants in the neighbourhood of Meppeti are supposed tj be descended from
them.
The Frisians on the seaboard are distinguished amongst all Germans by
strength of character and high-mindedness. In some respects they resemble
Englishmen, and the language they speak has many analogies with old
English. The Frisians have some right to feel proud and confident, for have
they not conquered from the sea the land they inhabit, and converted insalubrious
swamps into fertile fields? Their perseverance is hereditary, and the liberty
they enjoyed through the protection afforded by their islands and the heaths of
the Geest has enabled them to develop their powers to the full. Some of their
tribes withstood entire armies for generations. The Stedingers, who lived on the
right bank of the Hunte, in what is now Oldenburg, resisted for thirty years all
Christendom, desirous of avenging upon them the death of a missionary. Forty
thousand crusaders were sent against this handful of Frisians, who, rather than
yield, allowed themselves to be killed to the last man. Elsewhere, too, the
Frisians struggled long before they surrendered their independence. The ancient
spirit of liberty still lives amongst them : Liewer clued iis Slac (Rather dead than a
slave) is the motto on their coat of arms, and their greeting is still the venerable
Eda,frya Fresena ! (Hail, free Frisian !)
Accustomed to judge all things from a utilitarian point of view, the Fries-
lander is not likely to trouble himself about others ; and the time when he prayed
God to " bless the strand " — that is, to cover it with wrecks — does not lie very far
behind us. He has no love for art. Frisia non cantat is an old proverb. He is
a man of strong common sense and of few words. The dweller in the " marsh
lands " difi'ers in many respects from the inhabitant of the Geest. The former,
enjoying a regular revenue from his productive toil, is somewhat haughty. " He is
a fat ox," say his neighbours. The inhabitant of the sand tracts, on the other
hand, is obliged to scheme and to work hard in order to mike a living. He
is less wealthy than the owners of the " marshes," but more spirited and gay.
He is, too, a greater traveller, for necessity often compels him to go to other countries
m search of work. Thousands of Oldenburgers annually migrate to Eastern Fries-
land, where they work during the summer as mowers or turf-cutters. These
migrants are known as " Hollanders." Like birds of passage, they regularly leave
in spring and return in the autumn.
The "Westphulian peasants towards the head streams of the Ems, between
Delbruck and Miinster, rival the Frieslanders in their fidelity to ancient customs
These descendants of the old Saxons are the most conservative element in Germany,
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE, ETC. 281
and jealously nourisli ancient traditions and laws. Many of their farmhouses are
even now built in the same style as in the time of Charlemagne. The isolated
homestead is bounded on the one side bj' a garden, and on the other by meadows
and fields. Its gable-ends are ornamented with wooden horses' heads. The
interior is divided into three compartments : one for the family, the members of
which sleep in berths placed one above the other, as on board ship ; another for
the animals ; and a third for the hay and tools. The fireplace occupies the centre
of the house, the housewife being thus able to control all that passes within
her domain, having under her eyes the children romping in the living-room, the
cattle occupying the other side of the house, and the labourers attending upon them.
The wealthy yeomen of Westphalia are most anxious that their land should be
handed down undivided to their heir. They have but few children, and most of
the farm-work is done by labourers. The Westphalians supply Prussia with her
first luw^-ers, for an avaricious peasant's son takes kindly to law.
Towns.
The Basin of the Lippe (Westphat.ia). — The Lippe, though tributary to the
Rhine, rises on the pliin which geographers call the Bay of Westphalia, as if it
were still covered by the floods of the ocean. Its most considerable springs rise at
Lippspringe (2,173 inhabitants), one of those places where Charlemagne gave the
Saxons the choice of baptism or decapitation. Below that place the Lippe flows past
Paderborn (1-3,701 inhabitants), a town built around a church founded by Charle-
magne. It lies at one of the " doors " of the mountains, and an important highway
connecting the Rhine with t^ie Weser passes through it. It was here Charle-
magne received the ambassadors of the Moorish princes of Zuragoza and Huesca,
and Pope Leo III. when a fugitive. In the Middle Ages Paderborn was one
of the most flourishing members of the Hanse. Lippstadt (8,137 inhabitants) and
Hamm (18,877 inhabitants), both on the Lippe, were members of the same league,
and are still seats of commerce and industry. Below Hamm, the Lippe, which
had hitherto flown near the fertile plateau of Hellweg and the coal basin of
Dortmund, turns northward and enters a less-favoured region, where large towns
are rare. ReckHngliausen (5,000 inhabitants), Bottrop ((3,576 inhabitants), and
Biier (5,022 inhabitants) lie some distance to the south of it, and are collections
of homesteads rather than towns. Bocholt (6,954 inhabitants) lies to the west, in
the basin of the Yssel, and close to the Dutch frontier.
The Basin ok the Ems. — Bielefeld (26,567 inhabitants) is the commercial
capital of the Upper Ems, and, like Paderborn, it occupies one of the " doors " of the
Teutoburg Forest. Its linen industry is very ancient, and received an impetus
when Flemish refugees settled there in the sixteenth century. There are bleaching
grounds, rope-walks, foundries, and machine shops. Amongst the exports are
We-tphalian hams, cercelat sausages,* lard, and smoked meat of every kind,
principally produced in the south-west, around Gutersloh (4,491 inhabitants).
• Known as " Brunswick " Bausagcs in England. Saveloy is clearly a corruption of cervelat, in namo
as well as iu substance.
282
GERMANY.
ifiimtn- (35,705 inhabitants), the capital of Westphalia, rises in a sandy plain
watered by a small tributary of the Ems. It lies about half-way between
Cologne and Bremen, and, as implied by its name, sprang up around an ancient
monaderium, or minster. It is a picturesque town, with many mediaeval build-
ings. The three cages in which John of Leyden, the Anabaptist, and his two
companions, were shut up to be tortured, are still suspended upon the tower of the
Gothic church of St. Lambert, a witness to the cruelty of that age. In the town-
hall, a fine edifice of the fourteenth century, was signed the treaty of Westphalia
(1648). The old ramparts have been razed and converted into gardens. There
is an academy, attended by 300 students of theology and philosophy. Miinster has
but little industry. The busiest place near it is Ibbenburen (3,707 inhabitants),
where there are coal mines.
Omiabruck (29,850 inhabitants), one of the episcopal sees founded by Charle-
magne, lies to the north-east of Miinster. It was decided by the treaty of West-
phalia that the town should be governed alternately by a Catholic and a Protestant
bishop, and this curious practice remained in force until 1827, when Osnabriick was
ceded to Hanover. Numerous roads and six railways converge upon the town,
which increases rapidly in population.
All the towns on the Lower Ems and the Dollart below Lingen (5,736 inha-
bitants) are enabled to carry on commerce by sea, for the tide ascends the rivers
and canals. Papenhurg (6,819 inhabitants), which has only recently been founded
in the midst of a marsh, owns 300 sea-going vessels and barges. Leer (9,335
inhabitants), a small village in 1823, has become a town of importance, with
distilleries and factories. Emden (12,866 inhabitants), on the Dollart, is the
commercial centre of the country. Nordeii (6,130 inhabitants), the northernmost
town of East Friesland, has ship-yards and a coasting trade. The principal ports
of the Ems carry on a direct trade with England, Norway, the Netherlands, and the
Baltic. They export peat, butter, cheese, cattle, and agricultural produce, sent
thither from Aurich (4,819 inhabitants) and other places in the interior, and
import timber and manufactured articles. Emden is a very ancient town of
Dutch aspect, with gabled red-brick houses, a belfry, and canals. During the
Thirty Years' War it enjoyed a high degree of prosperity, for its secluded position
protected it from the exactions to which other seaports were subjected. A ship
canal, joining Emden and the Dollart with Wilhelmshafen and the Jade, is being
constructed, and another canal connecting the Rhine with the Ems, and passing
through the coal basin of Westphalia, is projected. These works will materially
contribute towards the prosperity of the Ems ports.
The Basin of the Jade. — Until quite recently the only towns near the gulf
of the Jade were Varel (4,377 inhabitants) and Jerer (4,054 inhabitants), but the
Prussian Government having acquired a tract of land for the purpose of founding
a great naval station, a large city has sprung up there, with floating docks, basins,
dockyards, huge barracks, and store-houses. This is Wilhelmshafen (10,158
inhabitants), a town defended by strong fortifications and by cuirassed batteries
floating upon its roadstead. A short distance to the north-west of it lies Knyphausen,
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE. ETC.
S68
a small village, anciently the capitnl of a miniature principality, forgotten by
the Congress of Vienna, wliich until recently claimed sovereign rights, in virtue
of which it permitted the vessels of belligerents to shelter themselves under its
flag.
The Basin of the TyinvEii Weser. — Minden (17,075 inhabitants) occupies
the locality where the Weser escapes from the hilly region to the Porta
Westphalica. Until recently Minden was a strong fortress, defending the
passage of the Weser. Its tnffic by river has decreased, but the quantities
of merchandise carried by rail more than compsnsiite for the loss. The linen
manufacture is of importance, as it is also at the neighbouring towns of
Fig. 161.— Emi>en.
Scale 1 : 70,000.
Mko-
t-fttf E.of pi>ri7
l°|io' E.ofQ.
. iMUe.
Herford (11,967 inhabitants) and Liibbecke (2,735 inhabitants). The quarries
to the south yielded the sandstone used in the construction of the quays
of Bremerhafen and Wilhelmshafeu, and also exported it to Holland, where it
is called "Bremen stone." Oeijnhamm (2,041 inhabitants), a town known for
its salt springs, lies between Minden and Herford, whilst Buckeburg (4,832
inhabitants), the capital of the principality of Schaumburg-Li^jpe, lies to the
east.
Hanover (127,576 inhabitants), now reduced to the position of a provincial
capital, does not enjoy the advantage of lying upon the great river which traverses
its territory, and of which the Leine is merely a tributary. It is first mentioned
284
GEEMANT.
in tlie twelfth century. Having become the capital of a state, it rapidly grew in
population, and the railways which now converge upon it insure it its position.
The "old town" forms the nucleus of the actual city, but is of small extent
when compared with the modern quarters and the fur-stretching suburbs. The
streets of Hanover are for the most part wide and sumptuous, the old fortifications
Fig. 162. — MiNDEN AND THE PoRTA WeSTI'HALICA.
Scale 1 : 102,000.
!ibsenkalm:i H
8? 55'
have been converted into public walks, and a park extends in the north-west as far
as the royal castle of Herrenhausen. There are a fine theatre, a museum, a library
of 150,000 volumes, and several superior schools of high reputation, including a
technical academy attended by 600 students. As a manufacturing city Hanover
IS rap-dly rising into importance. There are cotton-mills, dye works, chemical
works, foundries, and machine shops. The environs have been drained, and are
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE, ETC. 286
carefully cultivated. Nienburg (5,655 inhabitants), on the Weser, is the fluviatile
port of Hanover ; Bremen, lower down on the same river, its maritime port.
midesheim (22,581 inhabitants), on a small tributary of the Leine, and at the
foot of the hills which extend to the north-westward of the Harz, was populous
and famous long before Hanover was heard of. Originally the seat of one of the
most powerful bishops of Northern Europe, it subsequently became a member of
the Hanse. The buildings surrounding the market-place, as well as several houses
with wood carvings, recall the Middle Ages. The cathedral, founded in the
eleventh century, is a mean building externally, but boasts of many treasures of
art, including brazen gates made in 1025, and curious sarcophagi. A column in
the choir is supposed to be the Irminsul of the Sjxons, overthrown by Charle-
magne. The rose-tree in the close is traditionally stated to have been planted by
that emperor, and is certainly eight hundred years old. . The ancient abbey of
St. Michael has been converted into a lunatic asylum. The old fortifications have
been razed and converted into public promenades. Beyond them lie the industrial
establishments of the city, including cotton-mills, machine shops, and breweries.
Brunswick (Braunschweig, 65,938 inhabitants) is the capital of a duchy of the
same name. It is situate on the Ocker, a tributary of the Weser, and existed
already in the time of Charlemagne. Tjying at the point where the high-road from
Augsburg and Niirnberg to Hamburg intersects that following the northern base
of the hills of Central Germany, it early became a great centre of commerce. The
citizens were sufficiently wealthy and powerful to maintain their municipal
liberties. Many of the finest edifices still existing date back to that age of pros-
peritj', and impart a character of originality to certain quarters of the city. The
cathedral contains the mausoleum of its founder, Henry the Lion. It is in the
Byzantine style, whilst the churches of St. Catherine and St. Andrew are remark-
able Gothic edifices. The town-hall is one of the finest in Germany. Modern
times have given Brunswick a ducal palace, a museum, and delightful public
walks. There are a few factories, but Brunswick is essentially a commercial town,
as in the time of the Hanse, exporting agricultural produce. Gauss, the mathe-
matician, was a native of Brunswick.
Ifti(/^e?t6a<<e/(ll, 105 inhabitants), higher up on the Ocker, is the old capital of
the duchy, and has much decreased in population since the dukes transferred
their residence to Brunswick. It is frequently visited by German scholars on
account of its famous library, containing 270,000 volumes and 10,000 manuscripts,
and of which Lessing was at one time the curator. Helmstedt (7,783 inhabitants),
another town of Lower Brunswick, was a holy city formerly. The " Liibben-
steine " — boulders of granite on a neighbouring hill — are believed to have been
altars upon which human sacrifices were brought to Wodan ; and at a spring rising
below, Ludger, the missionarj', first baptized the converts from heathenism.
Schoningen (6,116 inhabitants), to the south of Holrastedt, has an artesian brine
spring, yielding 6,000 tons of salt annually. In its neighbourhood is Schoppen-
stedl (2,833 inhabitants), a small town frequently mentioned with derision on
account of the inane simplicity of its citizens.
286
GERMANY.
■pig. 163.— The Buewers' House at IIii.desheim.
Peine (4,994 inhabitants), where there are distilleries and beet-sngar factories,
is the principal town on the railway from Brunswick to Hanover. Celle (18,163
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WE8EE, ETC.
887
Fig. 164. — BkEMEN and BREMEnllAFF.N.
Scale 1 : 517,000.
,0 B. of Paris
inhabitants), on the Ocker, far below Brunswick, has cotton-mills and umbrella
manufactories, but is famous above all other towns for its wax, obtained on the
heaths stretching thence northward to Liineburg. Following the Ocker, we reach
the Aller, upon which stands Verden (7,669 inhabitants), not far from the Weser.
A huge cathedral overtowers the houses of the town. At Verden we already find
ourselves within the circle of attraction of Bremen (111,039 inhabitants).
Charlemagne made that city the seat
of a bishop, and during the Middle Ages
it was one of the great maritime towns of
Germany. Bremen mariners frequented
the North Sea and the Baltic, they
founded Riga in 1156, and took part in
the Crusades. It is still a so-called " free
city," and upon its market-place stands
a " Roland," such as may be seen in
several other towns of Northern Ger-
many. These statues do not represent
the paladin, but are symbolical of the
right of jurisdiction, Roland being used
in the sense of " tribunal," or " place of
law." The statue holds a sword in the
right hand, and at its feet lie a head and
a hand, symbolizing the power over life
and limb enjoyed by the magistrates of
Bremen. The stormy year 1848 infused
fresh life into the municipal institutions
of Bremen, and it is only since then that
Jews have been allowed to settle in the
town.
The old city, on the right bank of the
Weser, boasts of a cathedral, a curious
town-haU of the fifteenth century, and a
modern exchange. A bust of Olbers, the
astronomer, who was a native of the town,
has been placed in the public garden
into which the old fortifications have been
converted. The suburbs towards the
north and cast contain the private residences of the merchants, whilst the southern
suburb is mostly inhabited by labourers, sailors, gardeners, and small shop-
keepers.
Bremen has its outports, for at low water vessels drawing more than 6 feet
of water cannot get up to the city. Formerly larger merchantmen anchored at
Vegenaek (.'i,.593 inhabitants), a small town surrounded by country houses, or still
lower down the river, opposite Brake (2,354 inhabitants). In 1827, however, the
e» 50* E.of Q.
, 6 Milea
288 GEEMANT.
citizens acquired 390 acres of land at the mouth of the Weser, and to the north of
the mouth of the Geeste, and there they constructed docks and quays, and a town
quickly sprang up around them. That town, Bremerhafeii, had, in 1875, 12,296
inhabitants. Contiguous to it is the Hanoverian (Prussian) port of Geestemiinde
(10,425 inhabitants), whilst Lehe (7,867 inhabitants) lies close to the north of it,
these three places having thus an aggregate population of 30,000 souls.
Bremen is only inferior to Hamburg as a maritime city. Its merchants
dispatch vessels into every quarter of the world, and even occasionally equip
whalers. The principal trade, however, is carried on with the United States.
Petroleum, cotton, and raw tobacco rank foremost amongst the imports. The
conveyance of emigrants has enriched the shipowners of Bremen. Between 1832
and 1877 1,496,518 emigrants passed through Bremen ; in 1872 alone more than
80,000 were dispatched — a number which has much fallen since then. Bremen
took a leading share in the German arctic expeditions, and was the first town to
avail itself of the new sea route to the Yenisei opened by Nordenskjold.*
Oldenburg (15,701 inhabitants), the capital of the Grand Duchy of the same
name, lies to the west of Bremen, on a small navigable river tributary to the
Lower Weser, in the midst of meadows, affording pasturage to a highly esteemed
breed of horses.
The marshy region to the east of the Weser is known as the Duchy of
Bremen, and forms part of the Prussian province of Hanover. B/'emervorde
(2,905 inhabitants), founded by Charlemagne in 788, is the principal town in that
part of the country. It exports peat and. agricultural produce. At Eloster
Zeven, or Zecen, a village with an old abbey to the south of it, the Duke of
Cumberland signed the convention by which he bound himself to retire beyond
the Elbe in 1757.
The Basin of the Elbe. — Eastern Hanover, a country of heaths and forests,
is very thinly peopled, and even along the rivers tributary to the Elbe only a few
towns are met with. Liineburg (17,532 inhabitants), the largest amongst them, is
partly built upon a rock of chalk, which here rises above the alluvial soil and
sand. That rock constitutes the principal source of wealth of the town, for it
supplies numerous cement works with the raw material they require. A spring
rising at its foot furnishes ingredients for the manufacture of soda, chloride of
lime, and sulphuric acid. The river Ilmenau, which flows pist the town, enables
it to procure the raw produce worked up in its factories. Hence the saying that
mons,fons, pons are the three treasures of Liineburg. In the early Middle Ages
Bardowiek, a few miles below Luneburg, was the great commercial town of that
• Commercial statistics of Bremen for 1877 : —
Commercial marine, 274 sca-going vessels (including 60 steamers) of 216,032 tons.
Entered, 2,694 sea-going vessi^ls of 946,6-.>3 tons.
Imports by sea, 17,045,871 cwts., valued at i;i.5,892,.590.
Exports by sea, 7,256,646 cwts., valued at £7,095,669.
1, .iT^^I^^ ''*' '"""^ ""'' "'■'"■ <*™"' ^^^ ^^^^^^ Customs Union, of which Bremen is not a member),
11,168,082 cwts., valued at £6,267,858 ; exports do., 12,897,365 cwts., valued at £14,452,969.
Imports from the United States, £7,706,157 ; exports to the United States, £2,703,955.
Imports of petroleum, £3,014,376 ; cotton, £2,419,062 ; tobacco, £2,407,809.
PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE, ETC.
289
part of Germany, but it never recovered after its destruction by Henry the Lion
in 1189. Luneburg is a great mart for hemp, which is much grown around
Uelzen [Qj'iQQ inhabitants), to the south of it.
Harbury (17,131 inhabitants), on an arm of the Elbe known as Siider Elbe,
has a port accessible to sea-going vessels of small burden, but is less frequented
Fig 16.5. - Railway Bkidoi ovbs tu Elbe, between Harruro add Hamburo.
than it used to be, principally on account of the channel leading to the quays of the
town becoming gradually silted up. A fine railway bridge connects it with Ham-
burg, its more fortunate rival. Harburg has gutta-percha and caoutchouc factories,
chemical works, and machine shops. Stade (8,758 inhabitants), lower down the
Elbe, was an important commercial town formerly, and continued to levy shipping
dues long after the water had retired from its walls.
03
CHAPTER VIII.
THE BASIN OF THE MIDDLE ELBE (SAXONY).
General Aspects.
HE name of Suxony, which was formerly applied to so considerable
a portion of Germany, is restricted now to the smallest of the four
kingdoms forming part of the empire ; but this small country is
more densely peopled than any other portion of Germany,* and its
inhabitants are distinguished by their intelligence and industry.
Saxony, curtailed as it has been by Prussia, has no natural frontiers. It
merely includes the northern slope of the Erzgebirge, and of the mountains which
form the continuation of this range to the east of the Elbe. Nearly all its rivers
flow to the Elbe, which they join only beyond the actual political boundaries of
Saxony, which thus depends mainly upon roads and railways for its internal
communications.
The Saxon slope of the Erzgebirge differs strikingly from the precipitous
face which that mountain range presents towards Bohemia. It is gentle, and
in many purts the mountains assume the character of plateaux, upon which rise
rounded summits. These plateaux, exposed as they are to the cold northerly
winds, form a Saxon Siberia. They abound in mineral wealth, which has
attracted a considerable population. Too frequently, however, the metallic lodes
prove deceptive, and, as the niggardly soil yields but poor harvests, the inhabitants
have been compelled to turn their attention to the manufacture of a variety of
articles likely to find purchasers amongst the dwellers in the plain. Such Wiis
the humble beginning of the vast manufacturing industry which has converted the
whole of South-western Saxony into one huge workshop, and accounts for the
sterile mountain region being far more densely peopled than the fertile alluvial
plain. The latter, however, has its sterile tracts too, which are covered with
sand, and even with erratic blocks, carried thither from Scandinavia. The
" Swedes' Stone," on the battle-field of Liitzen, is one of these blocks. Moraines
have been tricefl at the openings of some of the valleys of the Erzgebirge. It
• The kingdom of Saxony has an area of 6,777 square miles, and (1873) 2,760,586 inhabitants, or
407 to the square mile.
THE BASIN OF THE MIDDLE ELBE.
291
is in Saxony that the last cromlechs of Central Europe are met with, and only
on reaching the Crimea do we once more find examples of these ancient funereal
monuments.
The rivers and rivulets rising on the Erzgebirge have scooped themselves out
deep channels, and flow tnrough picturesque valleys bounded by steep cliffs. In
the east, where the Elbe escapes from Bohemia, the sandstone, exposed to the
action of water and the weather, forms huge blocks of astonishing regularity.
The cliffs rising above the Elbe almost look like walls constructed by the
band of man. At one spot a huge bastion, joined to the plateau by a narrow
neck of land, juts out towards the river like a cyclopean wall, whilst elsewhere
the rock has been completely broken up, its fragments being scattered over the
Fig. 166. — DENStTV OF PoPl'LATION IX THE KiNODOM OF SaXONY.
Scale 1 : 2,300,000.
IffhMbUanta to » S>ju»re Uilt
m2 I
tu-ilt Omuu
valley. Many of the rocks are grotesquely shaped. One of them, the Konigstein,
is crowned by a fortress absolutely impregnable. Another, the Lilienstein,
occupies a peninsula on the left bank of the river, and forms perhaps the most
beautiful feature of what is not very appropriately termed Saxon Switzerland.
Some of the rocks have the shape of obelisks, one of the most curious of these
being the Prebischer Kogel, a wonderful pile commanding a wide horizon of
woods and rocks. The Bastei, to the east of Wehlen, is no less remarkable.
The cliffs along the Elbe above Pirna are being actively quarried, and
the stone is exported as far as Hamburg, which to a large extent is built with
it. Quite recently a huge mass of rock, 260 feet in height, which had been
undermined by the quarrymen, tumbled into the river, and interrupted its
292 GEBMANY.
navigation for several months. Much has been done to render the Elbe navigable
throughout the year, but a uniform depth of 33 inches, which a commission fixed
upon in 1870 as being absolutely necessary, has not yet been secured, and in
the summer the depth at some places is hardly 28 inches.
Inhabitants.
Formerly the whole of Sixony was inhabited by Slavs. The names of towns,
villages, and rivers prove this, for though Leipisig, Plauen, and Bautzen have a
German ring about them, a reference to ancient documents shows that they are
virtually Slav, their meaning being " lime wood," " flooded meadow," and " group
of cabins." Many villages, such as Giirlitz, Oelsnitz, and Blasewitz, still retain
their original Slav names.
The upper basin of the Spree, in Saxony as well as in Prussia, is still occupied
bv Wends who speak Slav. They are the remnant of a Slav nation which for-
merly extended as far as the Elbe, but is now decreasing almost daily. About the
middle of the sixteenth century the country of the Wends extended eastward to
the Oder. Its gradual reduction since then is shown on the accompanying map,
and it must be observed that even within the limits there assigned to the Wends
German exclusively is spoken in the towns, and all, a few old people excepted,
speak that language as well as Slav. Many persons have translated their family
names into German, and in course of time they will no doubt claim a pure
Teutonic descent. All those causes which lead to the extinction of an ancient
language are at work in the country of the Wends. Government ignores their
existence, the schools are German, and so are the employers of labour. The
number of persona still speaking the ancient language is estimated at 136,000,
viz. 86,000 in Prussia, and 50,000 in Saxony ; but probably not many thousands
will remain at the end of the present century.
The cold plateau of the Erzgebirge appears to have been avoided by the old
Slav inhabitants of the country, for the geographical nomenclature there is
German, and many of the names were evidently given by colonists. Huntsmen
first penetrated these forbidding regions, and they were followed by agriculturists,
who later on crossed the mountains into Bohemia. It is well known how these
German colonists, by dint of hard labour, have forced the reluctant land to yield
harvests, and called into life new branches of industry. Still the poverty of these
mountaineers is great, and it is only by the strictest economy and sobriety they
are enabled to live. As compared with the Saxons of the plain, they are small,
feeble, and ill conditioned. The manufacture of toys is carried on there almost as
extensively as in Thuringia, and the workmen earn even less.
The Saxons of the kingdom of Saxony are not as pure a race as their kinsmen
to the north-west. For ages the name of Saxon was almost looked upon as
being synonymous with German, and the German colonists in Transylvania are
known as Saxons to the present day. But though the political domain of the
Saxons has been much curtailed, their influence upon German life has always
THE BASIN OF THE MIDDLE ELBE.
293
been a powerful one. It was Saxony which contributed most towards the forma-
tion of modern High German, and for a long time the dialect of Meissen was
looked upon as the most refined.
Fig. 167.— The Wends in Li-satia.
ll»Rof Paris
Vi'(M-
I A ceording to
...da jtow^'O V llirhnnl
A lutrixf
iff>. /n:'
. 20 Miles.
Towns.
Very densely peopled. Saxony, with certain portions of Rhenish Prussia and
Sili'sia, has a larger number of towns than any other part of Germany. Many
vill.igfs have been absorbed by the towns near thetn, and even the country districts
29i GERMANY.
are being invaded by manufactories. In the Voigtknd, which lies in the extreme
south-west, the winding AVhite Elster flows past several towns of importance,
including Or/siiilz (0,267 inhabitants) and Plauen (28,756 inhabitants), the latter
enriched by its manufacture of muslin and by the coal mines abounding in its
environs. Amongst the manufacturing towns in valleys tributary to the Elster are
Falkensfein (5,146 inhabitants) ; Treuen (5,409 inhabitants) ; Auerbach (5,277
inhabitants), which carries on a large trade in hides ; and Reichenhuch (14,620
inhabitants), which has cotton-mills. Near the latter the railway traverses the
Goltzsch on a bridge 285 feet in height.
On re-entering Saxony after having passed through Western Thuringia, the
Elster irrigates the plain upon which rises the city of Leipzig (209,407 inhabit-
ants), one of the great towns of Germany. Placed at the point of intersection of
the natural highway which crosses the pass between the Thuringian Forest and
the Ore Mountains, and of the road which joins the valley of the Rhine to the
valleys of the Elbe, Oder, and Weser, Leipzig enjoys peculiar facilities for com-
merce. Railways converge upon it from all points of the compass, and its three
great fairs are amongst the most important held in. Europe.* Leipzig is the
centre of the German book trade ; its university, founded in the fifteenth century
by German professors expelled from Prague, is attended by 3,000 students ; and
its library is one of the richest in Europe. The Gewandhaiis (Linen Hall) con-
certs enjoy a European reputation, and the Academy of Art is much frequented.
Quite recently Leipzig has become the seat of the principal Court of Appeal for the
whole of Germany. The inhabitants of Leipzig, in their rivalry with those of
Dresden, exhibit a liberal German patriotism, whilst the dwellers in the capital
look with some regret upon the past.
Including its suburbs, Reudnitz, Lindenau, Gohlis, and others, Leipzig sur-
passes Dresden in population, but the town proper had only 135,500 inhabitants
in 1877. These suburbs extend in all directions beyond the park which
encircles the town, and in which lie some of its public buildings, includ-
ing the theatre, the university, and the observatory of the Pleissenburg. A
portion of the battle-field of Leipzig, where 500,000 men struggled for mastery
and 2,000 cannon thundered, is now covered with houses, and the spot where
Poniatowsky perished has become a quay. Probsthfiyda, a village to the south-
east of the town, marks the centre of the field of battle. At Breitenfeld, to the
north, Gustavus Adolphus defeated Tilly in 1631.
In the valley of the Mulde, which flows to the east of the Elster, manufactur-
ing towns are more numerous than in any other part of Saxony. Eibenstock
(6,773 inhabitants), near the head of the river, is the centre of the lace manu-
facture. Schneeherg (8,074 inhabitants), in a side valley farther north, has cobalt
and other mines : the old parish church contains Crunach's masterpiece. Lbs-sni/z
(0,725 inhabitants), a town to the east of the Mulde, is near it. Ziricknu (31.491
inhabitants), on the Mulde itself, is one of those rare Saxon towns where mediseval
buildings impart some picturesque features to the usual agglomeration of
• In 1875 the merchandise l)rousht to the fairs of Leipzig was valued at £15,000,000.
THE BASIN OF THE MIDDLE ELBE.
295
factories. The neighbouring coal mines supply abundant fuel. One of the seams
has been burning for three centuries, a circumstance of which tlie market
gardeners avail themselves by growing early vegetables upon the heated soil.
Zwickau has a mining school and a technical academy, and occupies the centre of
an important manufacturing district. Amongst the towns near it are SchedetcHz
(5,201 inhabitants), A7/-c/«ier^ (5,761 inhabit mts) ; P/aniYz (9,546 inhabitants),
with metallurgical works; Miihen {9,515 inhabitants), Werdau (11,689 inhabit-
Fig. 168 — Leipzio.
Scale I : 120,000.
10° E.of Pans
.^WajsluMi
12° ?0' E ol (
2 Miles.
ants), CrimmUzurhan (17,649 iuhabitiints). G/aurhaii (91,742 inhabitants), Lichten-
Htein (7,666 inhabitants), Oelmitz, Lmgwitz (6,141 inhabitants), Burgstddt (6,193
inhabitants), LokhhHz, Gem/or/ (3,456 inhal itants), and Meerane (21,277 inhabit-
ants), with numerous cotton-mills. The towns farther north in the valley of
the Mulde, suih a.t Rorhlitz (5,761 inhabitants), Grimwa (7,273 inhabitants), and
Wurzen (8,165 inhabitants), as well as liorna (7,017 inhabitants), on a tributary
of the Elster, lie already within the circle of attraction of Leipzig.
Chemnitz (85,334 inhabitants), the third city of Saxony in point of population.
296 GERMANY.
and one of those which increase most rapidly, forms the centre of another manu-
facturing district. The " German Manchester " is a town of cotton-mills and
print works. More than 200,000 spindles are in operation in its factories, and
there are, in addition, important machine shops. As befits a town of commerce,
the railway station is its most prominent building. The neighbouring towns
engage likewise in the cotton industry, and consist of huge fictories and work-
men's dwellings. The more important amongst them are Limhnch (6,879 inha-
bitants), Hohemtein (9,844 inhabitants), Gabkiiz (ti,800 inhabitants), SloUbcrg
(6,326 inhabitants), Gelenau (5,284 inhabitants), Zachopau (8,045 inhabitants),
Frankenberg (10,462 inhabitants), Hainichen (8,468 inhabitants), Mittweida (9,098
inhabitants), Oederatc (5,836 inhabitants), Eosswein (6,968 inhabitants), Ddbf/u
(10,969 inhabitants), and Leisnig (7,045 inhabitants). Higher up, in the upper
valley of the Zschopau, are the old mining towns o{ Ma ricnbcrg (5,956 inhabitants)
and Annaberg (11,726 inhabitants). In the same district are Ziconitz (5,279
inhabitants) and ScMmheide (5,072 inhabitants), a fine vilLige. Farther west, in
the mountains, lies Saida, where most of the toys are manufactured.
Freiberg (25,343 inhabitants), the famous mining town, lies likewise in the
basin of the Mulde. It is no longer a California, and the value of the silver won
there is but small, if compared with what is produced in Nevada or Mexico ; but
for skill these Saxon miners still hold their own, as they did in the Middle Ages,
when they were the instructors of all Europe. The Mining Academy attracts
students from every quarter of the world. In its museum is preserved the collec-
tion of Werner, the father of modern geology. The mines, which support 6,000
miners and their families, were recently threatened by an irruption of water.
They are drained now by a tunnel 85 miles in length.*
The Elbe, on entering Saxony, flows past Schandau (3,111 inhabitants), the
tourist's head-quarters for Saxon Switzerland. It is then joined by a rivulet
rising above the manufacturing town of Scbnifz (6,222 inhabitants), winds round
the foot of the fortress of Kbnigstein (3,750 inhabitant-), and leaves behind it the
quarries of Wehlen. On a scarped promontory on the left rises the huge castle of
Sonnstein, now a lunatic asylum, overtowering the town of Pima (10,581
inhabitants). We approach Dresden. Villus and gardens succeed each other iit
the foot of the hills bounding the right bank of the river, amongst them bein<>
Pillniis, the summer residence of the King of Saxony, at which was signed the
treaty by which the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia undertook to
reseat Louis XVI. upon the throne of France.
Dresden (197,295 inhabitants) is the most pleasant town of Germany, owing to
its numerous museums and the gentle manners of its inhabitants. This, at all
events, is the opinion of foreigners, who settle in it by preference. A considerable
portion of the floating population of the town consists of artists, poets, musicians,
and men of taste, who are attracted to this " German Florence," and whose very
•J .* ^" '?^ ^'"' "''"''■' "^ ^^"'^""'S yielded 2,04.5 tons of silver, 26.5 tons of copper, 344 tons of arsenic,
J,44. tons of lead, l.iX tons of zinc, and 3,7yi tons of sulphur. The silver extracted in the course of
tlu-ee centuries is estimated at £34,000 000.
DRESDEN AND SA>
iriso'
Scale
MEW YORK.
SWITZERLAND.
>20000
• lOU*
'PLETON ScCO
THE BASIN OF THE MIDDLE ELBE.
297
presence raises the general tone of society. The appearance of the town proves
that fine artistic tastes guided its founders. Three fine stone bridges span
the river, on the left bank of which rise the principal public buildings, not all of
them, it is true, irreproachable on the score of taste, but none of them mean or
vulgar. From the high terrace above the large square the city presents a noble
spectacle.
Dresden abounds in museums, the State alone possessing thirteen, every one
of which teems with treasures of art. The gallery of paintings is the richest of
Germany, and one of the most famous in the world. It contains masterpieces of
Fig. 169.— DititsoEir
every school — Correggios, Kafiaels, Rembrandts, Murillos, and Holbeins. The
same building contains a cabinet of prints, an anthropological museum, and
other collections. The Japanese Palace, a fine edifice on the right bank of the
river, includes a museum of antiquities, a collection of coins, and a library of
500,000 volumes. The Johanneum affords space for collections of armour and
porcelain. Even the Royal Palace is partly set apart for a museum. Its " green
vaults " abound in jewels and costly curiosities. Another palace contains the
models of Rietschel, the sculptor. The very town is a huge museum, abounding
in tine edifices and well-executed statues, and every year adds to its treasures.
93
298 GERMANY.
Dresden is not tlie seat of a university, but it has many famous schools,
including a technical academy and a school for music. Scientific and art societies
are numerous. A portion of the public park has been set aside as a zoological
garden. On a sandy plateau to the north of the town rises quite a city of military
buildings, ironically called Caseruopolis.
In 1813 Dresden was the head-quarters of the French army, and the battle
which cost Moreau's life was fought a short distance to the south of it. The
valley of the Weisseritz, which intersects the field of battle, presents us with some
of the loveliest scenery near the town. In it, surrounded by forests, lies Tharandt
(2,554 inhabitants), the seat of a school of forestry, and a favourite summer resort.
Loschwitz, in the hilly country to the east of the Elbe, is also much frequented by
visitors. A medical establishment for the treatment of phthisis is in operation there.
Meissen (13,002 inhabitants), below Dresden^ on the left bank of the Elbe, the
mediffival capital of Misnia and of Saxony, was originally founded as a bulwark
against the Wends. Two bridges, a Gothic church, an old castle, and the surround-
ing woods make it one of the most picturesque towns of Saxony. It is famous
in the history of the ceramic arts, the first porcelain factory in Europe having
been established in the Albrechtsburg by Bottcher. In 1863 the manufactory
was transferred to the valley of the Triebisch. Modern " Dresden, " however, is far
inferior to the old porcelain, which excels in fineness of paste and solidity of colours.
Riesa (5,707 inhabitants) is the only Saxon town on the Elbe below Meissen,
but at some distance from the river there are two manufacturing towns, Oschatz
(7,243 inhabitants) and Grossenhain (11,542 inhabitants), the one to the west, the
other to the east. Radeberg (5,894 inhabitants) and Kamenz (6,784 inhabitants),
the birthplace of Lessing, lie to the north-east of Dresden, in the valley of the
Black Elster.
Bautzen, or Budi-^sin (17,436 inhabitants), the capital of Upper Lusatia, rises
proudly above the plain intersected by the winding Spree. An old castle, in which
the Kings of Bohemia kept court, commands the city. In 1813 the allied Prussians
and Russians were defeated near Bautzen by the French. The village of
Hochkirch, near which Frederick the Great sustained a crushing defeat in 1758,
lies farther to the east. Loban (6,962 inhabitants) is at a still greater distance
from Bautzen, though in the basin of the Elbe. It lies at the foot of an extinct
vole mo. Another cone in the vicinity, known as the Cherno Bog, or " Black
God," is a miniature Vesuvius.
Zittau (20,417 inhabitants), the largest town of Eastern Saxony, is not far
from the Neisse, an affluent of the Oder. Lying close to the frontier of Bohemia,
Zittau is one of the group of industrial towns having Reichenberg for their
centre. It carries on the manufacture of linen, damask, and other textile fabrics.
Linen and cloth are likewise manufactured at Ebembach (6,7i<4 inhabitants),
Odencitz (7,337 inhabitants), Se i f hen tier sdorf (6,366 inhabitants). Gross- Scho nan
(5,877 inhabitants), and in many villages which stretch for miles along the
surrounding mountain valleys. Hcrrnhut, the original settlement of the Moravian
Brethren, lies to the north. It was founded iu 1722, on the estate of Count Zin-
THE BASm OP THE MIDDLE ELBE.
zendorf. This religious sect has established settlements in many parts of the
world, but since it has ceased to be persecuted its original fervour has somewhat
evaporated. Property is no longer held in common, and wealth claims its
Fig. 170.— ZiTTAU AND THB ViLLAOBS NEAR IT.
Scale 1 : tSO/NO.
E. of Paris
E.ofO.
, 2 Miln.
privileges amongst them as in other communities. The Moravian Brethren are
supposed to number 50,000 souls, and they support more than 300 missionaries
in the East and West Indies, Labrador, Greeivland, Africa, and Polynesia.
CHAPTER IX.
THE PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
(OtD PHrfSiA, Anualt, Lauenbuko, Hamburg, LIibeck, Mecklenbuko, and Pbussian Poland.)*
General Aspects. — Hills and Plains.
LL that portion of Germany which to the north of Thuringia,
Saxony, and the Giant Mountains extends to the shores of the
Baltic, possesses great uniformity of geographical features. The
foot-hills of the Harz and the barren heaths of Liineburg bound
it in the west, whilst a wooded upland, abounding in lakes,
separates it from Russia in the east. The climatic frontier towards Russia is well
defined, for to the east of Baltic Prussia the winters increase rapidly in severity.
The whole of the country from the Elbe to the Vistula is a level plain. Thus
communication in all directions meets with no obstacles, whilst the Elbe opens
out the country towards the north-west. Hamburg, the great maritime city of
Germany, has arisen near its mouth.
One physically, this region has now likewise become one politically, for the few
small states which Prussia has suffered to exist in her midst enjoy but an apparent
independence. The natural advantages possessed by this extensive region are
inferior to those of Central or Southern Germany, and even now the population it
supports is less dense than we meet with in Saxony, Wiirttemberg, or the Rhine-
land. It increases, however, and large towns are becoming more numerous.
The spurs of the Harz die away on the Saale, and only near Halle do we meet
with a few hills. Far more considerable are the spurs which the Giant Mountains
Prussian territories
Anhalt
Lauenburg .....
Hamburg, exclusive of Ritzebiittel
Liibeck . . ; . .
Principality of Liibeck (Oldenburg)
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
„ -Strelitz .
Total .
Area.
Sq. Miles,
86,266
907
452
126
109
201
S,136
1,131
94,328
Population.
1875.
15,041,775
Tnhabitanta.
to the Sq Mile.
174
197.041
237
48,800
108
3sl,661
3.029
56,912
522
34,085
170
653,785
108
95,673
85
16,409,732
174
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
801
and Sudetes project into the lowlands. The valley of the Tipper Neisse is bounded
by steep heights, and on the right bank of the Oder, above Oppelii, the hills
attain a height of more than 1,000 feet. The mountains which form the
frontier towards Bohemia rise steeply above the plain. They remain covered with
snow much longer than the lowlands, and owing to their cold winds, fogs, and
Fig. 171. — Thb Temperattrx op Janxjakt in Eastern Prussia.
According to Pntzger. Scale 1 : 2,696,000.
fe-l^l^^
0^33
r~~i
23'
. i Milc«.
♦ reaoherous bogs, they were formerly nn object of dread. They are supposed to
be the domain of Riibezuhl, a capricious mountain spirit of the Robin Hood tjpe,
which first made its appeirance after the Thirty Years' "War.
A dreary plain stretches away from the foot of the mountains, its uniformity
only broken here and there by sand-hills and gentle swells. The Fliiming, a low
802 GEEMANY.
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 satid, and Brandenburg has for this reason been nicknamed Ger-
many's " sand-box." 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 SteinpahceH. 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 Rock." 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 Steinznnger.
Similar blocks of Scandinavian orisjin 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 glaciul 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
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
808
of shells and animals discovered in the drift appear to prove that the climate
was colder when these erratics were heing dispersed than it is now. Bones of
mammoths and rhinoceroses have likewise been found.
Lakes and Peat Bogs.
When the sea retired from the land numerous cavities remained filled with
water. Many of these have now become filled up with alluvial soil, but owing
to the gentle slope of the plain, deposition proceeds at so slow a rate that the lakes
of Northern Germany, large and small, can be counted by the hundred. All
these lakes are now filled with fresh water, with the exception of one in the
vicinity of Eisleben, which is evidently fed from brine springs. The whole of
the Harz, an ancient island of the ocean, is surrounded by saliferous strata. At
Speremberg, a village near Jiiterbogk, the borer first struck salt at a depth of
Pig. 172. — The Lake District of Masdrii.
SoBle 1 : S.100,(X)0.
S*
,18* E.ol Parte
2aMiJe8.
290 feet, and then passed through a bed of it 3,880 feet in thickness. The sea
which deposited this salt must have been at least 3,800 fathoms in depth. The
boring at Speremberg is the deepest in the world. It furnished interesting
information on the temperature of the earth. The temperature ceased to increase
after a depth of 5,316 feet had been attained, and amounted to 12" Fahr. at
the bottom of the boring. The salt-mines of Stassfurt, on the Saale, are equally
curious.
Lakes abound on the northern slope of the heights of Mecklenburg. Some of
them occupy cavities in the rocks, and are said to be more than 600 feet in
depth. As to the coast lakes of Mecklenburg, they are gulfs or fiords, like those
of Norway, but in a state of transition. Some of the lakes shed their waters into
rivers flowing in opposite directions.
The rivulets which flow southwards from the hills of Pomerania expand into
lakes or ponds. To the east of the Vistula, in the couutry of the Masures, the
804
GERMANY.
lakes are more numerous and labyrinthine than in any other portion of this
region. If Masuria is " rich only in stones," as a local proverb says in allusion to
the poverty of its inhabitants, it is no less true that it abounds in meadows and
forests, reflected in the translucid water of four hundred and fifty lakes. Many
of these lakes are sinuous and elongated, like rivers dammed up at their mouth.
Several are connected by rivers or narrow channels, and some discharge themselves
in opposite directions. All these lakes shrink slowly, partly owing to the alluvial
soil which is deposited in them, and partly on account of the channels of their affluents
becoming deeper. In some cases it is the small lakes in the side valleys which are
drained first ; in others it is the lake in the main valley which disappears. The
river Warthe presents an instance of the latter kind. It is accompanied on both
Fig. 173. — The Warthe and its Lakes.
Scale 1 : 310,000.
, 16 Miles.
Sides by a multitude of small lakes, placed perpendicularly towards it, and resem-
bling in every respect the lakes and limans of the Kilia mouth of the Danube, and
of the Black Sea coast to the north of it.
The draining of these lakes is not, however, left solely to nature. The peasants
frequently drain them, at least partly, by deepening their outlets. They are also
made serviceable to navigation, and lying pretty much on the same level (383
feet), some of them have been joined by a canal without locks, extending from
Angorburg to Guszianka, which is of great service for exporting the products
of the forests. Another canal, 77 miles in length, connects the lakes to the south-
east of Elbing. It has a uniform level of 325 feet, and descends towards the
Fnsche Haff by a series of " shoots," up which barges are made to ascend by an
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
305
hydraulic machine. In winter the lakes are covered with ice, and sledges drawn
by small horses, ever at a gallop, cross them in all directions.
But whilst some of the lakes gradually change into rivers, others become con-
verted into bogs. This happens mostly in the plains, where the current is
sluggish and easily obstructed by vegetation. In so level a country as Branden-
burg, Poznania, or Eastern Prussia, the slightest obstacle will cause a river to change
its bed. The deserted channel remains behind in the form of stagnant pools and
marshes, and in course of time these become filled with peat. This is the origin of
the peat bogs of Fehrbellin (which contain many marine plants, and formerly proved
a great obstacle to travellers), and of the bogs bounding the chain of lakes traversed
by the Havel, which has taken possession of the ancient channel of the Oder. The
depression through which the Vistula formerly flowed, when it was still tributary
to the Oder, and which is occupied by the Netze and Warthe, is covered with
Fig. 174. — DiMINUTIDN IN THE VoLCME Oi
Aocordinfir to Wex.
THE
Elbb.
Teet
SO 40 50 60 70
Average
SO M 1800 10 20 30 40 SO 60 TO
I
_
He
ght
m—^ of Flooda
131
Av
■ruse
Hi
ll?ht
6*6
1
&
i'erag
!
1
hrout
loat
voar
H
ilirht
in
San)
ner
3*3
L
1'6
tTOi
3
10 4
0 »
D 6
0 7
0
g
0 91
) la
00 I
0 i
0 3
0 4
0 s
0 6
0 7
0
swamps only recently drained. An extensive peat bog, known as the Lange
Trodel, covers the watershed to the east of Bromberg. A bird's-eye view of this
country of labyrinthine rivers, swamps, Likes, peat bogs, and vast meadows con-
veys the idea of a region recently left dry by a flood. Formerly many of the
rivers intermingled their waters. Not two centuries have passed since some of the
water of the Vistula found its way into the Upper Oder. The Vistula, when in flood,
joined the Ner, a tributary of the Warthe, below Warsaw, and the latter discharged
some of its surplus water through the swamps of Obra into the Oder.
E.1VER8 AND Lagoons.
Natdre does not second the eflforts of engineers desirous of improving the
rivers as navigable highways. Dr. Bcrghaus proved long ago that the volume
of the rivers of Germany has decreased in the course of the last hundred and filty
806
GERMANY.
years, and recent observations confirm his assertion. The fact is sufficiently
accounted for by the destruction of forests, the greater extent of land cultivated,
the increase of artificial canals for purposes of navigation or irrigation, and the
larger quantity of water used in towns and factories. Perhaps there has also taken
place a diminution in the rainfall. Floods are higher and more disastrous than
formerly, but they do not compensate for the low water in summer. Careful
measurements made along the Elbe leave no doubt in that respect.
The changes which the impoverished rivers of Germany have undergone in
recent times cannot compare with those which are recorded by the geological
history of the country. In order to obtain some idea of the latter we need only
examine those portions of the Elbe, Oder, or Vistula which are not yet confined
between embankments, and where river arms and deserted river channels form a
veritable labyrinth around islands and sand-banks. The increase of population
and agriculture no longer admits of rivers freely wandering over the country.
Fig. 175.— DiMrNUTioN in the Vollme of the Elbe for each Month or the Year.
According to Wex
Feet
10«
B-8
1731 to
1780
•
8-i
^
1781 to
6-6
Jmtiiar;
Febiuary
Umth
April
..J
Jlinr
iufr
tiiltuil
8«pt«Miber
Uctelxr
Kotemher
51
Drcmlif
The undefined lands which bound them are gradually being drained and brought
under cultivation.
Of the three great rivers of Northern Germany, the Elbe is by far the most
important as a navigable highway. On crossing the German frontier it becomes
navigable, and, thanks to the care devoted to it, it remains so for nearly the whole
year, until it discharges itself into the sea below Hamburg. Since 1870 no tolls
have been levied upon the vessels traversing it.
The estuary of the Elbe differs essentially from the months of the Baltic rivers,
for it communicates directly with the sea, instead of discharging itself into a lagoon,
and the tide ascends it for 102 miles. Formerly it gradually grew wider as it
approached the North Sea, the distance from coast to coast amounting to 12 miles,
at high water. But a great deal of land has been embanked along the left shore,
including the island of Krautsand, which was uninhabited in the sixteenth century,
but is now covered with fields and houses. So great is the volume of the Elbe, that
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTUTA.
307
potable water can be scooped up at a distance of 5 miles from Its mouth. It is only
beyond Heligoland that the sea-water contains the normal quantity of salt.
The Oder presents a most remarkable feature in its multitude of channels filled
with running or stagnant water, or completely deserted. So large is their number
that we sometimes fancy the river must lose itself. Such actually happens with
the Spree below Kottbus. Between that town and Liibben, where it once more
flows in a single channel, that river has virtually ceased to exist. It is swallowed
up by innumerable channels, forming a vast labyrinth. We might fancy our-
selves in some part of Holland, if the alluvial islands were not to a large extent
covered with elder-trees, ash-trees, and beeches. The Spreewald, with its woods.
Fig. 176.— The Sprebwald.
Scale 1 : 200,000.
ji"|30 E.of Paris
ji'Iso'
m
\
P^^^^^
•\^^.-^^£«,^^Alt:Zauciie ef^ Su.Mv-t; v ~
••i^iA^"\''--"C/-..\
lUow/V/S. V -1
■ •■' /^^ ' • ■■A>>'^'^Y?<^^^^^^^^ ' ^
''>tc
\ ^v)^'r^^^^^'^^2-^^-C'N.' " ? J;"^^^fe^^'^^^2B^~;i~J
%
SI-
60'
;:'|i5 E.of o.
34-ilO
. 2liae«.
meadows, and winding water channels, abounds in charming rural scenery, and
visitors are delighted with the Dutch-like cleanliness of its inhabitants. The
villages, as in the Netherlands, have canals instead of streets, and the whole traffic
of the country is carried on by water. Burg, where the persecuted Wends of
former days fled as to a lacustrine village, consists of several hundred scattered
houses raised on artificial soil, and is traversed in all directions by canals, the
banks of which are planted with trees.
Of all German rivers the Oder has hitherto been least subjected to the ruling
influence of man. The low and exceedingly fertile district known as the Oder-
bruch, which extends from Podelzig, near Frankfort, to Oderberg, a distance of
35 miles, was a century ago an inaccessible swamp abounding in lakes. The main
308
GERMANY.
arm of the river at that time flowed along the western heights, in a channel now-
known as the Old Oder. Frederick II. caused a canal to be excavated along the
eastern margin of the swamp, and at an average distance of 15 miles from the
old river, thus enclosing an extensive island, which has, however, only partially
been drained. The Warthe, the principal tributary river of the Oder, passes
through a similar Bruch, or swamp, 46 miles in length, and on an average 10 in
Fig. 177.— The OnEEBRncH.
lt°] 5. E.ofO.
. 2 Miles.
width. This river, too, Frederick II. attempted to "regulate" by draining the
swamps into the Elbe below Kustriu, but his scheme has not proved completely
successful, and the riverine land is exposed to frequent floods. The Oder is
little utilised as a navigable channel. Its upper course, owing to shallows and
irregularities of current, can be navigated only with difliculty, and even between
Glogau and Frankfort the season of its availability for fully laden barges is limited
to forty-two days in the year. For three months annually all traffic is stopped
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODEE, AND VISTULA. 809
either by ice or by floods. All the efforts of engineers have hitherto failed in
converting the Oder into a serviceable river highway.
The Oder, discharging itself into a tideless sea, has no estuary. T?elow Stettin
the river flows through an elongated lake, which is gradually being silted up,
and then enters the Grosie Hnf, a great fresh-water lagoon, covering 307
square miles. Two islands separate it from the open Baltic, with which it com-
municates through three channels, of which two are spanned by bridges and closed
by bars, leaving only that of Swine, in the centre, available for navigation. It
was formerly obstructed by a bar having less than 8 feet of water over it ; but
jetties have been constructed, and the depth is now 16 feet. The lagoon itself is
shallow, and the construction of a navigation canal across it is under con-
sideration.
The Vistula — called Weichsel by the Germans, Wisla by the Poles — is bounded
by swamps, now partly drained and protected by embankments. These latter,
however, do not always prove efficacious when the ice breaks up in spring. In
1855 the rising floods burst through the embankments designed to control them,
inundating a vast extent of country. As the river flows from south to north,
the ice breaks up first in its upper part, and not being able to escape, it accumu-
lates, damming up the river, and ultimately acts with almost irresistible force.
The bridge of Dirschau has had to be furnished with powerful ice-breakers to
resist its pressure.
The Lower Vistula forms a natural bound-iry between the plains of Germany
and Russia. The country to the west of it is sandy and covered with pine woods,
whilst to the east extends a more varied region of greater fertility, and clothed
with forests of deciduous trees. At a distance of 25 miles from the sea we reach
the head of the delta, the Nogat, or eastern arm, flowing into the Frische Haff,
whilst the main branch of the river discharges itself directly into the sea below
Danzig.
The delta of the Vistula has an area of 620 square miles, and grows visibly.
Its alluvial soil is of exceeding fertility. Formerly the whole of it was a swamp,
but the embankments constructed since the latter part of the thirteenth century
have rendered its cultivation possible. The Teutonic knights, who had established
themselves at Marienburg, first took this work in hand, employing thousands of
Lithuanian and Slav prisoners. In six years they raised embankments protecting a
Werder, or island, of 350 square miles. The Werders near Danzig and Elbing
were embanked in the beginning of the fourteenth century, and it is astonishing
that such works should have been accomplished in an age when the art of the
engineer was still in its infancy.
The Frische najf covers an area of 330 square miles, but was much larger
formerly, having partly been filled up by the alluvial deposits of the Vistula and
Pregel. If the coast of Prussia were not slowly subsiding, we might be able to
calculate the number of years required to convert the whole of it into dry land.
The Pregel forms a delta too, and that a most remarkable one, for Sam-
land, the district bounded by its main arm and the lateral branch which flows
810
GERMANY.
into the Kurische Haff, is a region of picturesque hills, known as the " Prussian
Paradise."
A tongue of sandy dunes separates the Baltic from the Frische HafiF, which is
accessible only through a narrow gap at Pillau, almost facing the mouth of the
Pregel at Konigsberg. The forest which formerly covered the dunes aroused the
cupidity of Frederick William I., who had it cut down ; but no sooner hud this
been done than the dunes began to move, overwhelming several villages, and
filling up the small ports on their interior slopes. They have never been replanted.
The Kurische Huff is the largest of these Prussian lagoons, covering no less
than 625 square miles. The Memel, which flows into it, has a delta of 545 square
miles. The Nehnuitj, a term equivalent to the Italian Lido, which separates this
Haff from the Baltic, is the longest met with on the coast of Prussia, and its dunes
Fig. 178.— Samlanp and thk Delta of the Pkegel.
Scale 1 : 800,000.
Ancient EorntatiotLf
Ht'.ient t^tittatitt
10 Miles.
rise to a height of 206 feet. Up to the beginning of last century these dunes were
covered with forests, and they afforded shelter to flourishing villages which
occupied their interior slope. At that time the high-road from Konigsberg to
Memel followed their exterior slope, and the Sandkrug inn, at its spit, was
frequently crowded by storm or ice-bound travellers. When the forests had been
destroyed in the course of the Seven Years' War, the dunes began to travel, over-
whelming villages and fields, and the inhabitants fled from the Nehrung. Only
a shred of the ancient forest survives near Schwarzort, a small village of fishermen ;
but that, too, is gradually being destroyed, the sands of the dunes travelling right
over it, so that trees which originally grew on the interior slope reappear, after
the lapse of years, on the exterior one — dead of course. The village itself is
threatened with destruction, for on an average the dunes travel annually 16 feet
PLAOfS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
311
to the eastward. The work of replanting them is exceedingly difficult, owing to
the enormous masses of drifting sand which have to be consolidated. At several
places the sea has broken through the dunes, but the breaches effected by it have
Fig. 179. — The Kvrische Haff and the Delta of the Memel.
Scale 1 : 300,000.
B A L T I (;
20"3irx.of G.
c
jlHcieut AUuviHiit
10 MUes.
Sf'l^m'inKirij AV'fcf
been closed again, and the sole entrance now is through the Gut of Mcmel, only
1,300 feet wide, and difficult to navigate.
Amiier. — The shores of the Ilaffs and of the peninsula of Samland have from
immemorial times attracted merchants in search of the amber cast up on them.
Greeks and Etruscans, and perhaps even Phoenicians, travelled thither through
812
GERMANY.
the wilds of Sarmatia, as is proved by coins and other objects found along the
routes which they must have followed.
Formerly the amber-seekers were content merely to scratch the sands, or to
wait until a storm strewed the shore with the precious fossil gum. Since 1872,
however, the search after it has been carried on by digging down to the blue clay,
which generally abounds in it. Before that time, in 1862, two fishermen conceived
the happy idea of dredging the bottom of the HaflP. They succeeded beyond
expectat-on, and now employ steam-power in their operations, paying annually
£12,000 to the State for the privilege of doing so. Ordinarily amber fetches
between 10s. and £3 12s. per pound, but fancy prices are paid for fine specimens.*
The amber diggings have led to the discovery of the ancient forests which
furnished this fossil resin. Many forests have grown and disappeared since that
amber age. Beneath the actual forest of Schwarzort, and at a depth of hardly more
thun a yard, have been discovered the remains of an oak wood. Deeper still,
below another layer of sand, appeared the vestiges of a third forest, which has been
traced all along the Nehrung. Now and then the sandy beach yields up roots
of yew-trees, hard like iron, and all the more remarkable as the yew has almost
entirely disappeared from Northern Germany.
Submerged forests and peat bogs on the one hand, and marine deposits formed
high above the actual beach on the other, prove that the land has been sub-
jected to successive oscillations. Dr. Berendt, one of the most indefatigable
explorers of the Prussian coast, has distinctly recognised two upheavals and two
subsidences. Direct observations continued since the beginning of the century
have led to no definite result, and whilst some assert that the land is being
upheaved, others maintain that it is subsiding.
This much, however, may be asserted, that within a comparatively recent epoch
the land did subside. Submerged peat bogs alone could certainly not be accepted
in proof of this, for on the island of Usedom and elsewhere peat grows in cavities
depressed below the level of the sea, from which they are separated by a ridge
of dunes. These bogs, if the sea were to destroy the barrier which now i^rotects
them, would at once become submerged. But, in addition to forests and peat
bogs, there have been discovered the remains of human habitations at a depth of
10 feet below the actual level of the sea.
Lagoons are numerous along the coast of Western Pomerania, and at many
places the sea has invaded the land, owing probably to a subsidence of the latter.
The narrow tongue of land which now separates the " Bodden," or Gulf, of
Jasmund, on the island of Riigen, from the sea, was much wider formerly, and
covered with fields and pastures. It is a barren strip of land now, and the waves
frequently wash over it, filling up the gulf with sand. Regamunde, the ancient
port of Treptow, has been swallowed up by the sea, and a portion of the city of
Kolberg is secured from a similar fate only through the most assiduous attention
bestowed upon the embankments which protect it. The sand near that town
contains numerous particles of iron, and if violently disturbed after its surface
• In 1H75 350,000 lbs. of amber were found.
PLAINS OP THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
818
has been dried by the summer sun, a musical sound is produced, a phenomenon
also observed in the French Landes, on Mount Sinai, and elsewhere.
Nowhere else can the great effects of the erosive action of water be traced
more satisfactorily than in the littoral district which includes the Fischland of
Mecklenburg, the peninsula of the Darss, and the island of Riigen. We perceive
at once that the island was formerly a portion of the mainland, and that the
narrow tongues which now separate the lagoons to the west of the Gut of Stral-
Fig. 180. — The Dakss and the Laooons of Babth.
Scale 1 : 300,000.
lO" E, of Paris
l^• 20- E.of O
DetAmuUrsntlhomt DepUitxa- i Falliomt
— — .^^^— ^_^^_ SMilea.
£xteHl of innintutum 13 yooUrrg
^rhjlaat Ijunf en piu».
8und from the sea are the remains of an ancient coast-line. The eastern coast of
Biigen resists successfully the onslaught of the waves, for its cliffs are protected
by mounds of debris ; but in the west there are no such protecting barriers, and
the Darss would long ere this have disappeared beneath the waves, had not
embankments been constructed in its defence. The inhabitants of Riigen are well
aware that their island melts away beneath their feet. Their traditions tell of
great floods which fore it asunder from the mainland, and cut it up into a number
of peninsulas, connected only by fragile strips of sand with its main portion.
94
814
GERMANY.
The island of Ruden, in 1302, still formed part of Rligen, from which it is
now 8 miles distant. Gustavus Adolphus embarked his array upon that island,
which would no longer be possible, so fust is it disappearing beneath the waves.
Rugen is remtrkable on account of its geological structure. It is a bit of
Scandinavia as it were, being composed of the s;me rocks as Scania and Seeland.
Fig. 181.— The Island of Ruben.
Scale 1 : 600,000.
Dtpth Htultf J Falliiftnt
II 23 filtlftiUS
10 Miles.
Oi'T :'v faf'i fiJis
Dazzling clifiTs of chalk extend along the eastern shore, rising in the Konigs-
stuhl, or " Royal Seat," of the Stubbenkamraer to a height of 420 feet. The
steep valleys which separate the cliffy headlands are not barren, like the
valleuses of Normandy, for the water of the Baltic being almost fresh, the
forests of beech descend through them to the seashore. The promontory of
PI AINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
816
Arcona is inferior in height to the Stubbenkammer, but its weather-worn cliffs
are of far more formidable aspect. Upon its summit stood, until the middle
of the twelfth century, the four-headed idol of the Wends. The chalk in the
greater part of the island is covered with clay, sand, or gravel, and huge boulders
of Scandinavian granite are scattered over it. Small lakes, gradually changing
into peat bogs, occupy the cavities in the calcareous soil.
Fig. 182. — The Cliffs of th» Koniqsstdhl ow Ruoen.
Inhabitants.
RiJGBN and Mecklenburg are rich in prehistoric remains. Fortified camps are
very numerous ca Riigen, most of them dating no further back than the days of
expiring heathenism. One of them, known as Rugard, was occupied until after
the introduction of Christianity in the seventeenth century. The commentators
of Tacitus identified one of these camps with a supposed temple dedicated to
Hertha, or N< rthus, the " Mother of the Earth," of the ancient Germans. lu
Mecklenburg fortifications are equally numerous, but they do not occupy hills,
being for the most part constructed in the crntre of marshes and Lkes. About
316 GEEMA^TT.
three hundred pile villages have been discovered in that country, and modern towns
like Mecklenburg, Schwerin, Old Wismar, and WoUin actually occupy the sites of
such villages. Ancient chronicles tell us that in the twelfth century most of the
people lived in the middle of swamps and pools. It is to be presumed they
had houses on the land, and places of refuge in the midst of the waters, to
which they retired with their cattle when threatened by enemies. Numerous
pits in the forests indicate the sites of ancient habitations coeval with the pile
dwellings which date back to the stone age. An examination of the grave-
hills in Mecklenburg has brought to light implements representing the entire
series of prehistoric ages, from that of stone to that of iron.
At the dawn of history nearly the whole of the country to the east of the Elbe,
and many districts to the west of that river, were in the possession of Slavs.
The geographical nomenclature is still Slav to a very great extent. There are a
river in Mecklenburg called Rieka, a forest of beech-trees on the Baltic known
as Bukovina, and a northern Belgrad. These Slavs came into the country
when the Teutonic tribes migrated westward, in their passage across the Roman
Empire. A few centuries later, however, a movement in a contrary sense
transpired, and the tide of German migration flowed back upon the Slavs. A
violent struggle ensued between the two races, the victors exterminating the van-
quished, or reducing them to a state of servitude. Side by side with this war-
like invasion there took place a peaceable settlement of the country. Frieslanders
and Hollanders, driven from their homes by the floods of the North Sea, settled
down in Pomerania, and gradually Germanised the native inhabitants. In course
of time the Slavs disappeared from the towns, and in the end they were to be found
only in the lake regions, where they subsisted upon the produce of their fisheries.
The last woman of the island of Riigen able to talk the old Wendish dialect died
early in the fifteenth century. The Germans introduced, too, a new religion,
for the Slavs at that time were still heathen.
We have already seen (p. 292) that a remnant of the old Wendish inhabitants
survives to this day in the upper basin of the Spree. But in the basin of the Oder
the number of Slavs is far more considerable, and they maintain their ground more
firmly, for they are Catholics, whiLst their German neighbours are Protestants.
Chechian is spoken by about 10,000 persons in the environs of Glatz, Moravian by
50,000 in the districts of Ratibor and Leobschiitz, and Polish along both banks
of the Oder down to its confluence with the Neisse, in Poznania, and on the banks
ofthe Warthe. Great efforts have been made to eradicate the use of Polish, but
hitherto in vain. The names of Polish towns and villages have been Germanised,
and German alone is taught in the schools. German is the language of adminis-
tration, commerce, and industry, and hence it need not cause surprise if it gains
ground, more especially in Upper Silesia, where a corrupt dialect of Polish is
spoken. In the towns the German, including the Jewish element, is reinforced
by immigration, and in none, not even in Gnesen, are the Poles in a majority.
In the country districts, on the other hand, the Poles maintain their footing,
and even increase, for the Germans emigrate, which the Poles do but rarely. At
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
317
the same time it may be assumed that German statisticians exhibit some bias in
t heir enumerations, and put down every one as a German who is able to speak
their language, irrespective of his origin.* The Poles are intelligent and skilled
in handicrafts, but they are pcjorer than the Germuns, and furnish the largest
contingent of labourers and factory hands.
The least civilised section of the Poles are the Muzovians, or Masures, who inhabit
the lake district to the east of the Vistula. Forty years ago they still lived in
thatched log-huts, half buiied in the ground. They subsist almost solely upon
potatoes, and unfortunatily are much addicted to potato spirits, or woMa. One of
their most esteemed dishes (krupnik) is made of honey mixed with spirits.
The dark forests of Johannisberg, and tlie shores of the Lake of Spirding, to
the east of the Masures, are inhabited by Russians. They are ragko/niks, and sought
a refuge in Prussia from religious persecution. They have brought under
cultivation the lands which were ceded to them in the district of Sensberg, and
their villages bear testimony to their well-being.
Fig. 183. — Bblatite Ikckkasb of Osrmans and Poles in Posen (Poznania).
000.000
Pojg_— ■
r—
^ ]
1
^
Oer;«i£-
3o«eoo
IOOlOOO
lOCOOtf
__- — -
■^
1
^Ba
IS40
18»0
1860
1867
Of the two banks of the Lower Vistula the western is more Slav than the eastern.
The less fertile tracts on the former were allowed to remain in possession of the
Poles, whilst Germans settled in the rich alluvial delta of the river, which was
drained by Flemish and Saxon colonists, brought thither by the Teutonic Knights.
The descendants of these Low Germans have fair hair, blue eyes, and broad
shoulders ; they are of somewhat heavy gait, but resolute. The descendants of
Polish serfs, who sought a refuge from the oppression of their masters, live
amongst them, being for the most part employed as labourers.
This German colony on the delta of the Vistula almost separates the Poles of
Western Prussia from the bulk of their compatriots. No Poles whatever live to the
east of the Lower Vistula, the whole of the country stretching from Marienburg
and Elbing to the delta of the Memel being occupied by Germans. It was here
that the Teutonic Knights founded their state, exterminating the pagan natives of
the country, and repeopling it with German colonists. When, after a dominion of
• In 1815 615,000 inhabitants (79'4 per cent of the total population) of the province of Posen spoke
Polish ; in 1H67, 840,000 (54 7 I>er cent.).
318 GERMANY.
two hundred and forty years, the knights were forced to cede one half of their
state to Poland, retaining the other half as a fief, the country had hecome so
thoroughly German that no attempt even was made to introduce the Polish
language. The diocese of Ermeliind (Warmia), to the south of the Kurische
Haff, remained German too, whilst in Eastern Prussia the Poles only occupy
a narrow strip of territory. Amongst the colonists introduced into the north -
easternmost corner of Germany there were Salzburgers and Swabians, whose
descendants can still be recognised.
The northern portion of the Polish territory, to the east of the Vistula, is known
as Cassubia, from the Slav tribe of the Kassubes, or Cassubians (Kaszuby), which
lives there. These Cassubians, however, are now outnumbered by Germans and
Poles,* and are only met with in a few poor villages. But even in those districts
which have become completely Germanised a few Slav words and expressions
have maintained their ground. The Cassubians, though for the most part
miserably poor, are all born gentlemen, and as such they are very vain. The
oldest son inherits the whole of his father's property, the younger children
receiving merely small sums of money. It results from this that many servants
are able to lay claim to noble birth. Their position has nothing humiliating, for
the master of the household never undertakes anything without having first con-
sulted them.
As to the Borussi, or Prussians^ whose name has been assumed by the leading
people of Germany, they have ceased to exist as a separate nation, and their
language has completely disappeared since the middle of the seventeenth century.
Lithuanian, however, a kindred dialect, is still spoken in the extreme eastern
portion of Germany, on both banks of the Memel, and on the Kurische Nehrung.
The towns of the whole of that region are thoroughly German, Lithuanian only
maintaining its ground in the country districts. It is well known that that idiom
is the most primitive of all Aryan languages, and that its ancient songs are full
of poetry. t
Amongst the German-speaking inhabitants of Prussia there are many whose
ancestors belonged to foreign races. When Louis XIV. revoked the Edict of
Nantes thousands of French Huguenots found an asylum in the Protestant states
of Northern Germany, and they gave a wonderful impetus to commerce, industry,
and intellectual life. The Elector of Prussia appreciated the importance of
repeopling his dominions, wasted and impoverished by war. He called Dutch
settlers into the province of Brandenburg, where they drained marshes and
improved the breeding of cattle. Calvinists persecuted by Lutherans, and
Lutherans persecuted by Calvinists, met with the same welcome, and colonists
* In 1867 Cassutia had 150,000 inhabitants, 54 per cent, being Germans, 18 per cent. Poles, and
28 per cent Cassubians. Of these latter, however, hardly more than a third were able to speak their
native language.
t Population of the Eastern Provinces of Prussia (Brandenburg, Fomerania, Prussia, Posou, and
Silesia), according to languages, in 1875 :—
Germans 10,295,000
Slavs (86,000 Wends, 64,000 Chechiansand Moravians, 2,675,000 Poles, 12,000 Cassubians) 2,837,000
Lithuanians 150,000
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA. 819
arrived from Bohemia, Tyrol, Salzburg, and Switzerland. But it was more
especially Frenchmen whom he sought to attract, by offering to pay the expenses
of their journey, and granting them horses and fields, and the full rights of
citizens. These promises were faithfully carried out, and 20,000 Frenchmen
settled in Brandenburg, which at that time had only 200,000 inhabitants. At
Berlin these Huguenot refugees, to the number of 6,000, constituted a third of
the population. They called a sandy tract to the west of Berlin the "Land of
Moabites." It is now occupied by the suburb of Moabit.
The influence of these foreign elements upon the destinies of Prussia has
perhips sometimes been exaggerated, but it must naturally have been very great,
for the immigrants were nearly all men of energy, character, and superior
intelligence. It was they who introduced many important branches of industry,
and further developed existing ones.
The immigration of Protestants went on during the reigns of the two successors
of the Great Elector. The refugees who came from Austria indirectly contri-
buted to the victories which Frederick II. gained over the imperial troops.
Salzburgers and Bohemians arrived in large numbers. The former were sent
into Prussia and Lithuania, and the others scattered over the whole country.
When Frederick II. acceded to the throne in 1740, his kingdom had 2,400,000
inhabitants, 600,000 of whom were exiles or their descendants. Frederick himself
introduced 300,000 more, and in 1786 over a third of the inhabitants of Prussia
were foreigners by birth or descent. The influence of these foreign families is
still very great, and, proportionately to the general population, they have produced
a large number of men of eminence in all departments of human activity.
A non-Aryan race, formerly persecited, has recently begun to exercise a
growing influence upon the destinies of Northern Germanj' — we mean the Jews.
The part played by them is more important than might be supposed from
their numbers, for they live in compact bodies onlj- in Poznania and the large
towns. In every part of Europe the intelligence of the Jews, their varied
aptitudes, and their clannishness have secured a considerable social influence, and
nowhere else has that influence been greater than in Prussia. Most German
men of finance are Jews, and in art, science, and literature the Israelites are
most respectably represented. The Berlin press is almost exclusively in their
hands, and it is they who seek to direct public opinion. It is only a hundred
years since the Jews of Germany were made to adopt family names. Maria
Theresa first set the example, subsequently followed in all the other states of the
empire. They were allowed to select amongst three categories of names : those
derived from sweet- smelling flowers and woods were charged for at a high rate;
names taken from towns cost less, and names of animals were granted for nothing.
Towns.
Prussian Saxony and Anhalt. — The population of Northern Germany is
very unequally distributed, but in the southern region, bordering upon Moravia,
820
GERMANY.
Bohemia, Saxony, and Thuringia, it is very dense, and nowhere more so than in
the Prussian province of Saxony.
The Saale, on entering that province, runs past the watering-place of Kosen
(2,055 inhabitants) and the famous school of Schulpforta, at which Fichte,
Novalis, Klopstock, Ranke, and Mitscherlich were educated. It then flows round
the industrial city of Naumhirg (16,258 inhabitants), the native place of Lepsius,
likewise a pupil of Schulpforta. After having been joined by the Unstrut, which
flows past the raining town of Sungershausen (8,475 inhabitants), the Siiale washes
the foot of vine-clad hills, and runs through Weissenfels (16,924 inhabitants),
which is inferior to Naumburg and Zeitz (16,480 inhabitants), an ancient Slav
town to the west of it, as a seat of industry. Numerous battles have been fought
in this region, which is traversed by the roads leading from Prussia and Saxony to
the defiles of Thuringia. At Rossbach Frederick II. beat the French under
Soubise in 1757. At Liitzen (2,875 inhabitants) Gustavus Adolphus, in 1632,
Fig. 184. — Halle and its Salt Lake.
Scale 1 : 220,000.
was struck down in the hour of his triumph, and Napoleon achieved a victory in
1813. At Merseburg (13,664 inhabitants), in the north, Henry the Fowler
defeated the Hungarians in 933. Merseburg has a fine cathedral, and during the
eleventh century it was a favourite residence of the German emperors. Its fairs
were as imp6rtant in the Middle Ages as are those of Leipzig now. Salt mines
are worked in its neighbourhood, and to the same source Halle (60,503 inhabit-
ants), lower down on the Saale, is indebted for its existence. The salt-makers, or
Halloren, who are believed to be of Celtic origin, have retained some of their
ancient customs and their esprit de corps to the present day. Towards the close
of the seventeenth century, Halle, the " Town of Salt," acquired additional
importance by becoming the seat of a university at present frequented by nearly
a thousand students. The town has several learned societies, and its orphanage,
founded by Francke in 1698, is one of the largest institutions of that kind in the
world. The interior of the town, with its old churches, its " red tower," and a statue
of Handel, the most famous of its children, possesses features of originality, but
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODEB, AND VISTULA. 821
the suburbs are as vulgar as any other modern seat of industry. Formerly the
town increased but slowly, and about the middle of this century it counted
15,000 paupers amongst a population of 30,000 souls. But the coal mines in its
environs * and the navigable river have led to the development of numerous
industries. The railway carriage works of Halle and its beet-root sugar manu-
factories are amongst the most important in Germany.
To the north-west of Halle the Saale is joined by the effluent of the Salt Lake,
and by the river which runs past the mining town of Eialeben (14,379 inhabitants),
rendered famous in connection with events in Luther's life. The Saale then
flows through the duchy of Anhalt, past Bernburg (19,929 inhabitants), one of
the most important towns of that duchy. At Kalbe (11,100 inhabitants), a
Prussian town, it flows into the Elbe. At Kbtheii (14,408 inhabitants), an old
residential town of the Dukes of Anhalt, to the east, Hahnemann, the homcEopathist,
persecuted by his colleagues, found an asylum. Several mining and industrial
towns lie in a lateral valley to the west of the Saale, Aschersleben (17,391 inha-
bitants) and IletMidt (5,988 inhabitants) being the most important, whilst the
plain extending to the northern foot of the Harz is the seat of several cities which
have played a part in the history of Germany. Wemigerode (7,577 inhabitants),
with its commanding castle, lies at the foot of the Harz. Malberstadt (17,757
inhabitants), to which the Diets of the empire were repeatedly convoked, is a
town of mediajval aspect, built amphitheatrically upon the slope of a hill, with a
Gothic cathedral, and curious old houses with carved fronts. Qnedlwburg (17,035
inhabitants), to the south of it, and nearer to the Harz, is likewise an ancient
cily. The ancient castle, which overlooks it, was the residence of an abbess,
who at the meetings of the Diet sat upon the bench of the bishops. Quedlinburg
has several manufactories and market gardens covering nearly 5,000 acres.
Klopstock was lorn in it, and Karl Ritter, one of the renovators of geographical
science.
The Bode, below Halberstadt, flows past Oschersleben (7,831 inhabitants), and
then abruptly turning to the south-east, it passes Stamfurt (11,263 inhabitants),
not many years ago an inconsiderable village, but now famous for its salt works
and the chemical factories which have sprung up around them. In 1877 793,454
cwts. of common salt, 3,914,6' 3 cwts. of potash salts, and 726 cwts. of borate of
magnesia were won. LeopoUhhall (2,1 2S inhabitants), in its neighbourhood, has
also salt works.
That portion of Prussia which adjoins Leipzig is likewise densely inhabited,
and abounds in manufactories. Delitzsch (8,228 inhabitants) has become famous
on account of it« People's Bank, which has served as a model to thousands of
others. Eilenburg (10,312 inhabitants), farther to the east, in the basin of the
Mulde, has cotton-mills and other factories. Bittcrfekl (5,693 inhabitants) has
coal mines, which supply the whole of the surrounding districts with fuel. Deamu
(19,643 inhabitants), the capital of the duchy of Anhalt, is one of the neatest
towns of the country. Its castle contains valuable collections, and near it is the
* They yield neurly 3,b00,OG0 tons annually.
322 GEEMANY.
park of Wbrlitz (1,842 inhabitants), with magnificent oaks. Dessau was the birth-
place of Mendelssohn. The town has played a part in the history of German
education, for it was there Basedow founded his PhUanthropium in 1774, one of the
first institutions which broke with the old routine.
The Elbe, soon after it has entered upon Prussian soil, washes the walls of the
fortress of Torgau (10,707 inhabitants). The country through which it flows is
comparatively sterile, and towns are far fewer than in the valley of the Saale.
Wittenberg (12,427 inhabitants), nevertheless, enjoys a considerable importance as
a stage on the road which connects Berlin with Leipzig. Founded probably by
Flemish colonists, Wittenberg subsequently became the residence of the Electors
of Saxony, but acquired most fame through its university, which was transferred
in 1817 to Halle. At Wittenberg Luther affixed his famous theses to the door of
a church, and monuments have been raised to him and his fellow-labourer
Melanchthon.
Having been reinforced by the Mulde, the Elbe flows past Aken (5,092 inhabit-
ants). Barby (5,073 inhabitants) is situate below the confluence with the Saale,
whilst Zerbst (5,073 inhabitants), a town of Anhalt, famous for its breweries, lies to
the east, at some distance from the Elbe. Schoiiebeck (10,966 inhabitants), below
Barby, on the western bank of the Elbe, has salt works, baths, and chemical factories.
A little lower down we find ourselves in the manufacturing district of Magdeburg.
Magdeburg (122,786 inhabitants) occupies a favourable position below the
principal tributaries of the Elbe, and on the direct road which connects Cologne
with Berlin and Danzig. But the very advantages of its position, which make
Magdeburg a place of strategical importance, resulted in one of the most fearful
disasters which can befall a town ; for, when Tilly captured it in 1631, it was burnt
to the ground, and 30,000 of its inhabitants perished in the flames. There only
remained intact thirty-seven houses, the cathedral, and another church. The
cathedral is a fine Gothic edifice, and contains the tomb of the Emperor Otho I.
Magdeburg is at present the great central fortress of Germany, with numerous
detached forts. Its suburbs are built at some distance outside the ramparts, and
include an Old Newtown (Alte Neustadt) and a New Newtown (Neue Neustadt).
The town is a great mart for corn, beet-roots, and other agricultural produce yielded
by its fertile " Borde." There are sugar refineries, machine shops, foundries, and
cotton-mills. Otto Guericke, the inventor of the pneumatic pump, was a native
of Magdeburg.
£urg (15,238 inliabitants), on the Ihle, famous for its cloth, the manufacture
of which was introduced by French Huguenots, is the principal town in the north
of Saxony. Neuhaklensleheii (5,847 inhabitants), Gardelegen (6,389 inhabitants),
and Salzwedel (8,344 inhabitants), all of them on small tributaries of the Elbe, are
manufacturing places of less note. Stendal (12,851 inhabitants, who are for the
most part of Slav origin) is an old imperial residence, and several of its civil and
religious edifices, its " Roland," and its fortified gates date back to this epoch of its
glory. It is the native i)lace of Winckelmann, and the capital of the Old March
(Altmark), which lies to the west of the Elbe.
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
823
BuANDEUBURG. — The Spree, that essentially Prussian river, drains a very large
1 asiii. Reinforced by numerous streams rising in Saxony and Upper Lusatia, it
enters Brandenburg a short distance above Spremherg (10,295 inhabitants), and
then flows through Kottbus (25,594 inhabitants), an important railway centre,
with large cloth- mills, furniture factories, lignite mines, and carp ponds. The
Fig. 185. — Maodeburo.
Scale 1 : 120,000.
neighbouring lowns, including Fiiisfencafde (6,917 inhabitants), to the west, in
the basin of the Little Elster, are likewise engaged in the manufacture of cloth.
Having ramified into numerous branches whilst passing through the Spreewald
the Spree ia once more gathered in a single bed near Liihben (5,387 inhabitants),
and then traverses Like after lake. In this portion of its course it only passes a
single town of over 5,000 inhabitants, namely, Fiirstenwahki (9,679 inhabitants).
824
GERMANY.
Fig. 186. — The Gate op TJenlinoen at Stendal.
As it
nears Berlin the villages become more numerous, and hotels, restaurants.
and pleasure gardens herald the proximity to a large city.
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODEE, AND VISTULA.
825
Berlin* the capital of Prussia and all Germany, has now only TiOndon and
Paris, and perhaps Vienna, for its superiors in population in Europe. On the
termination of the Thirty Years' War in 1648, Berlin had only 6,000 inha-
bitants, whilst now it is one of the great cities of the world. The causes which
conduced to this rapid growth do not at once strike us, and there have even been
some who spoke of Berlin as occupying a site fixed upon by chance or caprice.
Nothing could he less true, for Berlin is no artificial creation, but the spontaneous
product of its geographical surroundings.
It is true that the environs of the great city are singularly unattractive. Sandy
plains, heaths, and swamps ; stunted trees overhanging muddy pools ; roads alter-
nately covered with dust or mire ; dilapidated houses, with storks perched on their
chimneys — these are the features of the country, except in the immediate vicinity
Fig. 187. — COMPABATITB GllOWTH OP ViEXNA AND BERLIN.
•^onooo
&0 SO 10 Tl.
Max. Kedns.
of the great highways. Nature has her charms there too, but equally true it is
that Berlin owes nothing to the beauty or natural fertility of its environs. It
possesses not even the advantage of being seated upon a great navigable high-
way, or in the neighbourhood of coal mines. A huge agglomeration of vulgar
houses, placed in the centre of a sandy plain almost devoid of picturesque features,
Berlin, nevertheless, has not sprung into existence at the beck of a despot. The
fact of its having become the capital of a large state has no doubt contributed
towards its growth, but it does not suffice to account for it. There are, indeed,
geographical reasons, though they lie not on the surface, which have enabled
Berlin to increase rapidly. The site which it occupies is marked out by nature
• In 1871, Berlin, includingits8uburl)g,ha<l 826,341 inhaWtanta; in 187.5,966,868; in 1878, probably
1,028,238 inhabitniitn. Within a radius of 4 geographical miles of the castle there lived, in 1876,
1,069,619 soula, whilit Vienna, witbin a similar radius from St. Stephen's, numbered 1,061,278.
826
GERMANY.
as a suitable locality for a town. The most ancient portion of the town, formerly
known as Kollu (Hill?), occupies an island of the Spree. No more secure posi-
tion could have been found for a village of fishermen, for the banks of the Spree
are high opposite to this island, and offer facilities for the erection of works of
defence. Berlin is first mentioned in ihe beginning of the thirteenth century,
but is probably very much older. Its name is asserted by some to mean " ford"
or "crossing place," whilst others as positively translate it as "goose-field" or
" mud-pond."
This small village of fishermen, however, would never have acquired the
historical fame of Berlin, if, in addition to its defending an important passage
over the Spree, it did not likewise occupy the centre of the entire region between
Fig. 188.— The Havel and Sphbb.
Scale 1 : 174.000.
. 20 Miles.
the Elbe and the Oder. Both the Havel and the Spree are unimportant rivers,
but they are deep and navigable, and, together with artificial canals, form an
extensive network of communication. In the fourteenth century Berlin was at
the head of a federation of towns, and most of the meetings of the confederates
were held in it.
At the end of the fifteenth century it became the capital of Brandenburg, and
its influence grew apace. The geographical advantages of its position contributed
towards its commercial development. The high-road which connects Breslau,
the commercial centre of the Upper Oder, with Hamburg, at the mouth of the
Elbe, runs through Berlin, where it is crossed by the high-road communicating
between Leipzig and Stettin. The North Sea was as accessible to the merchants of
BERLIN AND
Scale
NEW YORK
S ENVIRONS
40 000
Simies
'PLETOU 8tCO
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA. 827
Berlin us the Baltic, and they were able to control the whole of the commercial
movement going on in the seaports from Emden to Koiiigsberg and Memel. In
its commanding position in the centre of the vast pluin stretching from the Ems
to the Memel, it exercises a preponderating influence upon all other towns, and
this influence grows with the advance of railways. Its increase in population,
industry, and wealth has been much more rapid than that of Prussia's political
power. The removal of all restrictions upon trades and handicrafts, at a time
when they were still enforced in many other parts of Germany, attracted crowds
of immigrants, and the number of residents who are not natives of Berlin is
nearly as large as in American cities.* Many of these immigrants, no doubt, sank
into misery instead of making their fortunes, as they expected, for the cost of
living has increased even more rapidly than the population, and the rents have
risen to an unpreced-ented height.
The interior of Berlin can hardly be said to redeem the monotony of the
surrounding plain. The Spree, when it first enters the town, is a respectable
river, nearly 300 yards wide, but, in its passage through it, it gradually becomes
changed into an open sewer. The principal buildings rise in the insular
quarter surrounded by the Spree, and in the vicinity of the noble avenue
of lime-trees known as " Unter den Linden." An area extending in no direc-
tion for more than 1,300 yards is crowded with the town-hall, the royal castle,
the arsenal, the university, the academy, the museums, the library, the opera-
house, the principal theatre, the exchange, the finest churches, and the grandest
private mansions. Many of these buildings contain valuable collections of art
treasures. The arsenal, to be converted into a temple of glory, contains a collec-
tion of arms. The old museum, with a peristyle decorated with incomprehensible
mythological frescoes by Cornelius, boasts but of few masterpieces, but its collec-
tions are well arranged. The staircase of the new museum contains Kiuilbach's
famous historical frescoes. Its collection of Egyptian and other antiquities is
highly esteemed. A National Gallery contains works by modern German
masters.
As a " city of intelligence," Berlin, of course, possesses a good library,
numerous scientific societies, and hundreds of periodicals, t The university, with
its special museums and laboratories, numbers 2,600 students. The Victoria
Lyceum, founded by Miss Archer, is attended by 600 lady students. A technical
school has 1,600 pupils. There are botanical and zoological gardens, an excellent
aquarium, and numerous private collections. Amongst famous men born in
Berlin are the brothers Humboldt, Richard Boeckh, Klaproth, Brugsch, Madler,
and many others, but nearly all the public statues commemorate military
heroes. The most conspicuous amongst them is that of Frederick the Great, by
Rauch.
Berlin holds a high rank as an industrial city. In 1877 its 2,213 manu-
factories employed 5^,246 hands, a number far less than in preceding years, for
• In 1875, out of a population of !»66,8.58 persons, only 399,673 were natives of Berlin.
t In 1877, 364 periodicals were published at Berlin, inclusive of 241 devoted to science or art.
828 GERMANY.
t
between 1872 and 1876 twenty-nine public companies engaged in the manufac-
ture of rolling stock and metal ware lost £5,240,000, or 76 per cent, of their capital.
One of the private manufactories, that of Borsig, has turned out several thousand
locomotives. Of great importance is the manufacture of telegraph apparatus,
pianofortes, paper-hangings, hosiery, and drapery. Enormous breweries are
scarcely able to keep abreast with the demands of their consumers. The number
of distilleries is also very large. The limestone quarries at Riidersdorf, to the
east of Kopnik, supply a great portion of Northern Germany with building
stones. The so-called Berlin porcelain is manufactured at Charlottenburg. '
When Berlin shall be united to the Baltic by means of a ship canal, its industry
and commerce will no doubt take a development not hitherto dreamed of.
Berlin, which, including the Thiergarten, covers an area of 14,020 acres,
spreads very rapidly in almost all directions, and is continually encroaching upon
the solitudes which surround it. The railway termini, barracks, gas works,
and hospitals, which about the middle of the century occupied its outskirts, are
now surrounded by houses. The military authorities, to escape this incessant
invasion of civilian buildings, have remo-ed their practising grounds to Zossen
(3,103 inhabitants), a town 20 miles to the south of Berlin. The line which
joins Zossen to Berlin was constructed and is being worked by the railway
battalion.
In the north-east, owing to the cold winds, Berlin grows less quickly. In the
east a suburb stretches as far as the village of Lichtenberg, where the new school
for cadets has been built. In the south the houses extending along the Spree do
not yet reach the small town of Kopnik (7,113 inhabitants). Rixburg (15,309
inhabitants), in the south-east, is separated by the park of the Hasenheide from
Berlin. The descendants of a colony of Hussites live in this suburban village,
still mixing a few Chechian words with the German. But it is towards the west
that Berlin extends most rapidly. The elegant quarters surrounding the Thier-
garten join it there to Charlottenburg (25,847 inhabitants) and the villas of the
west-end. The mausoleum in the park of Charlottenburg contains Ranch's
masterpiece, a recumbent figure of Queen Ijouise.
Spandmi (26,888 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Spree and Havel, and in
the midst of lakes and swamps, is the citadel of Berlin. It is a town of arsenals,
gun factories, and military workshops. The castle of Tegel, at the northern
extremity of the Lake of Spandau, was the residence of the brothers Humboldt,
who lie buried there. Another lake, to the south-west, reflects the dome and
towers of Potsdam (45,003 inhabitants), the summer residence of the Kings of
Prussia. The town itself is very dull, existing only for the sake of princes,
generals, and court functionaries, and the environs abound in royal parks,
including those of Sans Souci and Babclsberg. The lowlands around Potsdam
are now cultivated as market gardens, and at Nowawcs (6,664 inhabitants), a
Chechian colony founded by Frederick II., the inhabitants engage in cotton
and silk spinning. Hiickel, the anthropologist, and Helmholtz were born at
Potsdam. It was in this town that the father of Frederick the Great kept his
HAMBURG AND THE
J*c
Drsnoi bjrA.^iulioinin.
D
Depth, OS Fathoms
Scalei
ir--
ileptA. S-ll FaOiom*
NEW -r-OHK
UARY OF THE ELBE.
leo.ooo
:j
Sand cby at Zow Water
Meeenl AUuvum,
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
829
regiments of giants, and the inhabitants are still remarkable for their tall
stature.
Bernau (6,469 inhabitants), on the Stettin Railway ; Nauen (6,929 inhabitants),
on the Hamburg one ; and three manufacturing towns in the direction of Leipzig,
viz. Luckemralde (13,816 inhabitants), Jiiterhogk (6,776 inhabitants), and Tretien-
briezen (5,466 inhabitants), may be looked upon as the advanced posts of Berlin.
Even Brandenburg (^7,371 inhabitants), the capital of the March, occupies a some-
what similar position. It is a prosperous town, about half-way between Berlin and
Magdeburg, near where the Havel turns to the north, and its shipping trade is
considerable.
Other towns of importance are scarce in the Brandenburg portion of the basins
Fig 189.— Brandenbuho.
Scale 1 : 300,000.
5 Miles.
of the Hiivel and Elbe. Rathenow (9,949 inhabitants), on the Havel, is known for its
bricks and the thousands of swans which throng the neighbouring lakes. Ilarelherg,
on an island of the Havel, near its confluence with the Elbe, is a place of
commerce. Wiltenberge (7,640 inhabitants), on the Elbe, has some river traffic,
whilst Perleberg (7,595 inhabitants), Prifzwalk (5,760 inhabitants), Wittstock
(6,801 inhabitants), and Neii Ruppin (12 470 inhabitants), the latter built on the
shore of a lake, are market towns of some importance.
Hamhukg. — Below Wittenberge the Elbe, for nearly 100 miles, flows through
a sterile district, being bounded on the left by the Heath of Liineburg, and
on the right by the plateau of Mecklenburg. Even Lanenhurg (4,625 inhabit-
ants), the most important town on this part of its course, is hardly more than a
village. But not much below it a forest of masts, villas, houses, and towers
gs
330
GERMANY.
announces that we are approaching a large city, and soon after Humhurg lies
spread out before us.
That city, the most populous of the German Empire, after Berlin, the foremost
lis a place of commerce, lies 65 miles above the mouth of the Elbe. The tide enables
the largest vessels to ascend to the quays and docks of the town, and its commerce
is fed by the vast triangular region bounded in the south by a line drawn from
Cracow to Basel. On the continent it has no rival, not even Marseilles.
Fig. 190. — A "Fleet" in Hamhuro.
Hamburg owes its pre-eminence not merely to natural adviintages, but more
especially to the spirit of enterprise which has ever distinguished its citizens.
Originally a " brook," or swamp, a mile in width, separated the city from the
Elbe; but this the citizens drained several centuries ago, and ever since that
time they have been unremitting in their endeavours to improve the navigation of
the Lower Elbe. Works of " regulation " now in progress are intended to
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODEE, AND VISTULA. 331
suppress the conflict of the tidal streams which now takes place at the point of
junction of the northern and southern arms of the Elbe. " Fleets," or Flethen,
traverse a portion of the town, giving access to the warehouses, whilst large
docks and basins, capable of accommodating hundreds of vessels, extend along the
river-side. Hamburg carries on commerce with every quarter of the world, and
more especially with England, and the number of emigrants passing through it is
almost as large as at Bremen.*
The old Hanse town does not form part of the German Zollrerein, and remains
the capital of a small independent state, having a Budget almost as heavy as that of
Berlin.! Among the famous children of the town are Poggendorff, the physicist ;
Bode and Encke, the astronomers ; and Henry Barth, the traveller.
The old city within the fortifications, now changed into a public walk, forms but
a small poriion of the agi^loraeraiion of houses known as Hamburg, but it is the
busiest part, and most public buildings rise in it. The latter include the exchange,
a Palace of Arts, the Johanneum, with a library of 300,000 volumes, the church
of St. Michael, and that of St. Nicholas, the latter only lately completed from a
design by Sir Gilbert Scott, with a steeple rising to a height of 482 feet. The
finest quarter of the town lies around the huge sheet of water known as the
Biniien-Aktet; and has been rebuilt since the fearful conflagration of 1842. The
suburbs are full of manufactories and ship-yards. The Lake of the Grosse-Alster,
in the north, is almost completely surrounded by the suburbs of Uhlenhorst,
Eilbeck, Barmbeck, and others. St. George, in the east, extends to Hamm and
other outlying places ; the botanical and zoological gardens lie in the west ;
St. Paul's, the Wapping of Hamburg, joins the latter to AHona (84,097 inhabitants),
a town in Holstein, altogether overshadowed by its more powerful neighbour ; and
to the west Altona is continued by Neumiihlen and Ottensen (12,406 inhabitants).
Another suburb, Steinwarder, has only recently been founded on the southern
bank of the Norder Elbe, on swampy soil, drained at vast expense. A magnificent
railway bridge connects Hamburg with the Hanoverian city of Harburg, whilst
Wundnbi'ck (13,528 inhabitants), in Holstein, and several charming villages on the
Lower Elbe, are likewi.se dependencies of the great city. The islands of the Elbe,
or Elb-Werder, are rich in pastures, and contain the dairy farms which supply Ham-
burg with milk, whilst the Vierlande, or " Four Lands,*' to the south-east, around
^rrcyrrfo;/ (3,889 inhabitants), furnish it with vegttables and fruits. The Vier-
Liiiders are a fine race of men, the descendants of Hollanders who settled in the
country in the twelfth century, and converted a swampy tract into most productive
market gardens.
Cuxhaten (4,102 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Elbe, is the outlying port of
• Hamburg, together with its fifteen suburbs, had 348.447 inhabitants in 1875, or, including Altona
and OttcnRcn, 444,960. In 1877 the city owned 450 sea-going vessels (inclusive of steamers), of 219,098
tons; 5,473 sta-gning vessels, of 2,223,696 tons, entered its port; 6,473 vessels, of 2,243,014 tons,
departed. '1 he merchandise imported by sea had a value of £4f),4.)5,Ono, and that imported by land
of £ 8,750,000. Of the imports, £22,345,000 came from England, £1 J,160,000 from America, £740,000
from ,\Ria, &c.
t Itevcnue ( 877), £1,264,686 (Berlin, £2,112,160). Debt, £6,101,822 (BerUn, £1,216,080).
332
GEEMANY.
Hamburg, very useful in winter, when the river higher up is ice-bound. Docks
and piers have been constructed there. On the promontory of Ritzebiittel, to the
Pig. 191. — ViEBLANDERS.
west of Cuxhaven, may be seen the remains of prehistoric fortifications, as well as
a castle five hundred years old.
LifBECK, Mecklenburg, and Northern Pomerania. — Liiheek (44,799 inha-
bitants) was foi'merly the first maritime city of Germany, and the capital of the
PLAINS OP THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
888
Hanseatic League, its " Rights," or " Law," being observed from Novgorod to
Amsterdam, and from Cracow to Cologne. The fleets which occasionally gathered
in the estuary of the Trave were powerful enough to oppose those of Denmark and
Sweden, and the representatives of more than eighty cities met in the town-hall
to deliberate on their common aflFairs. This federation of free cities formed a
very powerful European state. The Baltic at that time was one of the most
frequented seas of Europe, but after the discovery of a direct passage to the Indies,
and of the New World, it lost its importance, and Liibeck gradually sank to
Fig. 192.— LcBECK AND Rostock.
Scale 1 : 1,OOU,OjO.
u'\ E.Ota.
. 10 Milea.
the position of a second-rate city. Other causes contributed to its decay. The
herrings disappeared from the bunks of Scania, and migrated to the western coasts
of Scandinavia ; religious wars destroyed the prosperity of the inland members
of the Hanseatic League ; and a final attempt to revive that federation, in 1669,
led to no result.
Liibeck is now a very inferior town to Hamburg, and in some respects it is
even a dependency of it, playing the part of an outlying port on the Baltic. The
absence of bustle has preserved the town from innovations, and its ancient
towers and buildings impart to it quite a mediaeval aspect. The town-hall,
894 GERMANY.
the Gothic church of St. Mary, the Holstein Gate, and other buildings bear witness
to the wealth and power of ancient Liibeck, no less than to the artistic instincts
of its inhabitants. In our own days Liibeck is once more increasing in population.
It has ship-yards and factories, its ancient docks are crowded with shipping,
and even large vessels, which were formerly obliged to stop at Trawmunde (1,71!)
inhabitants), can now proceed up to the town. Most of the commerce is carried
on with Sweden and Russia.*
Wismar (14,462 inhabitants) occupies in many respects a more favourable
position than Liibeck, for the tide rises 2 feet in its estuary, and the island of Poel
protects it against northerly winds. Vessels drawing more than 7 feet cannot,
however, pass the bar which closes the port. Wismar belonged, for more than a
century (1()48— 1763), to Sweden. It is the port of Schwcrin (27,989 inhabitants),
the capital of Mecklenburg, picturesquely seated on the peninsulas of a lake, with
a magnificent castle occupying the site of an old fortress of the Wends. Canals
place Schwerin in communication with Wismar, Lubeck, and the Elbe. Near it
are Parchim (8,264 inhabitants), the birthplace of Moltke, and Ludtricj:ilmt (6,005
inhabitants), the summer residence of the Grand Duke. Mikilinborg, an old
castle of the Obotrites, which gave a name to the whole country, has ceased to
exist since the middle of the fourteenth century, its site being occupied now by a
small village.
Rostock (34,172 inhabitants) lies at the head of the estuary of the Warnow,
and vessels of over 30.0 tons burden cannot proceed beyond its outport of Warne-
miinde. It is the most animated seaside town of Mecklenburg, and exports the
corn received from Gmtrow (10,923 inhabitants), Teterow (5,247 inhabitants), and
other towns in the interior. Its merchant fleet more than suffices for the wants
of the port, and takes a considerable share in the carrying trade of other towns.
Rostock is a picturesque old place, the seat of a small university. Bliicher was
born there. Warnemunde is much frequented by bathers in summer, and so is the
Ilcilige JDamm, to the west of it, and near the Grand Ducal summer residence of
Dohberan (3,827 inhabitants).
Barth (6,030 inhabitants), on a lagoon to the east of the Regnitz, on the
frontier of Pomerania, is hardly inferior to its famous neighbour Stralsund
as regards the number of its merchant vessels. Stralsund (27,765 inhabitants)
stands upon the " Gut "j which separates Riigen from the mainland of Pomerania,
and is one of those fortresses which have been besieged most frequently. Up to
1815 it remained in the jDossession of the Swedes. The ports of Gveijhcald (18,022
inhabitants), Wolgast (7.258 inhabitants), and Anklmn (11,781 inhabitants)
succeed each other as we proceed towards the mouth of the Oder. Both Greifs-
wald and Anklam lie on navigable canals some distance from the sea, the port
of the former being at Eldcna. The university of Greifswald was endowed,
in 1G34, with the domains of its abbey, now the seat of an agricultural academy.
Some of the inland towns on the eastern slope of the plateau are of impor-
tance. In the basin of the Peene, which debouches at Anklam, are MaMiin
• In 1878 Lulieck liad 40 fea-going vessels, of 10,223 tons register.
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
886
(5,350 inhabitants), famous for its horse fairs, and Demmin (9,784 inhabitants),
the most ancient city of Pomerania. Other towns of note are Neii-Strelitz (8,525
inhabitants), Ncu-Brandvnburg (7,495 inhabitants), and Friedtand (5,086 inha-
bitants), the wealthiest town of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The principal towns of
the Uckermark, to the south of the Huff of Stettin, are Prciizlau (15,606 inha-
bitants), Pasetcalk (8,538 inhabitants), and Strasburg (5,089 inhabitants).
Prissian Sii.fsia (Slhlesien) 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 coul, 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.
Bcale 1 : 2,500,000.
Tovnt ffiVMlc I0,00i<, of 10,010 lo Sa.OM, of oU.OOO to 100,000, of over luU.OOO inhahUnnti.
. 2S Milra.
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 630 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 annually 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 Kbnignh utte (26,040 inhabitants). Beuthen
336 GERMANY.
(22,824 inhabitants), Kattoicitz (11,402 inhabitants), Gkiwitz (14,126 inhabitants),
and Tamowitz (7,243 inhabitants) are likewise of importance as mining and
manufacturing towns. Myslowitz (6,826 inhabitants) is an important railway
centre and customs station.
Radhor (24,578 inhabitants), at the head of the navigation of the Oder; Leoh-
schiifz (11,425 inhabitants), in the midst of picturesque hills; Neuatadt (12,515
inhabitants), on a mountain torrent; Oppelii (12,498 inhabitants), on the Oder;
and other towns lying outside the coal basin, nevertheless participate in its
industrial activity, and abound in factories of every description. The Neisse,
which rises in the Sudetes, flows past several towns of note. Glatz (12,514
inhabitants), a fortress close to the Bohemian frontier, occupies its ujjper basin.
JVitirode (6,497 inhabitants), on a stream of the Eulengebirge, has cotton
and flax mills. Frankenstein (7,486 inhabitants) is situate close to the famous
but useless citadel of Silberberg, hewn in the live rock. Patschkau (5,461 inha-
bitants), on the Neisse, is a small manufacturing town. But the most impor-
tant place in the basin of the Neisse is that named Neisse (19,533 inhabitants),
after the river which flows past it. It is a fortress of considerable strength,
defended by a system of inundation.
The Neisse almost doubles the volume of the Oder, which lower down is
joined by the Stober, near whose source lies the town of Kreiizhurg (5,238
inhabitants). The Oder then flows past Brieg (16,438 inhabitants), the birth-
place of Otffried Miiller, and at Oltlau (7,947 inhabitants) it approaches within
a couple of miles of the river of that name, which, rising in the Eulengebirge,
flows past Mumterherg (5,591 inhabitants) and Sfrehlen (6,289 inhabitants),
and then runs parallel with the Oder for a distance of 25 miles, as far as
Breslau.
Breslau (239,050 inhabitants), the capital of Silesia, occupies a most favourable
position for commerce in the very centre of the country, and many important
high-roads converge upon it. It was one of the great markets of the Hanse, and
its fairs were visited by Eussians and Tartars, who there purchased the products
of Western industry. To this day Breslau is the commercial centre of extensive
mining, manufacturing, and agricultural districts. As a grain mart it has few
superiors, and its trade in wool is very extensive. Industrial establishments of
every description, including beet-sugar manufactories, chemical works, cotton-
mills, and foundries, have sprung up around it.
The old ramparts were razed by the French in 1807, and have been converted
into public promenades. Some of the new quarters of the town adjoining them can
compare with any others in Germany — colonnades, balconies, statues, and flower
beds contrasting most happily with the blackened factories in the vicinity. The
" Ring," or open place in the centre of the old town, is the most curious relic
of that kind which the Germans have inherited from the Slavs. The town-hall
is a remarkable structure of the fourteenth century, and the cathedral one of
the most peculiar Gothic ediflces of Germany. Breslau has given birth to many
men of fame, including Wolf, the mathematician ; Schleiermacher, the philosopher ;
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
887
Lessing, the painter ; and Lassalle, the social reformer. Its university, founded
in 1702 by the Jesuits as a school of theology, but now a liberal institution,
is attended by 1,300 students, and possesses a library of 330,000 volumes, the
town library containing 200,000. Within 5 miles of Breslau is the famous
Field of Dogs (Hundsfeld), where the army of Henry V. was cut to pieces by the
Poles (1109).
Three rivers join the Oder a short distance below Breslau, viz. the Weida,
Fig. 194.— The Town-hai.i, of BaEgLAO.
Lobe, and AVeistritz. Oeh (8,874 inhabitants) and Namslau (5,383 inhabitants), in
the valley of the Weida, to the east of the Oder, are of some importance, but the
towns towards the west, in the coal basin lying at the foot of the Eulengebirge, far
surpass them. Sclitreidnilz (19,681 inhabitants), the principal town of this mining
district, which annually yields nearly 2,000,000 tons of coal, has factories of every
description, but is more especially noted for its gloves. Walfipnhurg (14,704
inhabitants) has potteries, and all the other towns of the district, including lieichen-
838
GERMANY.
bach (7,268 inhabitants), LangenUelau (12,944 inhabitants), Altwasser (7,740
inhabitants), Gotimbcrg (6,445 inhabitants), Welssstein (5,330 inhabitants), i^-6(6«rf7
(7,821 inhabitants), and Sfrirglitz (10,502 inhabitants), are distinguished for some
special branch of industry, the products of which are exported by the merchants of
Breslau. This mining and manufacturing region attracts, at the same time, shoals
of tourists, for its mountains abound in picturesque scenery, and the mineral
Kdr. 19.-.
rn TO THE FEI.Sr.N-STA7)T. vr'1- Wrr KFLSDOliF, IS BojIEMM.
springs of AUwmner, Ober-Salzbrunn, and Charlottenbruim are highly esteemed
for their curative properties. One of the sights of this country is the Town of
Rocks, or Felsenstadt, through which we may wander as in the streets of a
deserted city.
Liegnitz (31,442 inhabitants) lies on the important natural high-road which
leaves the Oder near Breslau, and passing through Ncitmarkt (5,531 inhabitants).
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA. 889
follows the foot of the mountain in the direction of Leipzig. Armies travelled
quite as much by that road as did merchants, and many buttles have been fought
near it. The towers of the abbey of Wahktalt, 5 miles to the south of Liegnitz,
mark the site of the great battle which shuttered the hosts of the Mongols in
1241. Liegnitz, the native place of Dove, with its neighbours Jauer (10,392
inhabitants), Goldberg (6,475 inhabitants), and Hninau (5,351 inhabitants), carries
on several branches of manufacture, but is more especially noted for its vegetables,
flowers, and fruit trees.
Glogaii (18,041 inhabitants), a fortress close to the frontier of Poznania, is the
first large town on the Oder below Breslau. The turgid Bartsch and the canal
(Polnischer Landgraben) which drains the swamps of Obra join the Oder near
it. The towns of Kroloschin (8,034 inhabitants) and Rnwi/sch (11,141 inhabitants),
to a large extent peopled by Jews; Linxn (11,009 inhabitants), tlie heredilary
seat of the Leszezyliskis, who in the sixteenth century afforded shelter to
Protestants driven from Austria, and introduced the manufacture of linen and
cloth, and Franstadt (6,394 inhabitants), are geographically dependencies of Glogau,
but have been politically assigned to the province of Posen.
Neusiilz (5,895 inhabitants) and Griinberg (12,200 inhabitants) are the last
Silesian towns on the Oder, the latter producing a wine famous for its acidity.
Ziillkhan (7,378 inhabitants) and Sc/iwiebtw (8,087 inhabitants), in side valleys, and
KroiHen (6,786 inhabitants), on the Oder, belong to the province of Brandenburg.
The Bober, however, which joins the Oder at Krossen, and the Western Neisse,
wliich enters it a few miles lower down, flow past many towns still belonging to
Silesia. Laudnhitt (5,817 inhabitants), a picturesque old city; Ilirschbcrg
(12,954 inhabitants), famous for its Turkish carpets; Warmbrumi (2,998 inha-
bitants), a watering-place ; Lowenberg (5,293 inhabitants), Bunzlau (9,931 inha-
bitants), Sprottau (6,916 inhabitants), and Sagan (10,538 inhabitants) succeed
each other in the valley of the Bober ; Lanbaii (10,076 inhabitants) is in one of its
side valleys; whilst Gorlitz (45,310 inhabitants) is on the Neisse. The latter, like
Liegnitz, enjoys the advantage of lying upon a great natural highway, which
joins Poland with Thuringia, and is crossed by the depression which extends from
the vale of the Oder to that of the Upper Elbe. Gorlitz was the birthplace of Jacob
Pohme, the mvslic. Ancient fortifications and grave-hills are numerous in its
vicinity.
The Basin of the Oder to the North of Sii.esia.* — The manufacture of
cloth and linen is the great industry carried on in Western Silesia, as well as
in the Brandenburg townH of Soraii (13,138 inhabitants), Sommerfeld (10,235
inhabitants), Forst (16,641 inhabitants), and Giiben (23,704 inhabitants), which
adjoin it.
Frankfort-on-the-Oder (47,180 inhabitants) cannot vie with its namesake on the
ilain in wealth and population, but is nevertheless a prosperous town, with
numerous factories and an extensive commerce. It is the port of Berlin on the
* Including parts of Eastern Tirandenburg, nearly all Poaen, Central Pomerania, and a small part of
West Prussia.
340
GERMANY.
Oder, occupying a similar position with reference to the capital as does Magdeburg
on the Ellie. But whilst the latter is a fortress, the mission of Frankfort is
altogether pacific, fine walks having replaced its ancient fortifications. Kustr^n
(11,227 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Warthe, is a fortress, covering Berlin
towards the east. Several battles have been fought in this district. At Zorndorf
Frederick II. triumphed over the Russians in 1758; at Kunnersdorf, the year
after, he was almost hopelessly crushed.
The Warthe is nearly as long a river as the Oder, but it flows through a regi>'n
Fig. 196.— Sprottac and Pkeistadt.
Scale 1 : 240,000.
, 2 Miles.
far less fertile and populous. On its southern affluent, the Brosna, which divides
the province of Posen from Russian Poland, are situated the small towns of Kcm2)en
(6,168 inhabitants), Oatroico (8,339 inhabitants), and Pkuchen (6,348 inhabitants).
Passing through Schrimm (5,929 inhabitants), on the Warthe, and Kuniik
(2,658 inhabitants), which has a castle of the fourteenth century containing a
rich library, we reach Posen (65,681 inhabitants), the capital of the province —
a town more German now than Polish. The Warthe at Posen is navigable onlj''
for small barges. In the seventeenth century the town had 75,000 inhabitants,
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
841
but when Prussia first occupied it its population had sunk to 5,000 souls. Posen is
not only an important fortress, but also a great corn mart. It boasts of the
libraries of Count Raczynski and the Society of Friends of Science, and of the
museum of Count Melzyiiski. In its cathedral several Kings of Poland lie buried,
but Gnesen (Gniezno, 11,206 inhabitants), in a region of lakes and woods to the
north-east, is the " holy " town of Poland, where the kings were crowned until 1 320.
The Warthe below Posen gradually swerves round to the west. It is
joined by the Weltia, which washes the walls of Rogasen (5,026 inhabitants).
Fig. 197. — Stettin.
Scale 1 : 180,000.
.8 Miles.
Beyond Schtcerin (6,580 inhabitants) the Warthe enters the province of Branden-
burg, and flows through the industrious town of Landnbrrg (21,379 inhabitants).
Nakel (5,651 inhabitants) is the only town of note on the Netze, which joins the
Wurthe a few miles above Landsberg, for Schaeidemiihl (9,724 inhabitants) and
Deutuch- Krone (6,064 inhabitants), though both lying within its basin, are situate
on tributaries which enter it from the north. Towns become more numerou.-* to
the west of Landsberg. In the Neumark (" New March "), to the north of the
Warthe, are Frkdehcrg (5,804 inhabitants), Soldiii (6,295 inhabitants), Ariiswalde
342
GERMANY.
(6,853 inhabitants), and Konigshcry (G,380 inhabitants) ; to the south of that river,
Zieknzig (5,731 inhabitants), DiVHsen (5,167 inhabitants), and Sonnenhurg (5,573
inhabitants).
The heights which bound the swampy flats of the "Oderbruch" on the west
are occupied by towns more or less dependent upon Berlin for their prosperity,
Fig 198 — SwinemI'xdk.
Scale 1 : 160,000.
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TFriezen (7,920 inhabitants), Freienwakk (6,011 inhabitants), andNcusfadf-Ebers-
wnkle (10,483 inhabitants) being the most important amongst them. Anger-
miinde (6,601 inhabitants) occupies a height to the north of the Finow Canal, ami
at some distance from the Oder. Schwedt (9,592 inhabitants) is on the left bank
of the Oder, whilst Greifcnhagen (6,759 inhabitants) stands on an eastern arm of
that river, known as the Reglitz
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA. 848
Stettin (80,972 inhabitants), the great maritime city of Pomerania, is situate
on the western edge of the delta of the Oder, and from the plateau which rises to
the west of the city we look down upon the sinuous course of the river through
an alluWal bottom-land for ever encroaching upon the ancient gulf of the sea, now
known as the Lake of Damm. Stettin is the Baltic port of Berlin, and increases
rapidly in population, notwithstanding the fortifications which encircle it. A
causeway, 0 miles in length, connects Stettin with Damm (4,750 inhabitants), to
the east of the delta.
Stettin occupies a prominent place as an industrial city. It has ship-yards,
machine shops, cement works, potteries, soap and candle manufactories, distilleries,
and breweries. Vessels diawing 16 feet of water are able to reach the quays of
the town, but larger ones are obliged to discharge their cargo at Sainemunde
(7,977 inhabitants), the outirort of Stettin and a favourite watering-place. Wollin
(5,2i2 inhabitants) and Kumtuiit (5,498 inhabitants), on the Dievenow, or eastern
outlet of the Great Haff, may also be looked upon as small outlying ports of the
great city. The former of these towns is the ancient Vineta, or City of the
Wends, which Adam of Bremen, in the second half of the eleventh century,
describes as being " in truth the largest city of Europe." The remains of ancient
buildings actually prove that it formerly occupied an area thirty times more
extensive than it does now, and Arab coins in large numbers have been found
there.
A few small fivers enter the Grosse Haff to the east of Stettin. One of them
irrigates the productive corn-fields of Pyritz (7,442 inhabitants) ; another washes
the walls of Utargnrd (20,173 inhabitants) and Golluoic (7,913 inhabitants), both
old Hanse towns, and accessible to coasting vessels.
Eastern' Pomkrania. — The maritime slope of Eastern Pomerania presents
none of those features which favour the growth of large cities, for the coast is
exposed and devoid of shelter, the climate is rigorous, and the fertile tracts of
land comparatively limited. Owing, however, to the development of local
industries, several villages have become real tovvns. In the valley of the Rega
arc Schierelbein (5,038 inhabitants), Lnhes (5,010 inhabitants), Regenirdhle (3,3()3
inhabitants), Greifenbrrg (5,(i31 inhabitants), and Treplow (6,724 inhabitants).
Kolberg (13,537 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Persante, and KohHh (14,814
inhabitants), near the lagoon of Jamund, are both prosperous. Ruyenwalde
(3,174 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Wipper, which in its upper course
irrigates the district around Schlawe (5,141 inhalntants), carries on a considerable
coasting trade. Stolp (18,328 inhabitants), on a river of the same name, is the
most populous town of Eastern Pomerania, whilst Belgard (7,181 inhabitants),
the Bialygrod, or White City, of the Pomorzi, has maintained its rank amongst
the inland towns. Dramhurg (5,626 inhabitants) and Neu-Stettin (6,937 inha-
bitants) rise on the watershed between the coast rivers and the Warthe, whilst
Luncuhurij (7,l(i5 inhabitants) already lies within the circle of attraction of Danzig.
TnK Basin of thk Vistula. — Thorn (21,067 inhabitants), on the right bank
of the Vistula, where that river enters the territory of Prussia, and is spanned by a
844 GEEMANY.
railway bridge 2,000 feet in length, was the birthplace of Copernicus, " terrm motor,
solis stator." In 1724 the " Queen of the Vistula " was the scene of a disgraceful
massacre of Protestants. It is an important fortress. The river Derwenz, a
tributary of the Vistula, forms the boundary between Prussia and Poland, nearly
as far as Strasburg (5,454 inhabitants). Iiioicrazkw (9,147 inhabitants), to the
south-west, occupies the summit of a rock of gypsum, and mines of rock-salt are
worked near it. It is the agricultural centre of Cujavia, one of the most productive
corn districts of Central Europe.
Bromberg (31,308 inhabitants), the largest town in the basin of the Vistula,
between Warsaw and Danzig, was founded by the Teutonic Knights, and occupies
a very favourable commercial position on the Brahe, a small tributary of the
Vistula, joined by a canal to the Netze. It carries on a considerable trade in
corn. Konitz (8,046 inhabitants), another town of the Teutonic Knights, lies
farther north.
The Vistula, below its confluence with the Brahe, skirts the terrace upon which
rises the town of Kulm (9,628 inhabitants). It then passes Schwctz (5,210 inha-
bitants), at the mouth of the Schwarzwasser, and Gmudenz (16,615 inhabitants), an
important place of commerce defended by a citadel. Marienwerder (7,580 inha-
bitants), one of the earliest towns founded by the Teutonic Order, lies on the slope
of the plateau which bounds the alluvial plain of the Vistula on the east. Soon
afterwards the river bifurcates, its eastern branch, the Nogat, flowing to Marieiiburg,
whilst the main branch passes beneath the bridge of Dirsclmu (9,713 inhabitants),
one of the most remarkable engineering works of modern times. Preimisch-
Stargard (6,022 inhabitants), the political capital of the district, is far inferior to
Dirschau in trade and industry.
Danzig (97,931 inhabitants) is a very ancient city. Occupying the slope of
the hills overlooking the delta, it is the natural intermediary between the region
of the Lower Vistula and the countries beyond the sea. The view enjoyed from
the hills above Danzig is indeed one not easily forgotten, more especially that
afforded by the wooded heights of Olim (3,284 inhabitants), a village rendered
famous by an ancient abbey. But the very advantages which geographical
position confers upon Danzig account for some of its vicissitudes. The town has
sustained many sieges, and its commerce has more than once been nearly destroyed.
Whilst a member of the Hanse, and subsequently, when subject to Poland, Danzig
had its own laws {Danziger Willkitr) and coined its own money. It was a kind
of Northern Venice, not only because canals intersect many of its streets, and
its houses often stand upon piles, but also because of its preponderating influence
upon the surrounding country. Several churches, a town-hall, an exchange, and
high houses with gable-ends recall these glorious old times. Philip Cluvier, one of
the creators of historical geography, Fahrenheit, and Schopenhauer were natives of
Danzig. One of the islands of the town is exclusively occupied by granaries six
and seven stories in height. For fear of fire this island is deserted during the
night by all but its ferocious watch-dogs, which prowl through its alleys. The
export in corn has since immemorial time been the great source of wealth of
PLAINS OF IHE ELBE, ODEE, AND VISTULA.
845
Danzig. Hundreds of barges convey to it the wheat from all parts of the basin of
the Vistula, the barges being broken up on reaching Danzig, and the bargemen
returning on foot to their homes in Poland or Galicia. Railways have in a large
measure deprived Danzig of this branch of business,* but it is still the first city of
Europe for its timber trade. The manufacturing establishments of Danzig increase
from year to year. They include woollen and paper mills, chemical works, dis-
tilleries, machine shops, and ship-yards.
Marienhurg (8,526 inhabitants), on the Nogat, never attained the commercial
importance of its neighbour Danzig, although for a considerable time it was the
Fip. 199. — The Castls op Mabienburo.
capital of the Teutonic Order, which at the height of its prosperity, in 1440,
consisted of 3,000 knights, who reigned over 55 towns, 48 strong castles, and
18,368 villages. The old fortress of the order overtowers all other buildings of
the town, and some of its rooms are admired as favourable specimens of Gothic
architecture. A railway bridge, no less remarkable in its way than the old palace
of the knights, spans the Nogat.
Elbing (35,878 inhabitants), the ancient Truso, was founded in 1237 by
colonists from Liibeck and Meissen, and two centuries afterwards placed itself
• In 1862 322,120 tons of wheat were exported by soa ; in 1873 only 121,200 tons.
96
346
GERMANY.
under the protection of Poland. Its position is analogous to that of Danzig, but,
owing to the small depth of its river, it is unable to compete with its more power-
ful neighbour for a share in the maritime trade. Elbing is the natural market-
place of the lake district which extends to the south-east in the direction of Oderode
(5,746 inhabitants), and is traversed by several canals used for the transport of
timber. At Tannenherg, to the south of Osterode, the Teutonic Knights, in 1410,
suffered a crushing defeat, from which they never recovered.
Prussia to the East of the Basin of the Vistula. — Branmberg (10,796
inhabitants), to the north-east of Elbing, is situate on the navigable Passarge, which
flows into the Frische Haff, and is bounded by carefully cultivated market gardens.
Fig. 200.— The Port of Pillau.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
|ia°M' E.ofQ
Iteittlt tern tfian s A'af/wni*
5 to U Fathoms
I tt to .r?
r}eptk S3 to (JC Fnthomi
I Over a
. i Miles.
The port of Braunsberg is accessible only to small coasting vessels. It is the
principal town between Elbing and the capital of East Prussia, Konigsberg, which
was founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1255, and named in honour of King
Ottokar of Bohemia.
Kmiysberg (122,636 inhabitants), exclusively of its royal castle, has no
remarkable buildings, except, perhaps, those of its university, an institution
rendered famous by Immanuel Kant. There are numerous scientific societies,
but more powerful than they is the Corporation of Merchants, which built the
exchange and founded a School of Commerce. Only vessels drawing less thaii
10 feet are able to ascend the Pregel to the quays and docks of Konigsberg, which
exports more especially hemp, flax, tow, and timber. Numerous factories have been
PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA.
347
Fig. 201.— Memel.
Scale 1 : 150.1100.
i»° iSE.oi Purls
built witbin and beyond the fortifications which make Konigsberg one of the most
powerful strongholds of Germany.
Pilku (3,196 inhabitants), at the Gut of the Frische HaiF, forms a dependency
and outport of Konigsberg,
though situate some 30 miles
due west of it. Nearly all its
trade is carried on on account of
the merchants of the neighbour-
ing city. Pillau possesses the im-
portant advantage of not being
blocked by ice during winter,
and a great deal of the Russian
trade passes through it. Cianz,
at the neck of the Kurische
Nehrung, is the most frequented
watering-place near Konigsberg.
The few towns to the south
of Konigsberg, such as AUenstein
(6,159 inhabitants), Heikbeig
(5,762 inhabitants), Bartemtein
(6,460 inhabitants), and Rotten-
burg (6,102 inhabitants), are
centres of local trade. Lijck
(5,912 inhabitants) is a head-
quarter of smugglers. Far more
important are the towns in the
valley of the Pregel, through
which runs a gieat international
railway. They include Wehlaii
(5,178 inhabitants), Inisterhurg
(16,303 inhabitants), and Gum-
binncn (9,141 inhabitants).
Eydtkvhnen (3,253 inhabitants),
to the east of the latter, close to
the Russian frontier, is rapidly
rising into importance. Boi/cn
(591 inhabitants) is a small for-
tress near Lotzen (4,034 inha-
bitants), and in the centre of an
extensive lake district.
TiMt (20,251 inhabitants), rendered famous by the treaty of 1807, is the only
town of importance on the river Memel, which 30 miles below enters the Kurische
Hiiff. The two battles whicli preceded that treaty were fought in the neighbour-
hood: the one at Preusiisch-Ei/lau (3,738 inhabitants), 24 miles to the south of
|«'«.E.of o.
2 MOeB.
348 GEEMANT.
Konigsberg ; the other at Friedland-on-thc-Alle (3,296 iuhabitants), about the same
distance to the south-east of that town.
Memel (19,796 inhabitants) is the only town in the narrow strip of land which
stretches northward between Russia and the Baltic. Lying far away from the
river after which it is named, near the Gut leading into the Kurische Haff, Memel
is a Russian port rather than a German one, and most of its trade is, in fact,
Russian. It exports timber from the neighbouring forests, wheat, flax, and
hemp. Its factories, saw-mills, foundries, and machine shops work for the most
part on Russian account. Memel and Tilsit are the great entrepots of the
merchandise which German merchants, with the aid of their Israelite confederates,
smuggle through the triple line of Russian custom-houses. Nearly all the manu-
factured articles used in Lithuania and Samogitia have crossed the frontier
without paying the customs dues. Memel was the native place of Argelander, the
astronomer.
The low tract which stretches from Memel to the Russian frontier is sandy,
and only produces stunted pines. Nimmersatt, the last group of German houses,
lies in a veritable desert.
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CHAPTER X.
THE CIMBRIAN PENINSULA.
(SCHLESWIO-HOLSTBIN.)*
HE elongated peninsula which the estuary of the Elbe separates
from Hanover, and only a narrow ridge of uplands connects with
Germany, it might be supposed, would have become the home of
one race. Such, however, is not the case, for whilst the Ger-
mans hold the south, the Danes have established themselves in the
north. Formerly it was the Danes who exercised political authority in the
German parts of the peninsula, but the war of 1866 has changed all this, and
Prussia has not only acquired the purely German districts, but also a large slice
of territory indisputably Danish, but of great value on account of its strategical
positions.
The plateau of Mecklenburg extends into Holstein, and from some of its most
elevated points the North Sea and Baltic may be seen simultaneously. The
Bungsberg (522 feet), the culminating point of the entire peninsula, rises a few
feet higher than the steeple of St. Nicholas at Hamburg. A wide depression,
through which the Eider takes its winding course, extends from the North Sea
to the fiord of the Schlei, and separates these southern heights from the northern
ones, which stretch through Schleswig and Jutland to the extremity of the latter.
Magnesian limestones containing beds of gypsum and salt are the oldest rocks of
the country, but they are almost everywhere concealed beneath more recent
sedimentary deposits, and speaking geologically, the peninsula, such as it exists
now, is of no great age.
Whilst Eastern Holstein and Schleswig are a continuation of Mecklenburg, the
western region forms an extension of Friesland and Hanover. The islands which
fringe the coast of Schleswig remind us of a similar chain of islands extending
along the coasts of Holland and Friesland ; the marshes, which to the west of the
Elbe have been converted into productive Koge, are no less fertile to the north of the
• Ares, 7,061 square miles. Population (187S), 1,073,926.
850
GERMANY.
river ; the Geest of Hanover has its analogue in the AM of Holstein and Schleswig ;
and there are heaths rivalling that of Liineburg, and extensive peat hogs.
Though narrow, the peninsula presents most striking contrasts on its two shores.
Towards the Baltic we meet with hills and lakes surrounded by forests, whilst
on the Nortli Sea the eyes behold marshes, heaths, and shelving beaches. In the
east vegetation flourishes ; in the west the " poisonous " sea wind kills the trees or
Fig. 202. — Sylt a.nd Amkum.
Scale 1 : 376,000.
Sandbanka which uncover
Depth down to S fathoms
lOMilea.
I>aoth OeyontI 5 Fathame
prevents their growth when not sheltered from it. The contours of the two coasts
present similar contrasts. The Baltic coast-line is well defined, with bold
promontories, and fiords penetrating far inland, whilst on the west coast, with its low
islands, sand-banks, and vague contours, the two elements appear to be confounded.
Changes no doubt tnke place along the east coast, but they cannot be compared
with those witnessed along the shores of the North Sea, where denudation and
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN.
861
deposition are going on continually and on a vast scale. No greater contrast can
ther& be than that presented by the rocky coasts of Norway and the flat, undefined
shore of Sclileswig, though both face the same sea.
No other district in Europe has suffered more from irruptions of the sea than
this " Uthland," or outlying land, of Schleswig. Only fragments of the ancient
coast-line survive in some of the islands which originally formed a portion of the
mainland. It was one of these invasions of the sea which caused the Cirabri to
flee the country, and to begin their march across Europe which terminated on the
fatal field of VerceUsD. Forchharamer believes that the large boulders found along
the whole of the valley of the Eider, at an elevation of 66 feet above the sea-level,
mark the height of this fearful flood, which extended even to the east -coast. Six
Fig. 203. — The Basin op the Eidek.
if
SO'
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Dtlith ttowH toll Fatlw
hundred years ago the Watten, or sand-banks, now covered at high water, were
fertile fields. Towards the middle of the thirteenth century many villages and
ibliinds were inundated, and numerous floods are recorded as having taken place
since then, one of the most disastrous having been that of 1634, which swept away
several islands around Nordstrand. Nordstrand itself was left a desert for eighteen
years, when it was repeopled by Flemish colonists. Since then the floods have not
been of so calamitous a nature, the archipelago being protected by the dunes of the
outlying islands of Sylt and Ararum.
If man had not undertaken to resist the encroachments of the sea, a great
portion of the littoral region of Schleswig would long ere this have disappeared
beneath the waves. The islands have been protected by double and treble lines
of dykes, and portions of the mainland have been drained and rendered secure.
852 GERMANY.
The dykes of the peninsula of Eiderstedt have a total length of 190 miles, and are,
on an average, 25 feet in height. They have nearly all been constructed since
the great flood of 1634, and no pains have been spared since to add to the
defences of the IToge, or polders, and villages. The HalUgen are low islands not
protected by dykes, and rising but a few feet above ordinary high water. They
produce scanty herbage, and their inhabitants live in small cabins built upon arti-
ficial mounds, or " wharfs." At low water they are joined to the mainland by a
bank of ooze (Schlick), which it is dangerous to cross. They are gradually being
abandoned by their inhabitants, who are daring seamen.
Amongst the rivers of Schleswig-Holstein there is but one which can claim
notice on account of the area of its basin, viz. the Eider. It flows in the depres-
sion which bounds Schleswig in the south, and the tide ascends it as far as
Rendsburg, which is nearer to the eastern coast than to the western. Its prin-
cipal tributary, the Treene, flows through an extensive swamp, connected by
means of a canal (the Kograben) with the fiord of the Schlei. This canal formed
the southernmost line of defence of Schleswig, and in its rear rose the famous
Dannewerk, an entrenchment thrown up in the ninth century, and defended with
some vigour in 1864.
The idea of connecting the North Sea and the Baltic by a navigable canal is
an old one. In 1390 — 98 Liibeck constructed a canal which joins it to the Elbe,
and which is still in existence. In the following century Liibeck and Hamburg
were connected by a more direct water highway, which followed the course of the
Trave, the Beste, and the Alster, but was filled up in 1550 by the enemies of
the two cities. In 1784 a canal was constructed from the Upper Eider to the
Bay of Kiel, and vessels drawing 12 feet were by its means enabled to proceed
from the North Sea to the Baltic, thus avoiding the circuitous route around
Jutland. This canal, however, owing to the winding course of the Eider and
the delays caused by want of water, no longer responds to the requirements of
commerce, and the construction of a navigation canal has recently formed the
subject of much discussion. Several projects have been elaborated, all of them
requiring for their realisation a vast amount of money.
Inhabitants.
The inhabitants of Holstein are more like the Germans described to us by
ancient authors than any other people in Germany. The Hokaten — that is, " Men
of the Woods " — occupied clearings in the woods and swamps, where they were
but rarely exposed to the attacks of strangers, whilst the Ditmarschen, or Northern
Frisians, were secure in their trackless marshes and on their islands, and were
thus able to maintain their independence. The Baltic coast, with its bays and
fiords, was, however, readily accessible, and emigrants obtained a footing in
several localities. It was thus that Wendish Obotrites colonised the island of
Fehmarn and the peninsula of Wagria, whiuh extends from the Bay of Kiel to
that of Liibeck. In the twelfth century these Wends were pagnns and inde-
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. 858
pendent.. Their descendants still live in the country, but much mixed with those
of Frisian, Dutch, and Westphalian colonists.
The history of Schleswig is that of the struggle between Danes and Germans.
At the present time the whole of the south is German, whilst the Danes have
maintained themselves in the north. Irrespectively of High German and Danish,
three dialects are spoken by the people of the western islands and the littoral
region. The inhabitants of the two southern islands, Pellworra and Nordstrand,
talk riuttdeiifHch, those of Fohr speak a dialect of their own, whilst Frisian is
spoken on Amrum and Sylt, and in the villages near the coast. The land of
the Angles, who some thirteen centuries ago invaded England, meeting with a
better fate than their neighbours, the Cimbri, extends north along the coast of
the Baltic to beyond the Schlei. Its undulating hills, carefully tilled fields,
hedges, and luxuriant meadows, its scattered homesteads and grazing cattle,
remind us of similar scenes in the English counties of Kent and Surrey. The
peasants of that countrj' are no doubt wealthy ; but when it is a question of
civilisation generally, it is the Frisians on the North Sea who deserve the palm.
They, too, are wealthy, live in well-constructed houses surrounded by gardens,
and give their children a sound education. The ancient spirit of independence
ftill survives amongst these Ditmarschers. As we travel away from their pros-
perous homesteads in the direction of Jutland, Denmark, or Sweden, the fields
decrease in fertility, the dwellings are less luxurious, and the struggle for existence
is more severe.
Towns.
The Holtteiners live in the greatest numbers in the vicinity of Hamburg, of
which the towns of Altona (84,097 inhabitants), Oftennen (12,400 inhabitants),
and WandifU'ck (13,528 inhabitants) form mere dependencies. Even Elrmhorn
(5,183 inhabitants), on a navigable river tributary to the Elbe, and Gluckdadt
(5,031 inhabitants), may be looked upon as outposts of Hamburg. At a distance
from that place the population decreases rapidly, and in the large basin of the
river Stor there are but two towns of any note, viz. Neuniumfer (10,108 inha-
bitants), which has more factories than any other of the inland towns, and Itzehoe
(9,776 inhabitants), the old political capital of the country. Srgeberg (5,044
inhabitants), on a lake in the basin of the Trave, has lime and gypsum pits, and a
bed of salt has been discovered at a depth of 520 feet.
Several populous market towns lie on the coast to the north of the Elbe,
including Marne (2,066 inhabitants), the birthplace of MiillenhofF, the geographer ;
Heidc (077 inhabitants), the capital of Ditmarschen ; and Wcsselburen (1,600
inhabitants), in the centre of its most fertile district. Hcndnburg (11,416 inhabit-
ants), the largest place on the Eider, the passage of which it formerly defended,
is now an open town, important on account of its commerce. Tonning (3,130
inhabitants) and Hmum (5,755 inhabitants), the one on the northern, the other
on the southern coast of the peninsula of Eiderstedt, have acquired some impor-
97
354
GEHMANY.
tance since the middle of the century as commercial ports exporting cattle and
other produce to England. The cattle of the polders in the west are for the most
part intended for the slaughter-house, whilst dairy- farming is carried on exten-
sively in the hilly districts adjoining the Baltic. Garding (2,484 inhabitants),
in the centre of Eiderstedt peninsula, was the native town of Mommsen, the
historian.
Kiel (44,090 inhabitants), the capital of Holstein, is a populous industrial city.
Fig. 204. — Flensbubo.
Its environs are charming. In addition to its university, the town has a naval
school, several learned societies, and an observator3\ Its excellent harbour
enables it to carry on a most extensive commerce, which was formerly almost
exclusively in the hands of the inhabitants of OMenburg (2,608 inhabitants), a
decayed town on the peninsula of Wagria. The Bay of Kiel is one of the finest
on the Baltic. It averages 3 miles in width, and penetrates about 9 miles
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIX.
866
inland. Its depth is considerable, amounting even, close to the town, to 30 feet.
Its entrance is exposed to north-easterly winds, but vessels within the bay are
perfect h' sheltered. These advantages, joined to the facilities for defence, very
naturally attracted the attention of the German Admiralty, and Kiel has become
the principal naval station on the Baltic, with docks (at EUerbeck) and arsenal.
Friedrichsort, on a promontory, is the principal work of defence of the place, which
Kg. 205. — Alsen and Sondkkbvro.
Scale 1 : 600,000.
7'[gof Paris
Dtplh li} FatftamM
10 Miles.
is inferior to "Wilhelmshafen, on the North Sea, only in one respect — it is some-
times closed by ice.
Eckernfwde (4,993 inhabitants), to the north-west of Kiel, has an excellent
roadstead, which is exposed, however, to easterly and north-easterly winds. Schles-
tcig (14,546 inhabitants), at the head of the fiord of the Schlei, hus lost nearly the
whole of its maritime trade, owing to the silting up of its harbour. In the Middle
Ages the merchandise brought in ships to Schleswig was thence carried over-
356 . GERMANY.
land to Hollingstedt, on the Treene, and re-embarked. The castle of Gottorp
stands on an island in the centre of Schleswig.
Fknsbitrg (26,47 -i inhabitants), a more important place than Schleswig, stands
at the head of a fiord accessible to large vessels, and is hence a prosperous town.
Sonderburg (5,829 inhabitants), the capital of the island of Alsen, likewise
carries on a considerable commerce. A bridge 820 feet in length connects it
with the mainland. Opposite to it are the famous entrenchments of Diippel
(Dj'bel), so valiantly defended in 1S49 and 1864. Apenrade (Habenraa, 6,142
inhabitants), like nearly all the towns on that coast, is situate on a bay, which
offers, however, but little security to vessels. The fiord of Haderslehen (Haderslev,
8,356 inhabitants), still farther north, is winding, narrow, and of little depth.
Tondern (3,440 inhabitants), the principal North Sea port of Northern Schleswig,
lies on a channel which communicates with the sea only at high water.
CHAPTER XI.
GENERAL STATISTICS.
Population.
HATEVER m'ly be the position held by the Germans amongst
the civilised n.itions of the world, there can be no doubt as to
their strength as determined by numbers. Rus.sia is the only
European at ite which has a larger populition, but its inhabitants
neither live in so compact a body, nor are thej' united by so
strong a national tie as are those of Germany. In 1830 the states now forming
the German Empire had '28,800,000 inhabitants, and they have increased ever
since at the rate of 1,000 daily.* The population is less dense than in England,
Helgium, Italy, and Holland, but more so than in any other country in Europe.
The excess of females is proportionately large, a feature partly due to emigration
and wars.t
The increase of the population results almost exclusively from an excess of
births over deaths.J and it more especially aflFects the large towns. Up to the
middle of the century hardly more than a fourth of the inhabitants lived in towns ;
but the proportion has been rapidly increasing ever since, and in 1875 39 per cent,
of the population resided in towns of over 2,000 inhabitants. The larger the
towns, the more rapid their growth, whilst in many of the rural districts the popu-
lation is actually decreasing. §
Until recently some of the rural districts were threatened with depopulation,
for their inhabitants emigrated in thousands. In the course of sixty years, from
1815 — 76, 4,114,000 Germans emigrated, for the most part to the United States.
• Population of Germany in 1871 (December 1), 41,060,846 ; in 1875, 42,727,360 ; in 1879 (estimated)
44,600,000. According to language there were, in 1876, 39,080,000 Germans (and Jews), 2,978,000 Slavs,
120,000 Lithuanians, 150,000 Danes, and 350,000 French.
t In 1871 (before the war) there were 1,018 females to every 1,000 males ; in 1875, 1,036.
i Marriages (annual average, 1872—761, 398,777 ; births, 1,758,021 ; deaths, 1,229,653 : excess of
births over deaths, 528,468.
{ Between 1871 and 1875 12 towns having over 100,000 inhabitants increased at the rate of 14-83
per cent. ; 8S towns of between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants increased 12-41 per cent. ; 593 towns of
between 5,000 and 20,000 inhabitants increased 10'74 per cent. ; whilst the general increase of population
only amounted to 4-05 per cent.
358
GERMANY.
In the year immediately following the great war of 1870-71, the number of
emigrants rose to 138,243, mostly men in the prime of life. Fortunately for
Germany this exodus has not continued, and in 1877 the number of emigrants was
only 21,964. Even now, however, their number is far larger in Gfermany than
that of immigrants, and foreigners are but rarely met with in some parts of the
empire.*
Agriculture.
The migration of the rural population into the towns has proved injurious to
the progress of agriculture in certain parts of Germany ; still that branch of
Fig. 206. -Density of Pofulation in Geemany.
According to Kettler.
.'>''£. of Paris
;ii"
Inhabitants to a Square MUe
c
national labour annually increases in importance. It no longer occupies the
energies of nine- tenths of the population ; but, thanks to the introduction of
superior methods of cultivation, the land yields richer harvests now than formerly,
notwithstanding the smaller number of labourers employed upon it. Some parts
of the country are tilled with great care, and even sterile tracts have been success-
fully brought under cultivation.
• The population of the German Empire, according to birthplaces (1871) : Germany, 40,831,448 ;
A<i8tria-llungary, "5,792; Switzerland, 24.518; Holland, 22,042; Denmark, 15,103; Sweden and
Norway, 12,345; North America, 10,098; England, 10,106; Belgium, 5,097; Luxemburg, 4,828;
France, 4,671 ; Italy, 4,019.
AGRICULTURE.
869
A considerable portion of the northern plain is naturally unproductive,* and
it required all the persevering energy of the sturdy Prussian peasantry to subdue
this stubborn soil.
About 48-5 per cent, of the total area is arable land, 177 per cent, meadows
and pastures, and 25-5 per cent, forests. The latter constitute a considerable source
of ^ealth, and their preservation is in some measure due to the multiplicity of
small sovereigns who formerly shared the country, every one of whom was bent
upon having his game preserves. The forests are managed with great skill in
Fig. 207. — iNcaEASE op the ITrbaw Population op Gekmant.
According to Ha«6e.
.5'B.of Parta
5-«.of(i
Non-German
Countries.
Decrease. Increase Incre-ise Increase Increase
np to 12'5 p. c. 12'6 to 25 p. c. 2S to 60 p. c. over ao p. c
Germany, and their favourable influence upon climate and drainage is justly
appreciated.
Rye is the principal cereal crop cultivated, and not only the peasants, but also a
considerable proportion of the town population eat rye bread, or bread made of u
mixture of rye and wheat. Pumpernickel, one of the heaviest kinds of bread in
existence, is even esteemed a great delicacy. In former years Germany exported
corn, but it is now no longer able to supply its own wants, and imports not only
rye, but also wheat, barley, and oats, as well as cattle, horses, and other agrieulturul
produce. Only potatoes, sheep, and dairy produce form articles of export, f
• In Prussia 28-67 per cent, of the total area consists of clayey soil ; 32-11 per cent, of loam ; 30'81
per cent, of sand ; 6-36 per cent, of swamps ; 2-0.5 per cent, of water.
t Tlie average annual produce of Germany has been estimated at 11,793,000 quarters of wheat,
e,168,0O0 of spelt, 32,626,000 of rye, 10,4I7,0U0 of barley, 29,920,000 of oats, and 93,.541,000 of potatiRS.
360 GERMANY.
Flax and hemp are grown extensively, more especially in the plains of
Hanover, in Prussia, anrl Posen. Beet-root sugar is largely made in the basins
of the Elbe and Oder, and near the manufacturing districts.* The hops not
only supply numerous breweries, but form an article of export, whilst malt has to
be imported.! The 50,000 tons of tobacco produced in the country are far from
supplying the wants of the smokers, and nearly an equal amount has to be imported
annually. The cultivation of fruit trees and of market gardens is being carried on
with increasing success, especially near the large towns. Germany has about
304,000 acres of vineyards, and the vine grows as far north as Berlin, but the
wine produced outside the valleys of the Rhine, Moselle, Neckar, and Main is of
very inferior quality.
The number of domestic animals is proportionately somewhat l.irger than in
France, and some of the breeds are of superior 'merit.J The horses of Mecklenburg
and Schleswiw-Holstein are justly valued for their muscular strength and motion.
The horse was formerly held sacred in these countries, and barbarians though
they were, the old Saxons were most careful breeders, keeping their brood mares
and stallions in Schirerins, or " sacred enclosures." The largest stud of Germany
is at present at Trakehnen, in East Prussia, close to the Russian frontier. That
province supplies the army with its best cavalry horses. The breeds of Hanover
and Oldenburg are likewise held in high estimation.
The cattle of Germany are less known abroad, although the breeds of the
Bavarian Alps and of the Voigtland are notable for the quantity of milk they
give. The sheep are for the most part merinos, which havfe retained their
characteristics more firmly in Germany than in Spain. The breeding of sheep is,
however, on the deqrease, and German wool has in a large measure been supplanted
by South African and Australian produce. The breeding of pigs is of impor-
tance, especially in "Westphalia, that land of hams.
In former times most of the land of Germany was held by a comparatively
small number of landowners, who were at one and the same time the legislators,
judges, and employers of the country. The peasants have now become the
proprietors of the land they till, and large estates, for the most part heavily
mortgaged, are getting fewer. There are properties now of every size, though
the subdivision of the land has not yet been carried to the same length as in
France. In Prussia smill properties preponderate only in the Rhenish provinces,
and one-half of the soil is still in the hands of proprietors who own at least 185
acres each.ii It has been asserted that in the fertile parts of Germany the land
of small proprietors yields heavier crops than that of large ones, the domains of
• The annual produce of sugar rose from •28,lfi.'i cwts. in 1834 to 6,932,9(10 in 18"6.
+ In 1875 862,400,000 gallons of beer were made, or 19 gallons to the head of the population.
9.5,613,000 gallons of spirit were distilled in the same year, whilst the average produce of wine only
amounts to 8U,000,i 00 gallons.
4. Live stock in 1873 ; — 3,357,200 horses, 3,708 mules and asses, 15,777,000 head of cattle, 25,140,000
sheep, 7,124,000 pigs, •.>,320,000 goats.
^ In Prussia there were in 1809 2,141,486 landed proprietors, of whom 18,289 were in possession of
43 per cent, of the total area, and 1,099,261 owned less than 3 acres each. In Bavaria there are 917,010
landowners.
MINING.
861
the State yielding leust of all. On the Rhine, in Saxony and Wiirtteinberg, where
small properties preponderate, the land is more productive than in Posen, with its
large estates.*
Mining.
Germany ranks next to Englmd as a mining country. The coal mines of
Saarbriicken, the Ruhr, and Upper Silesia are almost inexhaustible — a very
Pig. 208.— AuGgBtiEo.
important fact when we consider that most of the factories use steam as a motive
power, that supplied by running streams being utilised only in the valleys of the
Vosges, the Black Forest, at the foot of the Ore and Giant Mountains, and in
Southern Bavaria, more especially near Atigsburg, that town of fountains.
• Average wgps of agricultural labourers in 1872; — 1«. 6d. in summer, Is. Id in winter, 'the
highest wages ('is. 7d. and 28.) are paid near Bremen, the lowest Hs. 4d. and 7id.) near Oppeln, in
mieaia.
ao2 GERMANY.
The iron works of Germany rank next to those of England and the United
States, and there is hardly a metal or mineral useful to man which is not found in
that country.*
Industry.
Gkrman industry has taken wonderful strides in advance in the course of the
nineteenth century. Its manufactories use up nearly all the coal produced in the
country, and, with the exception of zinc and lead, no metals are exported except in
a manufactured state, large quantities of pig-iron being even imported to supply
its steel works. The iron and steel works of Germany are amongst the most
important in the world, employing 113,000 workmen, and producing annually
between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 tons^af pig-iron (2,124,444 tons in 1878), the total
consumption of pig-iron in the country amounting to between 2,242,000 and
2,556,250 tons annually.
The textile industries are likewise of considerable importance, especially since
the annexation of Alsace, which raised the German spindles from 2,950,000 to
4,650,000, of which 1,386,000 are at work in Saxony. The manufacture of
woollen stuffs, though considerable in Berlin and Silesia, is yet very much inferior
to that of France, whilst the silk industry of Crefeld and Elberfeld, though
respectable, cannot vie with that of Lyons. The linen industry, which employs
305,000 spindles, is, on the other hand, far more extensive. Altogether the textile
fabrics annually produced in Germany are valued at nearly £80,000,000.
The paper-mills produce annually 180,000 tons of paper. Of great importance
are the glass works and potteries, the chemical works, the machine shops, the
manufactories of jewellery, and above all, the breweries and distilleries.f
• Mining produce of
Germany :
—
1873.
1877.
Value.
Tone.
Tons.
1877.
Coal
3'',392,.300
37,576,050
£10,854,400
Lignite .
9,752,900
10,7 -'0,300
1,785,900
Iron ores
4,845,850
3,315,750
988,800
Zinc
444,950
6711,950
650,200
Lead
101,250
163,550
1,220,500
Copper .
292,1 0
343,300
384,650
Salt
602,900
983,850
380,450
Other produ
ts
244, SOO
210,000
481,850
Total
52,676,650
53,884.350
£16,446,750
The other products included ores of manganese, arsenic, cobalt, nickel, zinc, sulphur, &c. In 1878
the produce was 39,429,308 tons of coal, 10,971,117 tons of lignite, whilst the metals produced from the
ores included 2,124,444 tons of pig-iron, 84,372 tons of lead, 94,954 tons of zinc, 9,541 tons of copper,
831 tons of tin, and 1,245 tons of antimony.
t Industrial statistics for 1875 (total number of persons employed) :— Horticulture, 25,442;
fisheries, 19,632; mining, metallurgy, salt works, 433,146; potteries, glass works, quarries, 265,106;
metal-workers, 42ii,304 ; machinery, tools, &c., 308,462 ; chemical works, 52,033 ; candle manufactories,
gas works, &c., 42,330 ; textile industries, 926,579 ; paper and leather, 187,219 ; wood, 462,816: prepara-
tion of food, 692,319 ; dress, 1,052,672 ; building trades, 468,457 ; polygraphie arts, 55,849 ; art industries,
13,174 ; commerce and retail trade, 661,733 ; transportation, 134,172 ; inns and taverns, 234,602. Grand
total, 6,456,644 persons, of whom 1,114,008 were females.
COMMEECB.
868
Commerce.
The inland and foreign trade of Germany is about equal in extent to that of
France, and has recently assumed gigantic propartions* A very considerable
proportion of the imports and exports consists of raw produce, and whilst
Germany supplies England and France to a great extent with food and fuel,
it accepts from these couniries manufactured articles in return, t
Germany has 05,24-5 miles of macadamised roads, and 1,503 miles of canals, the
latter being far from sufficient to meet the requirements of inland traffic, which
is almost exclusively carried on by means of navigable rivers. Of railways there
were open for traffic in 1878 18,922 miles, and nearly 200,000,000 passengers and
125,000,000 tons of merchandise were conveyed over them in that year. About
one-half of them were the property of the various Governments, and throughout the
country they yielded a dividend of over 5 per cent.
The commercial marine, on January 1st, 1878, consisted of 4,H05 sea-going
vessels, of 1,117,935 tons register. Included in this number are 338 steamers, of
183,379 tons and 50,603 horse-power. Liibeck, the ancient capital of the Hanse,
no longer holds its place as the first port of the empire, for Hamburg and
Bremen are now the principal seats of the maritime commerce of the country.
They are in error who speak of Germany as a " poor" country, and it only
needs a glance at the shipping crowding its ports, at the busy life pulsating
through its railway stations, and at the many fine edifices recently built in its large
cities, to convince us of the contrary. Political economists have estimated the annual
national income at £700,000,000, or about £8-1 for each family of five persons. In
prosperous years £40,000,000 are deposited in the savings banks, and the money in
circulation exceeds £100,000,000. The 114 leading banks of the empire have a paid-
up capital of £67,602,278, and a reserve fund of £6,531,659, the notes in circulation
Imports.
Exports.
1872 .
. £173,424,000
£124,681,000
1878
212,866,500
124,449,900
1874
133,663,100
122,801,350
1876 .
128,843,500
127,273,150
1876
145,666,000
127,468,550
The figures given for the exports are evidently incorrect, the custom-hooso not checking the state-
ments made as regards the value of the merchandise.
t Imports and exports of some of the principal articles in 1877 (in cwts.) : —
Imports.
Exports.
Impor's.
Exports.
Wheat .
19.163,793
14,311,457
Cotton, manufactured 46,869
2'j9,315
Eye
23,948,247
3,454,849
Wool .
1,42 ,320
463,840
Barley
10,111,420
3,669,687
„ yam
29(',460
94,050
Oats
7,269,311
2,971,717
„ manufactured
114,522
272,519
Maize
3,627,S10
441,172
Flax
1,394,670
1,018,499
Potatoes .
932,372
6,570,r:81
Linen yam
18b,840
39,620
Horses, No.
44,195
38,982
Linen
69,676
53,390
Oxen and calves. No
156,344
130,729
Hosiery .
1,995
16,695
Cows, No.
117,797
62,443
Pig-iron .
10,534,166
6,880,382
Pigs, No.
1,289,262
232,667
Forged iron .
728,466
1,708,617
Sheep, No.
581,259
1,194,179
Rails
1,620,689
4,51:',600
Cotton, raw
3,262,410
831,740
Coarse hardware
98.5,522
2,368,868
„ yam .
362,630
208,013
Machinery
819,907
820,276
8G4
GEBMANY.
representing a value of £51,108,980 in 1878. In addition to these, there exist
numerous people's banks, savings banks, and co-operative societies,, supported by
artisans, workmen, and small officials.* The aitivity of the Post Office bears
witness 1o the increasing commerce of the country.f But though Germany in
the aggregate is a rich country, its wealth is very unequally distributed, and
thousands of peasants are unable to procure wholesome nourishment in sufficient
Fig. 209. — Eailway Map of Germany.
Scale 1 : 10,000,000.
. lOOMUes.
quantities.^ Of recent years over-speculation has involved thousands in
ruin.§
• In 1876 there existed 4,800 co-operative societies, with 1,400,000 members, and a capital of
£9,000,000. They transacted business to the extent of £132,600,000.
t In 1876 there were 8,692 post-ofiBces, with 71,(i20 officials. 1,33.3,106,91-1 articles were sent by
post, including 59(j,305,214 letters and 404,285,858 newspapers. The telegraphs had a length of .;0,372
miles, and 13,394,070 telegrams were forwarded.
I According to official rctiirns 85 per cent, of the Prussian families subsisted on an annu.il income
of £30 or less. Of 403,456 persons prcceedcd against in 1875 for non-payment of taxes, 161,531 were too
poor to pay. Tlio returns as to income are, however, untrustworthy, as the assessors in hardly a single
instance make true returns. Pelf, assessment, as practised in England, is unknown.
} Capital of 0(il Prussian companies in 1872 ; — Nominal value, £446,000,000; value in 1£75.
£281,000,000 ; loss in three years, £165,0.0,000.
EDUCATION.
866
Education.
It is well known that education is widely diffused in Germany ; still a great
deal remains to be done in that respect, especially in Prussia, where the
elementary schools, since Eichhorn's advent in 1840, have betn surrendered to
clerical influences. During this reign of reaction the Seminaries, in which
teachers are trained, deteriorated likewise, and many of the masters at present
Fig. 210. — LiJBECK.
employed in Prussian schools would fail to procure appointments in other states
of Germany in which education has fured better. Even as respects the mere
knowledge of reading and writing, Wurttemberg, Saxony, and other states of
Central and Southern Germany are ahead of Prussia, but in the intensely Catholic
districts of Upper Bavaria ignorance is still rampant.* At the same time the
• Number of recruits unable to read and write (1876-77) :— Poeen, 12 93 per cent. ; Trussia proper,
8-66 p<^r cent.; Alsace-Lorraine, 3'98 per cent.; Silesia, 2-45 per cent.; Pomerania, 119 per cent.;
Bavaria, (1-93 pf r cent. ; Brandenburg, 0-67 per cent. ; Thuringia, 0-3) i)cr cent. ; Royal Saxony, 0-2fi per
cent. ; Baden, 0-lG ptr cent. ; Hesse, 0-11 per cent. ; Wiirttemberg, 0-03 per cent.
866 GERMANY.
number of teachers la not sufficient in proportion to the children attending school,
and their salaries are altogether inadequate.*
Of intermediate schools there are 1,043, with 177,400 scholars. The 21
universities of the empire have a staff of 1,300 professors and 430 Privat-Docentcn,
and are attended by 20,229 students. In addition to them there exist numerous
technical institutions. The Choral and Gymnastic Societies should likewise be
mentioned as an important element in the education of the people, for they count
their members by thousands. The German book trade produces annually nearly
14,000 new works, and there are published 1,591 periodicals, besides official and
advertising sheets.
If we would know Germany thoroughly we ought to enter into its moral
statistics, but materials are wanting to enable us to do this satisfactorily. Vice is
rampant, no doubt, in the large cities, but if we seek to become acquainted
with the life of the people we must leave the scenes where cupidity and vice
are excited in a thousand ways, and great wealth displays itself in the midst of
the most distressing misery. If we thus study the German we may not be able to
admit that he is in all cases entitled to the praise for straightforwardness, courage,
and honesty so frequently lavished upon him, nor are we able, on the other hand,
to agree with those who assert that he has the mind of an accomplished subject,
whose highest ambition it is to serve his master well.
• There are 109,500 elementary teachers in Germany, or 1 to every 60 school children. The average
salary of teachers in 1874 was £52 10s. in the towns, and £33 in the country. The 60,000 elementary
schools are attended hy 6,160,000 scholars, or by 150 to every 1,000 inhabitants, the proportion being
highest in Wurttemberg, and lowest in Mecklenburg.
CHAPTER XII.
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
Central Authorities.
HE German Empire, constituted by a decree published in January,
1871, at Versailles, forms an " eternal federation for the protection of
the federal territory and the cultivation of the welfare of the
German people." It consists of four kingdoms, six grand duchies,
five duchies, seven principalities, three free cities, and the " Reichs-
land " of Alsace-Lorraine, the supreme authority in military and political affairs
being exercised by the King of Prussia, of the junior branch of the HohenzoUerns,
who bears the title of " German Emperor." More than half the population of
Germany owes him a double allegiance in his capacities of King and Emperor.
The Emperor represents the empire internationally ; he can declare war, if
defensive, and make peace ; he appoints and receives ambassadors, and nominates
the officials of the empire, foremost amongst whom is the Chancellor.
The legislative functions of the empire are exercised by a Bumlesrath and a
Reichstag. The Bunde«rath, or Federal Council, represents the states of the
confederation, by whom its 59 members are appointed, while the 397 members of
the ReuliHtag, or Imperial Parliament, are elected by universal suffrage and ballot.
The Bumlesrath is presided over by the Chancellor of the empire. It deliberates
upon the bills to be submitted to Parliament, and forms seven standing committees
— for war, naval afiairs, customs and taxes, commerce, railroads, postal and
telegraphic affairs, and administration of justice. No changes can be made in the
constitution of the empire if vetoed by 14 members of the Bmidcsmth.
The Reichstag appoints its President and other officers. Its members receive no
salaries. The Emperor has the right to prorogue and dissolve the Reichstag, but
the prorogation must not exceed sixty days ; while in case of dissolution new
elections have to take place within sixty days, and a new session has to open
within ninety. All laws must be voted by an absolute majority of the Bundesrath
and Reichstag, and to take effect they must receive the assent of the Emperor, and
be countersigned, when promulgated, by the Chancellor.
The commercial union of Germany was effected, long before the constitution of
368
GERMANY.
the empire, by the Zullreycin, or Customs League, which inchides the whole of
Germany, with the exception of the free ports of Bremen, Hamburg, and Altona,
together with the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, an old member of the defunct
German Confederation. Since the establi.shment of the empire there has been
brought about a unity of measures and weights, of money, and of judicial pro-
cedure. The imperial revenue is derived from customs and excise duties, stamp
duties, interest upon money invested as a ''Fund for Invalids" and for other
Fig. 211.— The Castle of Hohknzollehx.
objects, the profits on post and telegraphs, and " matricular " contributions from
the states.*
* Total revenue, 1878-9 :— £22,467,562 (customs and excise, £1 ?,516,.342 ; stamps, £3,'?2,65o ; post and
telegraphs, £764,420 ; railways, £.567,800 ; Imiierial Bank, £10(1. .iOO ; income from " Fund for Invalids,"
£l,60'2,6o8; "matricular" contributions, £4,3.77,276). The principal branches of expenditure were— army,
£17,494,811; navy, £2,934,534; pensions to invalids, £1,602,6.58; post and telegraphs, £664,968;
i-ailways, £505,1 17 ; coinage, £1,135,000 : Chancellor's department, £329,330 ; general pensions, £877,660
The debt of the empire amounts to £3,886,566, but the funds invested or kept in the war chest
reach a total of £43,184,607.
Of the war indemnity paid by France (£222,975,000), nearly one-half was divided amongst the
states, £13,000,000 were returned to France for the Alsace-Lorraine railways, £6,34-),()00 were paid in
compensation for damages sustained during the war, £4,350,000 were e-xpended during the occupation of
France, £6,000,f00 were allotted for the construction of fortresses in Alsace-Lorraine, £4,725,000 spent
in military stores and German fortresses, £4,0.50,000 were set aside as a fund for invalids, £,",079,345
expended on rolling stock, £6,000,000 placed in a " war chest," £600,000 were presented to generals, &c.
GOVEENMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. 869
State Governments.
Berlin, the seat of the Imperial Government, is likewise the capital of Prussia,
where the legislature of that kingdom, the Landtag, holds its meetings. The
Herrenhaus, or House of Lords, includes the royal princes; about sixty heads of
princely or other noble houses ; a nimiber of life members, chosen by the King
amongst rich landowners and other notabilities ; eight representative peers of the
eight provinces, elected by the landowners ; representatives of the universities ;
the burgomasters of all towns having over 50,000 inhabitants ; and an unlimited
number of members nominated by the King. The House of Deputies (Abgeord-
netenhaus) consists of 433 members, elected indirectly by aU male taxpayers
over twenty-five years of age, divided into three categories, according to the
amount of taxes they pay. Financial projects and estimates must first be sub-
mitted to the second Chamber, and they can be rejected, but not amended, by the
Upper House.
The Executive Government is carried on by a Ministry, the ten members of
which are appointed by the King.
Bavaria, Saxony, Wiirttemberg, Baden, and Hesse have analogous representative
institutions, with two Chambers, whilst the other smaller monarchical states content
themselves with a single Chamber. In the two Mecklenburgs, however, constitu-
tional " shams " have not yet been introduced, notwithstanding the requirements
in that respect of the Imperial Constitution. Their institutions are still essentially
feudal, serfdom having only been abolished in 1824. The so-called Laiides-
uiiion consists of 705 large landowners (JRiffersc/ia/t) and 47 burgomasters, but
its influence upon the finances of the country is a very small one. The three free
cities have municipal institutions, with a Senate and a House of Burgesses, the
former being the executive, presided over by a burgomaster. As to the Reichsland,
its political institutions are gradually being assimilated to those of the other states
of the empire, the Statthalter, or Governor-General, being appointed by the
Emperor.
It will be seen from this sketch that the number of " legislators " in Germany
is a very large one, for the various representative bodies of the states number no
less than 2,111 members, many of whom, however, have sea^ts in two assemblies.
Local Government.
The political preponderance of Prussia must in the end lead to introduction
into the other states of its system of local government. That kingdom is
divided into 13 provinces, subdivided into 36 governments and 467 districts
(Kreise), amongst the latter being included all towns of 25,000 inhabitants and
upwards.
The towns have a " magistrate," elected by the ratepayers, a burgomaster,
whose election has to be confirmed by the King, presiding over the executive
96
870 GERMANY.
departments. The rural communes have similar representative institutions. The
Amt, or bailiwick, includes usually a small market town with the surrounding *
villages. At its head is placed an Amtmann, chosen by the Kreistag, or District
Diet, amongst the notabilities of the Amt. His powers are very extensive. He is
assisted by a board, upon which the burgomasters of the villages and a number of
representatives have seats.
The Diet of each Kreis is elected, in three groups, by the landowners, the
towns, and the rural communes. The principal executive officer of the Kreis, the
Landrath, is appointed by the King, on the presentation of the Diet. He presides
over the standing committee of the Diet, from which clergymen, teachers, and
judges are excluded ; appoints the district officials ; superintends the public
works ; and attends to sanitary affairs and police.
The Governments, or Regierungiihezirke, form the most important administra-
tive divisions of the State. They are placed under a President and a Board
{Collegium), the members of which are appointed by the King, and which attends
to administrative, financial, and religious affairs.
Each of the provinces has its Ober Priisident and a Provincial Diet, elected by
the people. A board of seven members, of whom five are appointed by the Diet,
assists the Ober Prasident in his executive functions.
It is thus seen that the popular vote plays an important part in the political
institutions of the country, but as all conflicts of authority between the elected of
the people and the officials are decided by judges appointed by the King, and as
resolutions of the Diets remain without effect if in the opinion of the Ober
Prasident, or the Home Secretary, they are contrary to the laws or the interests of
the State, there is but little fear of the power of the latter being impaired. There
is, in fact, no country in the world where the abstraction called " State," and the
army of officials which visibly represents it, are looked up to with such reverence.
The Prussian bureaucracy is, indeed, distinguished for its esprit de corps and
high sense of duty. Its members attain their positions only after a series of
examinations ; but once they have scaled the official ladder they are secure,
and only after a court of justice has condemned them can they be dismissed
from their posts. Their authority is large, and they are taught to make use
of it on their own initiative, without much troubling their superiors. They are
methodical in their work, and carefully husband the public moneys intrusted to
them. Most of the inferior posts are held by old non-commissioned officers.
The number of Government functionaries of every description, including
sanitary inspectors, professors, and teachers, the men employed in Government
mines and forests, and on the railways, is exceedingly large, and the tendency
is to increase them. The project recently ventilated, of transferring all the
railways to the State, if carried out, would vastly add to their number, and propor-
tionately increase the patronage of the State, too great already.
QOVEENMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
371
Eemgion and Education.
In 1830 the Lutherans and Calvinists of Prussia were amalgamated, and now
form the " Evangelical Church," presided over by the King himself. The Church
is controlled by " Consistories " appointed by Government, the Superintendent
General of each province exercising the functions of a bishop. The Roman
Catholics, who were petted formerly, have recently resisted the development of the
State, and it was deemed advisable, in 1873, to enact penal laws against their recal-
citrant bishops and priests. This Kulturkampf has not yet terminated. Both
Fig. 212. — Pbotbbtants and Catholics in Okrhant.
According to R. Andrfe.
-"°r
m
t^rMmioMU (si/toop c) CathiiJie* (uti-lou pc.) Prot*-* ^<-'<tllt^Mm<ler So pc. ) I'oantrUa onttiiJeOintuiny
"Evangelicals" and "Catholics" are in the receipt of subsidies from the public
treasury. All other religions are tolerated throughout Germany. As to the sect
of the " Old Catholics," it is political rather than religious, and none of the other
sects hold a position of influence through numbers.*
Keligioug professions in (Jcrmany : —
imr.
Per cent.
1871.
Per cent
Protestants
24,921,000
6214
25,581,676
62-:(0
Boman Catholics
14,564,000
36-31
14,807,698
36-21
Other Christian sects
96,000
0-24
82,156
0-20
Jews
612,300
1-25
612,158
1-25
Others, or no religion
—
—
17,156
004
In 1876 there were in Germany 172 monasteries (2,143 monks) and 814 convents (8,119 nuns).
The number of Old Catholics in 1877 was 63,000.
372 GEEMANY.
Courts of Justice.
Formerly every state of Germany — nay, in many parts, every province — had
its own code of law. To a large extent this is still true, although a new Penal
Code and a Commercial Code have acquired force throughout the empire, and the
Courts of Justice have been reorganized on a common basis. The judicial organ-
ization of Germany is determined by a law promulgated on the 27th of January,
1877. This law suppresses all manorial courts, limits the jurisdiction of ecclesias-
tical courts to questions of religion, and provides for the independence of the judges.
For civil cases there are Amtsgerichte (of one judge), Landgerichte (with a bench
of three judges, or of one judge and two merchants), Oberlandesgerichte (with five
judges), and a Reicfmjericid, or Supreme Court of Justice at Leipzig. Offences
and misdemeanours are adjudged by the Amtrichfer, assisted by two Schoffen
elected by the people; more serious offences by the Criminal Chamber of the
Landgerichte (with a bench of five judges), or crimes by the same courts, with the
co-operation of a jury; whilst all cases of high treason are reserved for the
Supreme Court. Appeals may, as a rule, be brought before one of the superior
courts. The judges, with the exception of those of the Supreme Court, are
appointed by the State Governments.
Army and Navy.
" War," said Mirabeau, " is the national industry of Prussia." This was true
in the century of Frederick IL, and in a certain measure it is so still. Military
service is compulsory throughout Germany — princes, priests, and candidates of
theology being exempted, though actually all men under 5 feet 2 inches, as well
as a large number of others not required for filling up the ranks, are annually
" put back " into the reserve. On an average only one- third of the available
number of recruits is embodied. The term of service is three years with the
colours, four years in the reserve, and five years in the Landirehi: The Land-
sturm includes all men capable of bearing arms, and not belonging to the regular
army, up to the age of forty-two.
Young men of education may enter the army as " volunteers " on the com-
pletion of their seventeenth year, provided they find their own uniform and rations.
Many of these volunteers attend the university lectures during their term of
service. Those amongst them who are able to pass an examination on their
di.*harge are appointed "oiBcers of reserve." Professional officers, whether
educated in one of the schools of cadets or elsewhere, only receive commissions if
unanimously declared worthy by their future comrades. There are special schools
for officers of artillery and engineers, as well as a War Academy for the training
of staff officers.
The Guard is recruited throughout the empire, but every other unit of the army
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
873
has its defined recruiting district, within which the material for its equipment is
kept, and near which it is usually stationed.*
The fortresses of Germany are not very numerous, and several amongst them
have lately been disrated, but they occupy carefully chosen positions, and are
constructed in the most effective manner. Their total number is 38. t-
The German navy is sufficiently powerful, not only for the defence of the coast,
but also to encounter the naval armaments of all but the largest states. It
includes 20 ironclads (7 frigates, 5 corvettes, 2 floating batteries, and 5 gunboats),
with 152 guns, a ship of the line (23 guns), 19 screw corvettes (259 guns),
4 dispatch boats, 2 imperial yachts, 16 gunboats, 3 torpedo boats, 2 steam
transports, and 4 sailing vessels. The largest amongst these vessels is the
Konig Wilhelm (9,425 tons, 8,000 horse-power, 26 12-ton guns), but the most
formidable are the Kaiser and the DeiUschland, twin ships, each covered with 10-inch
armour, and armed with 1 18- ton and 8 22-ton guns. The principal naval arsenals
are at Kiel, on the Baltic, and at Wilhelmshafen, on the North Sea.
Finances.
The military powentof Germany need not dread being paralyzed through
financial embarrassments, for though the states of Germany have incurred debts to
the amount of millions, they possess in their Government railways, mines, and
domains an amount of productive property more than sufficient to pay off all
their liabilities Taxation cannot be said to be heavy, but there are nevertheless
several of the states whose financial resources are far from elastic, and amongst
these more especially is Bavaria, which conforms with the least grace to the
• The German army i« divided into 18 army corps, usually composed of 8 regiments of infantry,
1 battalion of rifles, 5 regiments of cavalry, 2 regiments of artillery (96 guns), 1 battalion of pioneers,
and the requisite army train.
On a peace footing the army numbers 17,184 officers, 401,659 men, 3,70.5 surgeons and paymasters,
and i9,89't public horses. On a war footing its strength and organization are as follows : —
Field Fom.
Staff ....
Infantry, 469 battalions
Cavalry, 372 squadions
Artillery. 1,80" guns .
Pioneers, .54 companies
Train, 29.5 columns .
Administration, 666 columns
Total
Beaerre (83 companies, 148
battalions, 93 squadrons,
426 guns)
Garrison troops (26companies,
2!t'j b.ittalionB, 144 squad-
rons, 324 guns)
Grand total .
Surgeons and
OfBoera.
Men.
Officials.
Hones.
8(<3
5,170
•5,u70
10,762
481,720
1,876
18,954
2,144
69,814
1,129
66,' 08
2,286
78,120
1.463
77,432
665
20,917
86
9,647
78.5
38,451
838
46,017
216
2,826
687,018
l€,l«4
10,864
17,621
21,668
233,692
4,051
241,259
1,398
30,208
9,267
30,929
343,102
2,011
I,i7i,:i79
24,963
35,564
299,.164
t 1st rate: — Strassburg, Metz, Bastatt, Maycnce, Gerraersheim, Coblenz, Cologne, Wesel, Ulm,
Ingolstadt, Magdeburg, Glogau, Neisse, Kiistrin, Spandau, Thorn, Posen, Danzig, Kiinigaberg.
2nd rate:— Neu Brcisach, Bitsch, Diedenhofen (Thionville), Saarlouis, Torgau, Kiinigstein, Olatz,
Maricnburg, and Boyen.
Coast defences :— Wilhelmshafen, Mouths of the Weser and Elbe, Sonderburg, Friedrichsort (Kiel),
Fillau, Memel, Kolberg, Swinemtinde, Stralsund.
874
GERMANY.
Fig. 213. — WiLHKlMSHAFEN.
Scale 1 : 730,000.
new order of things.* From the figures detailed below we learn that every
German annually pays nearly 15s.
in direct and indirect taxes, exclu-
sively of shipping dues, tolls, and
similar imposts. This, however,
is not the whole of the sum exacted
from him, for irrespectively of the
military service he is called upon
to render, he has to pay an
amount in local taxes which in
very many cases far exceeds the
sums demanded from him for the
general government of the coun-
try. In Berlin the local taxes
amount to 24s. a head, and in other
towns they are sometimes even
hisher.
The national resources of the
great empire of Central Europe
are, indeed, most formidable. But
great political bodies have their
growth and decay like individuals.
Germany is now in its period of
growth, and everything tends to
show that the forces which impel
it onward will continue to operate
for many years. Within its fron-
tiers there are no formidable ene-
mies to threaten its existence, and
if it has no sincere friends beyond,
it counts amongst its allies all
those who worship success, or whom
the dread of the future compels to
Direct !ind In-
direct Taxes
Civil per Head,
List. Shillings.
— 5o
r~l Drit* at htw ^^'ttler
I I Lti* than n FatltoiM
I I £ to It falhuma
^^ Overif Falfiotiis
^^.^^— ^^^-^— 6 Miles.
Empire
Prussia
Bavaria
Saxony
Wiirttemberg
Baden .
Hesso .
Mecklenburg
Brunsttnck
Oldenburg
Alsace-Lorraine
Three Free Towns
All .others
Schwerin
Total
Eovenue.
£22,467,")02
3.5,69'2,882
10,7S>5,230
2,692,849
2,383,470
4,777,000
872,376
702,460
557,995
33.',2o0
2,070,673
2,49.5,740
1,743,213
Baised by
Direct
Taxes.
7,653,150
1,014,822
6.58,185
610,.536
505,749
367,937
611,000
77,650
102,366
624,677
466,000
26.S.000
Eaieed hy
Indreet
Taxes
£12,84H,997
l,523,-.'60
1,9)3,110
195,389
519,978
318,684
127,820
100,000
22.325
20,000
731,648
689,000
288,000
Debt
£3,886,566
54,300,000
55,447,740
32,150,001)
16,660,700
16,343,500
2,9114,550
1,034,000
4,099,572
1,860,480
10,469,200
2,676,900
610,964
267,344
172,670
109,1.55
89.418
65,743
60,000
41,266
12,760
268,000
71
11-8
6-2
120
109
11 2
5-8
ex
7-6
16-4
393
6-9
Total .£87,583,700 £12,309,072 £19,338,211 £211,923,21)8 £1,697,320 MS
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
876
be circumspect. The era of annexations does not appear to have passed away, and
millions towards the Danube and the Adriatic ask themselves whether the time is
not approaching when they too will be counted amongst the subjects of the new
empire. Thus Germany will grow and prosper until the sceptre passes into
some other hand, perhaps into those of " Holy Russia," the great Empire of the
Slavs.
"Whilst the German State pursues its destinies, what will be those of the
Germans themselves? Will they enjoy greater liberty? Will the power they
wield add to their happiness or moral worth ? Their aspirations have been
fulfilled. The " Holy Roman Empire " exists once more, more powerful, though
less vast, than in the past. Will this realisation of their ideal content them ? and
will they be able to learn that true glory does not consist in being the subjects of
a powerful sovereign, but in living in the enjoyment of freedom amongst fellow-men
equally free ?
The following table gives the area and population of the states composing the
German Empire : —
InhnWtantd
Area.
Population.
to a Sq. Mile
Kingdoma : —
Sq. MUe.
1867.
1875.
(1875).
Fbubsia (Pruussen) :-
F-art Prussia
14,277
1,808,118
1,856,421
130
West Prussia
9,846
1,282,842
1,343,098
136
Po«?n
11,180
1,537,338
1,606,084
144
Brandenburg
15,405
2,716,022
3,126,411
203
Silesia
15,554
3,68i,7o2
3,843,699
248
Pomerania .
11,624
1,445,635
1,461,942
126
Saxony
9,746
2,167,046
2,16S,988
222
Sehleswig-Holstein
7,061
1,031,696
1,073,926
152
HanoTcr
14,782
1,939,385
2,017,393
136
Hesse-Xassau
6,048
1,370,745
1,467,898
243
Westphalia
7,799
1,707,726
1,905,697
24 (
Bbineland .
10,413
3,445,483
3,804,381
366
liohenzoUcm
441
64,632
66,466
151
Prussian troops abroa
i . —
d . 134,180
18,228
24,039,648
t-
—
Toll
25,742,404
192
Bavaria (Baycm) :—
TJpper Bavaria .
6,582
827,669
894,160
136
Lower Bavaria .
4,157
694,611
62..',357
149
Ehenish Palatinate (I
fak). 2,292
626,066
641,254
280
Upper Palatinate
3,732
491,295
603,761
135
tipper Franconia
2,702
635,060
664,936
206
Middle
2,919
679,688
607,084
208
Lower „
3,243
684,972
696,929
184
Swabia
3,664
686,160
601,910
164
Tot(
il . 29,29f
4,824,421
6,022,390
172
Saxony ("^achsen)
6,777
2,423,748
2,760,586
407
WCkttembeuo .
7,531
1,778,396
1,881,505
249
Grand Duehiet : —
Baden
6,824
1,434,370
1,607,179
269
Hesse-Darmstadt
2,695
823,138
884,218
298
Mecklenburg-Sch weri
n . 6,136
660,618
553,785
108
„ Strelitz
1,131
98,770
95,673
85
Saxc-Wcimar
1,387
282,928
292,933
211
Oldenburg .
2,471
316,622
319,314
126
876
GERMANY.
Lttchiet : —
Area.
Sq. Mile.
Population.
1867. 1875.
Inhabitant*
to a Sq. Mile
(lb75).
Brunswick
1,425
302,792
327,493
229
Saxe-Meiiiingen
952
180,335
194,494
204
Saxe-Altenburg
510
141,446
145,844
286
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha .
760
168,851
182,599
240
Anhalt ....
907
197,041
213,565
237
Principalities : —
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt .
365
75,1 H
76,676
210
„ Sondershausen
333
67,533
67,480
203
, Waldeck ....
433
56,81)7
64,743
126
Eeuss, older line
122
43,889
46,985
385
Reuss, younger .
320
88,097
92,375
288
Schaumburg-Lippe .
171
31,186
23,133
194
Lippe-Detmold .
459
111,3.52
112,452
243
Free Towns : —
LUbeck ....
109
48,538
56,912
522
Bremen ....
98
109,572
142,200
1,451
Hamburg ....
158
305,196
388,618
2,460
AtcH'flotU/tU . ^^
Alsace-Lorraine
5,603
1,597,228
40,107,229
1,531,804
42,727,360
274
Total .
209,148
204
The following are some of the more important authorities on Germany : —
Waitz, "Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte," 7 volumes (1875); " Statistik des Deutschen Reiches"
(published by the Imperial Statistical OfiBce) ; G. Neumann, " Das Deutsche Reich in Geographischer,
Statistischer u. Topographischer Beziehung " (1872 — 74); Cotta, " Deutschlands Boden " (1860); Daniel,
" Deutschland " (1874) ; Bockh, " Der Deutschen Volkszahl und Sprachgebiet " (1870).
MU- BELGIUM
and the
NETHEKLANDS
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NEW -YORK.D. APPJ.ETON &C9
BELGIUM.
CHAPTER I.
GENEHAL FEATURES— HILLS, PLAINS, AXD RIVERS.— CLIMATE.
^^ ELGITJM extends for 42 miles along the coast of the German Ocean,
M^^^^l immediately to the north of the strait which joins it to the
English Channel. It is one of the smallest states of Europe, being
confined to the basins of the rivers Schelde, Meuse, and Rhine,
and one of the youngest. Its small territorial extent justifies its
claiming the benefits of neutrality, which were granted in the interest of European
peace. But though small of extent, Belgium occupies a distinguished place
amongst the countries of Europe. Coveted by its neighbours, and actually
subjected in turn to Spaniards, Austrians, French, and Dutchmen, it nevertheless,
and in spite of every political change, led a life of its own. The natural resources
of the country are great, and its favourable geographical position has converted it
into a great highway of nations. Its population is denser than in any other part
of Europe of similar extent, and whether we look to its commerce, to its industry,
or to its agriculture, it occupies one of the most forward places. Nor can we deny a
prominent position to a country able to boast of towns like Liege, Courtrai, Ghent,
Bruges, and Antwerp.*
The Ardennes.
From the littoral plains, partly lying beneath the level of the sea, Belgium
rises gradually as far as the plateau of the Ardennes, in the east and south-east.
This plateau, attaining a height of 2,300 feet, is composed of metamorphic
slates and quartz rock, around which rocks of more recent origin have been
deposited. Though much reduced in height through geological agencies operative
for ages, this pLiteau, with its bare rocks, contrasts most strikingly with the rest
of Belgium. Its south-eastern corner, extending from the clifl"8 of the Meuse to
• Axea of Belgium, 11,373 »quare nulcs ; population (1840) 4,073,160, (1876) 6,336,200 souls.
878 BELGIUM. •
the banks of the Vesdre, is known as Eautes Fagnes. It forms a world of its own,
very different in. its features from the remainder of Belgium, with its well-culti-
vated fields, numerous towns, and dense population. The hills between the
Moselle and Meuse are, as a rule, of melancholy aspect. Only copses of beech,
oak, and birch, forests of pines, heaths pierced now and then by the rocks, and
poor pasture-lands, where ferns and clumps of juniper alternate with grassy slopes
and boggy bottom-lands, meet the eye, except when we come now and then upon
some verdant valley artificially irrigated, or upon a mountain stream setting in
motion the wheels of mills. Within the last few years the physiognomy of the
country has been changed to some extent, for large tracts have been planted with
trees, and the Ardennes once more assume the aspect which they wore fifteen cen-
turies ago, when vast forests stretched uninterruptedly from the Oise to the Rhine.
The vegetable soil which covers the hills in the more savage region of the
Ardennes is hardly an inch in depth, and resting upon solid rock, it is capable of
nourishing only stunted trees and shrubs. Elsewhere an impermeable crust of dis-
integrated clay slate covers the rocks, and gives rise to marshes. Human habita-
tions are rare in these regions, and those which we occasionally meet with in the
midst of the heath or forest are most unpretending structures of brick or stone,
covered with slate or straw. The epithet of " Paris in Ardenne," ironically
bestowed upon Bastogne, is expressive of the general poverty of the towns of the
country. In their isolation, with nothing to excite the cupidity of invaders,
the inhabitants of the Ardennes adhered longer to their ancient customs than the
dwellers in the plains around, and still carried on the worship of their deity
Arduinna long after it had been given up by the latter. The last altirs of this
deity were overthrown in the seventh century ; that is, about the time when
St. Hubert encountered the wonderful stag which carried a golden cross between
his antlers. The men of the plain, who formerly persuaded or compelled the
" Ardennais " to change their religion and customs, are now gradually transform-
ing the face of the country. Tracts of land, which would remain uncultivated in
nearly every other country, are covered by them with lime, and thus vivified ;
quarrying is extensively carried on ; and every rivulet is penned up, to be utilised
for setting in motion the machinery of numerous factories.
A portion of the basins of -the Semoy and Chiers, on the southern slope of the
Ardennes, though geologically a portion of Lorraine, has been assigned to Belgium.
This " Little Provence " is sheltered in the north by the range of the Fagnes, but
is of small extent. The northern slope of the Ardennes, on the other hand,
stretches from the frontiers of France to those of Germany. It is an uneven
plateau, intersected by deep valleys, with forests growing upon its slate rocks, fields
covering the limestone slopes, and meadows in the humid bottom-lands. This
region is known under different appellations. The Fagnes extend from the Sambre
to the Meuse; Condroz, named after the Gallic tribe of the Condrusi, reaches
from the Meuse to the Ourthe ; the country around Marche is called Famenne,
perhaps after the tribe of the Pocmani, or Phemanni ; whilst the fine pasture-lands
between the Meuse and the Vesdre are known as Herve.
GENEEAL FEATURES, ETC.
«79
The Loam Lands of Central Belgium.
The valleys of the Sambre and Meuse separate this upland region of Belgium
from an intermediate undulating zone which slopes down gradually towards the
ocean, and is irrigated by numerous rivers flowing through wide and shallow
valleys. Woods, rivulets, low hills, windmills, and castellated mansions impart
an aspect of gentle beauty to some portions of this zone. The environs of Toumay
more especially are noted on account of their picturesqueness. Vast meadows
surround the town, rivers and canals are bordered with rows of elms and other
trees, and some of the detached hills are quite imposing in their appearance. The
whole of Central Belgium, including Hesbaye in the east, Brabant in the centre.
Fig. 214. — Mont St. Aubert (480 feet), neak Toitenay.
Scale 1 : 60,000.
. IMile.
Hainaut and the country around Tournay in the south and south-west, is covered
with a layer of loam similar to the loess of the Rhine, and designated by Belgian
geologists as "loam of Hesbaye." Interstratified with it are rolled flints and
pebbles, or pierres de Fagnes, which decrease in size as we travel away from
the uplands of the Ardennes. This loam completely conceals the more ancient
rocks, including the carboniferous strata which fill a huge depression extending
from Li^ge to Mens and French Flanders.
At Namur the lowest seams of coal, tho.se which yield " close-burning coal," crop
out on the surface, the superincumbent rocks having been removed by erosion ; but
from that place the strata dip down, on the one hand, in the direction of Liege, on
the other in that of Mens. At Boussu, to the west of Mons, the lowest coal ia
supposed to extend to a depth of 7,780 feet. In the basin of Hainaufcaking
coal " is procurable only in the neighbourhood of Charloroi, whilst " open-
burning coal," such as is generally used in the manufacture of gas, is only found
880 BELGroM.
in the environs of Mens. The coal seams average in thickness from 18 to
40 inches, and are very numerous. In the Borinage, to the south of Mens,
between 130 and IGO have been discovered, two- thirds of them being workable,
■whilst in the province of Liege there are about 50 profitable seams. The labour of
the miners, in their efforts to " win " the coal, has been immense. To the west
of Mons it was necessary to sink a pit 980 feet in depth before the coal was
reached, the engineers, in the progress of their work, having to struggle against
underground collections of water and beds of shifting sand. These pits, says
M. Cornet, are the grandest works ever achieved by the mining engineer. The
fossil fauna of the Belgian carboniferous system is poor, but the vestiges of vegeta-
tion are numerous — ferns, calamites, lepidodendrons, and sigillarias especially
abounding.
In the basin of Charleroi the upper strata have been much curved by lateral
pressure. Above that town no less than twenty-two bendings have been discovered
in a distamce of 7,200 yards, whilst, if these strata were to be unfolded and
stretched out horizontally, they would cover nearly 7 miles. The lowland now
traversed by the Sambre and the Haine was formerly one of the most mountainous
regions of Europe. The range of mountains which extended from the English
Channel across Belgium to the river Roer was not inferior in elevation to the
Alps. The faults discovered in the carboniferous strata sufficiently attest the
prodigious geological changes which have taken place in that part of Europe. A
fault near Boussu indicates a displacement of the strata to the extent of 7,200 feet,
while farther south there has taken place a subsidence of 16,000 feet at least.
History records the strategical importance of these plains of Central Belgium,
which conceal beneath them such distorted strata, and have become so wealthy
through their agriculture and industry. They were destined by nature to become
a great highway of nations. Migratory tribes, ascending the valleys of the Oise
or Schelde, were attracted to this fertile region, bounded on the one side by the
forbidding rocks of the Ardennes, and on the other by the swampy tracts extending
along the coast. The only natural obstacles which had to be overcome in their
progress through this region were small rivers, and provisions were readily pro-
cured in so productive a country. These advantages were of greater weight
formerly than they are now, and numerous have been the battles fought on
this ground since Julius Caesar's extermination of the valiant Nervii. Many
are the fortresses which have been constructed to replace the non-existent
natural frontiers. Even the farmhouses in the vast plains which extend to the
south and east of Brussels show by their construction that the country has often
been subjected to warlike incursions. Low and of massive structure, their
windows open upon an interior court, whilst their gateways are generally defended
by a square tower.
The Campine.
Leaving behind us the loams of Hesbaye, we enter upon the sandy tract of the
Campine, which occupies the greater portion of North-eastern Belgium. Extensive
GENERAL FEATURES, ETC.
881
districts on the outskirts of this heath have been transformed into productive
land. One of these is the Hageland, or " Land of Hedges," in north-western
Brabant, where sterile sands and thickets have been replaced by fertile fields. In
the Campine itself, the average elevation of which is 250 feet, fertile oases are
growing more numerous from year to year. Clay is frequently found there at a
depth of less than a yard, and the cultivators, by mixing it with the sand, obtain
a soil which repays their labour. The tracts more deeply covered with sand,
Fig. 215. — Htpsographical Map of Belgium.
According to Jenkins. Scale 1 : 2,600,000.
OeofA /A f«*r
iaw 8»lftM AltMTlnm. tkaC*M0U» OUt^ 1§*tt9t» tSttaSit 6S«t<9r'f B84tH»f2 1»iata1S401940tt1BrO OitPlBrO
UftiVlfl
. 2SUile«.
however, will retain their aspect for a long time to come. Dunes, similar in all
respects to those skirting the shores of the North Sea, rise upon them. They
are covered with the same species of plants, and, like them, are at the mercy
of the wind, except when consolidated by trees. The soil between these ridges
of blown sand is covered with heather, thyme, and aromatic herbs. The rain
which percolates through it is charged with tannic acid derived from the
heather, and compacts the grains of sand into a reddish tufa, similar in all
respects to the alion of the Landes or of Jutland. This alios sometimes contains
882 BELGIUM.
iron. There is reason to believe that certain parts of the Campine were formerly
more extensively cultivated. The trunks of large trees, weapons, and remains of
buildino-s have been discovered beneath the sand, and it is well known that in
the Middle Ages there existed abbeys surrounded by extensive fields. The wars
of the sixteenth century, however, drove away the inhabitants, and nature resumed
possession of the deserted fields.
Flanders.
Geologically Flanders forms a continuation of the Campine. It too is
covered with marine sand, overlying a great thickness of rocks of recent forma-
tion. The boring of an artesian well at Ostend has led to the discovery of what
are believed to be Silurian rocks at a depth of 980 feet, and beneath a bed of
chalk. Excavations made at Antwerp have brought to light fossil whales and
seals, reptiles, fish, and birds of extinct species. The sterile sand of Flanders
would never have yielded remunerative harvests if the cultivators had not raised
the clay which underlies it to the surface. By doing so they have converted a
naturally barren soil into one of great fecundity. Flanders is now what the
Campine may become if the same amount of labour is bestowed upon it. A con-
siderable portion of Flanders formerly consisted of peat bogs, but these, too, have
been transformed into fertile land. The whole of Waes was at one time a bog, but
its fields now vie in fertility with those of any other part of Flanders. The fields,
enclosed with hedges and shaded by large trees, are for the most part of regular
shape. A small but comfortable house rises in the centre of each farm, orna-
mented with flowers, and surrounded by stables and barns. There are few villages,
and from a distance the country almost looks like a forest, each house being
concealed behind a screen of verdure.
Polders and Dunes.
The moeres, or lakes, which formerly extended at the back of the dunes have
been drained in the same manner as the bogs of Waes, and converted into polders.
As in Holland, these polders lie beneath the mean level of the sea, are defended
by dykes, and intersected by navigable canals. Formerly this region was very
insalubrious, and even now the mortality in the towns of Western Flanders is
greatly increased by paludal miasmata rising from the bottom-lands. Yet
close to these old marshes, and only separated from them by the dunes, rise
the favourite health resorts of Belgium, crowded in summer for the sake of their
sea baths.
The maritime dunes, which form the outer rnmpart of the country, are of
such small extent, and in many parts so narrow, that they appear almost insigni-
ficant if compared with the inland dunes of the Campine. A careful examina-
tion of ancient maps bears out the tradition of their having formerly been very
much more formidable. There can be no doubt that this natural defensive
GENERAL FEATUEES, ETC.
883
barrier has been much weakened in the course of the last thousand years. In
many places it has' been broken through by the sea, and the floods compelled
the Flemings on the sea-coast to abandon their homes, and to seek an asylum in
neighbouring countries, where they founded numerous colonies. Searphout was
one of the towns destroyed by the great flood of 1334 ; but Blankenberghe,
which has been built upon its site, has no dunes near it now, though it is to them
it owes its name. Quite recently, in 1877, a considerable portion of the sand-
hills between Ostend and Mariakerke was washed away during a storm. Formerly
the dunes, when assaulted by the sea, were able to invade the swamps at their
back ; but for hundreds of years they have been prevented from doing so, and
man has vigorously defended his hard-won fields. Thus taken simultaneously
in front and rear as it were, the dunes have grown more slender with every
Fig. 218. — Pbofilk op Belcivm from the Nohth-wert to the South-east.
Borizootol Scale 1 : 2,300,000. Vertical Scale 1 : 23,000.
. 25 Mile&
The continnous line begins at Ostend, crosses the Sambre between Cbarlerol and Namar, the Meuse to the
nartli of liinant, und terminates at St. Hubert.
The dotted line br^gins at Ostend, passes through Ghent, crosses the Senne to the north of Brussels, the Meuse at
Utge (200 feet), and terminates at the Baraque- Michel in the Ardennes (2,260 feet).
generation, and to protect the fields which they formerly defended, costly dykes
had to be constructed. Would it not be wiser to preserve the dunes, and to
consolidate them by planting them with reeds and aspen-trees ?
El VERS.
BiXGitM cannot claim a single river from its source to its mouth into the
sea, and two rivers rising within its frontiers take their course into foreign lands.
One of these is the Oise, which rises near Chimay, and flows to the French
Seine ; the other is the Sure, or Sauer, which is born in the gorges of the
Ardennes, winds through the Grand Duchy of Inixemburg, and is finally swal-
lowed up by the German Moselle. The Meuse, Maes, or Maas, and the Schelde,
884 BELGIUM.
or Escaut, which between them drain nearly the whole of Belgium, bear some
resemblance to each other as regards general direction and sinuosity of course.
On leaving the soil of France both flow to the northward, but having been joined
by their principal western affluent, they both abruptly bend round to the north-
east, thus flowing in the same direction as their tributary. The Mouse thus
appears to form a continuation of the Sambre, and the Schelde to become the
Lower Lys. Before quitting Belgium both rivers resume their original direction,
and finally trend round to the west in their course to the ocean. The two rivers
likewise resemble each other, inasmuch as the principal tributaries of both join
them on the right bank, a feature easily accounted for by the general slope of the
country.
The very resemblances, however, render the contrasts between the two rivers
all the more striking. The Mouse, by far the more voluminous of the two, is
almost a river of the mountains as compared with the gentle Schelde. Between
Mezieres and Namur it pierces the Ardennes, instead of avoiding this obstacle by
flowing to the west. Cliffs of slate and quartz rock rise above it to a height of
150 and 300 feet, and occasionally we obtain glimpses of the edge of the plateau,
nearly 1,000 feet higher. Towns and villages climb up the slopes bounding
the narrow valley, and old castles, for the most part in ruins or converted into
modern citadels, crown the most commanding promontories. M. A. Dumont and
other geologists have ascertained that for a considerable portion of its course
through the Ardennes the Mouse follows a fault, for the cliffs on both banks do
not correspond, and are occasionally even formed of rocks belonging to the
different ages. Thus, near the ruins of Poilvache, coal measures may be seen
face to face with cliflPs of mountain limestone. But although a fissure in the
plateau may originally have facilitated the passage of the river, the actual valley,
such as we see it now, has been hollowed out in the course of a secular upheaval
of the whole region. In proportion as the land rose, so did the river deepen its
channel, and the cliffs bounding its valley increase in height.
The calcareous districts of the Ardennes and Condroz, traversed by the Meuse
and its affluents, abound in caverns, which sometimes swallow up rivers and
rivulets. Fissures of this kind are locally known as aiguigeois, or chantoirs.
The most famous amongst them is the grotto of Han, which swallows up the
Lesse, one of the eastern tributaries of the Meuse. Formerly that river flowed
around the rock in an open channel, of which it even now occasionally avails itself
when in flood ; but the main body of its water now passes at all times through an
underground channel. The river Lhomme at Eochefort has excavated itself a
similar channel through the rocks, but the inhabitants of the town have turned it
back into its ancient bed. The caverns of Han and Eochefort, like most others of
the same kind, branch out in every direction, and abound in stalactites, which
fancy converts into fairy veils, statues, or even temples. These caverns, together
with bold cliff's, woods, and pastures, have made the reputation of the deep valleys
of the basin of the Meuse. The winding Semoy, bounded on the north by gentle
slopes of triassic age, on the south by scarped cliff's of Jura limestone ; the Lesse,
GENERAL FEATURES, ETC. , 885
hemmed In by cavernous cliffs ; the Ourthe, which attracts numerous visitors from
Liege in summer, and its tributary the Ambleve, abounding in cascades, rocks,
and ancient castles; and the Vesdre, of which the travellers by railway obtain
occasional glimpses — all these rivers, no less than the Meuse itself, abound in
picturesque scenerj'. The Vesdre disappears twice in subterranean channels, first
between Limburg and Yerviers, and subsequenth' near Pepinster.
The Mouse was a formidable river formerly, hardly inferior in volume to the
Mississippi. In the quaternarj' period its level was '200 feet higher than it is
now, and above the gorge of Diuant it was 5 miles wide, instead of 200 feet.
That such was the case is proved by lateral terraces, the accumulations of gravel
and silt which cover the old banks of the river, and the fluviatile deposits dis-
covered in the caverns high up the cliffs. Documents prove that even four or five
hundred years ago the river was far more considerable, and yet our modern
engineers only succeeded with difficulty in giving the Meuse an average depth of
6 feet 10 inches, which renders its navigation with small steamers possible. The
Meuse can now be navigated between Sedan and Liege throughout the year, and a
canal, excavated alongside it, continues this water highway as far as Maastricht.
Where the Meuse leaves Belgium its volume is hardly one-twentieth of that of the
Rhine, which it joins lower down.*
The basin of the Schelde (Scheldt), or Escaut, embraces the greater portion of
Belgium. On first leaving France that river flows through a plain as far as
Toumay, where it washes the foot of a few hills. At that town its bed only lies
52 feet above the sea, and it was easy, consequently, to convert the whole of its
lower course into a navigation canal, more especially as the tide ascends as far
as Ghent, where it is joined by the Lys. The tide at Ghent rises 4 feet, and
it would ascend beyond that town if its progress were not stopped by a lock. The
Schelde below Ghent presents all the fuitures of an estuary, and its water, a short
distance bej'ond Antwerp, is brackish. The tide ascends not only the Rupel, which
flows into the Schelde to the south of that town, but also the three head-streams of
that river, viz. the Nethe (as far as Lier), the Dyle (as far as Malines), and the
Senne (as far as Vilvorde), within 7 miles of Brussels. The Rupel owes its
width and depth to the sea, being a marine channel rather than a river. Formerly
herrings were caught in such numbers in it that the inhabitants used them ds
manure, and even now seals are occasionally caught near Antwerp.
The rivers throughout the lowlands of Belgium have been canalised, and the
number of connecting canals is so large as to render it difficult to unravel the
hydrographical system of the country. The Schelde, Lys, Dyle, and Dender
actually discharge their waters bj- the same mouth, but according to M. Vifquain '
and others they originally drained distinct basins. The Lieve, which joins the
Schelde and Lys within the city of Ghent, is believed to be an old arm of the Lys.
So large is the number of natural water-courses and artificial tanals that the most
• Length of tho Meuse to its confluence with the Khine or "Waal, 491 miles: length within Belgium,
120rnile8. i^vtrage deliver)- where it enters Belgium (according to Guilkry), 1,413 cubic feet; at Liege,
2,29o cubic fict ; where it leaves Belgium, 3, 1 78 cubic feet a second.
99
386
BELGIUM.
learned geographer must give up in despair the attempt of bringing order out of
the chaos. The Lys, for instance, is officially supposed to terminate at Ghent, but
in reality its waters discharge themselves also in the direction of Ostend and
Bruges, with which it is connected by canals. The principal estuary of the
Pig. 217.— The Lower Scheli>e in the Beginning op the Eleventh Cektcey.
According to Stessels. Stale 1 : 260,000.
. 6 Miles.
Schelde has considerably changed its position even within historical times. The
Hont, or "Western Schelde, which is at present the great water highway of
Antwerp, was formerly only a shallow creek, across which processions of pilgrims
were able to march from Flanders into Walcheren. If old chroniclers can be
believed, it was only in 1173 that the sea swept away the dunes which joined
GENERAL FEATURES, ETC.
887
Flanders to Walcheren, and opened itself a passage to the Schelde. Until that
time the river took its course through the Eastern Schelde, past Bergen-op-Zoom
and Tholen, and joined the Lower Mouse. In 1867 that old channel had become
Fig. 218. — The Inundation of the Polders during the Siege of Antwerp in 1686.
Accordin;; to SteseeU. Scale 1 : 260,000.
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silted up to such an extent that it was possible to throw a railway bridge across it,
and at present it is definitely choked up with sand.
As long as the sea was permitted freely to invade the estuary of the Schelde,
that river, below Antwerp, resembled a gulf, abounding in sand-banks, or schorrfn,
which uncovered with each receding tide. Even above Antwerp the Schelde was
sufficiently wide to admit hostile fleets, and in 1302 the mariners of Malines, then
888 BELGIUM.
at war with the Duke of Brabant, sustained a severe defeat upon a vast sheet of
water which then covered the polders of Hingen, at the mouth of- the Rupel.
In the eleventh century the riverine inhabitants began to embank the
schorren of the Schelde, and in a chronicle of the year 1124 mention is made
of the dykes of the Lillo below Antwerp. M. de Laveleye estimates the area of
the polders which have been embanked since the thirteenth century at 120,000
acres, of which about 20,000 acres have been won from the sea since 1815. There
still remain extensive tracts capable of being converted into cultivable land, for the
area of the estuary of the Schelde between Flushing and Burgbt, above Antwerp,
varies between 55,235 and 83,060 acres, according to the state of the tide.
Unfortunately for the chance of carrying out works on so vast a scale, it is next to
impossible to secure the hearty co-operation of the Dutch and Belgian Governments,
and of their engineers. Much of the land embanked after the sixteenth century
had been a prey to the sea in the course of the memorable siege of Antwerp
in 1585, which completely changed the face of the country. Even now there
exist traces of that event. Some of the old polders of Saaftingen, which to the
north of Hulst extended into Holland, have not yet been recovered. The marshes,
however, which were drained by the Prince of Parma, are still amongst the most
productive lands of Belgium, and the transformation of a considerable portion of
Waes into a garden dates back to that epoch. Before the termination of the
siege 74,102 acres of polders had been inundated ; both banks of the Rupel were
under water to within a short distance of Malines, whilst nearly all the polders
recovered since the twelfth century below Antwerp were once more surrendered
to the sea. The most terrible combats were fought on the narrow embankment
which connected Fort St. Jacques with Fort Ste. Croix, and the breaches effected in
it were repeatedly filled up with the bodies of the slain.
The changes which have taken place in the basins of the Yser and of other
small rivers flowing direct into the North Sea are proportionately even more
considerable than those noticed in connection with the Schelde. Ancient bays
have been silted up by marine alluvium, seaports have been converted into
agricultural villages, and bays which formerly bore large vessels have been
changed into polders, intersected by sluggish canals, only navigable for small
wherries. In 1116 the harbour of Lombardzyde, at the mouth of the Yser, was
silted up during a storm, and a " New Port " (Nieuwpoort) had to be constructed,
which the current of the river has kept open to the present day.
Bruges was accessible originally to vessels of large burden, which subsequently
were not able to get beyond Damme, even though the tide served them. Later still
the port of Bruges had to be removed to Sluis, on the estuary of the Zwyn, famous
for the naval battle of 1213, in which the allied Flemings and English contended
against Philip Augustus's fleet of two hundred sail. The port of Sluis, too, is
now no longer accessible to any but the smallest craft. The gigantic embankments
constructed to confine the Schelde have become useless, for the sea retires of its
own accord, and the Gulf of the Zwyn, which was of vast extent in the sixteenth
century, has dwindled down into a narrow estuary, which the engineers purpose
GENEEAI. FEATUBES, ETC.
889
now to fill up altogether. The formidable fortifications of Sluis, which no longer
defend anything, the fine municipal buildings of Damme, and the deserted streets
of Bruges clearly result from the great changes which have taken place in
Flanders. A canal 13 feet in depth now joins Bruges to Ostend, but has not
brought back the commercial activity of former days.
But whilst the surface currents of the sea transport the sand and mud which
form the dunes and fill up the estuaries, the under-currents continue their work of
erosion. Peat containing oak-leaves, hazel nuts, and even broom seeds is almost
daily cast up on the strand. On the beach of Heyst a fossil shell of eocene age
(Cardita planiconta) is found, together with the remains of species still living in
Fig. 219.— Gkoins at Glankeniiesohe
Scale 1 : 120.000.
0 cmA a tMtJ v^/cft aacor*^
Vapthiamnu ?fFathi.
IMile.
0»ptl> igjiiad ^i F«t*t.
the North Sea. There can be no doubt that the sea has encroaclied within
historical times upon the coast of Belgian Flanders, as is clearly shown by the
evidence collected by the brothers Belpaire. At Ostend there exist abundant traces
of marine erosion. The djke upon which the old citadel of that town was
constructed advances now 600 feet beyond the general contour of the coast, which
bus been washed away on either side of it. The coast of Belgium, since its bays
have become silted up, is singularly rectilinear in its profile, but, to defend it against
the encroachments of the sea, it was necessary, in many localities, to construct a
large number of groins. Nowhere in Europe are such groins more numerous than
between Blankenberghe and Heyst, where they replace Duke John's old dyke.
The shore of Belgium is exceedingly poor in shells, owing to the absence of rocks to
890
BELGIUM.
which these animals are able to attach themselves. Out of a total of 9,000 exist-
ing species, only 158 have been discovered there. Sand-banks, separated by
navigable channels, extend parallel to the coast, and, as the tide only rises 13 feet,
its navigation is dangerous to vessels of large draught. At low water the
pollaerts, or summits of these banks, only lie 10 feet beneath the surface of
the sea.
Fig. 22O.--D1RECTIOK OF THE
Winds in Belgium.
According to Qnetelet.
Climate.
Belgium, in accordance with its geographical position and configuration, may be
divided into three climatic regions. In the west the temperature and the meteoro-
logical phenomena are similar to those met with on the coasts of the English
Channel. In Eastern Belgium the character of the climate is more continental,
with severe winters; whilst on the plateau of the
Ardennes, in the south-east, the temperature upon the
whole is lower than elsewhere, although there are many
localities favoured by a southern aspect. The summer
^l \ climate of the Belgian lowlands is the same between
wind S.W. _ I \
Maxima (\J Fumes and Moresnet : the same plants are cultivated,
and they ripen at the same time. But in winter the
eastern plains are frequently covered with snow, whilst
in those adjoining the seaboard the snow-flakes melt
on reaching the ground. The difference between the
mean annual temperature of the plains of Brabant and
Flanders and the plateau of Hautes Fagnes, in the
Ardennes, amounts to 5°, being about the same as that
which would be observed on travelling from the coast of
Belgium to Norway.
Brussels, in the centre of the country, has a mean
temperature about equal to that of the whole of the
Belgian lowlands, and but slightly lower than that of
Paris.* The climate, at the same time, is more extreme and variable, the tempera-
ture of January and February of different years varying to the extent of 58° and
63°. The mean temperature of July is 29° higher than that of January, which is
7° more than in England, but 1 1° less than in Central Germany. Westerly and
south-westerly winds are warm, as throughout Western Europe, whilst northerly
and north-easterly winds are cold. Warm winds predominate in all seasons, and
on an average the winds which blow from that part of the compass lying between
15° to the north and 75° to the south of west balance the winds blowing from the
other three quarters. The atmospheric currents are stronger in winter and during
the day than in summer and during the night. The normal wind, in its passage
over the country from west to east, gradually swerves round, until it blows due
west. When southerly wind prevails at Ostend and Ghent, it blows from the south-
* Temperature of Brussels, 1833— 1872 :— Spring, 48-4°; summer, 63-2° ; autumn, 50-6°; winter,
3"-2'; year, 49 9' F. (Quetelet, " Miteorologie de la Bclgique").
GENERAL FEATURES, ETC. 391
west to tte north of Brussels, and from the west in those parts of the country
which border upon Germany.
Moisture-laden maritime winds predominating, Belgium is bathed almost
throughout the year in an atmosphere of vapour,* and fogs are frequent during
winter. The rainfall is considerable, amounting to about 30 inches in the west,
and increasing to the east of the Meuse with the elevation above the sea-level. t
Rainy days are numerous, but their number, as well as the amount of rain, ditif'ers
much from year to year, and whilst in 1854 it rained on 154 days at Brussels, in
1860 rain fell on no less than 244 days. The inhabitants are never able to
count upon a succession of fine days. September, as a rule, is the best month of
the year.*
• Humidity at Brussels, 75 per cent, in June, 93 per cent, in December.
t Annual rainfall ; — Ghent, 30'6 in. ; Brussels, 280 in. ; Louvain, 28'4 in. : Lifege, 29o in. ; Stavelot,
40-S in.
I At Brussels it annually rains on 197 days, snows on 26, hails on 10, in addition to which there are
60 foggy days The number of cloudless days is only 12.
CHAPTER TI.
FAUNA. FI.OKA, AND INHABITANTS.
ELGIUM, lying under the. same skies as France and Germany,
resembles these countries in its fauna and vegetation. At the same
time the northern limits of several species of plants run across the
country. The chestnut-tree, which only flourishes vrhere the tem-
perature of January exceeds 3(.° F., is unknown in the Ardennes,
and rarely met with in Flanders. The holly is unable to survive the cold winters
prevailing on the eastern slopes of the Fagnes. Maize, which requires a high
summer temperature, does not ripen in tlie humid lowlands, but succeeds on the
southern slopes of the Ardennes. The vine, capable of resisting the cold of
winter, is confined to the valley of the Meuse.
The number of species has decreased in consequence of the extension of culti-
vation and the extinction of forests. Of larger mammals, the elkj urus, and bison
(aurochs) have disappeared long since. The brown bear, which in the twelfth
century still lived in the forests of Hainaut, is not found now even in the wildest
parts of the Ardennes. The lynx, likewise, has disappeared. The beaver has
struggled hard for existence, but has succumbed too, and the hedgehog is threat-
ened with the same fate. In exchange for these extinct species Belgium has been
invaded by black and brown rats, far more destructive animals than either the
hear or the lynx.
In the secluded parts of the Ardennes the ancient fauna of the country main-
tained its ground most firmly. The roe is plentiful there, and even the stag
survives, more especially around that legendary town of huntsmen, St. Hubert,
owing to the protection extended to it by large landowners. The wild boar still
roams through the forests of the Ardennes, and occasionally invades the cultivated
fields of Condroz. Even in the country between the Sambre and Meuse it has not
completely disappeared. Other wild animals are the wolf, the fox, the marten,
the weasel, the polecat, the badger, the wild cat, the squirrel, the hare, the rabbit,
and several small gnawing animals. The otter still preys upon fish in the river
Semoy. The chivalrous art of falconry survives at Arendonck, near Turnhout.
The caves of Belgium have furnished archaeologists with some of their most
FAUNA, FLOBA, AND INHABITANTS.
898
precious treasures, including not only the bones of extinct animals, but also those
of the aboriginal inhabitants of the country. The cavern of Guyet, which yielded
the bones of five hundred bears, is interesting, no doubt, but must cede to that of
Engis, near Liege, in which SLhmerling, some forty years ago, found a human
skull amongst the bones of rhinoceroses, elephants, and other large animals now
extinct. That lucky find confirmed Tournal's discovery of 1828, and victoriously
demonstrated the fact that man was a contemporary of these gigantic pachyderms,
Fig. 221 —A View in the Valley of the Lfbse.
and had struggled with bears, hyenas, and lions for the possession of the caverns
which he inhabited.
The rude stone implements of the earliest human inhabitants of Belgium
have been discovered at Mesmin, near Namur. Man at that time shared the
country with the mammoth and rhinoceros, and lived principally in the plain.
The charming valley of the Lesse, which joins that of the Meuse above
Dinant, was hardly visited formerly, but became suddenly fumous through the
discovery of prehistoric remains by M. Dupont in 1864. Its cliffs, near the
village of Furfooz, abound in caverns, one of which, known as the hole of the
Nutons, was popularly supposed to be the dwelling-place of hobgoblins. Thise
caverns were inhabited by men of the stone age. The troglodytao of the Lesse
knew how to make fire by means of flints. They were hunters, and had no
894
BELGIUM.
domestic animals whatever— not even dogs. They were great meat eaters, feeding
upon forty-eight species of animals, the remains of which have been discovered
in the caverns which they inhabited. Probably they also eat human flesh, for
fractui-ed human bones and skulls, still showing the marks of teeth, have been
found in the caverns of Chauvaux. These savage cave dwellers were fond of
ornamenting their persons, if we may judge from necklaces of shells and teeth,
red paint, and shaped bones, some of them carved in a rude fashion, which have
been discovered. They undoubtedly carried on some commerce, for flints are not
found in Condroz, and must have been procured from the environs of Maastricht,
or the country to the south of Champagne. The fossil shells which they used
Fig. 222. — Linguistic Map of Beloittm.
Scale 1 : 3,045,000.
. 50 Miles.
for their necklaces came from the hills around Eeims, the fossil polypes from the
neighbourhood of Vouziers, and the slate from Fumay. Debris of such diverse
origin covered the floor of the caverns, and owing to an utter absence of clean-
liness and the moisture percolating through the roof, they must have been
unwholesome places to live in. In fact, the human bones bear evident marks of a
prevalence x)f rickets, and the men of that age did not exceed 55 inches in height.
The three successive levels of the Mouse mark as many stages in the civilisa-
tion of these cave dwellers. The upper caverns, such as those of Magrite and
Naulette, were accessible only at a time when the river was several miles in width,
and the men who found a refuge in them were the contemporaries of the mammoth.
FAUNA, FLOBA, AND INHABITANTS. 395
the rhinoceros, the lion, the hear, and the hyena. A lower series of caverns only
contains the hones of reindeer, chamois, and wild goats — animals still found in
Europe, though no longer in Belgium. In the lowest series of caverns only the
bones of domesticated animals, or of beasts which continue to inhabit the country,
are met with.
These latter belong to the age of polished stone, in the course of which
Belgium was first invaded by men of another race. The famous sculptures of
the so-called "Frontal Hole," thus named because a human frontal bone was
turned up with the first blow of the pickaxe, undoubtedly date back to that age.
That cavern appears to have been used as a place of sepulchre, for sixteen human
skeletons were found in it, together with numerous objects buried with the dead.
At that time the inhabitants had become much mixed, and three types can
be distinguished, the prevailing one having an elongated skull with prominent
brows, features common to the present day. The men of that age tilled the
SOU, kept domestic animals, manufactured earthenware and weapons, and carried on
commerce. At Spiennes, near Mens, an extensive tract of land is covered with
flints partly worked, and procured from beds underlying the cbalk. Most of
the flint implements picked up in Flanders can be traced to this huge workshop
of Hainaut. It was probably about this time that Teutonic tribes first invaded
the country. There are few cromlechs in Belgium, but grave-hills were formerly
numerous on the height of land between Tirlemont, Tongres, and Maastricht.
The raised stones which during the Teutonic epoch were perhaps dedicated to
Brynhild, the warlike Walkyrie, are now popularly known as " stones of Brune-
hilde, or Brunehaut," the Queen of Austrasia.
The contrast existing between the hilly region of South-eastern Belgium and
the plains of the north and west is reflected in the Wallons and Flemings who
at present inhabit the country. A line drawn across the centre of Belgium, from
St. Omer to Maastricht, marks the north-western limit of the Wallons, whilst
another line drawn from Maastricht in the direction of Metz marks their eastern
limit. Outside these two lines Teutonic dialects are spoken.
The Wallons are popularly supposed to be of Gallic origin, whilst the
Flemings are credited with a Teutonic descent, and this in a large measure is
no doubt true. In a country, however, which has so frequently been invaded, a
considerable intermixture of races must have taken place, nor can we suppose
the aboriginal inhabitants of Belgium to have been wholly exterminated. Anthro-
pologists have drawn attention to families and entire populations differing
essentially from the Gallic and Germanic types. In the valley of the Meuse and
in Hainaut we frequently meet with women whose tawny complexion, narrow
and prominent forehead, and smuU stature mark them ofi" very distinctly from the
people among whom they dwell. The poor broom-makers in several villugcs
of Western Flanders, to the south of Dixmunde, live in underground dwellings.
In Eastern Flanders these " Men of the Woods," or Buschkerlen, are still more
numerous. At Zole they are known as Btirjouge, or " Peasant Youths." They are
for the most part pedlars, and speak a jargon very difierent from the local dialect.
396 BELGIUM.
M. Huyttens lias directed attention to several "clans" living in the country
around Ghent, who differ from the other inhabitants by their smaller stature,
black hair, brown eyes, and greater gaiety and excitability. The census has shown,
however, that the brown type is met with throughout Belgium — not only at
Liege and Numur, where it preponderates, but also amongst the Flemings, where
a fourth or third of the inhabitants belong to it.*
Most anthropologists trace this brown type to the pre-Aryan inhabitants of
Belgium. The round -skulled men of small stature, whom we frequently meet with
in Flanders, would thus have to be looked upon as the lineal descendants
of the aboriginal population of the country. The Spaniards, on the other hand,
have exercised but a small ethnical influence upon the population.
As to the Wallons, there can be little doubt of their Gallic origin. The
tribes of Belgium mentioned by ancient authors bear Gallic names, and so do
many towns, including Namur, Dinant, Cortoriacum (Courtrai), Lugdunum,
and others. The Romans did in Belgium what they did in the remainder of
Gaul — they introduced their language. The Germanic tribes who subsequently
settled amongst the Wallons, being inferior to them in civilisxtion, adojited their
language, though not without exercising some influence upon it. The dialect
spoken around Liege abounds thus in German words and grammatical forms,
whilst the dialects of Namur and the south generally are most akin to those spoken
in the adjoining parts of France.
Physically the Wallon differs strikingly from his Flemish fellow-countryman.
He is bonier, stronger limbed, and more angular ; his complexion is but rarely
as fair as that so frequent amongst the Flemings ; and he can boast of neither
brightness nor beauty. Tall men are more numerous amongst the Wallons than
in Flanders ; life is longer, and more exempt from disease. In Flanders and the
province of Antwerp ninety persons die to every hundred that are born ; in the
four Wallon provinces only seventy. This relative immunity of the Wallons
may be inherent in the race, but is more probably due to their greater well-
being, and to the salubrity of the country they live in. In the Middle Ages it
was the Flemings who were the superiors of the Wallons in wealth, civilisation,
and freedom. Revolutions and gradual transformations, however, have displaced
the seat of power, and it is the Wallons who now take the lead in industrial
activity and mental culture. The Flemings nevertheless maintain their pre-
eminence in the arts, and it is they who give the country most of its painters
and musicians.
When Flemings, or Vlamingen, first came as " strangers " t into the country, the
plains which they now inhabit were but sparsely peopled. At that time swamps
and lakes covered a considerable extent, whilst the remainder of the country
consisted of a plain of sterile sand. A wide forest region {Silca Carbonatia)
* At Namur 47 per cent, of the inhabitants have dark eyes, and 57o percent dark hair; at Malines
only 24 per cent, have dark eyes, and 2U-3 per cent, dark hair ; and between these two extremes we meet
with every gradation- 'Beddoe, " Report of the British Association," 1857.)
t According to H. Leo (" Angelsiichsischcs Glossar"), Flemini; means " stranger," or " fugitive," whilst
Meyer, in his "Chronicle of Flanders," derives their name from viae, a marsh.
FAUNA, FLORA., AND INHABITANTS. 807
separated the country of the Wallons from that in which most of the Germanic
colonists settled. In Brabant there still exist remnants of this ancient forest, and
whilst the villages to the east of it are inhabited by Wallons, those to the west are
Flemish. Even where Germanic colonists established themselves in the midst of
the Wallons, they retained their language for ages, and mediaeval documents
bro;»dly distinguish between the French-speaking inhabitants of the Pagm Mem-
pisciis and the Flemings who lived amongst them.
Many of the German settlers who arrived after the Roman epoch were Franks,
as is proved by. the names of villages no less than by historical documents.
But although the Flemings are probably for the most part the descendants of
these Franks, the name they bear appears originally to have been applied
to the Saxons who settled on the coast, which for a long time was known as
Litfua Saxonicum. These Saxons were no doubt kinsmen of those who crossed
over to England. They probably came by sea along the coast of Friesland and
Holland. The influence of the Frisians, who had established themselves in
Zealand, extended at that time far along the coast of Belgium, and an old historian
even refers to Ostend as a Frisian port. The original Saxon settlers were
subsequently joined by others, forcibly introduced by Charlemagne. The presence
of these Saxons in Flanders explains the fact that the Flemish colonists who emi-
grated to Transylvania in the twelfth century became knovvn as Sachsen. Most of
these colonists came from the coast, which they fled in consequence of an irruption
of the sea. If Flemings have frequently emigrated, they have done so in con-
sequence of hard necessity, and not from a spirit of adventure, for the Fleming
is much attached to the soil of his birth : — Oont, ircst, 7 huis best*
Pure Flemings present a very distinct type. They have light-coloured eyes,
fair or chestnut-coloured hair, and fresh complexions. Their blood readily rises to
the surface of the skin; their features, especially amongst the women, are wanting
in sharp contours ; they age soon, and grow fat. On old portraits of Flemings and
North Germans, which should be studied if we would comp ire national types, may
often be observed a fine crease which separates the chin from the cheek, and imparts
an air of wisdom and circumspection to the physiognomy. The popular notion of
the Flemings being a tall and burly race is an erroneous one, for the inhabitants of
Flanders are of smaller stature than those of any other province of Belgium. The
men of the brown stock no doubt depress the average stature, for the fair
Flemings of Germanic type are the tallest amongst the inhabitants of the lowland,
and tall men are numerous along the coast, where the Saxon element prepon-
derates.
The Flemish language, formerly known as Dielsrh (T/u'ois of the Wallons), is
a Low German dialect, and according to MiillenhofF it has retained the primitive
character of the Frankish. The purest Flemish is spoken in the Cam pine, whose
inhabitants exhibit most attachment to ancient customs and superstitions.
Tales in rhyme and songs in Flemish were first put into writing in the twelfth
century. During the wars of independence Flemish literature flourished, but
• East or west, at home is best.
898 BELGIUM.
subsequently, under the domination of Spaniards and Austrians, tbe language of the
people was disdainfully treated as a patois, and seldom employed by writers. In 1803
Napoleon ordered that French alone was to he employed by Government, and nine
years later, to facilitate the labours of his censors of the press, every Flemish news-
paper was compelled to supply a French translation of its contents. When the
Hollanders became masters of the country they favoured the use of Dutch, and the
Flemings, no less than the Wallons, felt themselves aggrieved. The revolution of
1830 brought about another change, and French once more became the official
language throughout Belgium. At the time, however, it was not known that the
Flemings were so numerous, and the census, which showed that out of every ssven
Belgians four spoke Dietsch, even surprised the Flemings themselves.*
In the course of the last fifty years a few villages have perhaps become French,
but of far greater importance has been the almost imperceptible growth of French
in the larger towns, a growth only natural if we bear in mind that French is
the language of Government, of the army, of commerce, industry, and science.
About two-thirds of the newspapers are French.t and as regards general literature
Brussels is hardly more than a dependency of Paris. At th^ close of the last
century the government of that city was still carried on in Flemish, and it
virtually lies outside the territory of the Wallons, who only occupy one of its
quarters, that of Marolles, where they speak a very corrupt local jargon.
But though French has undoubtedly made progress, Flemish, nevertheless, has
gained in strength and dignity, as it were, during the last thirty years. Henri
Conscience, the most popular novelist of Belgium, writes in Flemish, and hundreds
of societies have been founded to encourage its use. An agreement between the
Flemings and " heretical " Hollanders has been arrived at since the political bonds
between the two countries have been severed, and the same system of orthography
is employed now in writing both languages. If the Flemings persevere in their
efforts thej' must in the end succeed in introducing their language into Parliament,
the army, courts of justice, and schools, on the same footing as French.
• In 1830 1,860,000 spoke Flemish, 1,360,000 French ; in 1866, 2,406,.5OO Flemish, 2,041,800 French ;
in 1876, 2,6.59,890 spoke Flemish, 2,2.56,860 French, 38,070 German, 340,770 French and Flemish,
27,700 German and French, 1.790 German and Flemish, and .'5,490 the three languages; 7,0.50 spoke
neither of the above languages, and 2,070 were deaf mutes. Of the total population, 49 • 84 per cent,
upoke Flemish, 4229 per cent. French, 071 per cent. German, and 6-95 per cent, (mostly Flemings)
two or three languages.
t In 1S40 28 daily papers appeared in French, none in Flenush. In 1874 there were 54 French
and 14 Flemish daily papers.
CHAPTER III.
MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS.— TOWNS.
OWNS abound now in those lowlands of Belgium where in the time
of the Romans there existed but two cities, Turnacum (Tournay)
and Atuatuca Tungrorum (Tongres). In some localities the towns
are more numerous than are villages in most parts of Europe.
After the struggles between races and classes had ceased, each of
these towns organized itself as an independent commune, prepared to resist the
encroachments of bishops, barons, and kings.
Charlemagne, as early as 779, foresaw the danger to the sovereign power of
combinations of merchants and artisans dwelling within cities. He forbade the
formation of trade guilds and other associations ; but the guilds, notwithstanding
his edicts and the persecutions to which they were subjected, grew in power,
and ultimately succeeded in firmly establishing the municipal liberties of the
towns.
Originally the cities of Flanders were governed by aldermen chosen amongst
the members of a few patrician families, or (jedachter. Ordinary citizens or artisans
had no share in the government, and hence dissensions between the " great " and
the "little" were of frequent occurrence. The trade guilds availed themselves of
every civil or foreign war to assert their claims, and though frequently defeated
and most cruelly punished after every unsuccessful revolt, they per.severed until
their representatives were admitted to the city council. In the thirteenth century
most cities of Belgium had a municipal council, in which the representatives of
the guilds sat side by side with the aldermen chosen amongst the patrician
families. At Brussels, Louvain, and other cities of Flanders these guilds had
a burgomaster of their own ; and at Liege no patrician was allowed to enter upon
that office unless he had previously joined one of the twenty-five trade guilds.
The members of the guilds were subjected to a rigorous discipline. They were
bound to furnish themselves with suitable weapons, and in nearly all they under-
took they had to reckon with the body of which they were members. When the
great bell of the belfry called them to arms, they were bound to hasten to their
appointed place of meeting. Town often fought town, but as early as 1312 the
common dangers which threatened all alike led to the formation of a federation of
400
BELGIUM.
eighteen towns of Brabant. In 1334 the towns of Flanders and Brabant concluded
Fis. 223.— The Heli-ky of Bhiges.
a treaty which freed the commerce between the two provinces from all restrictions,
introduced a common currency, and provided for a deliberative body to meet
MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS.— TOWNS. 401
alternately at Ghent, Brussels, and Alost. Even before that time the merchants of
Flanders had founded an international corporation for the promotion of commercial
relations with England, and known as the " Hanse of London."
The spirit of association was not confined to the towns, for there existed also
" rural guilds," and, indeed, the Flemish husbandman, by the wonderful manner
in which he cultivated his land, had richly deserved any " rights " that could be
bestowed upon him. As to the artisans of Flanders and Brabant, they were not
content to acquire wealth by developing the ancient industries of the country, but
struck out new paths, and the number of guilds grew apace. Bruges, which for
a considerable time stood at the head of the manufacturing industry of the whole
world, had no less than eighty trade guilds in the fifteenth century, whilst Ghent
had as many, the weavers alone being split up into twenty-seven different societies,
each carrying on a special branch of business. Brussels had fifty "trades,"
Toumay over forty, Liege and Ypres more than thirty each. As to the intel-
lectual influence of the Flemings, it is amply vouched for by their share in the
literature and scientific work of the time.
The existing mimicipal buildings are witnesses of the glories of the old Flemish
communes. Most of the churches commenced in that age remain unfinished to
the present day, but the municipal edifices have nearly all been completed, and
only need to be kept in repair. Each guild had its hall, and however humble the
habitations of the individual members might be, no expense was spared to render
these buildings representative of the wealth of the corporation as a whole. In the
construction and decoration of town-halls there existed great rivalry ; and the
architects, whilst adhering to the general style of architecture of the time, suc-
cessfully strove to give a character of originality to the buildings the construction
of which had been intrusted to them. The town- hall of Louvain, for instance, has
been likened to a huge jewel box, whilst that of Brussels strikes us by the bold
elegance of its spire, and others are distinguished by the noble simplicity of their
facade. The belfry stands either by itself, as at Ghent, or it surmounts the Council
Chamber, as at Bruges, or rises above the fa9ade. Sometimes it resembles a keep,
at others a church steeple, and each town took care that this repository of its
public records should be worthy of it.
The open square in front of the town-hall was the principal scene of those
popular festivities which were the delight of the Flemings of that age. It was
there the oaths of office were administered, and the prizes distributed to archers,
minstrels, and poets. On these occasions the deputations of other towns arrived
in triumphal cars or barges, and were met by processions of citizens, such as we
see represented in old paintings. In course of time these festivities degene-
rated into empty displays of speechifiers and poetasters, but their outward
splendour made the inhabitants forget that they had virtually lost their ancient
liberties.
The decay of the Flemish cities is due in a large measure to the inhabitants
themselves. No sooner did they feel secure from dangers threatening from with-
out than they turned upon each other. Ghent and Bruges, instead of living at
100
402
BELGIUM.
Fig. 224. — Thb Town-hall of Louvain.
amity, as neighbours should, were always ready to fly to arms and injure each
* MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS— TOWNS. 408
other whenever an opportunity offered. Merchants, in accordance wilh a law laid
down by the guilds, were bound to go armed when they visited a neighbouring
town, in order that they miglit at all times be ready to defend the honour of their
city and corporation. Conflicts took place on the slightest provocation ; even
children formed themselves into military bands, and in 1488 two of these fought a
Vattle in the streets of Bruges, when five combatants were left dead on the pav( ment.
The monopolies claimed and enforced by the various guilds contributed in a large
measure to undermine the prosperity and patriotism of the citizens. At Tournay
there were separate guilds of "butter porters," "charcoal porters," and "manu-
factured goods porters ; " and woe to him who carried an article not intended for
his shoulders. Similar regulations prevailed in most other towns, and even at
the beginning of the present century there existed at Bruges a corporation of
kraanetikinders, or tapsters, whose members enjoj'ed the privilege of drawing wine,
and wore their traditional costume on high holidays.
The Dukes of Burgundy, when they made themselves masters of the country,
profited by the dissensions amongst the Flemish cities. The industry of the citizens
augmented the splendours of their court, but the cities themselves began to decay.
Revolts were suppressed with vigour, and no opportunity of humbling the pride of
the citizens was lost. In 14G8 Liege was almost entirely destroyed, and 40,000
of its inhabitants massacred. In the preceding year Charles the Bold had taken
away the standards of the guilds of Ghent, and suspended them in the churches of
other towns, as trophies of victory over the people. Charles V., though a native
of Ghent, destroyed the municipal liberties of that town, removed its great bell
" Roland," and condemned the most energetic of the citizens to the scaffold or exile.
During the reign of Philip II. a silence of terror dwelt in the cities, and
even the speechifiers at public festivals beciime objects of suspiiion. Many of
them were hanged, and Van Halen, the burgomaster of Antwerp, who hdd
organized the famous festivities of 1561, died on the scaffold. Industrj' fled the
towns, the latter decreased in population and became impoverished, and even in the
country around them large tracts were abandoned by the cultivators. Thousands
left the country, and this emigration, even more than ma.asacres and wars, explains
the mental apathy of the nation during the ensuing centuries.
The old municipal spirit has not, however, died out altogether. It still mani-
fests itself on the festival days of patron saints, when processions march through
the streets of the town as they did in the Middle Ages. At Courtray and Furnes
these processions symbolize the mysteries of Christianity, whilst the " cavalcades "
of Malines, Tournay, Ghent, and Brussels are mostly designed to illustrate,
sometimes allegorical ly, past events in the history of the city.
Towns.*
Basin of the Meuse (Maas). — Arhn (6,700 inhabitants), the capital of
Belgian Luxemburg, is the only large town in the basin of the winding river
• The population is for X)cv 3 1st, 1876, and in many instances emtiraces the countrj- districts in the
vicinity of tbu towns named.
404
BELGIUM.
Semoy. It rises upon a bleak plateau, 1,300 feet above the level of the sea, nnd
its only curiosities consist in the Roman antiquities preserved in its museum.
Virton (2,100 inhabitants), a sort of Belgian Nice, sheltered from northerly winds,
lies to the south of Arlon, whilst BonUlun (2,500 inhabitants), modestly nestling
Fig. 225.— Namcr and the Coxfluencb of the Mecse and Sambrb.
Scale 1 : 30,000.
j3* g8' E.ofF
a°30'
^MS'E.of Or.
4°50'
. Half a Mile.
at the foot of an old fortress, is situate in the valley of the Semoy, not far from
the French frontier.
The Meuse leaves France to the north of Givet, and soon after roaches Dinant
(6,200 inhabitants), a town occupying a narrow ledge between the river and the
steep cliffs which bound its valley. Dinant has never wholly recovered from its
destruction by Philip of Burgundy, very improperly surnamed " the Good.'
In the twelfth century it was famous for its copper-ware, known as dinanderies,
but the only products of its industry still appreciated are spiced cakes, or couqttes,
shaped to represent men, processions, or even landscapes. Dinant, one of the
-'ill'
ifililli
TOWNS.
405
most picturesque towns of Belgium, is the head-quarters of the tourists who
annually flock to the upper valley of the Meuse and to that of the Lesse, which
leads south-easterly info the heart of the Ardennes. The towns of Ciney (2,850
inhabitants), the capital of Condroz, Murche-en-Famennc (2,580 inhabitants), and
Bastogne (2,700 inhabitants) rise on the plateau of this sparsely peopled region.
St. Hubert (2,300 inhabitants), on one of the most frequented high-roads of the
Ardennes, was formerly famous as a meeting-place of sportsmen. The breed of
dogs of the old abbots is extinct in the country, but still survives in England.
Following the Meuse, below Dinant we pass Boufignes, a modest village now,
but formerly a rival of the city named, and reach Namur (25,066 inhabitants).
Fig. 226. — The Coal-field op Chaulekoi.
Scale 1 : 76,000.
,8- 5' E.of Paris
4'S5- E.ofG.
situate at the foot of a bold promontory commanding the confluence of the Meuse
and Sambre. The strategical position of Namur is highly important, and a
powerful citadel now occupies the site of the old castle of its dukes. Sieges and
bombardments have robbed the town of nearly all its ancient buildings, and only
a belfry and a monastery now used as a court of justice date buck to the Middle
Ages. The cathedral, finished in 1772, is one of the finest churehes in Belgium.
The town carries on the manufacture of gla.s8, cutlery, and hardware. Iron has
been manufactured in the country for at least twenty centuries, as is proved by
the discovery of ancient forges and of pits containing cast iron.
The central valley of the Sambre is rich in coal, and its iron industry is far
more developed than that of Namur. Charleroi (15,943 inhabitants) is the capital
406 BELGIUM.
of this manufdcturing district. It was named in honour of Charles II. of Spain,
and fortified by Vauban, but is now an open town, with broad boulevards. The
railway station is the most prominent building of this congeries of iron works.
Numerous towns in the basin of the Sambre form dependencies of Charleroi.
Marcinelle (8,500 inhabitants), CouUlet (6,5o0 inhabitants), Montigiiy-iMr- Sambre
(12,653 inhabitants), Chdtelet (9,150 inhabitants), and Chafelinenu (8,050 inha-
bitants) lie to the east; Gilly (17,136 inhabitants) axidiRamdrt (5,450 inhabitants)
to the north-east; Lodelinsart (6,150 inhabitants), Jumet (20,102 inhabitants), and
Gosselies (7,850 inhabitants) in the north ; Roux-lez-Charlevoi (7,150 inhabitants)
and Courcelks (12,532 inhabitants) in the north- west ; Dampremy (7,350 inha-
bitants), Marchlenne-au-Pont (11,486 inhabitants), and Monceau-sur- Sambre (5,650
inhabitants) in the west; and Mont-siir-Marchienne (6,150 inhabit ints) in the
south-west. Thuiii (5,450 inhabitants), higher up in the same valley, already
lies beyond the sphere of Charleroi, as does also the ancient town of Fontahie-
rEceque (5,050 inhabitants), on the plateau which separates the basins of the
Sambre, Haine, and Senne. The country around Charleroi is one of the great
hives of human industry, abounding in iron works, forges, glass houses, and
chemical manufactories. Numerous railways intersect this coal region, and a
canal connects the Sambre with the navigable highways of Lower Belgium. The
small towns of Marienhourg, ThWppcville, and Chhnay (3,000 inhabitants), to the
south of Charleroi, near the French frontier, are frequently referred to in connec-
tion with military events, whilst the battle-fields of Fleurus (4,090 inhabitants)
and Ligny lie to the north. The plain of Fleurus is partly covered with an
efflorescence of sulphate of baryta, a substance frequently used in the adulteration
of flour.
The Meuse below Namur winds between gentle hills surmounted by ancient
ruins and modern castles. Andenne (7,050 inhabitants), on the right bank, is a
town of paper-mills, potteries, and quarries. JIuy (11,744 inhabitants), lower
down, is commanded by a picturesque citadel. It is one of the most ancient
cities of the country of the Wallons, and formerly boasted of seventeen monasteries,
one of whiuh contained the tomb of Peter the Hermit. Beyond St. Georges-sur-
Meiise (5,650 inhabitants) and Eihjih, a village rendered famous by the prehistoric
remains found in its caverns, both banks of the Meuse are covered with factories
and working: men's villages.
We have now entered the great industrial district of Liege (1 15,851 inhabitants),
the capital of the Wallons, situate on both banks of the river, below its confluence
with the Ourthe. A long-backed hill to the west is surmounted by a huge citadel,
and affords a fine prospect, too frequently obscured by the smoke rising from
innumerable factory chimneys. The suburbs of the city extend along the valley,
climb up the hills, and cover a large island formed by the Meuse and one of its
arms. Several bridges span the river, the roost famous amongst them being that
of the Arches, traditionally supposed to occupy the site of a bridge constructed by
Ogier, the Danish paladin.
The centre of Liege lies near this bridge, and there, in front of the town-hall.
TOWNS.
407
rises a column surrounded by the three Graces, which replaces the ancient
perron, the symbol of the municipal liberties of the city, destroyed in the dis-
astrous year 1468. The old palace of the prince bishops is now occupied by
the courts of justice and the provincial authorities. This huge edifice stands on
the Place St. Lambert, thus named after a sumptuous cathedral, to which every
Liegeois was bound to leave a legacj', but which was demolished during the
French Revolution. The university was establisbed in 1817, by the Butch, in an
old Jesuit college, and possesses a valuable library, a collection of coins, a natural-
history museum, and chemical laboratories. Including its affiliated institutions,
it is attended by 970 students. The conservatory has trained several pupils who
Fig. 227. — LikoB amo the CoNfLCENCE of the Meuse and Oubthe.
Scale 1 : 80,000.
_ 1 MUe.
have acquired celebrity, and the courses of the Academy of Art are well attended.
Monuments have been raised in honour of Dumont, the geologist; Gr^try, the
composer; and Charlemagne, whom the Liegeois claim as one of their townsmen.
Amongst the numerous churches that of St. Martin is historically the most
interesting. During the popular revolt of 1312 the " grandees " sought a refuge
in its tower, but were burnt alive in it by the populace.
If local traditions can be credited, coal was first discovered near Liege, in the
twelfth century, by a t-mith, and named hoville, after Houllos, its discoverer. What-
ever this etymology may be worth,* it proves, at all events, that coal, which is so
• Accoi-ding to A. Schelcr (" Dietionnaire d'etymologie franc^aise ") the French word houille is
derived from the Gentian word Seholle.
.103 BELGIUM.
indispensable now to the manufactories of the town, has been worked around Liege
for several centuries. Fire-arms are the principal article manufactured at Liege,
the armourers for the most part working at their own homes. There are also a
Government cannon foundry and a small-arms factory. The largest industrial
establishment of Belgium, and one of the most important in the world, was founded
in 1S17, by John Cockerill and King William of the Netherlands, at Seming (24,315
inhabitants), a town a few miles above Liege. It employs thousands of miners,
forgemen, and other artisans, and since 1822 it has turned out several thousand
steam-engines. In its steel works as many as 365 tons of steel rails can be rolled
in a single day. Val St. Lambert, higher up on the Meuse, has important
glass works ; Jemeppe (6,000 inhabitants) lies opposite to Seraing, of which it is
virtually a suburb ; Ougree (7,450 inhabitants), supposed to be a Hungarian
(Ugrian) colony, lies closer to Liege, and has iron works ; Gricegnee (6,950
inhabitants), to the south of the city, has blast furnaces ; whilst Cheiiee, at the
confluence of the Ourthe and Vesdre, is the seat of the zinc works of the Company
Vieille-Montagne. Am (5,400 inhabitants), in the west, is a town of coal miners.
Including its suburbs and the towns situated within a radius of 6 miles, Liege has
no less than 175,000 inhabitants.
The sterile soil and absence of ready means of communication have prevented
the growth of towns in the valley of the Upper Ourthe and of its tributary, the
Ambleve. Sfavelot (4,070 inhabitants), close to the German frontier, is the only
important centre of population in that part of the country, and until the middle
of the last century it was the capital of an independent principality. The valley
of the Vesdre, through which leads the road from Liege to Aix-la-Chapelle, is more
highly favoured by nature than that of the Ambleve, and abounds in factories.
Limburg (2,060 inhabitants), historically its most important town, now, however,
lies in ruins. It was a powerful place formerly, but never recovered after its two-
fold destruction by the armies of Louis XIV. in 1675 and 1701. The actual town
nestles at the foot of the old feudal castle.
The small river Gileppe, which rises in the woods to the south of Limburg,
and flows through a picturesque valley, has recently been pent up by a dam,
155 feet in height and 770 feet long. The lake reservoir thus formed holds 424
milliards of cubic feet, and whilst preventing floods in winter, it supplies the
factory towns in the valley of the Vesdre throughout the summer with the water
they need. The most important of these towns are Verviefs (37,828 inhabitants),
Dison (11,432 inhabitants), and Emiml (5,450 inhabitants). Cloth has been
manufactured here since the twelfth century, but Vervicrs only rose into impor-
tance after the industrial ruin of Flanders hud been accomplished ; that is, about
the middle of the eighteenth century. Verviers manufactures cloth, flannel,
cashmere, fancy articles, and woollen stuffs, for the most part exported to
England. Italy and the East are supplied with " army cloth."
At Pepinder (2,350 inhabitants) the Vesdre is joined by a small valley which
leads up to Spa (6,350 inhabitants), the most fashionable watering-place of Europe
during the eighteenth century, afterwards deserted for years, but recently once
TOWNS.
409
more visited by thousands, attracted by its ferruginous springs and charming
environs. Another watering-place, Chaudfontaine, i.e. " warm spring," lies in the
valley of the Vesdre, within 6 miles of Liege.
The region traversed by the Meuse, after leaving the manufacturing city of
Liege behind it, is historically one of the most interesting of Europe. At Jupille
Fig. 228. — The Dam across the Gileppe.
Scale 1 : 50,000.
S"S4- E.oi Pans
3° 38'
. 1 MUe.
(.'1,200 inhabitants) Pepin of Herstal died in 714. Hernial (11,126 inhabitants),
on the opposite bank of the river, the birthplace of Pepin the Short, is now an
industrial suburb of Liege. The Meuse, in its further course, flows past the Dutch
city of Maastricht, and, re-entering Belgium, washes the walls of the ancient town
of Mac8-Eyck (4,400 inhabitants), the birthplace of the brothers Van Eyck.
101
410 BELGIUM.
In a side valley of the Meuse, towards the north-west, is situate a city famous
in the annals of Belgium. Tongres, or Tonyeren (7,600 inhabitants) is, in fact, the
ancient castellum of the Aduatuci, who were left behind by the Cimbri when they
invaded Gaul, but were exterminated or sold into slavery fifty years later by
Julius Caesar.* There still remain portions of the ancient walls of this city,
constructed of flints and cement, and vulgarly known as the Zeedijk.
The Basin of thk Schei.ue. — Tongres, one would have imagined, would
have been chosen capital of the Belgian province of Liniburg, but the adminis-
trative authorities have been established at HaHselt (11,361 inhabitants), on the
river Demer, which is tributary to the Schelde. Its rivals, St. Trond, or Sint-
Truyden (11,253 inhabitants), and Tirlemoiit, or Thienen (13,296 inhabitants), are
situate on rivulets belonging to the same basin. St. Trond boasts a fine belfry,
whilst the decayed town of Leau (1,780 inhabitants), to the west of it, has a town-
hall and church which are marvels of elegance and originality. Tirlemont
resembles several of the towns of Flanders, for, like them, it has lost its industry,
and extensive tracts within its walls have been converted into gardens and fields.
The village of Landen, between Tirlemont and St. Trond, recalls Pepin of Landen,
the founder of Carlovingian power. It has recently acquired some importance, for
five railways converge upon it. Near it is Neenoinden, where two battles were
fought in 1693 and 1793.
Dicst (7,303 inhabitants), to the west of and on the same river as Hasselt, is a
fortress guarding the frontier towards Holland. It has numerous distilleries, and
is noted for its giMen bier, or beer of the guilds. Sichem (2,300 inhabitants),
lower down, is likewise known for its beer.
The river Demer separates the hills of Hageland from the sandy tract of the
Campine. Below Aersckot (5,050 inhabitants) it joins the Dyle, which rises to the
south of Wavre (6,550 inhabitants), and flows through the famous city of Louvnin,
or Leuven (33,917 inhabitants), the old capital of Brabant, and formerly one of the
wealthiest and most populous cities of the whole country. In 1360 it had
100,000 inhabitants, and between 3,000 and 4,000 looms were employed in
the manufacture of cloth. It was at Louvain that a bell tolled half an hour
before the closing of the workshops, in order that passers by might avoid the
crowd. In addition to cloth, Louvain manufactured leather, weapons and armour,
and mead. Its university, founded in 1426, was one of the most famous seats of
learning in Europe. But towards the close of the sixteenth century intellectual
life retired from Louvain, as from other towns of Belgium, and the general causes
of decay were aggravated by a visitation of the plague, which carried off" 50,000
inhabitants and all the professors of medicine, one alone excepted. The university,
however, continued to exist until suppressed during the French Revolution. In
1836 it was revived as a Roman Catholic university, which has become one of
the strongholds of the Church : it is richly endowed from private sources, and
attended by 1,300 students.
A town of the past, Louvain nevertheless continues to carry on the manufacture
* E. Desjardins, " Geographie de la Gaule romaine."
TOWNS. 411
of starch, paper, cloth, and lace : it has large breweries and distilleries, and its
commerce in oil and agricultural produce is flourishing. A walk through its
deserted streets and squares, a glance at the gardens and fields enclosed within its
boulevards, but formerly covered with houses, bring home to us the decay of the
town. The town-hall is one of the finest edifices in Belgium, and has been
likened to a jewel casket (see Fig. 224). From the summit of Cajsar's Hill,
crowned by the ruins of a castle of the Dukes of Brabant, Louvain, with its
numerous steeples and commanding edifices, still presents the appearance of a
large and flourishing city.
Malines, or Mccheleii (Mechlin, 39,029 inhabitants), on the Dyle, below its
confluence with the Demer, is the counterpart of Louvain in its history and
present aspect. It, too, is a decayed town. During the period of its splendour
12,000 weavers worked at its looms ; its metal-ware, its caldrons and bells, its gilt
leather, tapestry, and lace, were appreciated throughout Europe. Lace and tapestry
still continue to be manufactured on a reduced scale, but Malines is no longer a
great centre of industry. Its streets, except in the immediate vicinity of the
railway station, are deserted, and the number of paupers is very great. But the
poverty of many of the inhabitants does not detract from the picturesqueness of
its gabled houses, which entitle it even now to its ancient epithet of " Mechelen the
Neat." The " Gaudet Mechlinia stultis " of the students of Louvain at no time
fairly applied to it. Malines is the religious metropolis of Belgium, and its
cathedral is one of the finest edifices of that kind in Northern Europe, with a
massive unfinished tower, rising to a height of 320 feet. The interior is strikingly
beautiful, but the most precious work of art of the town, Rubens's " Miraculous
Draught of Fishes," has found a place in another church, that of Our Lady.
The Great and Little Nethe, which after their junction with the Dyle and Senne
give birth to the Rupel, traverse the most barren tract of the Campine. A few
towns of importance are nevertheless met with in that region. One of them is
TnrnhoHt (15,743 inhabitants), which manufactures cloth and carries on a brisk
trade with the Netherlands ; another is Liei-re, or Licr (16,013 inhabitants), a
fortress at the confluence of the two Nethes, with breweries, sugar refineries, silk
and lace factories, and a remarkable church. Herentlials (5,000 inhabitants), the
capital of the Campine, lies half-way between those towns, whilst Moll (5,660
inhabitants) is only a large village. Near it is the parish of Gheel (10,250
inhabitants), a remarkable colony of lunatics, who live in the houses of the
peasants. The first lunatic asj'lum was founded at Gheel in 1286, but long before
that time lunatics were conducted to that place in order that they might touch the
relics of St. Dymphna, their patroness, and be cured. The number of insane
actually residing at Gheel is 900, and four physicians ai'e intrusted with their
supervision.
The valley of the Senne, though traversed by a river much smiiller than either
the Dyle or the Nethe, is nevertheless much more densely populated. Brussels,
the capital of the entire kingdom, rises within it, besides numerous other towns of
importance. Scneffe (5,600 inhabitants), near the head of the Sennette, recalla
412
BELGIUM.
numerous military engagcmeats. Nivelks (9,825 inbabitants), originally a monas-
tery in the midst of a forest, has grown into an important manufacturing town.
In the thirteenth century it was famous for its lawn, the manufacture of which
has now been transferred to Valenciennes. Soigiiies (7,7o0 inhabitants), at the head
of the Senne, has a remarkable church of the twelfth century, the oldest of the whole
country. Of the three towns of Braine, viz. Braine-le- Vomte (6,950 inhabitants),
Braine-l' AUeud (6,250 inhabitants), and Braine-le- Chateau (2,880 inhabitants).
Fig. 229. — The Field of Waterloo.
Scale 1 : 72,000.
.S- E.of P.
6« 20' E.of Gr.
IMile.
the last has preserved its ancient pillory, now shaded by lofty lime- trees. Hal
(8,850 inhabitants), below the confluence of the Senne and Sennette, is a great
place of pilgrimage, arid its Gothic church is rich in treasures of art. Rui/sbrock,
a small village half-way between that town and Brussels, was the birthplace of
William of Ruysbroek, or Rubruquis, whom Louis IX. dispatched on a mission into
Tartary. The basin of the Upper Senne abounds in quarries. A mountain lime-
stone, known as " Flanders granite," is obtained near Soignies and ^caiissuies
d'Enghien (5,200 inhabitants), whilst the quarries of Quenast, to the south of Hal,
TOWNS.
418
supply a very durable porphyry, much superior to basalt as a material for street
pavements.
The famous field of Waterloo (2,935 inhabitants) lies to the east of Hal and
Leemc-St. Pierre (4,4r0 inhabitants), on an undulating plateau extending from the
Senne to the Dyle. No battle-ground has been described more frequently, and
every locality of it has become famous : the castle of Hougoumont, so furiously
attacked and desperately defended ; the churchyard of Plancenoit ; the inn of
Fig. 230.— Bei-89EL8 and its Envibons.
Scale I : 120,000.
, 8'E.of P
2'y
4*20 E.ofG.
4°25'
1 MOe.
Belle-Alliaiiee ; the farm of Haie-Saiuie ; the village of Mont St. Jean ; and the
hollow road which proved so disabtrous to the retreating French.
BruHnelH, in French Brnxellen, in Flemish Briisnet, is situate nearly in the centre
of the kingdom of which it is the capittl, close to the linguistic boundary separating
Wallons from Flemings, and almost on the margin of the plain which ^tretches from
the sea to the hilly region of Belgium. Its beginnings are traced to a castle built
upon a swampy i.^liind (hrorkwfe) of the Senne, but as early as the eleventh century
tht; nascent city had been surrounded with a wall, and had become a stage on the
road leading from Flanders to ihe Hhine. A century later the Dukes of Brabunt
414
BELGIUM.
Fig. 231.— The Town-hall of Brusrelb.
made it their place of residence, and ever since it has been the seat of kings,
TOWNS. 41$
princes, or governors. It is one of the great centres of population of Europe,
for outside its pentagonal boulevards, which enclose 161,816 souls, populous
suburbs extend in all directions, and raise the total population to 364,327.*
Nay, if we include more distant outskirts, such as Uccle (9,800 inhabitants),
Ckeryitsche (5,350 inhabitants), Assehe (6,200 inhabitants), Vilvordc (8,250 inha-
bitants), and others, the population of the Belgian metropolis will be found to
approach half a milion.
Brussels can boast of edifices worthy of it. In its very centre rises a glorious
town-hall. Its towers and turrets, up to the fifteenth century, and perhaps even
early in the sixteenth, were roofed with plates of gold. The catliedral of Ste. Gudule
is a noble Gothic edifice of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, disfigured by
chapels of more recent date. Its two unfinished towers are majestic of aspect, but
the interior, although ornamented with fine stained windows and numerous statues,
leaves the beholder rather cold. The National Palace, in which the two Chambers
meet, and the Royal Palace, are remarkable rather on account of the art treasures
which they contain than for their exterior. The new Palace of Justice is a build-
ing of vast proportions, whilst the Bourse is one of those gaudy edifices to be met
with in many towns, and in which wealth of ornamentation usurps the place of
real beauty.
The museums of Brussels are rich in rare treasures. The so-called Palace
of Industry contains a natural-history museum, an anthropological collection, a
library of 250,000 volumes, and a gallery of 400 paintings, all by the old
masters — Rubens, Jordaens, Van Dyck, and other Flemish artists being most
worthily represented. The valuable collection of the Duke of Aremberg is
limited to select Dutch and Flemish masters, whilst another museum contains
works by modern Belgian artists. The picturesque tower of the Gate of Hal
has been converted into a museum of antiquities. Amongst other treasures it
contains the famous Roman milestone of Tongres.
The capital of Belgium and native town of Andreas Vesalius, Van Helmont,
Philippe Champagne, Van der Meulen, and Duquesnoy naturally became the
seat of the leading scientific societies of the country. Amongst these there is
an Association for the Exploration of Africa, which owes perhaps more to the
royal patronage bestowed upon it than to a true love of science, for similar societies
in other parts of Europe, though of more ancient standing, are far less wealthy.!
The observatory of Brussels has become famous through the labours of Quetelet,
whilst the university, an institution equally independent of Church and State, is
annually increasing in importance, and was attended in 1877 by 880 students.
Amongst the special schools is a Conservatory of Music, which has perhaps
achieved greater success in the training of its pupils than any other similar
• These suburbs of Brussels arc Ixellcs, 31,992 inhabitants; Etterbeck, 10,014 inhabitants; St. Josse-
ten-Noode, 2(>,492 inhabitints ; Schacrbook, 34,177 inhabitants; Molenbeck-St. Juan, 37,29-2 inhabitants ;
Andcrlfcht, 1S,()1.5 inhabit-ints ; St. Oilles. 27,782 inhabitants; and Laeken, 16,147 inhabitante. In
1856 Brussels, including the suburbs named, had 289.961 inhabitants.
t Up to January 1st, 1878, this association had eoUected £17,490, and its annual revenue amounted
to £4,530.
416 BELGIUM.
institution. Choral and orchestral societies abound. Parks, zoological and
botanical gardens, and shady walks contribute to the health and pleasure of the
citizens. The largest of these parks, that of Laeken in the north, and that of
Cambre in the south, are veritable botanical gardens, for they are rich in exotic
plants.
Owing to the central position of the town and the network of canals and
railways which connects it with all parts of Belgium, the commerce of Brussels is
continually increasing in importance. The Ssnne is no longer a navigable river,
as in the fifteenth century ; but a navigation canal, running past Willebroek (5,125
inhabitants) to the Rupel, has been substituted for it, and enables sea-going
vessels to reach the quays of Brussels.*
The basin of the Dender, to the west of that of the Sonne, is populous, although
without large cities. Ath (8,850 inhabitants) is a commercial town, near which
rises the castle of the Princes of Ligne, abounding in art treasures. Leuze (6,300
inhabitants), half-way between Ath and Tournay, manufactures silk stuffs.
Lensines (6,700 inhabitants), where the Dender is joined by a tributary ri.sing
beyond Ellcselles (5,450 inhabitants), rivals Quenast in the importance of its
quarries of porphyry. Orammont, or Gcertsbergen (9,100 inhabitants), is noted for
its black lace. Ninoven (6,300 inhabitants) manufactures cotton stuffs and gloves.
Alost, or Aakt (20,982 inhabitants), exports the hops grown in its neighbourhood ;
it is the old capital of Imperial Flanders, and in it Thierry Maertens, in 1473, set
up the first printing-press in Belgium. Termonde, or Dendermonde (8,250 inha-
bitants), on low ground at the mouth of the Dender into the Schelde, is kept up
as a fortress, defending the southern approach to Antwerp.
Mom (24,310 inhabitants), the capital of the province of Hainaut, is built upon
tlie slope of a hill. The fortifications which surround it have stifled its growth,
and whilst populous towns sprang up all around, Mons itself underwent but
few changes in the course of centuries. Like Charleroi, it is the centre of an
extensive coal-mining and manufacturing district, the principal industrial towns
near it being Jemappes (10,816 inhabitants), Quaregmti (12,138 inhabitants),
Wasmes - en - Borinage (11,714 inhabitants), Pdtnrages (10,232 inhabitants),
Frameries (9,950 inhabitants), and Dour (8,850 inhabitants). The coal-field of
Mons is the most productive of Belgium, and does not appear to have been opened
up before the fourteenth century, or nearly a hundred years later than that of
Liege. In the time of Louis XIV. the miners had penetrated to a depth of 230
feet, whilst of the 156 coal seams at present known about 80 are available and
furnish coal of various descriptions. Millions of tonst are annually exported on
the canal connecting Mons with Conde in France, branches of which communicate
with Tournay and the valley of the Dender.
The capital of Hainaut J is not of vulgar aspect, like the majority of mining
towns. Its venerable Gothic cathedral occupies the top of a hill, whilst the
• In 1877 161 sea-going vessels, of 22,467 tons burden, entered Brussels,
t In 1876 the coal-field of Hainaut yielded 10,698,000 tons.
I That is, district of the river Haine. Borinage is the name of the coal-field which extends from
Mona to the French frontier.
TOWNS.
417
belfry near it is supposed to stand on the site of a tower built by Julius Ceesar.
Mons has frequently been besieged, and several memorable battles have been
fought in its vicinity. One of them was named after the village of Malj)laquet,
though the contest of 1709 virtually took place 10 miles to the south of the Belgian
village, on French soil. At Jemappes, to the west of Mons, the French, com-
manded by Dumouriez, achieved a great victory in 1792.
The most important centres of population between Mons and Charleroi are
La Louriere (10,211 inhabitants) and the picturesque town of Binche (7,850
inhabitants), near which, in the castle of Estiimes, King Dagobert resided for a
considerable time. Other populous towns in the same part of the country are
Figf. 232. — Mons and the Borinaob.
Scale 1 : 110,000.
_L'30- E.of P
l'36'
3"50E.of O.
Anderlues (5,300 inhabitants), Morlaimelz (6,200 inhabitants), Caniiercs (5,500
inhabitants), Houdeiig-AimrrieH (5,650 inhabitants), and Hondeng-Oagnies (5,050
inhabitants). P^ruweh (7,950 inhabitants), a manufacturing town, lies on the other
side of Mons, towards Tournay, whilst Baudour (5,800 inhabitants) is situate in
the north-west, near the source of the Dender.
Touruay, or Doornick (32,145 inhabitants), is the most venerable city of
Belgium. Originally inhabited by Nervii, then occupied by the Romans, and
subsequently the capital of a Frankish kingdom, Tournay has at all times
enjoyed the advantages conferred by its position on the navigable Schelde, and
at the meeting-place of several important natural highways. Barges, for the
most part laden with coal, crowd its harbour. The cathedral is a Byzantine
418 BELGIUM.
structure of the twelfth century, with a Gothic choir of the fourteenth. It
is the most remarkable mediaeval building of Belgium, and amongst its
thousand columns there are not two alike, so inexhaustible has been the
fantasy of the masons employed upon it. The belfry dates back to the
eleventh century, and is the oldest in Belgium, and there still exist two private
houses equally old, a very rare feature in our European cities, which have
undergone so many vicissittxdes since the Middle Ages. The manufacture of
hosiery and carpets is carried on as of yore, most of the workmen being employed
at their own homes. The argillo-calcareous soil of the environs is favourable to
the cultivation of pears, and several new varieties of that delicious fruit have been
"created " in the district. The neighbouring hills furnish lime for export.
Audenarde, or Oudenaerde (5,575 inhabitants), also on the Schelde, between
Tournay and Ghent, has not maintained its rank amongst the towns of Flanders,
and is surpassed in population by its modern rival Rcnaix, or Mouse (14,080
inhabitants), in the undulating country to the south of it. But Audenarde
could not be robbed of the buildings which were witnesses of its ancient glory,
including a Gothic town-hall and two Byzantine churches. In the sixteenth
century between 12,000 and 14,000 persons were employed at Audenarde in the
manufacture of carpets. The town has sustained many sieges, and the flooded
lowlands which surround it have proved a better defence than its walls.
The Lys, before joining the Schelde in the city of Ghent, washes the quays of
several populous towns. It separates Comities into two parts, one French, the
other (3,480 inhabitants) Belgian. It then flows past Wervicq, or Werwick (6,950
inhabitants), the Roman Viroviacum, with its tobacco factories, conveniently
situated for French smugglers. Lower down it passes Menin, or Meenen (11,337
inhabitants), a town of warehouses and cotton-mills, famous two centuries ago
for its hundred breweries. Courtrai, or Kortryk (26,389 inhabitants), also on the
Lys, is the commercial centre of a considerable portion of Western Flanders. The
flax grown in the neighbourhood is of superior quality, and the linen and lace of
Courtrai are as highly valued now as they were in the Middle Ages. An ancient
and glorious city, Courtrai boasts of a town-hall, a belfry, and a Gothic church tf
the thirteenth century, with stained windows and a painting by Van Dyck. The
"Battle of the Spurs," in which the citizens of Ghent defeated the knights of
Philippe le Bel, was fought near the town.
The other towns of the district lie at some distance from the Lys, the banks of
which, as far as Ghent, are marshy. Momcron, or Mouscroen (9,850 inhabitants),
one amongst them, is to the south of Courtrai, near the French frontier. To the
west of the Lys are Ingelmunster (5,850 inhabitants), where tapestry is made,
Ilarleheke (5,650 inhabitants), Iseghem (8,900 inhabitants), Waercghon (7,100
inhabitants), Meukbeke (9,000 inhabitants), Rumhtke (5,900 inhabitants), Rou-
lers, or Rousselaer (16,133 inhabitants), Moorslede (6,400 inhabitants), Ardoye
(6,450 inhabitants), Thielt (10,209 inhabitants), Rinjsselede (6,650 inhabitants),
Somerghcm (5,650 inhabitants), and Acltre (6,900 inhabitants). These towns are
especially notable on account of the care with which the country in their vicinity
TOWNS.
419
is cultivated, tobacco and cereals being the principal crops raised. Cruyshautem
(5,700 inhabitants) is the most important town to the east of the Lys.
Gnnd, called Gcut by the Flemings, and Ghent in English (127,653 inha-
bitants), occupies one of those happy positions which always enable a town to
recover after every disaster by which it is overtaken. Situate at the point of
junction of the Schelde, Lys, Lieve, and Moere, it has naturally become the
emporium of the upper valleys of these rivers. The tide ascends the Schelde as far
as its quays, and the river, forming an elbow, approaches close to the sea before
sweeping round to the east. For centuries past the Ghenters have taken advantage
of this proximity to the sea, and a canal excavat<;d by them enabled their vessels
to proceed direct to foreign countries. Eoads, and recently railways, have still
Fig. 233.— Ghent (Gand).
Scale I : 150,000.
W.ot Pans
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Mariakrpkf^^ >
A,
/7
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rrflnrUennes /y^===^°*°N.
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X X^'''a
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further increased the means of communication. Ghent is the third city of Belgium
in population, but the first in industry. The number of its inhabitants is probably
not inferior now to what it was iu the time of its greatest power. The custom of
tolling a bell when the workmen left their shops, in order that peaceable citizens
might retire to their houses, is rather an evidence of the rough manners of the
period than a proof of Ghent having had at one time 80,000 men capable of bearing
arms. Old plans and documents prove very conclusively that Ghent was at no
time larger than it is now, and as to Charles V. telling Francis I. that " he could
put Paris in his glove {gant)," that was merely a play upon words. No one has
contributed more largely to the decadence of the city than that emperor, himself
a native of it.
420
BELGIUM.
Rivers and canals divide Gbent into twenty -four insular quarters, joined to each
other bv a hundred bridges. Its physiognomy is almost Dutch, but its historical
associations are its own. Its tall belfry, town-hall, Friday market, statue of
Jacob van Artevelde, and the massive old gate known as Porte Rabot, revive in
us the memories of times long past. Buildings of historical repute and the open
squares upon which the guilds held their popular meetings are likely to interest
the student of history, whilst the artist will hasten to the Gothic cathedral
of St. Bavon, to examine the paintings by Rubens, and the " Adoration of the
Lamb " by the brothers Van Eyck.
The capital of Flanders is still entitled to be called a seat of the arts, for its
Fir. 234.— Ghent: Porte Rabot.
academy is frequented by hundreds of pupils, and its museum contains valuable
treasures, mostly obtained from the monasteries suppressed during the French
Revolution. The oldest newspaper of Belgium, the Gazette ran Gent, established
in 1667, continues to be published. A Government university, affiliated with
which are engineering and technical schools, is attended by 550 students. The
public library, placed in a nave of the old conventual church of Bandeloo, is one
of the richest in Europe. Ghent contains the two largest bc(/iiiiia(/e-s of Bel-
gium, inhabited by unmarried women who have taken temporary vows. The
begumen, on first entering the community, live in common, but after they have
reached the age of tweuty-oight or thirty they are permitted the use of a separate
TOWNS. 421
dwelling. TLe larger of the two establishments, in the suburb of St. Amand, is
inhabited by 700 women. Candidates are only admitted if they have some private
means, and, as living in common is cheap, the begiiines are able to sell the lace and
other needlework done by them at a lower rate than independent workwomen. The
large prison of Ghent is likewise a huga manufactory, and the working classes of
the city, who frequently suffer from want, have some riglit to complain of the
unfair competition to which they are subjected by these establishments.
Ghent might have become a Belgian Manchester if it had had a Liverpool
nearer to it than Antwerp.* Efforts have been made, not without some success,
to place the town in communication with the Dutch port of Terneuzen. The old
canal has been deepened, and a vessel of 633 tons burden has before this succeeded
in reaching the docks of Ghent.t The town, besides being distinguished for its
commerce and industry, is foremost in the cultivation of ornamental plants. It
deserves the epithet of " City of Flowers," for its floral shows are admirable,
and a walk through its flower- market or greenhouses is a source of real plea-
sure.*
I^arge towns are numerous around Ghent and in the plains of the Schelde as far
as Antwerp. Ledeberg (9,100 inhabitants), to the south of Ghent, is hardly more
than a suburb of its great neighbour, and the same may be said of Mont St. Amand,
or Sint-AmandHberg (6,300 inhabitants), to the east. Eecloo (lU,318 inhabitants),
on the almost imperceptible height of land which separates the middle course of
the Schelde from the sea, is a smaU manufacturing town. Somerghem (5,650 inha-
bitants), Ecerg/iem (6,050 inhabitants), and Cakken (5,300 inhabitants) are the
centres of agricultural districts. Wetteren (10,415 inhabitants), on the right bank
of the Schelde, is known for its strong brown beer, or iii/zi-t. Lokeren (17,400
inhabitants), to the north of the Schelde, and its neighbours, Zek (12,578 inha-
bitants) and Moerbcke-lez-Lokeren (5,150 inhabitants), are important manufacturing
towns, with extensive bleaching grounds. Stekene (7,050 inhabitants), near
the Dutch frontier, is a commercial depot between the valley of the Schelde and
its port of Hulst in Zealand. Waesmuiister (5,850 inhabitants) is one of the most
wealthy towns of the fertile " land of Waes," the principal centre of population of
which is St. Nicolas (25,165 inhabitants). Bneren, in Waes (7,550 inhabitants),
manufactures luce. Boom (12,078 inhabitants), a town of brick-kilns, at the mouth
of the canal of "Willebroek into the Rupel, is the half-way station on the navigable
highway which connects Brussels with Antwerp. Hamme (10,778 inhabitant.'*),
to the south of St. Nicolas, manufactures lace and linen. Tamiae, or Temsche
(9,700 inhabitants), on the left bank of the Schelde, here spanned by its lowest
bridge, is of some importance as a place of traffic. Bornhem (5,050 inhabitants)
lies to the south-east of it. Rupclmonde (2,800 inhabitants), as its name implies,
lies at the mouth of the Rupel, and has Bascle (5,280 inhabitants) for its suburb.
• In 187.5 there were 480,000 spindles in cotton-mills, and 100,000 in flax-mills, the number of
factory hands being 1.5,000.
t In 1877 49.'{ vessels, of 1.58,060 tons burden, entered the port of Ghent
X The capital employed by the gardeners of Ghent amounts to £3,000,000 ; they hare over 400 green-
houses, and annually export flowers to the value of £40,000.
422
BELGIUM.
This town of brick-kilns was the birthplace of Gerhard Kremer, the famous geo-
grapher, better known as Mercator.
Antwerp, in ¥\em\%\i Ant tirrpeii, in 'Prenah Anrcm (150,650 inhabitants), is the
serond town of Belgium in population, the first for its maritime commerce, and the
only large fortress. It has existed now for at least twelve centuries, but its com-
mercial advantages were not originally what they- now are ; for it was only in
the fifteenth century that the Hont, or Eastern Schelde, became changed into a
navigable highway, thus converting an inland village into a muritime city. For
a long time afterwards, however, Antwerp remained a place of little note, for the
Fiif. 235. — Antwerp.
Scale 1 : 150,000.
v\zi
. 2 Miles.
Zwyn, which led up to Bruges into the most industrial part of Flanders, presented
greater facilities for commerce than the upper estuary of the Schelde. In 1444
only four merchants resided at Antwerp, and six small vessels sufficed for its
modest commerce. But in proportion as the Zwyn became silted up, so did
Antwerp increase in importance. In 1503 the Portuguese, who shortly before
had opened an ocean highway to India, establislied one of their factories at Ant-
werp, and other nations followed suit. About the middle of the sixteenth century
Antwerp had attained the height of its prosperity, and occasionally as many as a
hundred vessels availed themselves of a single tide to reach its port. " Excepting
TOWNS. 428
Paris," says Guicciardini, " there is no town beyond the Alps which can compare
with Antwerp in wealth and power." This prosperity, however, was but of short
duration, for wars, massacres, visitations of the plague, and the introduction of the
Inquisition rapidly destroyed it. In 1568 Antwerp had a population of more
than 100,000 souls, but a century later not half that number. ,The Dutch,
who had possession of the mouths of the Schelde, impeded its free navigation, and
in the treaty of Westphalia (1648) they secured a monopoly of it. Amsterdam
then inherited the commerce of Antwerp. Still the geographical position of the
Belgiau city, on a deep navigable river, is so favourable a one that its commerce
very quickly revived when political circumstances became more auspicious.
The city now has more inhabitants, carries on a more extensive commerce, and
is wealthier than at any previous epoch in its history ; and, unless natural
causes or a war with the Dutch should close up its great river highway, its
commerce is sure to increase with every year. The silting up of the Lower
Schelde, however, is going on at an increasing rate, and Belgian engineers have
actually pioposed to supersede the Schelde by an artificial navigation canal 25 feet
in depth, which, passing entirely through Belgian territory, would debouch upon
the roadstead of Heyst. If that work should ever be carried out, Ajitwerp would
once more be reduced from its high estate, and Bruges become the great commercial
emporium of Belgium.
The old city extends for a couple of miles along the right bank of the Schelde,
being bounded on the north by the docks, and on the south by a railway station,
occupying the site of the old citadel, only recently demolished. The ramparts
which formed the defence of Antwerp during the memorable sieges of 1814 and
1832 have been levelled and planted with trees. New quarters have sprung up
beyond them, covering a larger area than the ancient city, but wide open spaces
still extend to the new enceinte, which, in addition to Antwerp proper, engirdles
also the independent communes of Borgerhout (18,637 inhabitants) and Berchem
(8,450 inhabitants). Narrow winding streets still distinguish the old town, whilst
wide straight avenues and gardens preponderate in the new quarters. The public
promenades are amongst the most beautiful in Europe, and the zoological gardens
have acquired a well-merited celebrity. Antwerp is a city of monuments. A
monument has been raised in honour q£ the Belgii who fought so valiantly against
Julius Caesar, whilst statues of Rubens, Teniers, Van Dyck, and others ornament
the open places. Ortelius, the famous geographer and author of the " Theatrum
Mundi," has not yet been similarly honoured.
Fine public buildings are numerous. The exchange — rebuilt in its pristine
sumptuousness after the fire of 1869 ; the town-hall, with historical paintings by
Leys ; the halls of the ancient trade guilds ; and many of the churches are
deservedly held in high estimation. But the foremost position amongst the
buildings of Antwerp must be assigned to its cathedral, raised between the
fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, and beyond a doubt the most noble edifice of
that kind in all Belgium. Its marvellous spire rises to a height of 402 feet.
The nave is simple and overpowering in its proportions ; but the great attraction
424
BELGIUM.
Fig. 236. — The Cathedral op Antwerp.
of the interior lies in the wonderful paintings by Rubens which embellish it,
TOWNS. 425
most famous amongst which is a " Descent from the Cross." The ironwork of
the fountain in front of the west door was executed by the Antwerp blacksmith,
Quentin Matsys. The museum contains a most valuable collection of paintings,
for the most part by Flemish masters. Art is still honoured in the citj' of Rubens,
and the academy attached to the museum is frequented by 1,700 students.
As a place of commerce Antwerp has taken an extraordinary development
since the middle of the nineteenth century, and, next to Hamburg, it is now the
most important maritime city of continental Europe. Nine-tenths of the maritime
trade of Belgium pass through it, and a list enumerating the exports and imports
would be as lengthy as one detailing the trade of the whole country. The docks
cover an area of 99 acres, besides which the Schelde, bordered by fine quays, oilers
a secure roadstead to hundreds of vessels. Steamers place Antwerp in regular
communication with many ports of Europe and America, and yet, curiously
enough, that flourishing commercial port has hardly any vessels of its own.*
It is but rarely that a great fortress carries on a flourishing commerce, and if
Antwerp is an exception, this is solely due to its remarkably favourable position
for defence, as well as for the carrying on of maritime trade. The facility with
which the environs of the town can be inundated, the advantages presented by the
liower Schelde as a base of operations, and the numerous natural high-roads which
converge upon the town explain how military engineers came to select it as the
great central stronghold of all Belgium. Amongst the forts on the Schelde
below Antwerp, those of Marie and St. Philippe are the most interesting. They
were built in 1584 by the Duke of Parma, and the stockades and bridges which
ultimately separated the beleaguered citizens from their friends in Zealand rose
between them.
The We.ster\ Maritime Region. — Bruges, or Brugge (45,097 inhabitants),
the capital of West Flanders, had attained celebrity long before Ghent and
Antwerp, and its name figures in the most ancient Spanish portulanos in exist-
ence. At one time its port was crowded with vessels, and twenty nations main-
tained factories there. It was at Bruges that insurance societies were first
founded, and the institution of the Bourse was named after one of its citizens,
Van den Beursen, in front of whose house the merchants used to congregate to
discuss the state of the market. The first Bourse, or Exchange, however, was
built at Antwerp. Bruges was famous for its cloths and jewellery, no less than
for the beauty of its women : —
" Formosis Brugga puellis gaudet."
The old paintings by Memling convey some notion of the luxury in dress
which the citizens of Bruges permitted themselves when in the height of their
prosperity.
• Commerce of Antwerp, 1876 : —
By Land and Canal. By Sea.
Imports £3,3U8,4H0 £3fi,91o,J80
Exports £3,163,200 £10,162,680
Transit .... . £7,288,400
38 sea-going vessels, of 39,37a tons, belonged to the port.
102
426
BELGIUM.
The rivalries between Bruges and Ghent, foreign and civil wars, and tlie
destruction of the local liberties by the Dukes of Burgundy sufficiently account
for the decay of the town ; but it might have recovered from these disasters,
had not nature been against her by filling up the old estuary of the Zvvya. It is
true the ancient river highway has been replaced by a navigable canal which
joins Bruges to Ostend, and enables vessels of a draught of 14 feet 6 inches to reach
its docks ; but what are the commercial advantages of this canal when compared
with those offered by the Schelde to the merchants of Antwerp ? Bruges no
longer fills the space enclosed by its old ramparts, now converted into pro-
Fig. 237. — Bruges and the Old Zwyn.
Scnle 1 : 225,000.
E.of Or Is'lo
13' 20
. 2 MUes.
menaJes, and the number of its inhabitants is diminishing.* Worse still, in no
other town of Belgium is pauperism more widespread. Lace-making, which
employs most of the poor, is far from being remunerative. Walking through
the silent streets of the old city, we might fancy ourselves in a museum. Nearly
all the remarkable buildings lie within a narrow compass, towards the centre of
the city : the belfry ; the cathedral ; the church of Our Lady, with Michael
Angelo's statue of the Virgin and the sumptuous tomb of Mary of Burgundy ;
the chapel of St. Sang, much frequented by pilgrims ; the town-hall ; and the
hospital of St. John, with paintings by Memling. It was at Bruges that Caxton
• Inhabitants:— 1846, 49,803; 1866,47,205; 1876,45,097.
TOWNS.
im
brought out his " Recuyell of the Historyes of Troy," the first book printed in
the English language. Statues have been erected to several famous natives of
the town. One of them was Simon Stevin, the mathematician (born 1548).
Milne-Edwards and De Potter are likewise natives of Bruges.
Damme, the old port of Bruges, has dwindled down into a village, with a
belfry and town-hall to remind us of the past. Sluis, or h'Ecluse, a Dutch town
near the mouth of the Zwyn, where that river is joined by a brook flowing past
Fig. 238.— OsTEND.
Scale 1 : 60,000.
E.of P
(o:3e
E.ofG.
liTw
e. 55
1 Mile.
the agricultural town of Maldeghem (8,500 inhabitants), has fared no better. The
actual port of Flanders is Odend (16,823 inhabitants"), on the open sea, a town
rendered famous by a three- years' siege sustained against the Spaniards in the
beginning of the seventeenth century. Ostend is the second port of Belgium, most of
its trade being carried on with England and in English bottoms. The recent competi-
tion of Flushing has injuriously affected the passenger traffic of the Flemish city.*
• Import* (1876), £695,406 ; exporta to England, £648,860. Passengers (1875), 36,741 ; (1876), 24,276.
428 BELGIUM.
The fisheries, too, yield less frorr year to year. In 1876 they employed 139 sloops,
for the most part the property of the shipwrights, sail-makers, chandlers, and
others engaged iu their construction and equipment. There are oyster and
lobster parks ; the breeding of rabbits is carried on upon a large scale ; but a far
better source of income are the 15,000 or 20,000 strangers who annually visit
Ostend for the sake of its sea baths. Biankenberyhe (2,150 inhabitants) and Heyst
(5,740 inhabitants) to some extent compete with Ostend in the entertainment of
these welcome guests.
Ypres, or Yperen (15,515 inhabitants) , Is the principal town in the small basin
of the Yser. In the fourteenth century Ypres is said to have numbered 200,000
inhabitants, and although this may be an exaggeration, an ancient cloth hall, the
most extensive building of that kind in Belgium, eloquently proclaims its bygone
glories. Ypres, like most decayed towns of Flanders, carries on the manu-
facture of lace. Jansen, the founder of the Jansenists, lies buried in the Gothic
cathedral.
Poperinghe (11,300 inhabitants), near the French frontier, is a lively town
surrounded by hop gardens. Oostcamp (5,500 inhabitants), Thourout (8,700
inhabitants), Winghene (8,100 inhabitants), Lnngemark (6,700 inhabitants), Staden
(5,150 inhabitants), Swevr-zeele (5,000 inhabitants), and Lichtervelde (6,500 inhabit-
ants) are the centres of agricultural districts ; but, upon the whole, this corner of
Belgium may be described as " a region of dead cities and swamp fevers." The
castle of Wyiiendaele, where Crestien of Troyes wrote most of his poems, has fallen
from its high estate, and is used as a manufactory. Dixmiide, or Bixmiii/deii
(3,900 inhabitants), probably an old seaport, but now far inland, on the Yser,
is a pretty little place, with a fine Gothic church. Fumes, or Veurne (4,440
inhabitants), is hardly more than a large village. The country around is noted for
its fertility, and the fat meadow lands of Veurne- Am bacht support large herds
of cattle and horses. Nieuport (2,900 inhabitants), now that its fortifications have
been razed, might be expected to grow into importance as a maritime town, for it
lies near the mouth of a navigable river, and canals and railways converge upon it.
For the present, however, there are no signs of a revival. What Nieuport wants
is a canal placing it in direct communication with the coal-field of Hainaut.
Such a canal was proposed by Vauban, but has not yet been constructed. It
would immensely facilitate communication in South-western Belgium, for barges
proceeding from Mons to Ypres are obliged now to travel by way of Ghent, and
a voyage which might be accomplished in a fortnight usually takes between two
and five months.
CHAPTER IV.
STATISTICS OF BELGIUM.
Population.
EVERAL Belgian towns have lost in population in the course of the
last three centuries, and the Ardennes are able to support only few
inhabitants ; yet amongst the states of Europe Belgium is the most
thickly peopled. If the whole globe were inhabited as densely, its
population would number 25 milliards, or about seventeen times
more individuals than now.
Taking the number of men capable of bearing arms as a base for our computa-
tion, it will be found that the territory which has now become Belgium contained
nearly 500,000 inhabitants when Caesar invaded it and reduced it to a howling
wilderness. Since that time there have been many oscillations, brought about by
war, famine, and pestilence. Ever since the creation of the existing kingdom the
population has been increasing, except in the year 1847, when typhus carried off
thousands in Flanders, and the deaths throughout the kingdom exceeded the
births. The increase of population is due almost entirely to an excess of births
over deaths, for the number of foreigners residing in the country is small.* The
struggle for existence is a sore one in the towns, and foreigners do not care to
participate in it. Rather does it happen that Belgians go abroad to improve their
condition. Upon the whole, however, they are a sedentary people, and more than
a third of them die in the parish in which they were born.t This is all the more
curious as the towns exercise the same attraction upon the rural population of
Belgium as in other countries. Even now the towns contain about a fourth of
the total population, and they increase at a rapid rate, whilst the purely agricul-
turdl districts are stationary, or even retrograde.J
The hygienic conditions are favourable to life in Belgium, the mean age
attained being forty or forty-one years, whilst individuals who survive the
• In 1866 there were 58,617 (32,021 French, 20,701 Germans, and 3,003 English).
♦ Belgians bom in the parish in which they resided:— 1856, 69 1 per cunt. ; 1866, 69-4 per cent.
j Increaae, 1840 — 75 : — Charleroi (coal mines), 149 per cent. ; Brussels, 86 per cent. ; Liege, 68 per
cent. ; Verviers, 60 per cent. ; Mons, 5u per cent.
430
BELGIUM.
first five years live beyond fifty. The rate of births is 30 to every 1,000
of the population ; the death-rate only 22. These proportions, however, vary
much in different localities, the rural and hilly districts being by far the
most salubrious.* A map coloured to show the mortality throughout the
country would bear a great resemblance to a hypsographical map, and the plains,
being least salubrious, would present a striking contrast to the hilly country
almost exclusively inhabited by Wallons. In Flanders, where the population
Fig. 239. — COMPAKATIVB INCREASE OF THE ToTAL POPULATION, THE WaLLONS, AND THE FLEMINGS.
Inh
abitants
•hOOO 000
lyftoaoo
^boaooo
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5i>ooooo
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2 boo ood
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.l&OQOOO
IO00.0OD
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^
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^
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sill
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S CO S
is densest, people die faster and the increase is slower than in other parts. All
the statistics collected in hospitals and elsewhere prove the inferior vitality of
the Flemings as compared with the "Wallons. Consumption, which carries oif
nearly a fifth of the Belgians, is more especially ramp.int amongst the Flemings,
■who suffer likewise disproportionally from rickets, cancer, mental and other
» Death rate in towns, 27-o, in rural districts 22-3 per 1,000 inhabitants; in West Flanders, 2-3;
in the province of Namur, only 18 per 1,000.
STATISTICS OF BELGIUM.
481
diseases, and furnish a smaller contingent to the army than the Wallons. Is this
contrast due to differences of climate, or to qualities inherent in the two races ?
M. Meynne ascribes it to the poverty of the working population, whilst M. Van-
kinderen traces it to " historical and moral causes," Flemish Belgium having
suffered most from the effects of foreign rule.
Whatever the cause, the increase of its agricultural produce enables Belgium
to provide for its ever-growing population. True the vast majority of the
Pig. 240.— IscBEASF, OF Population, 1840 — 76.
Scale t : 2,j60.n00.
E.ofP
NORTH SI A
.-rrrr/ ..t-':, ><,^v /y
s. ,s/jv,.p.ii. :
E.ofGr. 3-
□ n o o ■>
VmUrlopi lOlusitpX tOluMSX saiotopt Oitr io /iji
26 Uilt».
inhabitants are steeped in poverty,* but it is nevertheless surprising that so vast
a multitude, crowded within such narrow bounds, should manage to live at all.
Agriculture.
No country is more carefully cultivated than Belgium. Its great agricultural
regions coincide in a remarkable manner with its geological ones. In the
Ardennes, where the formations are most ancient, agriculture is carried on in the
• In 18.53 10 ppr cent, of all families lived in easy circumstances ; 42 per cent were moderately well
off, thdiiph frequently embarraaaed ; whiUt 48 per cent, were poor, one-half of them living in absolute
want. (M. Meynne.)
432 BELGIUM.
most primitive fashion. More than a fourth of the area there is still covered with
furze and shrubs. In many localities, not yet subdivided into fields, the peasants
burn the grass, and sow their seed in the ashes. These plots are only sown once
every ten, twelve, or fifteen years, whilst fields in the neighbourhood produce
crops three years in succession, after which they are allowed to lie fallow. In
many parts the land is still held in common, and the cattle of all the inhabitants
graze in one herd. In Condroz, a district less elevated and of more recent
formation, the land has become individual property, and barren tracts are rare,
but one-third of the soil annually remains uncultivated. The bottom-lands of
Hesbaue, at the foot of the hills, on the other hand, are allowed no rest whatever.
They are carefully drained, and a regular rotation of crops is observed. Finally,
there is the region of sands, which covers more than half of Belgium. It still
includes extensive heaths and forests, more especially in the Campine, but upon
the whole it is the best-tilled portion of the country. Flanders, now the wealthiest
province of Belgium, has been most niggardly dealt with by nature as respects its
soil. It is, in fact, a continuation of that barren region, the Campine, and of the wide
tract of sand which beyond the Rhine forms the Geest of Hanover and the Heath
of Liineburg. And yet we speak of the " fat land " of Flanders and its " fields of
plenty." But Flanders deserves these epithets, for the labour of man has enriched
the originally poor soil, and rendered it productive. Flanders astonishes us by
the variety and abundance of its productions. Such results, however, are not
achieved without considerable labour and outlay. The Flemish peasants spend
annually between 25s. and 35s. an acre in manure, which is far above what is
expended in England or Lombardy. The Flemish system of cultivation is
gradually encroaching upon the Campine. Pines are planted first, then the
woodmen grub up a plot of untilled soil, and introduce a few annuals. In
the middle of the century an acre of heath land could be purchased for 4s.,
whilst now its value is tenfold. The uncultivated tracts of Belgium are
extensive, no doubt, but about 7,400,000 acres yield two harvests * a year,
and the annual value of the agricultural produce amounts to at least £600,000,000.
Land is rapidly increasing in value, and whilst the average cost of an acre
was £52 in 1856, it was £68 in 1866, and prices since then have risen con-
siderably, f
The variety of agricultural produce is very great ; still each region devotes
itself more or less to some special crop suited to its soil. The Polders produce
hay and barley ; Flanders and the Campine rye ; Hesbaye wheat. In the hilly
district of Condroz spelt is grown, in the Ardennes oats and rye, whilst in the
well- sheltered basin of the Semoy, in the south-east, wheat and fruits are the
principal produce.
Industrial plants, including beet-roots, flax, colza, and tobacco, are grown
• Distribution of the soil of Belgium per cent. : — Corn, 36-3 ; vegetables, 1-4 ; industrial pl,ints, 4-3
roots and fodder, 14-2; meadows and orchards, 137; market gardens, 1-4; woods and plantations, lU-8;
fallow, 2-0 ; heath, shrubs, &c., 9-9.
+ Average value of an acre (1866) :-In the region of loamy bottom-lands, £89 12s. ; in Flanders,
£82 8s. ; in the Ardennes, £23. The annual rent varied between 17s. and 41s.
STATISTICS OF BELGIUM. 488
extensively. As to the vineyards in the valley of the Meuse, around Liege, Huy, and
Dinant, they yield but an indifferent wine.
Horticulture and market gardening are carried on with great success, being
stimulated by the demands of numerous populous towns. "Brussels sprouts"
enjoy a high reputation amongst vegetables, and much fruit is annually exported
to London. As early as the sixteenth century the Flemings were celebrated for
their love of flowers. They founded societies to promote the cultivation and pro-
duction of rare varieties, and instituted flower shows. Horticultural societies are
still numerous, and every large town has its greenhouses and hothouses, in which
exotic and other plants are cultivated. The greenhouses of one of the most
successful horticulturists contain 1,200 species of orchids, and to obtain these he
travelled for several years in tropical America, and sent botanists into various
quarters of the globe. The gardeners of Belgium, besides supplying the home
demand, which is very brisk, export plants into nearly every country of the world.
The subdivision of the soil is carried to a considerable length, at all events in
the plain, and, as a rule, the smaller the plot, the greater the yield. In Eastern
Flanders, on property hardly exceeding 2 acres in extent,* the land yields
nearly thrice the quantity of food a similar area does in England. Of agricul-
tural machinery there is hardly any, the spade being the great implement of
husbandry. In those parts of the kingdom in which the soil is best tilled its
cultivators earn least. The agricultural population, as a rule, live upon rye or
mangcorn bread, potatoes, a few vegetables, skimmed milk, and coffee with chicory.
Meat and beer are reserved for holidays. In the Ardennes, where higher wages
are paid, the living is far better, although the soil is less productive.f
The number of horses is larger than would be expected in a country where
spade husbandry is so universal, but these draught animals are indispensable for
carrying the agricultural produce to market, and in the home trade generallj'.
The heavy Flemish horses are highly esteemed, and in the Middle Ages, when
cumbrous annour was still worn, it was Flanders which furnished the European
chivalry with chargers. The small wiry horses of the Ardennes are renowned
for their endurance, and none supported the horrors of the retreat from Moscow
better than they did.
The number of asses and mules is small, but horned cattle play an important
part in the rural economy of Belgium, grazing in thousands upon the fat meadows
and hillside pastures of the country. The breeds are various, and whilst in the
Ardennes there are cows weighing, when alive, hardly 330 lbs., others in the
plains have four times that weight. Oxen are rarely employed as beasts of
draught. The district of Ilerve, an uneven plateau extending from the Vesdre to
the Meuse, is more especially noted for its dairy- farming and orchards. Its butter
and cheese are as highly esteemed as similar productions of the Campine.
The number of sheep decreases in proportion as the enclosure of pastures
• Number of landed proprietors (1876), 1,131,112; average extent of each property, 64 acres.
(F. dc Laveleyc, " Patria Belgica.")
+ Average wages of agricultural labourers (1875) :— In Flanders, lid. to Is. 4d. a day ; Hesbaye,
Is. 6d. ; Ardennes, 2s. to '2s. 6d.
434 BELGIUM.
progresses. Belgium, at the same time, has never had a reputation for its wool.
Whilst the minute subdivision of the soil has proved a hindrance to the extension
of sheep-breeding, it has led to a very considerable increa.se in the number of
goats, the domestic animal of the poor man. Pigs are likewise numerous, and
within the last fifty years the breeds have been much improved. The Flemings
also breed rabbits and poultry. The beehives have recently decreased, owing to
large portions of the heaths of the Ardennes and the Campine having been
enclosed, but the value of wax and honey still amounts to £80,000 a year.*
Mining and Industry.
Belgium, from a very early epoch, has been one of the great industrial
countries of Europe. Its manufactories enjoy the advantage of having unlimited
supplies of coal within reach of them. The environs of Liege, Charleroi, and
Mons are richest in this subterranean treasure.f About one-fourth of the coal
raised is exported to France. In prosperous years the coal mines yield a revenue
of £13,600,000, but it happens from time to time that the labouring population
agglomerated around them suffer from want of bread. Coal mining, moreover, as
practised in Belgium, exercises a demoralising influence on the population. As
recently as 1877 one-fourth of the miners and others employed in the pit were
boys and girls, many of them not yet ten years of age, whilst amongst the hands
working aboveground one-fourth consisted of women and children. A law, which
came into force on the 1st of August, 1878, determines that children under twelve
years of age must not be employed underground, but this law does not apply to
children already in that deplorable position. The distress at present prevailing
amongst the Belgian coal miners is partly caused by the vicinity of the German
coal basins, which are more easily worked.
The soil of Belgium, in addition to coal, yields porphyry and marble, slate,
phosphates, potters' clay, iron pyrites used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid,
and zinc (at Moresnet, close to the German frontier) ; but by far more important
than either of these is its iron. The Belgian iron mines, unfortunately, are
nearly exhausted, and their produce decreases from year to year.*
The use of charcoal has almost disappeared from Belgium in the manufacture
of iron and steel, which is carried on extensively, but suffers perhaps more than
• Live stock (1866) :— 283,163 horses, 1,242,445 head of horned cattle, .586,097 sheep, 197,138 goixts,
632,301 pigs, 878,000 rabbits, 4,410,000 bam fowls.
M. Leyder (1873) estimates the annual produce of cattle-breeding, &c., as follows ; — Beef and veal,
100,400,000 lbs. ; pork, 55,500,000 lbs. ; cows' milk, 297,000,000 gallons ; goats' milk, 9,900,000 gallons;
wool, 2,650,000 lbs.
t Coal produced in 1874 :— Hainaut, 10,698,000 tons ; Li^ge, 3,531,000 tons ; all Belgium, 14,669,000
tons.
i In 1865 1,018,231 tons of iron ore were raised; in 1873, 503,565 tons ; in 1876, only 269,206 tons.
In 1876 138,434 "hands" worked in mines and quarries (108,543 in coal mines. 2.'),643 in quarries,
4,248 in metallic mines). They raised 14,329,578 tons of coal (£7,764,720), '^09,206 tons of iron ore
(£98,280), 23,588 tons of iron pyi-ites (£22,600, 37,713 tons of calamine and blende (£102,200), 12,422 tons
of galena (£68,080), stones, kc, valued at £1,546,800. In 1877 101,343 hands were employed in coal
mines, 4,245 in metallic mines.
STATISTICS OF BELGIUM.
485
any other branch of industry in seasons of commercial distress.* The same may
be said of the manufacture of machinery and of arms, principally carried on
at Liege; of that of glass, concentrated around Charleroi.t Belgium annually
exports glass into every country of the world. Far more settled than either
of the above industries is the manufacture of zinc, which increases from year to
year.J
The textile industries are flourishing. True the silks no longer enjoy the
reputation which made Antwerp famous in the sixteenth century, and the carpets
of Ingelmunster and Malines are not as highly esteemed as were those of Aude-
narde ; but the extension in the manufacture of linen, cotton stuffs, and woollen
Fig. 241. — Pkoduction of Coal in Belgium, 1845 — 75.
According to J. Reuleaux.
Tons
jE.St.
le-ooo.ooo
A
13.200.000
l->000 000
11.200,000
1 ..WO. 000
/TSy
14.000,000
ijjno.oorj
tS.0W>.00i>
Ll .000.000
UM»0,000
tJim.900
•jmo.ooo
ijm.ocn
1 OOt'.O*.
/ /
f. y^
/ %
y
"V\. /
\
/
/
t.300000
H 000,000
T.200.000
S.WCOOO
&.«oooor
4.900000
4.000.000
».2D0.0On
2.400.000
1 BOO 00(1
900 000
y
-^
/
4/
t
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y
t
/
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,>>
/
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'•*•.,
,»
■•*
84 S 1850 1855 1860 1885 1870 18
75
KrhBid
cloths has been very considerable since Belgium has formed an independent state.
Ten times more wool is annually consumed in the cloth-mills than was the case
thirty years ago, and Verviers has become a formidable rival of Elbeuf and
Sedan.§ The cotton industry is of importance, but only furnishes goods of
• In 1873 there were 64, in 1876 only 31 blast furnaces, torning out, in the former year. 607,373, in
the latter 490,508 Ions of iron. In 1876 there were produced 80,769 tons of cast iron, and 416,214 tons
of nianufuctured iron, inclusive of 47,200 tons of steel. In 1875 the iron works, &c., employed 40,615
hands ; in IS77 only 37,019,
t In 187;), 72 glass works, producing articles valued at £1,848,000; in 1876, 76 glass works, value
of produce £1,575.200.
; In 18.50,22,246 tons; 1860,46,467 tf-ns ; 1870, 66,000 tons; 1873, 62,871 tons; 1876, 70,369
tons (f 1,605,000).
§ In 1840, 2,913 tons; in 1874, 61,064 tons (value, £4,600,000).
43G BELGIUM.
inferior quality. The linen manufacture was threatened with extinction some years
ago, but was saved through the substitution of machinery for hand labour. To
Belgium this was a vital question, for that branch of industry employed over
350,000 hands, most of them in Flanders. Hand-looms and spinning-wheels have
now almost disappeared, being used only for domestic fabrics and for the thread
required by the lace-makers*
Lace-making has been carried on in Belgium since the fourteenth century. It
employs about 150,000 women, and lace of every description and colour is turned
out annually to the value of £4,000,000. The price paid for this kind of labour
is barely sufficient to defray the cost of living, and no class has physically
deteriorated in a more marked manner than the poor girls employed in the produc-
tion of these delicate fabrics.
Straw plaiting, a cottage industry, on the other hand, adds to the wealth of
the districts in which it is carried on. The cretaceous soil of the valley of the
Jekker, or Jaer, near Maastricht, is credited with bleaching the straw and render-
ino- it supple, and the plaiting made there is almost as highly esteemed as that
of Italy, t
The manufacture of sugar and biscuits, the brewing of beer, and the distilling
of spirits are carried on for the most part in huge establishments. Some idea of
the extension of Belgian manufacturing industries may be obtained by considering
the increase in the number and horse-power of steam-engines. In 1800 there were
only 27, in 1838 1,044, in 1876 12,638 engines, these latter representing 540,000
horse-power, or the manual labour of 13,000,000 men. But whilst the machines
are at work, the men, too frequently, are condemned to involuntary idleness.
Every commercial crisis results in the impoverishment of thousands of labourers,
and their consequent physical deterioration. The great poverty of the people may
be judged of by the fact that the estimated rental of half the dwelling-houses
throughout the country is under 338. a year, and 782 out of every 1,000 consist
only of a ground-floor.
Commerce.
The commerce of Belgium has increased in the same proportions as its manu-
facturing industries. The cities of that country have ever been the seats of a
flourishing commerce. As early as the days of the Roman Empire the Menapians,
living in what is now Belgium and Rhenish Prussia, supplied Itiily with linen,
geese, and hams. Great, too, was the prosperity of the Flemish cities during
the centuries which preceded the religious wars. But even the most prosperous
of those bygone ages sink into insignificance when compared with the present
times. The trade of no other country in Europe has increased as rapidly as
that of Belgium since it acquired its independence. This trade exceeds that
• Tn 1873 ih're wero 1.020,000 spindles in Belgium, iniluding 800,000 for eotlon.
t V'alfie of straw plaiting made iu the district of the Jaer, £260,000 annually. (E. de Lareleye.)
STATISTICS OF BELGIUM.
437
of a vast empire like Austria-Hungary, and is surpassed only by the commerce
of England, France, and Germany.*
The commercial relations with France are more extensive than those with any
other country ; nor need this cause surprise, as the two countries not only bound
each other for a long distance, but all the Belgian railways converge upon Paris.
If we take into account the transit trade, Germany ranks only very little behind
Fig. 242. — CoMFARATITB InCBEASE OP PoPDLATION AND CoMMEItCE IN BELGIUM.
K(p«rt« M InporU
In
lahltnnti
SbbOOOOOO
IM.000 000
1« 'rOO.O*
lOOOOOOOO
80 000 000
aooooono
<o.4miuo
20.000 000
^
6.000 000
4.600 000
4.000 000
3500 030
xoooooo
2.500 OOO
2 000 0CO
^
"^"'^^
^^
0.^^
t\Oft^.^»'
f
wg^
/
/
^'
/
^
/
/
/
/
/
*t X
/
/
f^
^/
y
1 000 000
sno.oou
f
X
/^
^
y^
^
^
\
\
5
1
c
> 10
1850
1855
1860
\
\ \
i
France, for a considerable portion of the German trade with England is carried
on through Belgium. Yarns and textile fabrics constitute the principal part of
the exports, together with coal, iron, machinery, glass, and building stones, whilst
Annual average, 1856—60 .
„ 1860—65 .
„ 1866—70 .
„ 1S71-75.
1876.
Total.
£36,748,000
45,316,000
63,976,000
94.092,000
98,416,000
Imports.
For Home
Consumption.
£18,-J32,000
26,648,000
33,692,000
62,616,000
67,920,000
£xporl8.
Total.
i,M3,462,000
41,168,1)00
56.344,000
80,408,000
83,336,000
Home
Produce.
£16,396,000
21,492,000
26,232,000
42,016,000
42,662,000
488
BELGIUM.
amongst the imports there figure large quantities of corn, Belgium no longer
being able to supijly the whole of its population with food.
About two-thirds of the commerce are carried on across the land frontiers,
one-third by sea, and nearly all through Antwerp, one of the most important
ports of Central Europe. Belgian vessels, however, participate only to a small
extent in this maritime carrying trade,* England having secured more than
two-thirds of it. The Flemings were formerly the instructors of the Dutch in
Fig. 243. — Canals and Navioahle Riveks op Belgium.
Scale 1 : 2,200,000.
■ ^avignble rivfrs ^- canaU
25 Miles.
seamanship, but have hardly any ships of their own now. This is undoubtedly
due to fiscal mismanagement, for Belgium possesses all the materials requisite for
the construction of ships. The Belgian marine has only slightly increased in the
course of the last twenty years. Nor is the fleet of fishing- smacks very consider-
able, for the herring fisheries have been abandoned since 1863 as unprofitable,
• In 1877 6,175 vessels, of 2,673,615 tons, entered, 16-6 per cent, of the tonnage being under the
Belgian flag.
STATISTICS OF BELGIUM. 439
and now only about 4,500,000 lbs. of fish are annually caught, much of which is
cod.*
The home trade has never been displayed in a statistical return, but some
idea of its development may be formed if we look at the extent and variety of the
means of internal communication. Merchandise deposited upon the quays of
Antwerp or Ostend is transferred to barges, which convey it to Bruges or Courtrai,
Tournay or Mons, Brussels or Charleroi, Hasselt or Liege. The traffic on rivers
and canals is far more considerable than that on the railways, amounting to
488,000 tons to every mile of navigable highway. The canals, however, do
not yet furnish all the convenience to commerce which they might. Most of
them are available for barges drawing about 6 feet, but there are many only
3 feet in depth, or even less. Additional canals are urgently needed in several
localities, t
As to carriage roads and railways, Belgium is better provided with them than
any other country. Except perhaps in the Ardennes, there is not a town or vil-
lage inaccessible by a national, provincial, or vicinal high-road. J Some of the
old Roman roads have been utilized in the construction of modern highways,
including the two causeways of Brunehaut, which connected the septemvium of
Bavai with the Mouse and the Lower Schelde.
To the west of the Meuse the railways are more especially numerous, and
the traffic most brisk. The whole of the Belgian rolling stock would make up a
train stretching from Ostend to Cologne, a distance of 202 miles. The State owns
or manages more than half the railways, and the fares charged are less than in any
other country of Europe, a feature which wonderfully increases the number of
travellers who avail themselves of the facilities they offer. § On the other hand,
the correspondence carried on by post is less than in neighboring countries, owing,
no doubt, to the low state of education, but it is increasing rapidly. |
Education.
"We might imagine that Brussels, which forms the centre of that portion of
Europe which includes France, England, and Germany, would act as the intel-
lectual intermediary between these countries. Such, however, is not the case, the
literary and scientific achievements of Belgium being far less than its industry and
commerce would lead us to expect. Until quite recently the number of schools
was very small. Forty years ago only about half the inhabitants were able
• Commercial mnrine in 1846: 143 vesseU of 27,176 tons; in 1876, 48 vessels of 44,980 tons.
Fishinjf boats in 1R46, 210 of 5,968 tons; in 1S76. 2.i9 of 8.621 tons.
t Navigable highways (1874) :— Rivers, 427 miles; canals, 659 miles.
t In 1875 the high-roads had a length of 4,76.3 miles.
§ Railwxys (1877), 2,230 miles. Up to 1875 they cost £38,784,000, or £18,160 a mile. Rolling
stock, 1,100 Ir.omotive*, 3,400 passenger waggons, 36,000 trucks. Passengers, on main lines only,
61,486,229; goods traffic, 26,314,678 tons.
II I,elters:-1860, 23,960,846; 1876, 61,846,676. Newspapers:— 1860, 26,358,020 ; 1876, 68,969,000.
Book parcels: — 1860, 6,668,452; 1876,31,7^5,000. Telegrams ;— 1860, 175,415 ; 1876,2,910,687.
440
BELGIUM.
to read and write. The proportion is more favourable now,* and every village has
its school ; but the standard of education is very low, whether the scliools are
conducted by laymen or congregationalists, and many children pass through
them without even learning to read fluently. Including adults, only about the
eighth part of the total population attends school8,t instead of the sixth, as in
Wiirttemberg and other parts of Germany. The Flemings lag far behind the
Wallons in education, but since they have more or less emancipated themselves
from the yoke of the priests, formerly all-powerful amongst them, their schools have
been increasing in efficiency .+
Fig. 244. — Railway Map of Belgium.
Scale 1 : 2,220,000.
,1' E.of P
3- E.ofG
. 25 Miles.
Intermediate education is carried on in 169 establishments, the number of
pupils in the schools conducted by priests being larger than in those of tlie State
or of private adventurers.
• In 1840 66-17 per cent, of the recruits were able to read and write ; in 1876, 76'17 per cent.
t E'iucational statistics for 187.i :— Primary schools, 5,856, with 10,750 teachers, 669,192 pupils
(included in th-s nuniher are 2,615 schools for adults, with 204,673 pupils). Intermediale schools, 169,
with about 38,000 pui>ils. Univirsitics, 4, with 2,627 students (1,179 iit Louvain). Art and drawing
schools, 79, with 12,189 pupils. Gonservalories of music, 2, with 1,2-il pupils; 71 music aud singing
schools, with 6 955 pu]>il8.
i Soldiers unable to read :— 30 per cent, of the Wallons, 57 per cent, of the Flemings.
STATISTICS OF BELGIUM. 441
The spirit of association, which is very powerful amongst the Flemings,
might be turned to good account in educational matters, and has already done
much towards the moral and intellectual improvement of the country. Numerous
classes for adults have been established, and in some of the towns of Flanders
they are attended by a tenth of the population. These classes, however, do not
strictly confine themselves to educational matters. Every inhabitant of a town or
liirge village is a member of one or more associations, founded for the pursuit of
pleasure, business, science, or politics. These societies no longer wield the power
they did during the Middle Ages, when they formed a state within the State, but,
on the other hand, they leave their members more unfettered. Musical societies
are more especially numerous, and so are gymnastic and pigeon clubs.
When fetes or kermesses are in prospective, the workmen and workwomen of the
manufacturing towns of Flanders form small clubs often or twenty couples, whose
amusements are directed by a captain, or master of ceremonies. The savings of
months, nay, of years, are sometimes expended on such occasions in a single day.
Yet clubs of the same kind, and equally numerous, are formed whenever an
opportunity arises. In no other country are taverns, dancing saloons, and cafes so
much frequented as in Belgium. Brussels alone has nearly 9,000 bouses where
drink is sold — that is, one to about every forty inhabitants ; and as the innkeepers
nearly all have votes, they exercise a very powerful political influence. An
average drinker will spend about £7 annually in beer, and if to this we add his
outlay for drams and tobacco, he expends about £14 outside his home — a very large
amount where wages are low. The Belgians are the greatest smokers in Europe,
surpassing by far even Germans and Dutchmen.*
* Annual consumption of tobacco per hend of the popnlation : — Belgium, 5'5 Iba. ; Netherlands
4'4 Ibe. ; Oeroiany, 2-2 lbs. ; France, 1-8 lbs. ; England, 1-4 lbs.
103
CHAPTER V.
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
N its political institutions Belgium resembles tlie other Purliumentary
monarchies of continental Europe. Its citizens are grouped in
communes and provinces, having their separate bodies of electors,
whilst the State is governed by a legislative body elected by the
people, and an executive represented by the King.
There are 2,575 communes, or parishes, divided amongst nine provinces. On
an average each of these communes has 2,100 inhabitants, but in 1876 there were
more than 2,450 which had less than 500 inhabitants each, and an area not
larger than a square mile. As a curiosity in its way, we may mention the
commune of Zoetenaey, in "West Flanders, not far from the French frontier, which
has only 21 inhabitants. The majority of these communes are evidently too
small to govern themselves, and notwithstanding all constitutional guarantees,
they virtually depend upon the central Government.
Each commune has a municipal council of from 7 to 31 members, according
(o its population. These councils attend to strictly local affairs, but are not
permitted to discuss more general questions, except by special authority of
Government. Their sphere of action is somewhat more extensive than that
permitted to French communes. On the other hand, the burgomaster in Belgium
cannot be looked upon as representing the commune before the Government, any
more than the four or five aldermen, who form a court of their own, for they are all
appointed by the King. The aldermen are always chosen amongst the municipal
councillors, but any elector may be appointed burgomaster.
The provinces are similarlj^ organized. The provincial councillors, elected by
their fellow-citizens, discuss and decide in provincial questions, and are hedged in
by all kinds of prescriptions to prevent their meddling in questions of politics.
Provincial councillors cannot be senators or members of the National Assembly ;
provincial councils can only publish proclamations by the consent of the provincial
governor, who has a right to close their extraordinary sessions, the ordinary ones
being limited to four weeks annually. A standing committee, presided over by
the governor of the province, represents the council when not in session.
The members of the Chamber of Representatives and of the Senate are chosen
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTEATION. 443
by the people. The suffrage, however, is limited, even in parish elections, to
persons paying a certain sum in direct taxes. Parish voters must pay at least
8s. a year, but in parishes having less than 25 inhabitants paying that amount in
taxes, the privilege of a vote is extended to the 25 who pay most. Widows may
transfer their votes to a son or son-in-law. In order to be permitted to vote for
provincial councillors, 16s. annually must be paid indirect taxes, whilst a so-called
•' general " elector must pay £1 14s. Under these limitations the number of
electors is naturally very small.* As a rule the Belgian electors are not particularly
zealous in the exercise of their electoral privileges. In 1867, when a portion of
the Senate had to be re-elected, only 48 out of every 100 voters came up to the poll.
In virtue of a law made in 1878, the country is divided into 40 electoral
districts, who elect 132 representatives and 66 senators. The representatives are
elected for four years, one-half going out every two years, except in the case of a
dissolution, when a general election takes place. The senators are elected for eight
years, one-half going out every four years. The representatives are paid £17 a
month when in session. Financial and army bills are first submitted to them,
and they appoint the members of the Court of Accounts. Salaried oflBcials of the
State are not eligible as representatives or senators. The Senate is supposed to
represent the conservative element in the balance of power. Its candidates must
be forty years of age, and pay annually £84 12s. in direct taxes, and, as the
number of persons in such prosperous circumstances is small, the electors are
sometimes very much restricted in their choice. In 1876 there were only 480
persons throughout Belgium qualified as senators, and in the province of Luxem-
burg the electors would have been compelled to select one out of eight individuals,
had not the law provided for an addition to the list of candidates in all those cases
in which there is less than one to every 6,000 inhabitants. The senators receive
neither pay nor indemnities.
The King represents the State by promulgating the laws and signing all
decrees. His veto is absolute, bis person inviolable. He is commander-in-chief,
appoints his ministers, dissolves the Chambers, and orders fresh elections. He is
in receipt of a civil list of £132,000. There are seven ministries, viz. for
Judicial Affairs, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Military Affairs, Public Works,
Financial Affairs, and Public Education. In addition to these responsible
ministers, there is a Privy Council, occasionally summoned by the King, in which
a certain number of " Ministers of State " appointed by him have seats.
The judicial institutions of Belgium resemble those of France. Judges are
irremovable. Inferior magistrates are nominated bj- Government, but the judges
of the Courts of Appeal and Cassation are selected by the King from lists prepared
by the judges, the provincial councils, or the Senate. A jury decides on questions
of fact in the case of crimes, and in political and press offences. There are three
Courts of Appeal, with 26 district and 204 inferior courts.
Education is not compulsory, but each commune is bound to maintain an
• I'l 1877, 365,000 communiil electors, 2'10.3S0 provincial olpctors, and 117,140 general electors, only
these latter voting for lh« Senate and the Home of Itepresentitives.
4 14 BELGIUM.
elementary school, and to afford gratuitous education to all those children whose
parents apply for it. The teacher is .ippointed by the municipal council, which
may also dismiss him, and votes him a salary of ut least £40 per annum. The
influence of the priesthood has been paramount in the schools ever since 1830.
Religious instruction is always given by the priests, who enjoy the same privileges,
as inspectors of schools, as do the officials appointed by the King. Only reading,
writing, the four simple rules of arithmetic, and the " elements " of French,
Flemish, or German, are taught, in addition to the catechism. The training insti-
tutions for teachers are partly in the hands of the priesthood and partly in those
of the State. The priesthood, moreover, directs the course of instruction at the
University of Louvain, which is in opposition to the two universities maintained
by the State and the " free " University of Brussels, and has affiliated with it nu-
merous colleges and industrial schools. Its influence is felt, too, in tlie examina-
tion boards, only half the meinbere of which are appointed by the State. These
boards have done much to lower the standard of university education in Belgium,
for, anxious that the pupils of their friends should receive diplomas, they exhibit
a considerable amount of indulgence in their examinations.
The power of the Church is, indeed, great in Belgium, and has only quite
recently been somewhat shaken.* The constitution, which was drawn up by an
assembly having thirteen abbots amongst its members, not only secures perfect
freedom to the Church, but also makes the State in a certain measure its tribu-
tary. The Pope appoints the bishops, the bishops appoint the curates, and the
State merely pays their salaries. There are an archbishop and five bishops, about
6,000 priests, and an army of monks and nuns, more especially in Flanders. Tiie
actual clerical staff propably numbers 30,000 individuals.f The number of Protes-
tants and Jews is small, :j; but not so that of persons who have virtually left the
Cliurcli, and decline its sacramental ceremonies at baptisms, marriages, or funerals.
Belgium enjoys the privileges of neutrality, but nevertheless has burdened itself
with a very considerable army. On a war footing it numbers over l00,0L)0 men,
and during the Franco-German war 83,000 men were actually under arras.Si
The army is recruited by conscription and voluntary enlistment. Only about one-
third of the men who annually become liable are called upon to serve, and remain
with the colours from two to four years. Conscripts are permitted to provide a
substitute, or Government does it for them if they pay £64 to the Minister for
War. This leads to the army bsing recruited exclusively amongst the poor and
necessitous. The officers are trained at a military school, whilst a staff school,
* At the elections held in June, 1878, the "Liberals " secured a inajoiity of six in the Senate, and of
eleven in the House of Represent ttives.
+ In 186fi there were 178 mnnHSteries (2,991 monks) and 1,111 convents (1.5,20o nuns).
J 13,000 Frotestanls, 1,500 Jews.
War Footing. Peace Footing.
§ Infiiiilry, 78 b;iltalion8 75,611 2(i.;i91
Cavalry, 40 squaiirons 7,404 5,329
ArtiKory, 91 batteries 14,308 7,860
Engineers, 3 batialions 3,010 1,390
100,263 40,970
GOVEENMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
445
founded in 1872, provides a superior education. The pay of the soldiers has been
but slightly increased since 1830, and the number of volunteers is consequently
not large, for glory is not to be gained in an army which has not made use of its
weapons since 1830, except perhaps in domestic broils. Soldiers after forty years'
service become entitled to a small pension.
The country is divided into two military districts. The only fortresses arc
Antwerp, with its entrenched camp, and the forts on the Lower Schelde, Dender-
monde (Termonde), Diest, and the citadels of Liege and Namur. A permanent
camp for exercise has been established at Beverloo, in the Campine, close to the
Dutch frontier. The annual expenses of the army amount to about £1,600,000,
and since 1830 no less than £80,000,000 have been expended upon it.
Fig. 24.5.— The Camp of Bbterloo.
Scale I : 2.W.000.
FT^
5 Miles.
In addition to the regular army there exi.^ts a very inefficient militia, or civic
guard, for the maintenance of order in time of peace, and the defence of the country
in time of war.
The finances of Belgium are well ordered. There is a debt of £46,000,000, but
£19,000,000 of this amount are a legacy dating back to Belgium's connection with
the Netherlands, whilst most of the remainder has been expended upon railways
and other works of public utility. Two millions of debt have been paid off since
1830. The annual income generally balances the expenditure, and a verj^ con-
siderable amount of the former is devoted to public works.*
The provincial and communal budgets likewise present a satisfactory balance
ITie communes are even wealthier than the State in landed property. They still
own nearly half a million acres of " common lands," whilst the State domains do
* Kxpeiidiiurp in 1877. £9 S.i7,700, of wl.ieh £3.300,400 were devoted to public works, £2,462,000 to
interest i.n the public debt, and £1,741,760 to the army.
446
BELGIUM.
not exceed 98,000 acres. These common lands, however, are being perpetually
encroached upon by rich capitalists. The towns of Belgium now enjoy the advan-
tage resulting from a total abolition of all octroi duties. TJp to 1860, when these
objectionable imposts were done away with, every town formed a state within the
State, anxious to " protect " its own industry by levying heavy dues upon every
article imported from beyond. The octroi yielded about half a million sterling
annually, whilst the share of the indirect taxes paid to the communes instead
amounts to more than a million a year — so great has been the increase of national
wealth.*
The following table gives the political divisions of Belgium and their popula-
tion : —
Province. Capital.
West Flanders . . . Brugge (Bruges) ,
East Flanders . . . Ghent (Gent) . .
Antwerp Antwerp (Antwerpen)
Limburg Hasselt ....
Brabant Brussels (Bruxelles)
Hainaut Mons (Bergen) . .
Namur Namur (Namen)
Liege Liege (Liiik, Liittioh)
Luxemburg .... Arlon (Arel) . . .
Belgium . . . Brussels ....
Ar^a.
gq. m.
1,249
Population,
i8!;6,
639,709
Population,
1876 (31st Dec.)
684,468
Inhabitants
to a 8q. m.
347
1,168
801,872
863,458
747
1,094
474,145
538,:i81
494
932
199,856
205,237
221
1,268
820,179
936,062
737
1,437
847,775
956,364
6»i5
1,413
302,719
315,796
223
1,117
556,666
632,228
565
1,705
196,173
4,839,094
204,201
6,336,180
120
11,^73
4oi*
• In 1870 the " communes " had an income of £4,539,000, and a debt of £8,221,300 ; the provinces,
in 1874, had an income of £407,500.
o
s
&
Q
Eh
OS
3
O
THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBURG.^
SMALL slate of triangular shape occupies the eastern slope of the
Ardennes. The rivers Our, Sauer (Sure), and Moselle separate it
from Rhenish Prussia, whilst the boundaries towards Lorraine,
France, and Belgium are altogether conventional. Luxemburg,
like Belgium, is a neutral territory ; but whilst Belgium only won
its neutrality after its soil had many times been hotly contested, Luxemburg has
rarely been overrun by invading hosts. When it chnnged hands, as happened not
unfrequently, it did so as a dependency of some neighbouring province, and its
foreign masters scarcely ever interfered with the local institutions.
In its physical aspects Luxemburg resembles the Belgian province of the
same name, except that that portion of it which forms a natural dependency
of Lorraine is of greater extent. It occupies the whole of the region to the
south of the hilly Oesling (1,810 feet), which joins the plateau of Western
Luxemburg to the Eifel in Rhenish Prussia. This southern region, known as
" Gutland " ()>. Good Land), differs in nearly every respect from the northern
uplands. These latter are of palaoozoic age, the thin layer of vegetable mould
being pierced in many places by Devonian rocks. The Gutland, on the other
hand, is of more recent formation, and its valleys are frequently covered with
alluvial soil. There are no coals. The artesian brine spring of Mondorf, near
Sierck, has been bored to a depth of 2,395 feet, down to tlie Devonian rocks,
without meeting with any carboniferous strata.
Nearly the whole of the grand duchy lies within the basin of the Moselle, of
which the Sauer, its principal river, is a tributary. Most of its valleys are bounded
by cliffs or steep slopes, and thus, although there are no elevated mountains, the
country is rich in picturesque scenery. All the ancient lakes have been drained,
and so have most of the artificial reservoirs, formerly very numerous. The gain
in arable land, however, would not appear to compensate for the deterioration of the
climate resulting from this reduction of the water surfaces. It is stated that the
• Ana, 9»9 squaro miles. PopulaUon (1862), 202,313 ; (1876), 208,160.
u
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-
burg 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
through the deep valleys are of small volume, even the Sauer, the most consider-
ble 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 Griiuwald, 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. OflScial documents are nevertheless published in the two
languages, and French is extensively used in the courts of justice and Government
oSices. The growing influence of French is easily explained if we bear in mind
that about 25,000 Luxemburgers reside in I'' ranee. 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-Alzette. (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), Diekirch (3,127 inhabitants), and Grevenmacher (2,303
inhabitants).
Luxemburg (15,954 inhabitants), the only real town of the country, occupies a
tongue of land bounded by the cliffs rising above the Alzette, or Else, and its
tributary the Petrusse, or Petersbach. It was formerlj' a strong fortress, but
Luxemburg having been declared a neutral territory in 18G7, its fortifications
have since been razed. Some of the forsaken redoubts afford 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" Fahr.
THE GRAND DUCHY OF LTJXEMBURa.
449
Education is not compulsory, but the schools being supported by rates, attend-
ance at them is almost universal. At Luxemburg there is a college, but young
men intended for professional life receive their training at the universities of
Germany, France, and Belgium.
Most of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics, and sopie of the ceremonies
observed by them smack of the Middle Ages. Very curious is the " procession of
jumpers," which annually, on W hit-Tuesday, passes through the streets of
Pig. 246.— LUXEMBUKO.
Scale 1 : 20,000.
ritr K-p/j-
Unit a Mile.
Echternach, with the alleged object of preventing the recurrence of the dancing
mania, said to have been common about the eighth century.
Luxemburg, up to 18b7, was a member of the German Confederation, and
still forms part of the ZoUverein. It is divided into 3 districts (Luxemburg,
Diekirch, and Grevenmacher), 12 cantons, and 129 communes. Each canton
has its justice of the peace. Courts of the first instance sit at Luxemburg and
Diekirch, and a Court of Appeal at Luxemburg. C^minal cases are dealt with by
a Court of Assize, without the co-operation of a jury.
THE NETHERLANDS.'
CHAPTER I.
GENEEAL FEATURES.— HILLS.— BOGS.
HE kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the smallest states in
Europe — superior to its neighbour Belgium in area, but far
beneath it in population, industry, and even commerce. But
small as it is on a map, its history entitles it to rank with the
foremost nations. Even the soil it occupies had first to be won
from the sea, and it is not without emotion that we follow the struasfle for
freedom upon which a handful of people ventured against an empire embracing
at that time two-thirds of the known world. Their iudependence achieved, the
Dutch at once took their place amongst the great states_ of Europe, and from
their small territory they governed colonies scattered all over the world. But
a still greater glory belongs to Holland for having been the first to accord a safe
asylum (o free thought.
Bogs and marshes separate Holland from Germany, and constitute a stronger
boundary than would a range of mountains. In the south the Rhine and
Meuse, with their innumerable branches, oppose an equally formidable obstacle
to an invader, for only a native of the soil is able to tread his way in this
labyrinth of river channels, canals, and ditches. In a former age vast forests
still further contributed to the security of the country, and there are some who
derive its modern name from Hoiitland, or Wood Land, and not from lloUland, or
Hollow Land.
Though essentially a lowland region, Holland is not quite without its
mountains. The most considerable range of hills extends into the country in
the extreme south-east. It only attains a height of 690 feet, but is important
on account of its coal mines. Wider known is the St. Pietersberg (404 feet),
near Maastricht, on the Belgian frontier. It has beeu quarried from immemorial
• We have substituted (he letter Y for the Dutch oombination Ij, which is pronounced like y in by.
The Dutch lettery sounds like our y in i-ea.
GENERAL FEATURES, ETC.
451
times, and its underground galleries now spread over an area of 89 square miles.
In time of war they have frequently afforded a safe retreat to the inhabitants of
the country, and are remarkable, moreover, on account of the lurge number of
fossils they have yielded.
The country to the north of these hills is of tertiary or post-tertiary formation,
but it is by no means a dead level, for swellings of the ground and even hills
occasionally rise above the bottom-lands, and diversify its surface. The Veluice,
a tract to the north of the Rhine, is thus favoured. Its hills, being for the most
part clothed with heather, are a favourite ground with Dutch bee-masters. The
dunes in the same district have been planted with pines, and no longer threaten the
Pig. 247. — The Quarries of the St. Pietersbeeo.
Scale 1 : 2S,00O.
E.or p
2"49-
e>-8
5-9'
The St. PietersberR i» ahown with its tiunmit removed, h> as tn reroal Uie labyrinth of galleries.
. 1 Aiae.
cultivated fields, formerly placed under the protection of a znvdgraaf, or " sand
sheriff." Isolated hillocks occasionally rise above the dead flats occupied by
swamps and polders, the most notable among them being that surmounted by
the town of Bergen-op-Zoom.
The waste of distant mountains has largely contributed towards the formation
of the hills. The Meuse brought down the debris of the Ardennes, the Rhine
gravel from the volcanic Seven Mountains, and even Scandinavia contributed her
share in erratic blocks and glacial drift. The erratic blocks have nearly all been
removed by quarrymen and lime-burners, but an abundance of pebbles and
gravel broadly distinguishes these eastern heights from the dunes on the coast.
Vast in extent are the peat bogs, occupying as they do nearly the whole of
452
THE NETHERLANDS.
Northern Holland, and stretcliing even beyond the Rhine, where the Peel, a quaking
meadow in Brabant, has not been wholly reclaimed. Mosses and heather are
Fig. 248. — Hypsookaphical Map of the Netherlands.
Scale 1 : 2,500,000.
E.ofG.
. 20 Miles.
Below the Level of the Sea.
BtfondSSfiel. S} lo SSfeet. Itu lka«S3/Mt.
Above the Level of the Sea.
E^
LtnlhtnSiferl. SiloS'fttt. gi lo MUftel. 181 (oSMffrt. OrtrS^/ett.
the characteristic vegetation of these bog lands, but the trunks of pines and other
trees discovered in the peat prove that in a former age they were clothed with
GENERAL FEATURES.
468
forests. The first attempts to replant these forests were made in the beginning
of the last cenlurj', and, strange to say, the species of pine so abundant in the
peat showed little vitality, a conclusive proof that the climate has changed. The
reclamation of these bogs is now proceeding in a rational manner. The bog
having been drained, the peat is cut away, and the cultivable land exposed.
Fig. 249.— The Alluvial Lands and Peat Bogs of the Netherlands.
According to Staring.
E.of P
E.ofQ.
Lumtioil'
Jlil/h ISoat
How remunerative this process is may be judged from the fact that thp peat
yielded by a bog 50,000 acres in extent and 39 inches deep was valued, in 1858,
at £'><,000,000. In 1862 42,000,000 tons of peat were cut.
The lowland bogs (htage reeuen) in the vicinity of the coast are far more
difficult to reclaim. They have invaded most of the lakes of Friesland, impart-
454
THE NETHERLANDS.
ing a violet or inky tinge to tlieir water, which contrasts strangely with the
verdure of the neighbouring meadows. Sometimes the peat rises to the surface,
forming floating islands of tangled vegetation, locally known as clrijiiilkn, or
riefzodm— the " old wives' tow " of Ireland. The peasants occasionally float these
drifting masses of peat into neighbouring meres, the beds of which they desire
to raise, and even engineers do not disdain to make use of them in their hydraulic
constructions. Many of the lakes have been drained and are cultivated, a notable
instance being the Diemermeer, close to Amsterdam, whose bed lies 24 feet below
the river Y, which flows past it.
The lowland bogs vary in depth between 6 and U feet. They extend some-
Fig. 250. — A Peat Bog neak Dordhecht.
times beneath the dunes into the sea, or are concealed beneath layers of alluvial
soil, features which are accounted for by oscillations in the level of the land.
Embedded in them are trunks of trees, belonging to species hardly ever found
in the upland bogs, the pines being replaced by hazel-trees, willows, and ash-
trees. Fresh-water shells occur abundantly, but none of marine origin ; but that
the sea has frequently invaded them is proved by their impregnation with salt.
Formerly the peat was burnt to extract this condiment, but tliis industry is no
longer remunerative.
CHAPTER II.
H YDROGRAPHT.- CLIM A TB.
HE salineness of some of the bogs near the coast is one of many facts
which prove that the lowlai^ds of Holland were at one time
flooded by the sea ; whilst borings and excavations made at
various places give us some very definite ideas as to the history of
the struggle between land and water that has been going on for
ages. When the docks at Amsterdam were excavated ancient beaches were
laid bare far below the present level of the land, and the fossils of living species
of molluscs were found mingled with the remains of stranded whales. At
Utrecht, 35 miles from the sea, the borer, between 440 and 538 feet, pierced
strata containing shells of living salt-water molluscs. Then came a layer in
which fresh-water molluscs were mixed with marine species, and lower still, beyond
719 feet, a stratum was reached in which existing species were mingled with fossil
ones. This leads M. Harting to conclude that the soil of Holland has suffered a
subsidence of 555 feet.
Were nature allowed full sway in these lowlands, the water would once more
usurp dominion, and much of what is now dry land would be converted into
liquid mud. No doubt the ocean sets itself limits by throwing up dunes along
the coast, but behind these dunes the pent-up rivers would spread over the
country, were they not kept within bounds through the interference of man.
So flat is the country at the back of the dunes that a traveller sees the wind-
mills and homesteads gradually rise above the horizon like islands on the open
ocean.
The Rhine — Rhenm biconm — divided into two arms when first seen by the
ancients, and does so still. The Helius, or Waal, then, as now, entered a wide
gulf of the sea, whilst the northern and less voluminous branch retained the name of
Rhine as far as its mouth in the North Sea. The Yssel separates from the Rhine
above Arnhem. The Old Yssel joins it on the right, after which it takes its
winding course to the Zuider Zee, known as Fkvo to the ancients. It is
supposed by some that the Yssel was not originully an arm of the Rhine, but
that Drusus first connected the two rivers by cutting a canal across the lowland
456
THE NETHEELANDS.
which separated them. An examination of the ground, however, does not furnish
any evidence in support of this theory. On the contrary, the wide alluvial valley
traversed by the Yssel is bounded on the west by the hills of Veluwe, and rises
gently on the cast to a height of 40 feet. No traces of a canal have been dis-
covered, and the Fossa Drmiana is more likely to have connected the Yssel with
the Vecht, which formerly flowed to the northward, debouching on the coast of
Friesland.
Down to the beginning of the seventeenth century the fork of the Rhine lay
Fig. 251.— The Fohk of the Yssel.
Scale 1 : 250,000.
The non-alluvial formations are shaded.
^^^^^^^^^— ^^^^^^^^^^H. 5 Hiles,
higher up, near the Schenkenschanze. It has been displaced through human
agency. It was found that an increasing volume of the water brought down
by the Rhine flowed into the Waal, and a time was foreseen when the northern
branch would dry up altogether. In order to prevent an occurrence which would
have entailed disaster upon a great part of the Netherlands, the engineers regulated
the flow of the river in such a manner that two-thirds of its volume enter the
Waal, and one-third the Lower Rhine (Neder Ryn). The latter, however, retains
this volume only for a distance of 6 miles, for the Yssel conveys one-third of
HYDEOGEAPHY.
467
its water to the Zuider Zee. At Wyk-by-Duurstede the main branch assumes the
name of Leh, whilst the veritable Rhine, reduced to an insignificant stream, flows
to the north-west, past Utrecht and Leyden, into the North Sea. It is known as
the Kromme Ryn (Crooked Rhine), or Old Rhine, and sends several branches
to the Zuider Zee, the most important being the Vecht and Amstel. When the
Romans held the territory the Rhine flooded the country behind the dunes, and
they cut a canal to drain off the swamps into the Mouse. The existing Oude
Vliet (Old Canal) is supposed to occupy the site of the Roman work. More
recently, in 180(5, a passage for the Rhine was cut through the dunes. It is
Pig. 252.— The BiESBnacH in 1850.
Scaie 1 : 200,000.
?• ?o yofP
i-io EofO.
_ 2 MUta.
defended by gigantic flood-gates. The discharge of the river at its mouth only
amounts to 140 cubic feet per second.
As to the Lek, it is in a great measure an artificial water-way, flowing along a
omal cut by Civilis in 71 a.d. It joins that arm of the Meuse which flows past
Rotterdam. The Hollandsche Yssel is alternately a tributary and an emissary of
the latter, carefully regulated by locks, and a great fertiliser of the fat meadows
around Gouda.
If volume is to have weight in the nomenclature of our rivers, then the Waal
is the veritable Lower Rhine. At Woudrichem it is joined by the Maas (Meuse),
and thenceforth it is known by the name of its tributary. The united river passes
through the island labyrinth known as the Biesbosch (Rush-wood), and thence
through the Hollandsche Diep and Haringvliet into the North Sea. It sends.
104
458
THE NETHEKLANDS.
however, an iirm to the north, which enters the sea 20 miles below Rotterdam,
at the Hoek van Ploliand.
Whilst most of the rivers on the northern hemisphere press upon their right
bank, in consequence of the earth's rotation, and deviate to the east, those of
the Netherlands move in a contrary direction. Both the Rhine and the Maas,
as far as they are bounded by hills, flow to the northward, but no sooner have
they entered the yielding plains of the Netherlands than they swerve round to
the west. There is reason to suppose that in a time now very remote these rivers
flowed northward through the plains of Gelderland, but their present course is
Pig. 253. — SCHIERMONNIKOOO.
Scale 1 : 86,000.
. 2 Miles.
west, and they exhibit a tendency to diverge even to the south-west. This abnormal
direction of the Dutch rivers is due to the action of the tides. At the Holder the
difierence between high and low water amounts to 4-9 feet ; but it increases as we
travel southward, and at the mouth of the Schelde it is 16'6 feet. Thus the level of
the sea is higher at ebb at the Holder than on the coast of Zealand, and the rivers
naturally seek an outlet in the direction of the latter. The tidal wave rushes up
the estuaries of Zealand with great force, and in ebbing its scour deepens the bed
of the rivers. The sea, in fact, is both the friend and the enemy of the Dutch —
Protector et kostis, as we read on an old Zealand coin. It bears their ships, forms
a protecting boundary, and throws fecund alluvium upon their shores, but at the
HYDEOGEAPHY.
469
same time it menaces them with terrible irruptions, and continually gnaws at their
coasts.
Incessant are the struggles which the Dutch maintain against the encroach-
ments of the ocean and the floods caused by their rivers. So frequent were
irruptions of the sea in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, that many of the
inhabitants left their homes in despair, and sought an asylum elsewhere. It
was about this period that the series of irruptions began which ended in the
destruction of the isthmus which formerly connected North Holland with Fries-
land, converted Lake Flevo into the Zuider Zee, and broke up a continuous coast-
line into a fringe of islands. Terrible were the floods of the thirteenth centurj'.
Fig. 254. — The Site of the Bieshosch prior to the Spring Tide op St. Elizabeth.
From a Hap in the Archives of Dordiecht.
Scale 1 : 220,000.
w
mi
4*40' E.of a.
.2Miles.
The sea then invaded Friesland, forming the Lauwer Zee, and only spared a shred
of land — the island of Schiermonnikoog — to mark the former extent of the coast.
In 1421 the fearful spring tide of St. Elizabeth burst through the embankments,
and converted a fertile district near Dordrecht into a labyrinth of islands, now
known as the Biesbosch (see Figs. 252 and 254).
Even in the present century the sea has repeatedly invaded the land, not-
withstanding the formidable barriers erected to exclude it. In 1825 it overflowed
the southern portion of the peninsula of Holland, overwhelming forty villages.
When the land had been recovered the putrefying remains of human beings and
animals spread a pestilence around them. Marken, an island ofl" that coast, may
be likened to a vessel in a stormy sea, defended by a board hardly 3 feet in
460
THE NETHERLANDS.
height. When a gale blows the waves invade the island, and onlj' the seven
artificial mounds upon which the inhabitants have erected their dwellings rise
above the waters.
The floods caused by rivers are almost as formidable as those resulting from
irruptions of the sea. When the rivers are in flood they rise high above the
Fig. 255. — The Peninslxa of Holland.
Scale 1 ; 000,000.
. 10 Miles.
fields which extend on either side of the dykes that confine them. At Utrecht,
after continual westerly winds, the Lek rises 18 feet above the pavement of the
streets. In winter, when the ice breaks up, the dykes sometimes yield to the
pressure to which they are exposed, and extensive tracts are flooded.
Amongst the geological agencies operative in the Netherlands the subsidence
of the land appears to be one of the most formidable. Peat bogs have been dis-
HYDROGRAPHY.
461
covered in many localities far beneath the level of the sea. Off Domburg, a
village on Walcheren, the waves now cover a Roman temple, whence M. de Laveleye
concludes that the land there has subsided to the extent of about 30 feet. Another
ruin lies off Katwyk, about 1,000 yards from the shore. Antiquaries have
identified it with the tower which Caligula raised in memory of his pretended
victory over the Britons, and hence called it Arx Britannica, or Ruis te Britten. In
Kg. 266. — Thb Coast-line of the Netherlands before the Country was Peopled.
AooordiBg to Staring. Scale 1 2,800,000.
8m( and Lake*.
Bottom Lands.
_^— ^_ 10 Miles.
Firm Land.
the sixteenth century the walls of this building were still 10 feet high, but every
trace of it has now disappeared. Fishermen pretend that farther out at sea there
are similar ruins — the so-called Toren van Calla — surrounded by fossil trees,
whose wood is as black as ebony.
Another class of facts show that the subsidence is apparently only local.
M. Staring draws attention to old sea-beaches, now far inland, but on the same
462 THE NETHERLANDS.
level as the actual beach. He is of opinion that the settling down of peat
bogs and mud-banks satisfactorily accounts for the instances of subsidence
observed. The polders along the coast regularly settle down after they have
been dyked off, the Bylmermeer being a notable instance : its bed has sunk 1-6
feet in the course of twenty-five years, the effects of drainage and the pressure
of roads and houses satisfactorily accounting for this phenomenon. The beds
of the ancient polders along the Dollart are about 7 feet lower than those of
polders only recently created. Tliere are, of course, limits to this subsidence,
which varies moreover according to the nature of the soil. The bed of the polder
of Enkhuizen sank 52-16 inches between 1452 and 1616, or at the rate of 032
inch annually. Between 1616 and 1732 the subsidence only reached one-third
of that amount, and no change whatever has taken place since.
Holland has sometimes been likened to a leaky ship slowly sinking to the
bottom ; but it appears quite clear that, though the country subsides, this subsidence
is confined to the upper strata of the earth's crust, and that there are consequently
limits to its extent. Still the fact of considerable tracts of land having disap-
peared beneath the waves remains. A fringe of islands approximately marks
the ancient extent of the coast-line, now deeply penetrated by the estuaries of
257. — Section or the Dyke of Westkappel.
the Schelde and Rhine in the south and by the Zuider Zee in the north. The
maritime face of the coimtry is thus cut up into three distinct portions, viz. the
archipelago of Zealand in the south, the peninsxda of Holland in the centre, and
the island-fringed Friesland in the north.
The area occupied by dunes is larger than in Belgium, and these sand-hills
attain a greater height. The Blinkert-duin, near Haarlem, rises 197 feet, and stand-
ing upon its summit, that part of Holland which has been the scene of the most
important historical events lies spread out beneath us as far as Amsterdam.
The humid atmosphere consolidates the dunes, and in some instances they are
covered with a spontaneous growth of mosses, which would prevent their advance,
if it were not for the burrows of rabbits. Elsewhere they have been planted,
and, upon the whole, they form the best barrier against the ocean that could
be devised. They but rarely invade the land, and if the sea encroaches never-
theless, this is due, not to an advance of the dunes, but to the erosive action of
currents and breakers, which undermines them.
A great deal of the national energy has been devoted to the reclamation of the
submerged lands. It has been computed that 2,336 square miles of land hare been
swallowed by the sea since the thirteenth century, of which 1,476 square miles
HYDEOGEAPHY.
468
have been recovered. History takes but little note of these reclamations, for,
unlike irruptions of the sea, which destroy the work of generations in a single
day, they do not strike the imagination. But the Dutch dyker pursues his task
unmindful of the applause of the world, and no sooner has the ocean won a victory
than he goes to work to retrieve the disaster.
The first dykes are supposed to have been constructed by the Northmen, but
none of these earHer works of defence survived the disasters of the fifteenth century.
It was only when the Dutch had won their independence that the great national
Pig. 268. — The Windmills at Zaandam.
task of conquering the ocean was vigorously taken in hand. The draining
of the Lake of Zyp, near Alkmaar, 13,820 acres in extent, was, in 1553, the
greatest achievement up to that time. The Dutch engineers became famous,
and other countries frequently availed themselves of their services. In recent
years the work of reclamation has been progressing at an increasing rate.
Between 1815 and 1875 142,849 acres of cultivable land have been added to
the area of HoUand, being at the rate of 64 acres daily. The 940,000 acres of
land reclaimed to the north of the Maas represent a value, at the rate of £24 an
acre, of £23,500,000.
464
THE NETHERLANDS.
In many localities nature aids the work of man. Marine alluvium is deposited
upon the banks, or wadden, which separate Friesland from its fringe of islands.
After a time they rise above the water, and thousands of birds resort to them, to
feed on the molluscs left behind by the retiring tide. It is only, however, after
marsh plants and grasses have taken root upon these shining mud-flats, or blikeii, tliat
Fig. 259.— The Ziidf.rpolder formerly.
Scale 1 : 70,000.
4-5S' E.of Gr.
4.* 55.'
1 Mile,
they are considered " ripe " for embankment. When they reach that stage they arc
known as schorren, or kicelder, and, if dyked off, they yield magnificent crops for
forty years in succession, without requiring manure.
The main dykes, constructed as a defence against the sea, are works of a most
formidable nature. The enormous outer piles are tied by planks to an inner row of
HYDEOGEAPHT.
465
piles, and covered with fascines and rush mats. The wood is concealed beneath an
armour of flat-headed nails, so that teredo worms may find no crevice to lodge in.
The ballast consists of huge blocks of granite, brought at great expen^e from the
interior or from Norway. As a rule these dykes are about 30 feet in height, and
between 150 and 350 feet in thickness. Their construction was all the more
Fig. 260. — The Zuiderpoldeer now.
Baaie 1 : 76,000.
■52-
15"
1
1
^
^^^s
i
1
\
4
n
1
■
^S^^^^ "" ^ \
.
-^
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1-
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\EM^
f/
^^^^
^B
■v«n
t
^
'1
^3^^^
^^^^g
f- ~ l~-~.~-~^i~zMm
Ik^^^k:
j^^^^^
/,■■'"'■'->'- J^'^lr^-^n
^^^^^
y itJ'^7
\ 'v^
— ^^^^
k
frp^M
7.1
L
*{
'^^j
^^^B
K^R
fif£ljmvxi>'*'''
|fey^"C^
i
H
i
1
^
1
\
M
4*52'E oPGr
4-55'
1 MUe.
difficult as, owing to the depth of the alluvial deposits, it is quite impossible to
secure solid foundations in Holland.
The dykes are as a rule maintained by the landed proprietors. The expense
is very considerable, especially when projecting groins have to be added as a
defence against undermining currents. When, a dyke, in spite of all, threatens to
10.5
466
THE NETHERLANDS.
tumble into the sea, zinkntukken, or huge rafts of rushes weighted with stone, are
sunk in front of it, and where this last resource proves unavailing, the dyke has
to be left to its fate, and a new one must be raised in its rear. About the middle
of this century the total length of the main dykes was 1,0-30 miles, and they had
cost £11,200,000 to construct.
Nowhere have the eiforts of engineers been greater than in the archipelago
of Zealand. Each of its islands consists of a congeries of polygons, enclosing
within their ring-dyke a polder and its verdant fields. The water-ways are
bounded by lofty dykes, and make the traveller fancy that he is navigating the
Fig. 261. — The Mekk of Haaulem.
Scale 1 : 250,000.
. 2 Miles.
ditches of a fortress. The coat of arms of Zealand — a lion struggling against
the flood — truly symbolizes the nature of the country and the moral energy of its
inhabitants, whilst the motto attached — •" Luctor et emerge ! " — is even more
beautiful than that adopted by the city of Paris.
Amongst all the dykes of Holland, that of Westkappel, defending the west
coast of Walclieren (Fig. 257), is probably the strongest. Originally constnicted
in the ninth century, it lias repeatedly given way, and as lately as 1808 the whole
island was inundated. Since that time the dyke has been greatly strengthened.
It is 12,500 feet long, and rises 23 feet above the mean level of the sea, towards
which it sloijes down very gently for 295 feet. The upper part of this slope is
HTDKOGEAPHY.
467
covered with a thick layer of clay, whilst eleven parallel rows of piles, packed with
stones and blocks of basult, defend its base.
Dykes, however, would be of little service if the land they defend could not be
drained. Nearly all the polders lie below the mean level of the sea, the bed of
one of them, the Zuidplas, near Gouda, being 18-4 feet below it. Drains are only
available as long as the bed of the polder is higher than the sea at low water. In
all other cases mechanical means must be used to pump out the water. Windmills
have been employed for that purpose since the thirteenth century, but within the
last thirty years the use of steam has become general. A single engine suffices for
the drainage of hundreds of acres, for the quantity of rain (251 inches on an
average) is but little in excess of the amount of evaporation (22-5 inches). Some
of the polders, however, remain under water for two or three months during
winter, for they cannot be emptied as long as the rivers are in flood. Their
sanitary condition, under these circumstances, leaves much to be desired.
Pig. 262.— Amkland.
6 Milea.
The word pofdcr is derived from poel (pool), and actually the lowest part of each
basin is often occupied by a sheet of water long after its higher portions have
been brought under cultivation. Formerly the work of drainage proceeded very
slowly, but since steam has been called into requisition it is effected almost instan-
taneously. In the more ancient polders the drains converge towards the centre,
intersecting the contours of the ground at right angles. Very difierent is the
appearance of a polder drained by steam-power, for drains and roads divide it into
rectangles. The Zuiderpolder, near Amsterdam (Figs. 259 and 260), exhibits both
methods in combination. Warping is hardly ever practicable in the Netherlands,
owing to the horizontality of the country ; yet it would be worth while to devise
some means for preventing 63,570 million cubic feet of fertilising alluvium being
annually swept into the ocean.
One of the greatest engineering works achieved in modern times was the
468
THE NETHERLANDS.
drainage of the Haarlemer Meer (Fig. 261). That mere had been for centuries a
source of danger to the surrovmding country. It covered 45,230 acjes. The first
steam-engine was erected in 1842, and in the course of thirty-nine months, aided
by two other engines, it pumped out 32,668 million cubic feet of water. The
Pig. 263. — The Proposed Dbainaob of the Zuider Zee.
Scale I : 710,000.
[ ZaAe 5neeA 551
iS'EofOr,
Banks which
uncover.
Depth
under 8 ft.
Depth
8 to 16 ft.
Depth
16 to i.3 ft.
Dcl.th
over 33 ft-
10 Miles.
drainage of the mere cost £960,000 ; the land reclaimed was sold for £800,000 ;
but it now annually produces crops valued at £240,000.
A beginning has been made to reclaim the wadden, or mud-banks, along
the coast of Friesland. A dyke 6 miles long already joins the island of Ame-
land to the mainland, and after the westerly currents shall have deposited a
HYDEOGRAPHY.
469
sufficient quantity of mud against it the land will be enclosed ; and this process,
it is believed, may be continued until the mouth of the Zuider Zee is reached.
But far bolder in conception is the proposed drainage of the southern half of
the Zuider Zee, which a careful inquiry has shown to be quite feasible. The main
dyke is to stretch across the sea from a point a little to the south of the Yssel
mouth, to Enkhuizen, on the coast opposite. It will be 25 miles in length. A
ship canal will connect Amsterdam with a port at Enkhuizen, but the principal
harbour will be constructed at the back of the island of Urk, which lies in the
centre of the dyke. ,
The average depth of the portion of the Zuider Zee to be drained is 11-4 feet,
and the water contents to be pumped out will therefore be 247,000 million cubic
f^g. 264 — The Pkojected Haeboue of Uek.
Scale 1 : 35,000.
_^^^^_ Haifa Mile.
feet, irrespectively of 53,000 million cubic feet annually arising from surplus rains.
The new polder will be intersected by 2,500 miles of roads and 27,340 miles of
canals and drains. Its area will be 486,000 acres, its cost £16,000,000, or £33 an
acre ; not a large amount, if we bear in mind that four-fifths of the land to be
recovered consist of fertile clayey soil.
A bolder scheme still than that of draining the Zuider Zee advocates the union
of all the islands of Zealand with the mainland, by embanking and draining the
estuaries, with the exception of three, which are to form outlets for the Maas, the
Rhine, and the Schelde. If realised, Holland would not only gain a large extent
of cultivable land, but would at the same time secure better water highways.
470 THE NETHERLANDS.
Humid is the atmosphere which hangs over the damp soil of Holland. Rain
falls in every month of the year, and most abundantly during the prevailing
westerly winds. The mean annual temperature is nevertheless mild, thanks to
the tepid, vapour-laden atmosphere of the sea which washes the shores of the
country, and even in January the thermometer but rarely sinks below freezing
point. Except in Friesland and in the eastern districts, which have a more
rigorous climate, the inland waters are only rarely ice-bound for several days in
succession. Skating is by no means practised to the extent that might be con-
cluded from the numerous Dutch paintings illustrating that graceful pastime.
But though the mean temperature is pretty equable, sudden changes in the course
of a day are by no means rare. Let a cloud but hide the sun, and a shiver
appears to pass through nature ; the wind agitates the tops of the trees and ruffles
the surface of the water ; and the sea breaks monotonously against the shore. Dense
fogs frequently cover land and sea, and the latter then fairly deserves the epithets
" heavy and slow " applied to it by Tacitus, who had in his mind's eye the bright
floods of the Tyrrhenian.*
Winter.
c Groningen .... ;i6-10
Amsterdam . . . 35'62
Rotterdam .... 36-96
Nymegen .... 36*fi7
Mean Temperature CDegreoe Fahr.).
Spring. Summer. Autumn.
48-34 63-61 oO-U
Year.
4:)-29
Eainfall.
Inches.
28-4
48-17
64-37 49-25
49-35
26-4
50-00
65-14 51-95
51-01
21-0
4949
64-87 60-U
60 01
24-0
CHAPTER III.
INHABITANTS.
HE fuiina and flora of the Netherlanrls are less varied than in
Belgium, and this is only what might be expected in a country-
exhibiting such uniformity in its physical features. The wild
beasts have perished with the forests that sheltered them. The
last wolf and bear were shot a century ago, the stag had disap-
peared long before, and a beaver has not been seen since the floods of 1825.
Even the marine fauna is getting poorer, for an indiscriminate pursuit has
driven away the sturgeon and salmon which formerly enriched the fishermen
on the Zuider Zee.
A brown stock inhabited the country before the arrival of Germanic settlers.
The short skulls discovered in the old burial-ground near Saaftingen differ
widely from the long skulls of the Frieslanders. Prehistoric remains, including
stone implements, abound, and weapons, ornaments, and pottery have been dis-
covered beneath the hunuebeddcii, or giant beds, in Drenthe, the most remark-
able amongst which stands near the village of Tynarloo. Ancient monu-
inents of a different kind are the artificial mounds known as tcpen, or tcierden,
on the coast of Friesland, to which the inhabitants fled with their cattle when
the lowlands were flooded. Amongst the articles discovered in these mounds
are bone pipes, in which the predecessors of the Friesl tnders smoked hemp or
some other narcotic.
The Frisians appear to have been the first settlers of Germnnic origin who
arrived in the country, and formerly they extended us far us the Zwyn, near
Bruges ; but when their country was cut in two by the formation of the
Zuider Zee, those in the south became grudiuilly uniulgamated with the rest of
the population. In their original distrii t they formed u confederation, and until
the fourteenth tentuiy they virtually remained independent, although owing
allegiance to the German Emperor. The Frieslanders are taller and less burly
than other Dutchmen, have large noses, elongated faces, and a retreating chin.
Their eyes aie blue or grey, the hair j'ellow or pale Irown, the complexion fair.
Their women are distinguished for good looks and a noble carriage. There
472
THE NETHERLANDS.
Fig. 266. — Costumes of Fhiesland and Zealand.
are local societies by whom the ancient language is cultivated, but Dutch is
understood by nearly all.
INHABITANTS. 473
The country to the south of Friesland, from the Yssel to the Rhine, was
formerly held by Salian Frnnks. The villages of Saleheim and Windoheim,
referred to in the Salic Law, still exist as Zalk and Windesheim. Oldenzaal,
the supposed capital of these Franks, lies farther to the east, near the German
frontier. Towards the close of the fourth century Saxons first made their
appearance in this region, for many of the Franks had gone to the south, in
search of a more fertile country than is Gelderland. Batavi from Hesse occupied
the alluvial country between the Rhine and the Waal, still known as Betuwe.
As to the Zeeuwen of Zealand, those descendants of Menapians, Frisians, and
Saxon rovers, they have long looked upon themselves as a distinct people. They
are distinguished by tall stature and supple limbs, no less than by their softness
of speech. Gallic tribes, the kinsmen of the Wallons, occupied Limburg and
Brabant. On passing from Holland into Brabant, we can hardly fail to be struck
by the change in the nature of the people. The men are bigger, fairer, and
fresher complexioned ; the women stronger and less nimble. In temperament
they are more impetuous, and being for the most part Roman Catholics, they
also differ from other Dutchmen in religion.
It has been noticed that the boundaries of the geological formations approxi-
mately coincide with the ethnological boundaries in the Netherlands. The
lowlands in the Delta of the Rhine are inhabited by Low Germans of very
mixed origin, the Hollanders of the Saxon stock are confined to the sandy
tracts, whilst the Frieslanders hold the alluvial lands. The provinces in which
the origin of the population is most diverse are more especially known as Holland.
It is there that most of the large towns are found, and the greatest events in the
history of th« Netherlands have been enacted.
On the islands of Lrk and Marken we still meet with the remnant of an
ancient race, difiering from the inhabitants around not only in customs, but
likewise by the shape of the skull. The natives of Urk rarely marry outside
their kindred, but far from consanguineous marriages having proved detrimental,
they are, on the contrary, distinguished for strength and broad shoulders, and
increase rapidly
Holland formerly attracted many immigrants. Belgium, during the War of
Independence, sent men like Heinsius, Jordaens, Franz Hals, Elzevir, and
Lemaire, whose works have shed a lustre upon the country of their adoption.
French Huguenots introduced various branches of industry. The number of
Jews is large, the majority being of German origin ; but those of Spanish or
Portuguese extraction form a sort of aristocracy amongst their co-religionists,
and up to the beginning of this century the use of Portuguese was retained in the
synagogues.
The audacity and perseverance which the Hollanders have exhibited in their
struggles against an invading ocean entitle them to our respect, for few nations
can boast of having won the land they live in. The Dutchman * is slow to
• " Dull hmen " originally included all Germans. The Hollander still calls his language Nederduitsch,
or Low Oemian.
474 THE NETHERLANDS.
promise, but fast to keep. It tukes long before he can make up his mind, but,
once resolved upon a certain course of action, he puts his shoulder to the wheel
without an after-thought. His common sense is strong, but perhaps he is a trifle
too methodical, and too much attached to ancient ways. Usually silent and con-
templative, he nevertheless is anything but unhappy, and when he goes in for
amusement he does so boisterously and with all his heart.
Amongst all Dutch virtues cleanliness is perhaps that which most strikes
the foreign visitor, who is surprised at the scouring, scrubbing, and washing
that go on from early morn to sunset. In a humid climate like that of Holland
cleanliness is no doubt most essential to health, but it is occasionally carried to
an extreme. Stables are kept with the same care as a drawing-room, and even
the cow's tail is tied up by a string suspended to the roof, in order that the
animal may not soil its glossy flanks. Some of the villages look almost as if
they had been taken out of a toy-box, and the trees have not only to submit
to being clipped into unnatural shapes, but are also occasionally painted, to suit
the fancy of the owner. Art, indeed, cannot be said to preside over these domestic
arrangements of the Dutch. The appearance of the towns is original, no doubt,
with boats passing along the streets ; and the red-brick houses half concealed
behind foliage are curious to look at, but they are anything but beautiful.
Old national costumes survive in several parts of the country. At the very
gates of the capital the fishermen wear long-tailed coats of blue cloth and heavy
wooden shoes. More picturesque is the dress of the Zealanders, consisting of
breeches held up by a silver-buckled belt, a red embroidered waistcoat with large
filigree buttons, and a black velvet jacket. Amongst women old fashions retain
their hold longest, and those of Hindeloopen, until recently, wore gorgeous
dresses, difiering curiously according to the age and social status of the wearer
Most of the servant-girls in towns adhere to the flowery or violet- striped calico
dresses, apparently prescribed for them centuries ago.
Very curious are the head-dresses of the women, consisting of plates of gold
fastened to the temples, and a variety of other ornaments. These neavy head-
dresses, which cause premature baldness, would have been given up long ago, if
it were not for the sake of appearances, for are thej' not an outward sign of the
wearer's wealth ? Yet, poor girls find it easy enough to procure imitation
jewellery, and the time is not, perhaps, very distant when the chignon will usurp
the place of the golden helmet.
Conservative in their habits of thought, the Hollanders have more and more
withdrawn from intercourse with their neighbours. They no longer live the
life of the world around them, and instead of taking the lead, as was their wont,
they rather lag behind. Whatever the proverb may say, Holland would be all
the happier for having a little more history.
CHAPTER IV.
TOPOGRAPHY.
illMBURG. — Maastricht (29,083 inhabitants), a dismantled fortress
which the Dutch insisted upon retaining when Belgium was
granted its independence, stands upon the left bank of the Meuse,
and is joined by a bridge to its suburb Wyk. Of its many sieges
that of 1579 is the most famous. There are glass houses, paper-
mills, and other factories, and a brisk trade is carried on. Roermond (9,7^0 inha-
bitants), lower down on the Maas, boasts a fine abbey of the thirteenth century
and numerous other churches. Its chief industry consists in the manufacture of
images and < ther ecclesiastical objects. Venlo (8,496 inhabitants) was formerly
of great importance as a fortress, and carries on a br^sk trade in cattle and
agricultural produce. Weert (7,268 inhabitants), on the skirts of the Campine, is
an important market town, whilst Kerkrade (5,817 inhabitants), near the Prussian
frontier, has coal mines.
North Brabant is in the main an agricultural country, but also carries on a
flourishing woollen industry. '« HertogenboHch (Bois-le-Duc, 24,529 inhabitants),
the capital, is named after a magnificent park, of which not a vestige remains. It
has important manufactures, but is better known as a fortress. Tilburg (26,103
inhabitants) is the centre of the Dutch woollen industry, and increases ^apidl3^
Breda (16,085 inhabitants), its neighbour, is a famous fortress, lying in a swampy
plain, whilst Ber gen-op- Zoom (4,839 inhabitants) stands commaudingly upon a
hill overlooking the Schelde. Its harbour, however, is no longer accessible, and
oyster- breeding has superseded maritime commerce. Other towns in this province
are Crrave (3,011 inhabitants), an old fortress on the Maas; Geertmidenburg, a
small port near the Biesbosch ; Eiudhoren (3,565 inhabitants) and Helmond (7,066
inhabitants), small manufacturing towns near the sterile tract of the Campine.
Zealand (Dutch Zeeiano) consists of six detached portions, viz. Dutch
Flanders, to the south of the Schelde ; the islands of Walcheren, North and South
Beveland, between the two main branches of the Schelde ; and the islands of Tholen
and Schouwen, to the north of the Ooster Schelde.
Neuzen (4,446 inhabitants), the port of Ghent, is the only place of note in Dutch
476
THE NETHERLANDS.
Flanders. Its inhabitants engage largely in oyster-fishing. Biervliet (2,094
inhabitants), the birthplace of Beukelszoon, who first taught the Dutch to pickle
herrings, is a decayed town, whilst Uulst (2,3'3-l inhabitants), formerly a busy
commercial city, has dwindled into insignificance since the silting up of its canal.
Goes (6,063 inhabitants), the capital of Beveland, occupies the centre of one of
Fig. 266. — Beroen-op-Zoom.
Scale 1 : 160,00a
4°20.E.of Cr.
. 2 Miles.
the most remarkable agricultural districts of Europe, and nowhere else can the
peculiar features of polders be studied with equal advantage.
Middelhtirg (15,954 inhabitants), the capital of Walcheren, is one of the few
Dutch towns able to boast the possession of a fine town-hall. Botlj the microscope
and the telescope were invented here. The docks, though connected with the
Schelde by canals, are no longer frequented by large vessels, since VUssingen
{Flushing, 10,004 inhabitants) provides them with superior accommodation. That
II
TOPOGRAPHY.
477
birthplace of De Ruyter, and one of the first towns from which the Spaniards were
expelled, has lately grown ambitious of attracting the carrying trade which now
enriches Antwerp. Vast docks have been constructed, and steamers daily sail to
England, but the insalubrity of the climate must ever prove a great disadvantage.
It was the fevers of Walcheren which destroyed the English army landed for the
Fig. 267. — 'Walcheren.
Scale 1 : 210,000.
I n(.<r puta
J"40"
I «*Je*«Ktr«^
0 f 2i Faiiki •
ii ttitatht.
2 Milea.
DtfpCA orf 9 r«Cht.
purpose of investing Antwerp. As a fortress Vlissingen commands the mouth of
the Schelde.
Zierikzpo (7,617 inhabitants), the capital of Schouwen, was formerly an important
seaport, where the gueux procured many of their recruits, but the silting up of
the Schelde has destroyed its trade, whilst Brouwershaven, on the northern coast
of the island, is rising into importance.
South Hoi.i-ani). — The Waal, on entering the province, washes the walls of
Gorinchem (Gorkura, 9,301 inhabitants), an important agricultural mart, and then,
assuming the name of Merwede, flows past Sliedrecht (8,087 inhabitants), and
478
THE NETHERLANDS.
reaches Dordrecht (26,576 inhabitants) ; there it bifurcates, its branches giving
access both to the Maas of Rotterdam and the Schelde. At Dordrecht the Estates
met in 1572, the Synod at wliich the Calvinists overcame Arminianism was held
there in 1618, and William III. was proclaimed Hereditary Stadtholder in 1674.
Large vessels proceed to the quays of the town, and a considerable commerce is
carried on. Most of the rafts which float down the Rhine from the Black Forest
are broken up at Dordrecht, and sawn into timber. Spanish ores for the iron
works of Essen are amongst the imports.
Rotterdam (136,320 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Rotte into the Maas, is
Fig. 268. — Vlissingen, oe Fujshino.
Scale I : 30,0«).
EoF GrS^SS
. Half a llUe.
the piincipal port of Holland, and of the entire basin drained by the Rhine, being
annually frequented by 3,700 vessels of 2,000,000 tons burden engaged in the
foreign trade, about two-thirds of them sailing under the British flag. Colonial
produce takes the lead amongst articles of import, and the commerce with Western
Africa, where the merchants of the town have founded factories, is increasing
in importance. Rotterdam forms a rectilinear triangle, based upon the Maas,
and bounded inland by navigable canals. A railway crosses the river on a
magnificent viaduct, and passes right through the centre of the town, the lower
part of which is intersected by canals. The houses are curious, but not remarkable
for architectural beauty. The picture gallery was nearly destroyed by fire in
TOPOGEAPHY. »
479
1864, and what remains of it is of little note. A statue on tlie " Great Market "
reminds us that Rotterdam was the birthplace of Erasmus.
Chariots (6,896 inhabitants) and Delf^haveii (10,042 inhabitants) are suburbs
of Rotterdam, whilst Vlaardingen (9,124 inhabitants), still farther down on the
Maas, and Maassluk (4,673 inhabitants), are the piincipal seats of the Dutch
herring fishery. The only town of importance on the " New " Maas, now aban-
doned by large vessels, is BrieUe (the Brill, 4,205 inhabitants). It was the birth-
place of Admiral van Tromp, and the first town captured by the Water-gueux.
A canal joins it to Hellevoetsluis, an important naval station on the Haringvliet.
Schiedam (21,880 inhabitants) is famous for its distilleries, which produce
annually 9,000,000 gallons of gin. Forty thousand cattle are fattened upon the
Fig. 269. — Rotterdam and Schiedam.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
&kn.
1 MUe.
refuse of the distilleries. Delft (25,511 inhabitants), half-way between Rotterdam
and the Hague, is well known for its earthenware. It is the seat of a school of
hydraulic engineering. William the Silent was assassinated here in 1584, and,
together with Grotius, Heinsius, and other men of fame, lies buried in the " new "
church.
The Ilaffue ('« Grarenhaage, 104,095 inhabitants), the official capital of the
Netherlands, is one of those cities which owe their existence not to advantages of
commercial position, but to the caprice of their founders. It grew up around
a princely shooting-box, and owes its name to a game preserve, or haag. The
aspect of the town differs from that of all others in the country. Canals only
skirt it, and the large sheet of water in its centre is merely ornamental, ships
480
THE NETHEELANDS.
never riding upon it. Comfortable villas, the homes of the aristocracy of birth
and wealth, abound. The public buildings are not remarkable for their architecture.
In front of the Binnenhof, the seat of the legislature, Barneveidt ascended the
scaffold, to which the jealousy of Maurice of Nassau condemned him. Near it is
the gate where another stadtholder caused the brothers De Witt to be torn to
pieces by an infuriated mob. The picture gallery, in the Mauritshuis, and the
public library, are rich in treasures of art, and the number of valuable private
collections is considerable. A fine avenue connects the Hague with the favourite
seaside resort and fishing village of Schevenin(/en. Rt/swyk (2,840 inhabitants), of
treaty memory, lies to the south-east.
Leydcn (41,298 inhabitants), on the Old Rhine, 6 miles above its mouth at
Katwyk (5,486 inhabitants), is the Lugdiinum Bntavoram of the Romans, and was
Fig. 270 —The Hague and Scheveningek.
Pcale 1 : 100,000.
1 Mile.
anciently defended by a hurgt, which occupied an artificial mound raised in its
centre. It is famous for its university, founded in 1576, in recognition of the
bravery exhibited by the citizens during the .^iege sustained two years before.
Leyden reached the height of its prosperity in the seventeenth century, but wars
and foreign competition liave much reduced its woollen industry, and its streets
exhibit little animation. The scientific collections are many and valuable.
Gouda (17,070 inhabitants), in the interior of the province, occupies a favour-
able position for commerce, and is famous for "clinkers," pipes, and cheese.
North Holland. — Amsterdam (296,200 inhabitants), although it is not the
seat of Government, is nevertheless the veritable capital of the Netherlands. As
long as the Zuider Zee was freely navigable, its position on a well-sheltered harbour
TOPOaRA-PHT.
481
was most favourable for carrying on commerce, and this accounts for the rapid
growth of a city only founded in the thirteenth century. The island, which was
then dyked in, still forms the nucleus of the modern city, which is cut up by
concentric and radiating canals into ninety disiinct islands, joined to ench other by
over 300 bridges. Most of the houses are built upon piles, and it was with
reference to this feature that Erasmus said he knew of a city the inhabitants
of which perched like birds upon the tops of trees. The royal palace rises
upon a foundation of 13,659 piles. Amsterdam is certainly an original city, but
can hardly be likened to Venice, notwithstanding its numerous canals, for it boasts
neither the marble palaces nor the serene sky of the Queen of the Adriatic.
Fig. 271. — Letdem.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
-llrlile.
Amsterdam was the birthplace of many famous painters, and its galleries are
rich in works by Rembrandt, Van der Heist, and other great masters of the Dutch
school. It is the seat of a university, of an Academy of Science, and an Academy
of Arts, and possesses botanical and zoological gardens, as well as two small public
parks. Its open spaces, however, are far too limited in extent for a city anything
but remarkable for its sanitary condition. The rain-water collected on the dunes
is now conveyed to it through pipes ; but notwithstanding the extreme cleanliness
of the inhabitants, the death rate still amounts to 34 per 1,000 inhabitants.
In the seventeenth century Amsterdam was the most important maritime city
of Europe, but it is so no longer, for only 1,200 vessels of 400,000 tons burden
annually enter its porta from abroad, which is far below the shipping of Rotterdam.
106 "^
482
THE NETHEELANDS.
The construction of a canal to the Helder, and more recently of another to Ymuiden
(see Figs. 279 to 281), has materially helped Amsterdam to maintain its rank as a
maritime city, but it must ultimately share the fate of Venice, unless steps are
taken to place it in facile communication with the Rhine. The existing canals are
far from sufficient for their purpose, and need considerable improvement.
Ship-building and the construction of hydraulic machinery are the principal
occupations, but there are also sugar refineries, distilleries, breweries, and a variety
of other industrial establishments, whilst the cutting of diamonds is more
Fig. 272. — Amsterdam.
Scale 1 : 40,000.
4-55 -X Long EofGr
Citjf of Amiterdam.
New Quartfra
in COMCae of coaatruction.
. Half a Mile.
The apaeee left filank
are covered u-ith tcater.
especially carried on by Portuguese Jews, who form a numerous community, and
are justly proud of their co-religionist, Baruch Spinoza.
Haarlem (34,797 inhabitants), since the drainage of the neighbouring mere
(Fig. 261), has considerably gained in population. Captured in 1572 by the
Spaniards, the whole garrison and many citizens were massacred, but the town
quickly recovered from this disaster, and became famous for its linen industry, which
still flourishes. Haarlem boasts of many great men, and recently a statue has
been erected to Coster, the alleged inventor of printing. Its picture galleries
TOPOGRAPHY.
Piar. 273.— Haablkm: the Amstbrdam Gate.
483
contain many works by Franz Hals, who was born here, and the number of learned
societies is considerable. The public promenades are amongst the most pleasant in
184
THE NETHERLANDS.
Holland, and although a bulb can no longer be sold for £2,000, the cultivation of
tulips is still carried on with great profit.
Zaandmn (12,778 inhabitants), only 5 miles to the north-west of Amsterdam,
is one of the most curious towns in the Netherlands. Nowhere else are windmills
more numerous, and they are employed in the most varied branches of industry,
grinding corn, crushing oil seeds, sawing timber, and doing other work. The
house which Peter the Great inhabited when he worked here as a ship's carpenter
is still pointed out, but there are no longer any ship-yards.
Alkmaar (12,245 inhabitants) stands almost in the centre of the peninsula of
Fig. 274. — Alkmaar.
Scale 1 : 150,000
, 2 Miles
Holland, and carries on an important trade in cheese and tobacco. At Bergen,
a village to the north-west, the French, in 1799, defeated an Anglo- Russian army.
The Helder (22,030 inhabitants), a strongly fortified town with a harbour of
refuge and naval arsenal, occupies the extremity of the peninsula, and its guns
sweep the passage of the Hellsdeur, or Hell-gate, which leads into the Zuider Zee.
Near it De Ruyter achieved one of his great victories. Amongst the towns along
the western shore of the Zuider Zee there is not one of importance. Mcdemblik
(2,187 inhabitants), Eiiklnuzcn (5,500 inhabitants), and Iloorn (9,764 inhabitants),
formerly famous seaports, are decayed, and only carry on a coasting trade in
cheese and other agricultural produce, as do also Monnickendam (2,733 inhabitants)
a
I
g
t-
u
TOPOGRAPHY.
486
and Edam (5,361 inhabitants), farther to the south. The country at the back of
these towns is noted for its dairy farms, and the cows may be justly described as
" ambulating milk springs," for they yield nearly seven gallons a day.
Naardeu (2,045 inhabitants) is the only town of importance to the east of
Amsterdam. It is strongly fortified. ^
Ui-RKCHT has for its capital the famous old city of the same name (66,106
Fig. 276.— The HELnKa.
Scale 1 : 104,000.
i'ioEo'f Cr
»'>«b
Bank* n)A.«-j«
Ilrtilii Hnrler
•« Id > rttkt.
5 to II Patlu.
Mile.
inhabitants). It was within the walls of Utrecht that the provinces of the Nether-
lands formed themselves into a Confederation, and to the present day the university
is a stronghold of Protestantism. The Roman Trajccfus ad Rheuum has retained
its importance as a place of passage, and has virtuallj' become the great railway
junction of the Netherlands, whence lines branch off in every direction. Its trade
in com and cattle is of great importance, and so is its varied manufacturing
industry. The Rhine and several canals intersect the curious old town. The
old fortifications have been laid out as gardens, and a fine avenue of lindens, known
486
THE NETHERLANDS.
as the Mnliehann, or Mall, stretches eastward for nearly a mile. The old cathe-
dral is one of the most remarkable Gothic edifices of the country, but has been
sadly defaced by the restorers, who took possession of it after the great hurricane
which nearly destroyed it in 167 L Utrecht has numerous superior schools, a
meteorological observatory, and various museums. One of its quarters is inhabited
by Jansenists, whilst the Moravian Brethren have established themselves at Zeist, a
village in the neighbourhood. ^OTm/boy< (13,578 inhabitants), a manufacturing
town, is the only other place of note in the province.
Gelderland. — Nj/megen (23,509 inhabitants), the ancient Noriomagus, is built
on " seven " hills rising on the northern bank of the Waal, which flows through the
Pig. 276. — MonSickendam and the Island "P IIauken.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
southern part of the pr'ovince. Its historical associations abound in interest.
Upon one of its city gates may be read the oft- quoted inscription, "Melius est
bellicosa libertas quam servitus pacifica." Important treaties were signed at
Nymegen in 1678 and 1679. It is no longer a fortress, and its commercial
dealings with Germany have assumed gigantic proportions. The only other large
town on the Waal is Ticl (8,851 inhabitants).
Arnhem (38,017 inhabitants), the capital of the province, is delightfully
situated on the right bank of the Rhine, here bounded by hills. It is the gayest
town of the Netherlands, with numerous country houses, and rapidly increases in
population. Lower down, the Rhine flows past Wiigeniiigcn (6,162 inhabitants) and
TOPOGRAPHY. 487
Kuilenburg (6,662 inhabitants), both dismantled fortresses. Doeshurg (4,5 17 inha-
bitants), an old fortress, and ZM«/.Aew (14,513 inhabitants), proverbial for its wealth,
and curious on account of its old ramparts, are the principal towns on the Yssel.
Apeldoorn, a large village with paper-mills and the royal country seat of Loo
near it, rises in the centre of Veluwe.
Harder wyk (6,445 inhabitants), on the Zuider Zee, is an old Hanse town, with
a silted-up harbour, but still of some importance as the depot for the colonial army.
OvERYssEL.— Z)co//e (21,593 inhabitants), the capital, lies between the rivers
Yssel and Vecht, communicating with both by canals. Its position is damp,
and far inferior to that of the picturesque town of JDeventer (18,575 inhabitants),
higher up on the Yssel, the commercial centre of the manufacturing district of
the Twenthe. Kampen (16,802 inhabitants), near the mouth of the river, is a
curious old town, much frequented by coasting vessels, which brave the dangers of
the Zuider Zee. The leading towns in the eastern part of the province are Enschede
(5,626 inhabitants) ; Oldenzaal (3,085 inhabitants), the old capital of the Salian
Franks; and Hardenberg (8,559 inhabitants), the latter on the Upper Vecht. The
bogs to the north of that river have to a great extent been brought under cultiva-
tion, partly by colonies of paupers, orphans, and criminals established around
Steenwyk and Ommerschanz, but more largely through voluntary labour.
Drexthe. — Assen (7,472 inhabitants) and Meppel (7,901 inhabitants), both in
the basin of the Vecht, are the only towns of this province, the largest commune
of which, that of Eoojeceen, or " High Bog," has 11,103 inhabitants.
Friesland. — Leeuicarden (27,085 inhabitants), the capital, is one of the
wealthiest towns of Holland, though not interesting in other respects. The
parishes around it are extensive and populous, but there are only few towns, or
even villages. Passing Franeker (6,643 inhabitants), an old university town, and
the place where the Mennonites originated, we reach Harlingen (11, 043 inhabitants),
the great maritime emporium of the province. Farther south, at the entrance to
the Zuider Zee, lies Staioren, the oldest town of Friesland, anciently a powerful
member of the Hanse, but now a decayed village of 600 inhabitants. Sneek
(9,990 inhabitants) lies inland towards the south-east, and beyond it we enter
the wealthy parish of Sehoterland (13,893 inhabitants), the principal village of
which is Heerenveen, established in the midst of a reclaimed bog.
Groningen. — The capital of the same name (40,589 inhabitants), though an
inland town, communicates by canals with the ports of Zouikamp and Delfzyl
(5,578 inhabitants), the one on the Lauwerzee, the other on the DoUart, opposite to
the German town of Emden. In the thirteenth century Groningen was one of the
most flourishing towns of Northern Europe, but it is so no longer, nor is its univer-
sity of much note. The island of Schiermonnikoog, off the Lauwerzee, was formerly
renowned for its bold mariners, but now the inhabitants confine themselves almost
entirely to agriculture. Near Wimchoten (6,158 inhabitants), in the interior, lies
the battle-field oi Heiligerke, where the Dutch, in 1568, achieved their first victory
over the Spaniards. In the parish of Pekela, to the south of that town, the bogs
are being reclaimed with grosit success.
CHAPTER V.
STATISTICS OF THE NETHERLANDS.
■HE Netherlands are densely peopled, considering that a large portion
of the country consists of bogs and barren tracts. The population
is most closely packed in the provinces of Holland and Utrecht,
which contain nearly one-half of it, although embracing less than a
fourth of the total area. Within this district lie the three largest
towns of the country, and population increases more rapidly than elsewhere. The
annual increase averages about 1 per cent., and is almost solely due to an excess of
births. The duration of life (thirty-eight years, one month) is less than in other
parts of Europe, and would be less still if it were not for the scrupulous cleanliness
of the people, which counteracts the deleterious effects of a damp soil, and the
generous diet which the wealth of the country places within reach of nearly all.
The death rate is highest in Holland and Zealand, and there are towns where
nearly a third of the children die within a year of their birth.
Agriculture. — Marvellous is the labour expended upon the drainage of
swamps and meres, but large areas have not yet been brought under cultivation.
The bogs, however, are gradually being reclaimed, and some of them have been
planted with rushes, which yield a crop quite as profitable as corn. Still it is
curious that the Dutch, at vast expense, should dyke off portions of the sea, instead
of planting their extensive waste lands with trees. The existing forests are far
from sufficient to meet the demand for timber and brushwood. If sandy tracts
have been brought under cultivation, this is due to poor zandhoeren, and not to
wealthy landowners.
Rye and wheat are the leading bread-stuffs grown. The cultivation of potatoes,
oats, barley, pulse, and beet-root is carried on extensively, whilst amongst so-called
industrial crops rape occupies the first place, tobacco, flax, hemp, and chicory being
also of some importance. The orchards yield an abundance of apples, prunes, and
cherries, whilst the gardens around Haarlem and other towns are noted for their
fine flowers and ornamental shrubs. But it is the meadows and grass lands which
produce the real agricultural wealth of Holland, so famous for its dairy farms. It
is to Dutch cows that our own shorthorns trace their pedigree. Butter and cheese
STATISTICS OP THE NETHERLANDS.
489
are amongst the most important articles of export. The breeds of horses are as
highly valued as those of sheep and horned cattle. The large horses of Zealand
are the ancestors of our dray-horses ; the light-limbed horses of Ameland are
supposed to be descended from Spanish jennets ; the black trotting horses of
Friesland are highly prized throughout Holland ; whilst the horses of Gelderland
may vie in beauty with those of Hanover and Holstein. M. de Laveleye, in 18G0,
Fig. ?77. — Density of Population in ikb Netheklands
Over mS Inkaiitaott to a 'Square liiU.
Ovtr 2(i7 hhabitantt to a Square Mile.
„ >55 „ M
Ovar 108 IiJtubitaitt* to a Square Ann.
valued the agricultural produce of Holland at £20,000,000, and we may safely
assume that it has doubled since.*
• Agricultural statistics for 1876 :— Com, 1,432,729 acres (17'6 per cent.) ; other crops and fallow,
397,808 acres (oS per cent.) ; grass under rotation, 430,733 acres (5-3 per cent); meadows and jiasturcs,
2,761,129 acres (33-9 per cent); woods, 486,229 acres (5-3 per cent.) ; water, 389,760 acres (4-8percent.) ;
uncultivated, including towns. &c., 2,252,900 acres (27-6 per rent.). Average produce per acre, in
bushels :— Wheat, 263; oats, 46-6; barley, 443; rye, 19-6; potatoes, 1668.
Live stock : -260,0.36 horses, 923,333 cows, 542,358 other kinds of cattle, 941,067 sheep, 338,646 pigs,
153,082 goats. In 1872 12,837 tons of butter and 11,661 tons of cheese were made.
400
THE NETHEELANDS.
Common lands are rapidly diminishing, but another kind of tenure, known as
beklem-regt, is gradually extending from Groningen. Under it the tenants, on
payment of a fixed rent to the original owner of the land, are not disturbed, and
may sublet or sell the farms they hold, and transmit them to their heirs. TJnder
this tenure agriculture is prospering, and Groningen has taken the lead in many
improvements.
Industry. — As a manufacturing country Holland does not rank as high as in
Fig. 278.— The Principal Canals of the Netherlands.
Scale I : 2,500,000.
■25 5 Ues.
agriculture. There is but little coal, and clay, used in the manufacture of earthen-
ware and clinkers, is the only mineral product of any importance. Still the cotton-
mills of the Twenthe and the cloth factories of Brabant are of some importance, and
woollen stuffs are exported even to Belgium. Maastricht has glass houses and
machine shops, whilst Schiedam is known throughout the world for its distilleries.
CoMMF.KCE.— In 1652, when Cromwell forbade the importation of British
colonial produce in foreign bottoms, the Dutch had a commercial marine of 16,000
vessels and 900,000 tons, equal to the combined marines of the rest of Europe. At
STATISTICS OF THE NETHERLANDS.
491
that time Holland was mainly dependent upon its fisheries and commerce. Later
on, differential dues closed foreign ports against Dutch vessels, and during the
French occupation they rotted in the docks of Amsterdam. The decadence of the
Dutch maritime power is not, however, solely due to foreign rivalry. It was
brought about, in a large measure, by the maintenance of obsolete monopolies,
now fortunately abolished. The heriing fishery, a " mine of gold " in former
times, and still of considerable importance, though encouraged by bounties, has
not been able to maintain its old markets in the face of the unfettered competition
of the Scotch.
The decrease in Dutch commerce is, however, only relative, and since the
Fig. 279. — The Groins near Petten.
Scale 1 ; 48,000.
. 1 MUe.
removal of obsolete restrictions has once more steadily increased. Much of it is
transit trade between England and more distant countries and Germany, and
English vessels are more largely engaged in it than Dutch ones.*
In the Netherlands transport by water is carried to an extent altogether
beyond the experience of other countries. The prlncipil canals have a length of
1,507 miles, besides which there are 1,151 miles of river highway. Several of
the canals are works of which the Dutch may be justly proud. The ship canal,
• Imports (merchandise):— 18-0, £.38,624,064; 1876, £.i7,993..'!33. Exports :— 1870, £30,164,700;
1876, £43.499,166. This ia exclusive of transit. Of 2,689,617 tons entered in 1876 from abroad,
663.610 tons were Dutch. The marine consisted, in 1878, of 1,835 sea-going vessels of 410,727 tons.
Railways, 1,120 miles; telegraphs, 2,1.50 miles.
492
THE NETHERLANDS.
constructed in 1819 between Amsterdam and the Helder, was looked upon at
the time as a remarkable achievement. But soon the merchants began to com-
plain about its great length (52 miles), its insufficient depth (18-5 feet), its
liability to become closed by ice, and its exposed position near Petten ^Fig. 279),
where the ocean is perpetually threatening an irruption. It wis resolved, there-
Fig. 280. — The Canal of the Y.
Scale 1 : 135,000.
, 10 Miles.
fore, to construct a new canal, the engineers naturally choosing the narrow neck
of land known as Holland op zijn smakt. This canal of the Y, constructed
since 1858, has a length of 25,886 yards, and is 207 feet in width. Its depth,
as far as the great flood-gate at Ymuiden, is only 13 feet, but beyond it deepens
to 25 feet. The harbour at Ymuiden is formed by two piers, each 5,000 feet
in length, and covers an area of 297 acres. The entire work cost nearly
Fi'. 281.— Section of the Pier Head at Ymuiden.
£4,000,000 sterling, a considerable portion of which, it is hoped, will be recovered
by the sale of land reclaimed on both sides of the canal.
Rotterdam, threatened with being cut off from the sea altogether, in con-
sequence of the formation of bars and the silting up of its estuaries, contented
itself with a canal far less ambitious in desigrn than that of the Y. It was con-
STATISTICS OF THE NETHERLANDS.
498
sidered sufficient to cut a "new water-way" across the Hoek van Holland
(Fig. 282), and to protect this new mouth of the Scheur by means of piers,
6,560 and 6,070 feet in length. The result, however, does not appear to have
realised expectations, for the new canal is slowly silting up.
The first DutK;h railway was built in 1837, and the network now embraces
1,120 miles. One of the most remarkable engineering works in connection
with it is the viaduct at Moerdyk, which spans the HoUandsche Diep at a spot
where it is 8,355 feet in width. (See Fig. 284.)
Prosperity is perhaps more universal in the Netherlands than in most other
countries in Europe. There are peasants in Friesland and elsewhere credited with
Fig. 282.- Canal of the Hoek van Holland.
Scale 1 : 100,000.
2 MUea.
the possession of " tons of gold." Nor are those rich yeomen slow to display
their wealth in plate and jewellery, and even their cowhouses they occasionally
provide with curtained windows^ curious china, and rare flowers. But the contrast
between them and the proletariate of the large towns is all the more striking.
EmcATio.v. — Attendance at school is not compulsory, and as yet by no means
universal. Thousands of children are allowed to grow up without education, and
even in North Holland 14 per cent, of the adults are unable to read. The instruc-
tion in the public schools is seculur, but about one-fourth of the children attend
denominational private schools. There are three universities. As linguists the
Dutch probably excel all other nations. Many are able to converse in French,
494
THE NETHERLANDS.
German, and Englisl], besides frequently possessing a knowledge of Latin and
Greek and of some oriental tongue.
In matters of education Holland has allowed herself to be distanced by other
nations. Is this a sign of mental apathy and moral decay ? We hesitate to
answer this question in the affirmative.
GovKRNMENT. — Holland, as a constitutional state, presents the same features
as most other European monarchies. Formerly each town had its self-elected
Fig. 283. — Railway Map of the Netheklands.
Scale 1 : 2,500,000.
iX
. 26 Miles.
" cpuncil of wise men," but now the burgomasters are appointed by the King, whilst
the Communal Council is elected by those citizens who, according to locality, pay
from 18s. to £6 13s. in direct taxes. The provinces are governed by commis-
sioners appointed by the King, whose authority is somewhat curtailed by the
Provincial Estates, elected by citizens paying £1 18s. to £13 7s. in taxes. The
Same limited constituency elects the eighty members of the Second Chamber,
whilst the thirty-nine members of the Upper Chamber are nominated by the
STATISTICS OF THE NETHERLANDS.
196
Provincial Estates, and are required to possess very high property qualifications.
The two chambers united form the Staten Generaal.
The King enjoys the usual privileges and immunities of a constitutional
sovereign, and receives a civil list of £79,100. He appoints his Secretaries of
State, as well as the members of his Privy Council, and nominates the judges, those
of the Supreme Court being selected by him from a list of five candidates presented
bj' the Second Chamber. There are courts of justice in each of the 106 cantons
Fig. 284. — Thb Railway Viaduct, neab Moehdtk.
and thirty-five arrondi-sements, besides five superior courts, and a Supreme Court
of fifteen members. All judges, except those of inferior courts, are irremovable.
The Reformed Church was disestablished in 1870, although the vast majority
of the inhabitants belong to it. The Roman Catholics are in a majority in the
provinces of Limburg and Brabant, and generally carry the elections, for religious
differences largely enter into politics. Jews are numerous in the larger towns.*
The Army is "partly recruited by voluntary enlistment, partly by conscription.
• In 1869 there were 2 074 734 mombcrs of the Reformed Church, 68,067 Lutherans, 1,313,063 Roman
Catholics, 65,757 Old Catholics and other Christians, and 68,003 Jews. In 1829 the Catholics were
38-8 per cent, of the population; in 1869 only 30o per cent.
496
THE NETHEELAND8.
Conscripts usually serve twelve months with the colours, and afterwards attend
four annual drills of six weeks each. The Militia, or Schutterij, includes all citizens
up to fifty-five, but in reality only 40,000 men are organized. The colonial troops
are in a large measure foreign mercenaries. The regular army numbers 62,000
men, the colonial army 35,000.
The Navy, which under the lead of De Ruyter and Van Tromp was one of the
most formidable in Europe, consists at present of 19 ironclads, 70 steamers, and
IT sailing vessels, with an armament of 507 guns. It is manned by 8,049 officers
and men, including marines.
The Dutch Colonies exceed the mother country fifty-four times in area, and
seven times in population, and vastly contribute to the flourishing commerce of
the country. Slavery was abolished in them in 1863.
The National Revenue, principally raised by indirect taxation, amounted in
1878 to £9,525,320, balancing the expenditure, one-third of which is expended
upon army and navy. There is a national debt of £79,276,000.
Tabulak Statement of Area and Populatiom.
Provinces.
North Brabant
Gelderland
South Holland
North Holland
Zealand .
Utrecht .
Fiiesland
Overyssel.
Groningen
Drenthe .
Limhurg .
Total Kingdom
Grand Duchy of Luxemburg
Colonies.
Java and Madura .
Remainder of East Indies
West India Islands .
Surinam ....
Total Colonies .
Total Empire .
Area, 1879.
6q. Miles.
1,980
1,905
1,167
1,058
687
fiSl
1,282
1,292
887
1,028
850
Population
Dec. 31, 1869. Deo. 81, 1876.
12.7"0
999
51,971
581,858
43.5
46.070
680,3:!4
694,093
42^872
432,693
688,204
577,436
177,569
173 556
292,354
264 051
225.336
105,637
223,821
3.579,529
Iy9,l30
16,452,168
6,185,561
34,166
51,420
22.723,315
26,501,974
456,709
453,624
763,636
642,073
187,046
186,164
317,405
267,826
242,065
113,773
235,135
3.8ii5,456
205,160
18,520,408
6,90.5,210
41,024
69,329
25,536,971
29,606,587
Inhab. to a
Sq. M., 1876.
281
231
653
606
272
348
247
206
284
111
277
.'104
204
358
12
94
1-5
~i8
43
INDEX
Aach, 234
Aachen. 210
Aalen, 224
AaUt, 416
Ailamello, 7
Adclsberg Caverns, 66
Adige, 15
Aeltre, 418
Aerschot, 410
Agnun, 71
Aix-la-Chapelle, 210
Aken, 322
Ala, 29
Alemanni, 165
Alfold, 89
Algau, 11
Alkinaar, 484
AUenstein, 347
Alo8t, 416
Alsace-Lorraine, 168
Alsen, 356
Alster, 331
Altenburg, 268
AlUndorf, 214
Altkirch, ITT
Altona, 331, 3o3
Altwasscr, 338
Aluta, 79, 81
Amberg, 244
Amble ve, 408
Ameland, 467
Amersfoort, 486
Ammergau, 238
Anirum, 350
Amstel, 457
Amsterdam, 480
And«nne, 406
Anderlucs, 417
Andimath, 209
Andlau, 178
Angermiinde, 342
Angles, 353
Anhalt, 319
Anklam, 334
Annaberg, 293
Ans, 408
Ansbach, 249
Antwerp, 422
Apcfldoom, 487
Apnnrado, 356
Apolda, 205
Aquileja, 57
Arnd, 112
Arcona, Cape, 315
Ardennes, 377
Ardoyo, 418
Arlberg, 1 1, 26
Arlon, 403
Amhem, 486
Amsberg, 215
Ametadt, 266
Arnswalde, 341
Arolsen, 263
Arsa, Eiver, 45
Asch, 140
Aschafifenburg, 250
Aschursleben, 321
Aamannshiiuacn, 205
Assche, 415
Ath, 416
Audenarde, 418
Auerbach, 294
Augsburg, 241
Aurich, ^8'2
Bacharach, 206
Bat'knang, 224
Baden, 38, 196
Baden-Baden, 198
Badenweilcr, 197
Bakony, 74
Balaton, Lake, 87
Ballon d' Alsace, 169
Bamberg, 249
Barby, 322
Bardowick, 288
Barmen, 213
Barr, 1T8
Bartenstcin, 347
Barth, 334
Basele, 421
Bassovizza, 41
Bastogne, 3 T 8, 406
Baudour, 41T
Bautzen, 298
Bavaria, 225
Bavarian Forest, 228 ; Jura, 228
Bayreuth, -'49
Beerberg, 253
Bekcs, 112
Belthen, 169
Belgard, 343
Belgium, 377
Berchem, 423
Berchtesgaden, 227, 247
Bergedorf, 331
Bergon-op-Zoom, 475. 4T6
Bergisch-Gladbach, 211
Berlika, 55
Berlin, 325
Bemau, 329
Bemburg, 321
Beskids, 1 15
Beuthen, 335
Beveren, in Waes, 421
Beverloo, 445
Biala, 123
Biberach, 239
Bielefeld, 281
Bielitz, 143
Biervliet, 476
Biesbosch, 457, 459
BUin, 141
Binche, 417
Blngen, 204
Binger Loch, 187
Birkeufeld, 205
Bistritz, 112
Bitsch, 1S2
Bitterfeld 321
Black Forest, 191
Blankenborghe, 383, 389, 428
Blaubeuren, 233
Bleiberg, 26
Blenheim, 240
Bloeksberg, 256
Bludenz, 29
Bochnia, 12H
Bocholt, 214, 281
Bochum, 214
Bode, Kiver, 321
Bodza, 79, 81
Bohemia, 125
Bohemian Forest, 126, 228
Biihmisch-Leipa, 141
Boii, 131
Bois-le-Duc, 475
Bolchen, 183
Jtollweiler, 177
Bonn, 209
Boom, 421
Boppard, 206
Borbeck, 214
Borgerhout, 423
Borinage, 416
Borkum, 276
Borna, i95
Bonihem, 421
Borussi, 318
Borysluw, 124
Bottrop, 281
Botzon, 28
Bouillon, 404
Bourtange, Moor of, 271
Bous.su, Pits of, 379
Bouvigues, 4U5
Boyen, 347
Brabant, 473 ; North, 478
Braine-l'AUeud, 412
Braine-le-Chateau, 412
Braino-le-Comte, 412
lOfi*
498
INDEX.
Brake, 287
Brandenburg, 3'23, 329
Braunsberg, 346
Brazzo, 51
Breda, 47o
Brege, 233
Bregenz, 20, 29
Breisach, 197
Breitenfeld, 291
Bremen, 287
Bremerhafen, 288
Bremervorde, 288
Brenner, 5, 24
Breslau, 33S
Bretten, 1D9
Brieg, 336
Brielle, 479
Brigach, 233
Brixen, 28
Brocken, 256
Brody, 124
Bromberg, 344
Brouwershavcn, 477
Bruchsal, 199
Bruck, 26
Bruck-on-thc-Lcitha, 38
Bruges, Brugge, 400, 4io
Briinn, 142
Brunswick, 285
Brussels, 413
Buccari, 60
Biickeburg, 283
Buda-Pest, 106
Budissin, 298
Budweis, 139
Buer, 281
Bukovina, 114
Bunzlau, 339
Burg, 322 ; in the Spreewald, 307
Burgstadt, 29o
Burtscheid, 210
Buseo, 79, 81
Byermeer, 462
Calcken, 421
Campine, 380, 411, 432
Cannstadt, 221
Capo d'Istria, 59
Carinthia, 2G
Carlowitz, 72
Carlsbad, 140
Carnieres, 417
Carniola, 63
Carpathians, 75, 115
Carso, 40
Caslav, 142
Cassel, 260
Cassubia, 302, 818
Cattaro, 50, 62
Caub, 206
Celle, 286
Cemay, 177
Cettina, River, 46
Charleroi, 4ii5
Charlottenbrunn, 338
Charlottenburg, u28
Chatcau-Salins, 182
Chatelet, 406
Chatclincau, 406
Chaudfontaine, 409
Chcchians, 132
Chemnitz, 295
Chinee, 408
Chcrso, 50
Ohiem, I,ake of, 230
Chiinay, 406
Chrudim, U2
CiUi, 26
Ciiiev, 405
Clausthal, 263, 264
Ulcve, 212
Coblenz, 208
Coburg, 264
Coesfeld, Peat Bogs of, 270
Colmar, 177
Cologne, 209
C'omines, 418
Comom, 108
Condroz, 378, 432
Constanz, 196
C irvey. Abbey of, 263
Couillet, 406
Courcelles, 406
Courtrai, 418
Cracow, 123
Crauz, 347
Crefeld, 211
Crimmitzschau, 295
Croatia, 63
Cruyshaute'", 419
Csongrad, 112
Culenborg, 487
Curzola, 52
Cuxhaven, 331
Czechs, 132
Czegled, 110
Czemowitz, 124
Dachstein, 12
Dalmatia, 39, 48, 55
Damm, 343
Damme, 427
Dampremy, 406
Dannewerk, 3i2
Danube, V, 30, 82, 161, 225, 233
Danzig, 344
Dannstadt, 202
Darss, 15 13
Debreczen, 107. 110
Delfshaven, 479
Delft, 479
Deggendorf, 245
Delfzyl, 487
Delitzsch, 321
Demmin, 335
Dender, Dendermonde, 416
Dessau, 321
Detmold, 263
Detunata, 79
Doutseh-Krone, 341
Deventer, 487
Diedenhofen, 183
Diekirch, 448
Diest, 410
Dicuze, 182
Dillingen, 240
Diuant, 404
Diuara, 4:i
Dinkelsbtihl, 241
Dirschau, ;'44
Dison, 408
Ditmarsehen, 3 12
Dixniude, or Dixmuydcn, 428
Djakovo, 72
Dniepr. 115
Dobberan, 334
Dobeln, 296
Dobracz, 14
Doesborgh, 487
Dollart, 275
Donau-Moos, 235
Donau-Ricd, 234
DonauwiJrth, 240
Dordrecht, 454, 478
Dombim, 29
Dortmund, 214
Dour, 416
Drachenfels, 195
Dramburg, 343
Drave, 15, 82
Drenthe, 487
Dresden, 296
Drochobicz, 123
Drossen, 342
Dudweiler, 206
Duisburg, 212
Duna-Foldvar, 1 10
Diippel, 366
Diiren, 211
Diirkheim, 201
Durlitch, 198
Diirrenberg, 23
Dusseldorf, 211
Ebersbach, 298
Ebingen, 239
Ecaussines d'Eughien, 412
Eehternach, 44S
Eckernfiirde, 355
Eckmiihl, 244
Edam, 485
Eecloo, 421
Eger, 110, 140
Egisheim, 178
Ehningen, 220
Ehrenbreitstein, 208
Ehrenfels, 188
Eibenstock, 294
Eichstiidt, 242
Eider, 351, 352
Eiderstedt Peninsula, 352
Eifel, 193
Eilenburg, 321
Einbeck, 203
Eindhoven, 475
Eisaek, 16
Eisenach, 262
Eisenberg, 268
Eisonerz, 26
Eislebeu, 321
Elbe, 129, 162, 305 : Middle, 290
Elberfeld, 213
Elbing, 345
Elchingen, 239
Eldena, 334
Elisabethstadt, 1 1 3
Ellezolles. 416
EUerbeck, 355
Elinshorn, 353
Emden, 282, 283
Emmerich, 212
Ems, 205
Ems, River, 270, 275
Engis, 406
Enkhuizen, 484
Eperjes, 110
Ensehede, 487
Ensival, 408
Erfurt, 265
Erlangen, 249
Krmeland, 318
Erzgebirge, 127
Escaut, 384, 385
Eseh-on-the-AIzette, 448
Eschwege, 262
Eschwciler, 211
Essek, 72
Essen, 213
Esslingen, 223
Estinnes Castle, 417
Etsch, 15
INDEX.
499
Eupen, 211
Euskirchen, 211
Everghem, 42'
Extemsteine, 283
Eydkubnen, 317
Fapnes, 378
Kiilkenstein. 291
FHmenno, 378
Fehmam, 352
Fuhrbellm, Peat Bogs of, 305
Feistritz, 70
Fcldbcrg, 191
Feldkirth, 29
Felegyhaza, 112
Felsemneer, 193
Felsenstadt, 338
Fern Pass, 225
Fichtelgebirge, 228
Finsterwalde, 323
Fiume, 59, 60
Flaming, 301
tlanders, 382, 432
Flemings, 396, 430
Flensbuig, 356
FUurus, 406
Flushing, 476
Fogaras, 79,113
Fontaine-l'EvSque, 406
Forbach. 182
Forohheim, 249
Forst, 3 t9
Fossa Carolina, 23'i
Frameries, 4 1 6
Franconian Jura, 229
Francker, 437
Frankeniierg. 296
Frankfnliauscn, 268
Frankenstein, 336
Frankenthal, 201
Frankfurt-on-Main, 202
Frankfurt-on-the-Oder, 330
Franks, 237, 397, 473
Fraustadt, 339
Freiberg, 296
Freiburg, 197, 338
Freienwalde, 342
Freising, 248
Freiwaldau, 142
Freudenstadt, 224
Freudenthal, 142
Friedeberg, 341
Fricdiand, 335
FrietUand-on-the-Alle, 348
Friedrichsdorf, 206
Friedriehshafen, 240
Friedriihsort 365
Friesland, 487: German, 27-J
Fricslanders, 280, 397, 471
Friache Haff, 309
FroBchweiler, 181
Fulda. 260
Fiinfkirehen, 110
Fumes, 42H
Fiirstenwalde, 323
Furth, 249
Oablenz, 29<t
Gahlonz. 141
Oailenreutli Cavern, 229
Galicia, 114
Gand, 410
Ganlelegen, 322
Garding. 364
Oebweiler, 177
Geertruidenberg, 475
GeerUbergen, 416
Gecst, 274
Geestemiinde, 288
Gelderland, 486
Geldern, 211
Gelenau, 296
Gelsenkirchen, 214
Gent, 419
Georgswalde, 141
Cepaatsch Glacier, 8
Gera, 268
Gennersheim, 201
Gersdorf, 295
Gheel, 411
Ghent, 419
Giesscn, 205
Gileppe, 408, 409
Gilly, 406
Gipsies in Hungary, 100
Glaciers in the Tyrol, 12
Glauchau, 295
GIaz, 336
Gleiwitz, 336
Glogau, 339
Gliickstadt, 353
Gmiind, 224
Gmunden, 38
Gnesen, 341
Goes, 476
Giihlis, 294
Goldberg, 339
Goldnc Au, 256
GoUnow, 343
Giippingen, 223
Gorals, 1 17
Gorcum, Gorinchem, •177
Gorizia, 59
Gorlitz, 339
Gorz, 59
Goslar, 263
Gosselies, 406
Gotha, 262
Gottesberg, .''38
Gottiiigen, 263
Gottschee, 69
Gottorp, 356
Gouda, 480
Gradisca, 69
Grafenberg, 142
Granuiiont, 416
Gran, 109
Graslitz. 140
Graudenz, 344
Grave, 475
Graz, 25
Greifenberg, 343
Greifenhagen. 342
Greifswald, 334
Grein, 31
Greiz, 268
Grevemacher, 448
(Jrimma, 295
Grinlouz, 1 1
Grivegnee, 408
Grobrick, 42
Grodek, 124
Groningen, 487, 490
Gross Glockner, 5, 9
Gross-Schijnau, 298
Gross- Wardein, 111
Grosse Haff, 30.4
Grosscnhain, 298
Gruiiburg, 3-t9
Guben, 339
Gumbinnen, 347
Giistrow, 334
Gutach. 192
Giitirsloh, 281
Gyijngyos, 110
Gyula, 112
Haarlem, 482 ; Mere of, 466, 468
Habichts Wald, 255
Hadcrsleben, 356
Hageland, 381
Hagen, 214
Hagenau, 181
Hague, the, 479, 480
Hainan. 339
Hainaut, 379, 416
Hainichen, 296
Hal, 412
Halas, 112
Halberstadt, 321
Halicz, 124
Hall, 28, 224
Halle, 320
HaUein, 27
Halligen, 352
Hallstatt, 38
Hamburg, 329, 330
Hameln, 263
Hamm, 281
Hamme, 272, 421
Han, Grotto of, 384
Hanau, 203
Hanover, 269, 283
Hansag, 89
Harburp, 289
Hardenberg, 487
Harderwyk, 487
Hardt, 169, 193
Hargita, 78
Harlebeke, 418
Harlingen, 487
Hiromszek, 78
Harz, 256
Harzburg, 264
Hasselt, 410
Hautes Fagnes, 378
Havel, 305, 326
Havelberg, 329
Heerenveen, 487
Heide. 353
Heidelberg, 199
Heidenheim, 239
Heilbroun, 224
Heilige Damm, 334
Heiligenstadt, 263
Heiligerlee, 48 7
Heilsberg, 347
Helder, the, 484
Heligoland, 278
Hellevoetsluis, 479
Hellweg. 215
Helmond, 475
Helmstedt, 286
Hercynian Forest, 256
Herenthals, 411
Herford, 283
Hermannstadt, 1 1 3
Herrenhausen, 284
Herrenwijrth, 231
Herrnhut, 298
Herstal, 409
Herve, 378
Hesbaye, 379, 432
Hesse, 201
Heltstedt. 321
Heyst, 428
Hildbnrghausen, £61
Hildesheim, 285
Hii-schberg, 339
Ho(;hheini, 204
Hochkirch, 298
500
INDEX.
Hochschwab, 12
Hoohstiidt, 240
Ilof, 250
Hofheim, 206
Hohe I'cissenberg, 225
Hoho Taueru, 8
Hohe Venn, 193
Hohenelbe, 141
Hohenheim, 222
Hohcnstein, 296
Holland, North, 459, 480 ; South, 477
Holzinindcn, 263
Honiburg, 205
Hoogeveen, 487
Hoorn, 484
Horb, 222
Horde, 214
Horn, 263
Horodenka, 124
Hiirselberg, 254
Houdeng-Aimeries, 417
Houdeng-Gcegnies, 417
Hiixter, 263
Hulst, 476
Hummling, 270, 274
Hundsfeld. 337
Hungary, 73
Hiiningen, 177
Huns, 92
Hunsriick, 193
Husum, 353
Hiittenberg, 26
Huy, 406
Ibbenbiiren, 282
Idar, 206
Idria," 70
Iglau, 142
111, Kiver, 171
lUer, 231
Indre, Pond of, 175
Ingelmunster, 418
Ingolstadt, 242
Inn, 15
Innsbruck, 27
Inowrazlaw, 344
Insterburg, 347
Iron Gate of Orsova, 81, 86
Isar, 231
Ischl, 38
Iseghem, 418
Iserlohn, 214
Isola Lunga, 51
Isonzo, 39, 41
Istria, 39, 48, 54
Itzehoe, 353
Jade, Gulf of, 275, 282
Jagemdorf, 142
Jaromer, 142
JarosJaw, 123
Jasmund, 312
Jauer, 339
Jemappes, 416, 417
Jemoppe, 408
Jena, 265, 266
Jever, 276, 282
JoacMmsthal, 140
Johannisberg, 205
Josefstadt, 142
Judcnburg, 26
Julich, Juliers, 211
Jumet, 406
Jung-Bunztau, 141
Jupille, 409
Jura,Franconian,219; Swabian.216
Juterbogk, 329
Kaisersberg, 178
Kaiscrslautcrn, 201
Kaisorstulil, 191
Kaisbcini, 240
Kalbe, 321
Kalocsa, 111
Kamenz, 298
Kaniniin, 343
Kanipt'U, 4«7
Kapella, 43
Karawauken, 11
Karlsburg, 113
Karlsruhe, 198
Karlstadt, 72
Karlstein, 139
Kaschau, 110
Kattowitz, 336
Katwyk, 480
Kaufbeureu, 240
Kecskemet, 112
Keilhau, 265
Kelheim, 242
Kcmpen, 211, 340
Kempton, 240
Kerka, 43, 49
Kcrkrade, 475
Kesmark, 1 1 0
Khazars, 92
Kiel, 354
Kinzig, 191
Kircliborg, 295
Kirchheim, 223
Kissingcn, 249
Kitzingen, 249
Kladno, 139
Klagenfurt, 26
Klattau, 139
Klausenburg, 112
Klosterneuburg, 38
Knyphausen, 282
Kolberg, 343
Kolin, 142
Kolozsvar, 112
Koniotau, 140
Kuniggratz, 142
Kiiniginhof, 142
Kiinigsberg, 342, 346
Kiinigsee, 226, 227
Konigshiitte, 335
Kcinigstein, 205, 291, 296
Kijnigstuhl, 192, 314
Konitz, 344
Kiipnik, 328
Konifcuburg, 38
Kortryk, 418
Kosen, 320
Koslin, 343
Kothen, 321
Kotlbus, 323
Krain, 63
Krainburg, 71
Kreinnitz, 110
Krems, 38
Krenisier, 142
Kreuzburg, 336
Kreuznach, 206
Kronach, 249
Kronborg, 205
Kroncnbcrg, 213
Kronstadt, 113
Kronthal, 205
Krossen, 339
Krotoschin, 339
Kufstoin, 28
Kulmbaoh, 249
Kurische Haff, 310
Kurnik, 340
Kuttcnberg, 136, 142
Kyifhuuser, 258, 274
Laach, Lake of, 194
Labes, 343
Ladins, 17
Laeken, 416
Lahnstein, 205
Lahr, 198
Laibach, 68, 71
Landau, 201
Landcn, 410
Landsberg, 341
Landshut, 248, 339
Langemark, 428
Langenbielau, 338
Langensalza, 268
Langen-Schwalbach, 205
Lauban, 339
Lauenburg, 329, 343
Lauffen, 224
Lauwerzee, 459, 487
Leau, 410
Lech, 231
Lechfeld, 233
Lechhausen, 242
Ledeberg 421
Leeuw-St. Pierre, 413
Leouwarden, 487
Lehe, 288
Leipzig, 294
Leisnig, -96
Leitmeiitz, 141
Leitomysl, 142
Lek, 457, 460
Lemberg, 122
Lemgo, 263
Lenncp, 213
Leoben, 26
Leobschiitz, 336
Leonberg, 224
Leopol, 122
Leopoldshall, 321
Lesina. 52
Lessines, 416
Leuven, 410
Leuze, 416
Levico, 29
Levrera, 52
1-eyden, 480
Lichtenberg, 328
Lichtenfels, 249
Lichtenstein, ■•'95
Lichtervelde, 428
Liebenstein, 261
Liechtenstein, 29
Liege, 406
Liegnitz, 338
Lior, Lierre, 411
Ligny, 406
Lilicnstein. 291
I-imbach, 29'>
Limburg, 205, 408, 475
Lindau, 239, 240
Lindenau, 294
Lingen, 282
Linz, 38
Lippe, 281
Lippspringe, 281
Lippstadt, 281
Lissa, 52, 339
Lfibau, 298
Lodelinsart, 406
Lokcren, 421
Lomnicz Peak, 77
Loo, 487
Lorelei, l&O
INDEX.
501
Liirrach, 197
Losiheritz, 298
Lossnitz, 294, 295
Liitzen, 347
Louvain, 402, 410
Louviere, La, 4 1 7
Liiwenberg, 339
Liibbccke, 283
Liibben, 326
Liibbensteine, 286
Liibevk, 332
Ludwigsburg, 221
Ludwigshafen, 196, 201
Ludwigslust, 334
Liineburg, 288 ; Heath of, 270, 274
Lungwitz, 29d
Luasin, 51
Luxsin Piccolo, 60
Uttringhausen, 213
Liitzelstein, ib2
Liitzen, 320
Luxemburg, 446, 4 1 7
Lyk, 347
LjB, 384, 385
Maaa (see also Mcuse), 383, 457
Haaasiuis, 479
Maastricht, 475
Mae»-Eyck, 409
Magdeburg, 322
Magura Hills, 105
Main, 2.36
Hainau, 196
Malchin, 334
Maldvghem, 427
Malines, 4 1 1
Malmtdy, 211
Malplaquet, 417
Malscr Hiiidc, 5, 6
Malstadt-liurbach, 206
Mannliardtabci'g, il
Mannheim, 199
Marbach, 224
Marburg. 26, 205, 260
Marchfeld, 32
Marche-on-Famennc, 405
Marehienne-au-Pont, 406
Marcinelle, 406
Maria-Tbercsiupol, 112
Maria Zell, 26
Marienbad, 139
Marienberg, 2 -IS
Marienboiirg, 406
Mnrienburg, 345
Murienwerder, 344
Markcn, 459, 473, 486
Markirch, 178
Marmaros, 78
Mamiolata. 10
Mamo, 353
Maros Ujv&r, 113
Maro» Viiskrhely, 112
Marsal, 183
Maamiinster, 177
Maiwvaux, 177
Masuria, 303, 304, 317
Maulbronn, 224
Mazovians, 317
Mayon, 209
Mayence, 204
Methelcn, ^lechlin, 4 '. 1
Mwklenburg, 334
MfHloniblik, 4«4
Mcdiiwch, US
Meencn, 418
Mei^rane, 295
Meeraburg, 196
Mehadia, 112
Moiningen, 261
Meissen, 298
Meissner, 255
Molada, Island of, 47, 52
Mt'llum, 275
Memel, 311, 348
Meinmingen, 240
Menin, 418
Jleppel, 487
Meran, 29
Mergenthcim, 224
Merseburg, 320
Werzig, 20(j
Mettmann, 213
Mctz, 183
Metzingen, 223
Mculebeke, 4 18
Meuse, 383, 384, 467
Mczuhegyes, 112
Mezo-l'i'ir, 112
Middelburg, 476
Military Frontier, 69
Minden, 2H3, 284
Miramar, 58
Mitrovic, 72
Mittelgebirge. 128
Mittweida, 29.';
Moerbeke-lez- Lokeren, 421
Mocrdyk, 493, i9c(
Mohiics, 110
Sloldau, 129
Moll, 411
Moneeau-sur-Sambie, 406
Mondorf, 447
Monfalcone, 44
Monuickendam, 484, 486
Mons, 416
Montafun, 11
M outigny-sur-Sambre, 406
Mont ."t. Aniand, 421
Mont-sur-Marohieune, 406
Mooralede, 418
Moravia, 142
Morlaks, 55
Morlanwelz, 417
Moselle, 190
Mouscroen, Mouscron, 418
Mouse Tower, 188
Muhlhauscn, 266
Miilhausen, 177
Miilhcim, 197,211
Miilheim-on-the-Ruhr, 212
Miilsen, 295
Munchen-Gladbach, 211
M linden, 263
Munich, 245
Munki'ics, 110
Miinstor, 177, 282
Miinsterberg, 3-6
Murg, 191
Myslowitz, 336
Naarden, 485
Nagy Becskerek, 112
Nagy Kny ed, 1 1 3
Nagy Kanisza, 110
Nagy Kikinda, 112
Nagy KiiriJs, 112
Nagy Varad, 1 1 1
Nahe, 188, 190
Nakel, 341
Namslau, 337
Namur, 405
Narenta, River, 47
Nassau, 201
Nassau Castle, 205
Nauen, 329
Naulicim, 205
Naumburg, 320
Ncander Cave, 163
Neckar, 216
Neckargemiind, 199
Necrwiuden, 410
Ncgoi, 79
Neisse, 336
Neu-Brandenburg. 335
Neu-Brcisach, 178
Neuhaldensleben, 322
Neumarkt, 338
Neumiililen, 331
Neumiinster, 353
Neunkii-chen, 206
Neurode, 336
Neu-Ruppin, 329
Ncusalz, 339
Neusatz. 72, 111
Neusiedl, Lake of, S8
Ncusohl, no
Neuss, 211
Ncustadt, 38 ; in Silesia, 336
Neustadt-Eberswalde, 342
Neu-Stettin, 343
Nou-Strelitz, 335
Neu-Titschein, 142
Neuwerk, 277
Neuwied, 209
Ncuzcn, 475
Niederbronn, 181
Nienburg, 285
Nieuport, 428
Nikolsburg, 142
Nimniersatt, 348
Ninoven, 416
Nivelles, 412
Nogat, 309
Norden, 282
Nordemcy, 277
Nordhausen, 268
Niirdlingen, 241
Nordstrand, 351
Nortgau, 1G8
Northeim, 263
Novisad, 72, 111
Nowawes, 328
Nowo Sandek, 123
Nuremberg, Niirnberg, 248
Niirtingeu, 223
Nymegen, 4S6
Nymphenburg, 247
Ober IngeUieim, 204
Obcrhauscn, 212
Oberatein, 206
Oberwesel, 206
Oehsenfurt, 249
Oder, 162. 305, 307, 336, 339
Oderberg, 143
Oderbruch, 308
Oderwitz, 298
Oedcnbuig, 109
Ocderau, 296
Ocls, 337
OelsniU:, 294, 295
Dealing, 447
Oetzthal, 7, 8
Ocjnhausen, 283
Ofcn, 106
Offenbach, 203
Offunburg, 198
Ohlau, 336
Ohrdruf, 266
I Oise, 383
I O Kanisza, 112
502
INDEX.
Oldenburg, 2S8; in HoUtein, 354
Oldonzaai, 4S7
Oliva, 344
Olmutz, 142
Ombk, 45, 46
Ooatoainp, 428
Oppeln, 336
Ore Mountains, 127
Oiteler, 6
Oschatz, 298
Osnabriiek, 282
Ostend. 427
Osterode, 263, 346
Ostrowo, 310
Ottensen, 331, 353
Oudenaard, il8
Ougree, 408
Overysche, 415
Overyasel, 487
Paderbom, 281
Pago, 48, 51, 54
Palatinate, 200
Palten, 20
Papa. 109
Papenburg, 273, 282
Papponheim, 242
Parohim, 3i4
Pardubice, 142
Parenzo, 69
Partenkirchen, .47
Pascwalk, 335
Passau, 244
Pastorze Glaoier, 9
Patst'hkau, 336
Paturages, 416
Pecheneges, 92
Peos, 110
Peel, 45-2
Peine, 2S6
Pekela, 487
Pelagosa, 52
Pepinster, 408
Perleberg, 3i9
Peruwelz, 417
Pesth, 106
Petorwardein, 72, 112
Petten, 491
Pfalzburg, 182
Pforzheim, 198
Philippeville, 406
Philipi>sburg, 199
Pilis, 74
Pillau, 346, 347
Pillnitz, 296
Pilsen, 140
Pirano, 59
Pirmasens, 201
Pima, 29 , 296
Pisino, 59
Piuka, 67
Planitz, 295
Plauen, 294
Ploissenburg, 291
Plesohon, 340
Podolians, 119
Poilvaohe, 384
Pola, 41, 59
Polders, 462, 467
Poles, 116, 316
Polnisch Ostrau, 143
Poinorania, 343
Pontafol, I'l
Poperiiighe, 428
Poprad, 81, 114
Porta Hungarica, 75
Porta Wcbtphalica, 256, 284
Poscn. 340
Piiswneck, 266
Potsdam, 328
Prague, 137
Prebiscber Kogel, 291
Pregel, 3o9
Preiiiula, 51
Prenzlau, 335
I'rerau, 142
Pressburg, 108
Preussisch-Eylau, 347
Preussiscb-Stargard, 344
Pribram, 139
Pritzwalk, 329
Probstheyda, 294
Prosecco, Vineyards of, 46
Prossnitz, 142
Przemys'l, 123
Pusterthal, 5
I'uszta, 90, 93
Piittlingen, 206
Pyritz, 343
Pyrmont, 263
Quadi, 131
Quaregnon, 416
(iuedlinburg, 321
Quenast, 412
Raab, 108
Radautz, 124
Hadeberg, 298
Kiidna, 112
Ragusa, 61, 62
Rammelsberg, 257, 264
Ransart, 406
Rappoltsweiler, 178
Rastatt, 198
liastenburg, 347
Rastoe, Lake of, 46
Rathcnow, 329
Itatibor, 336
Katisbon, 242
Rauhe Alp, 217
lijivensburg, 239
Rawitsch, 339
Recca, 43, 44
Rccina, 44
Recklinghausen, 281
Red Tower Pass, 79, 80
Regensburg, 242
Regenwalde, 343
Regnitz, 236
Rcichenbach, 294, 337
Reichenberg, 137, 141
Reichenhall, 247
Reichshofen, 181
Remscheiii, 213
Renaix, 418
Rendsburg, 353
Rcnnsteig, 253
Reschen Lake, 5
Reudnitz, 294
Reuthingen, 223
Rezat, 236
Rha'tikon, 6
Rheingau, 205
Rbcinliausen, 212
Rheinpfalz, 200
Rhevdt, 211
Rhine, 161, 184, 455
Rhiin, 254
Rieka, 43, 46
Rics, Plain of the, 228
Riesa, 298
Riescn Gebirge, 127
Ritzobiittel, 332
Rixburg, 328
Rochlitz, 295
Roermond, 475^
Rogasen, 34 1
Roijneberg, 268
Ronsdorf, L'13
Roassc, 418
Rosenheim, 247
Rossbach, 320
Rosswein, 296
Rostock, 334
Rotheuburg, 250
Rothhitar, 196
Rottenburg, 222
Rotterdam, 478, 492
Roux-lez-C'harleroi, 406
Rovereto, 29
Rovigno, 59
Ruden Island, 314
Riidersdorf, 3V,8
Riidesheim, 205
Rudolstadt, 265
Kiigen, 313
Riigenwalde, 343
Ruhla, 262
Ruhrort, 212
Rumanians, 98, 119
Rupcl, 385
Rupelmonde, 421
Ruthenians. 97, 118
Ruysbroek, 412
Ruysselede, 418
Ryby htav, 77
Ryswyk, 4J0
Saale, River. 320
Saalfeld, 265
Saarbriicken, 206
Saarburg, 2(J6
Saargemiind, 182
Saarlouis, 206
Saaz, 140
Sabbioncella, 52
Sachsenstein, 109
Sagan, 3.i9
Saida, 296
St. Amarin, 177
St. Aubert, Mont, 379
St. Nicolas, 421
St. Georges-sur-Meuse, 406
St. Gear, 206
St. Hubert, 405
St. Ingbert, 201
St. Pietersberg, 450, 451
St. Piilten, 38
St. Trond, 410
St. Ulrich, 170
Ste. Marie aux-Mines, 178
Salvini de San Marco, 1 3
Salzach, 13
Salzbrunn, 338
Salzburg, 27
Salzburg Alps, 11
Salzkannnergut, 23
Salzungcn, 261
Salzwedel, 322
Sambor, 123
Sambre, 378, 384
Samland, 310
San Clemente, 53
Sangershausen, 320
Sansego, 52
Sasbach, 198
Satcrlaiwl. 272
Saner, 447, 448
Sauerland, 196
Save, 65
INDEX.
508
Saveme, 169, 182
Saxon Switzerland, 291
■Saxons in Belgium, 397
Saxony, Kingdom of. 290
Saxony, Prussian, 319
Scarphout, 383
Scbauduu, 20G
Scbiissburg, 113
Schedewitz, 295
Schelde, 3b4, 385
Sehemnitz, 1 10
Scheveningen, 480
Schiedam, 479
Scliienuonnilcoog, 4o8, -109, 487
Schievelbein, 343
Schiltigheim, 181
Schirmeck, 178
Schlangenbad, 204
Schlawe, 343
Schlei Fiord, 349
Schlcswig, 355
Schlcswig-Holstein, 349
Schlettstadt, 178
Schmalkaldcn, 261
Sohneeberg, 29 1
Schueidomiihl, 341
Schonberg, 142
Schunebectc, 322
Scbonheide, 296
Sohiiningen, 285
Schonlinde, 141
Schopfhcim, 197
Schoppcnstedt, 285
Schoterland, 487
Schrcckenstfin, 131
Scbrimm, 340
Schulpforta, 320
Schussonried, 239
Schutt, 82
Schwabach, 249
Schwarzort, 310
Schwarzwald, 191
Schwaz, 28
Schwcdt. 342
Schweidnitz, 337
Schweinfurt, 249
Schwerin, 334, 341
Schwetz, 344
Schwctzingen, 199
Schwiebus, 339
Scbenico, 61
Sebnitz, 296
Segeberg, 353
Seifhenncrgdorf, 298
Semlin, 72
Semmering Pass, 10, 24, 149
Semoy, 384
Senefie, 4 1 1
Senne, 416
Renuc Steppe, 256
Sennheim, 177
Seraing, 408
Scrcth, 124
Servians, 97, 99
Sichem, 410
Siebengcbirge, 195
Siegburg, 209
Kiegcn, 209
Sigmaringen, 239 <
Sign, 61
Silesia, Austrian, 142 ; Prussian, 335
Singen, 196
Sint-Amandsberg, 421
Sintfcld, 256
Sint-Truyden, 410
Sisok, 72'
Slavonia, 63
Slavs in Austria, 3
Slicdreeht, 477
Slovaks, 96
Slovenes, 19,69, 92
Sneek, 487
Sniatyn, 124
Soest, 214
Sohlergrund, 148
Soiguies, 412
Soldin, 341
Solenhofen, 228, 212
Solingen, 213
Somerghem, 418, 421
Sununerda, 268
Sommerfeld, 339
Sonderburg, 356
Sondershaiisen, 268
Sonneberg, 265
Sonnenburg, 342
Sorabian Slavs, 258
Sorau, 339
Spa, 408
Spalato, 61
Spandau, 328
Speremberg, 303
Speasart, 193, 228
Speyer, Spires, 201
Spremberg, 323
Spree, River, 307, 323, 326
Spreewald, 307
Sprottau, 339, 340
Stade, 289
Staden, 428
Stanisiaw6w, 121
Stai-gard, 343
StaMfurt, :03, 321
Stavelot, 408
Stavorcn, 487
Stedingers, 2' 0
Stein, 196, 249
Steinamanger, 109
Steinhoim, 219
Steinhuder Meer, 271
Steinschonau, 141
Stekcne, 421
Stelvio, 6, 24
Stendal, 322, 324
Sternberg, 142
St«ttin, 341, 343
feteyr, 38
Stockerau, 38
Stolberg, 211
StoUberg, 296
Strtlp, 343
Stolzenfels, 189
Stralsiind, 334
Strasburg, 344
Strassburg, 178, 335
Straubing, 215
Strchlen, 336
Stfibro, 140
Stricglitz, 338
Strudel, 31
Stubbenkammer, 3 1 4
Stuhlweissenburg, 100
Stuttgart, 221
Styria, 25
Styrian AIjw, 1 0
Siichteln. 211
Suhl, 261
Sulz. 177
Siilzbach, 206
Suudgau, 168
Suzeawa, 124
Swabians, 165, 220, 237
Swevezeele, 428
Swine, 309
Swinemiinde, 342, 343
Switzerland of the Kassubes, 302
Switzerland of the March, 302
Sylt, 35u
Symiia, 70
Szamos, 79
Szamos Ujv&r, 112
Szarvas, 112
Szathmdr-Nemethi, 1 10
Szeged, 110
Szekely, 91
Szekes-Fejervar, 109
Szentes, 112
Szigeth, 110
Szolnok, 110, 112
Tiber, 139
Tamise, 421
Tannenberg, 346
Tamopol, 124
Tam6w, 123
Tamowitz, 336
Ti'itra, 76
Tuttlingen, 238
Tauber, 219
Taus, 126, 139
Teck, 223
Tegemsee, 226
Temesvar, 1 1 2
TemiMche, 421
Tepla, 110
Teplitz, 141 ; in Styria, 26
Terglou, 10, 19
Tcrmonde, 416
Tcscheu, 143
Teterow, 334
Teutoburger Wald, 256
Thann, 177
Tharandt, 298
Theiss, 83
Thielt, 418
Thienen, 410
Thionville, 183
Thorenburg, 113
'i'hom, 343
Thourout, 428
Thuin, 406
Thuringia, 251, 258
Thuringian Forest, 252
Tiel, 486
Tihany, Mount, 88
Tilburg, 475
Tilsit, 347
Timavo, 44
Tirlemont, 410
Tokaj, 110
Tonale Pass, 7
Tondern, 356
Tongres, or Tongeren, 4 1 0
Tonning, 353
Torgau, 322
Tbrok-Szent-MikWs, 112
Toumny, 417
Transylvania, 78
Trau, 61
Traun, 14
Traunstein, 247
Trautenau, 141
Travemiinde, 334
Treene, liiver, 352
Trencscn, 110
Trent, 28
Trcptow, 343
Treuen, 294
Treuenbriezen ,329
Treves, 20(i, 2ii8
Trier, 206, -'08
504
INDEX.
Trieste, 57
Troppau, 142
Tiibingeu, 222, 22.'J
Tiiffor, 2fi
Turda, 113
Turkheim, 177
Turnhout, 4 1 1
Tyrimu, 110
Tyrol, 27
Tyiolese, 16
Tysmienica, 124
Uccle, 415
Udvkrhely, US
Ueberlingen, 196
Uelzen, 289
Uerdingen, 212
Ulm, 239
Ungarisch-Hradiscb, 142
Unghvir, 110
Unna, 215
Urach, 218
Urk, 469, 473
Utrecht, 485
Vaduz, 29
VajdaHunvad, 113
Val St. Lambert, 408
Val Fassa, 10
Varazilin, 72
Varel, 282
Vecht, 467
Vegesack, 287
Veglia, 50
Vellebic, 42, 43
Vellehrad, 142
Veluwe, 451, 456
Venlo, -1 75
Verden, 287
Vemagt Glacier, 13
Verviers, 408
Vesdre, 38 J
Veszprem, 109
Veurne, 428
Vic, 182
Vienna, 33
Vierlander, 331
Viersen, 2 1 1
Vilagos, 112
Villach, 26
Villingen, 197
Vilvorde, 415
Vineta, 343
Vinkovci, 72
Vintschgau, 8
Viruheim, 200
Virton, 404
Viscgrad Defile, 81
Vistula, 116, 129, 309, 343
Vlaardingen, 479
Vltava, 129
Vogelsberg, 264, 2i5o
Voigtland, 294
Voiarlberg, 29
Vordemberg, 26
Vorovitica, 72
Vosges, 168
Voslau, 38
Vrana, Luke, 46, 49
Waag, 76
Waakhusen, 272
Waal, 457
Wa.reghem, 418
AVaes, 382
Waesmunster, 421
Wageningon, 486
Wahlstatt, :i39
Waiblingen, 223
Waidhofen, 38
Waitzen, 109
Walcheren, 477
Waldenburg, 337
Waldshut, 19 r
Walhalla, 243
Wallachians, 98
Wallons, 395, 430
Wandsbeck, 331, 353
Warmbrunn, 339
Warmia, 318
Wamemiinde, 334
Warnsdorf, 141
Wavre, 410
Wartburg, 262
Warthe, ..04, 308
Waselheim. 178
Wasmes-en-Borinage, 416
Wasselonne, 178
Waterloo, 412, 413
Watzmann, 11
Weert, 475
Wehlaii, 347
Weida, 268
Weil der Stadt, 224
Weimar, 265
Weingarten, 210
Weinhcim, 200
WeinBberg, 2i4
Weissenburg, 181
Weissenburg am Sand, 249
Weissenfels, 320
Weisstein, 338
Wends, 19, 2? 9, 292
Werdau, 295
Werden, 213
Werfenstein, 31
Wernigerode. 321
Weira, River, 254
Werschitz, 112
Wervicq, Werwick, 418
Wesel, 212
Weser, 162, 283
Wesselburen, 353
Westerwald, 19.")
Westkappel, ^62, 4fifi
Westphalia, 214 ; Lower, 269, 281
Wetteren, 421
Wetzlar, 205
Wieliczka, 121, 123
Wiesbaden, 204
Wildbad, 224
Wildspitze, 7
Wilhelnishafen, 282
Wilhelmshiihc, 200
Willebroek, 416
Wiltz, 448
Wiughene, 428
Winschoteu, 487
Wirbel, 31
Wismar, 334
Wispor, 1911
Witten, 214
Wittenberg, 322
Wittenberge, 329
Wittstock, 329
Wolfsbiittel, 285
Wolgast, 334
WolUn, 343
Wiirlitz, 322
Worms, 201
Worth, 181
Wriezen, 3 12
Wunsiedel, 249
W upper, 21.'j
Wurmsee, 230
Wurttemberg, 216, 238
Wiirzburg, 250
Wurzen, 295
Wynendaele, 428
Xanten, 212
Yazygs, 92
Y, Canal of the, 492
Ymuiden, 482, 492
Yperen, Ypres, 428
Yser, 388
Yssel, 455
Zaandam, 463, 484
Zabem, 169, 182
Zadrugas, 69, 97
Zara, 61
Zealand, Zeeland, 475
Zeist, 486
Zeitz, 320
Zele, 421
Zell, 197
Zellerfeld, 263
Zengg, 60
Zenta, 112
Zerbst, 322
Zeulenroda, 268
Zeven, 288
Zielenzig, 342
Zierikzee, 477
Zillerthal, 20
Zirknitz, Lake of, 67
Zittau, -98
Zloczow, 124
Znaira, 142
Zombor, 1 1 1
Zossen, 328
Zoutkamp, 487
Zschopau, 296
Zugspitze. 1 1 , 226
Zuiderpolder, 401, 465
Zuider Zee, 459, 4G8
Ziillichau, 339
Ziilpich, 211
Zntfen, 487
Zweibnicken, 201
Zwickau, 2114
ZwoUe, 487
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