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miles in length, and 112 in breath. Its capital is KONINGSBERG, Containing 54,000 inhabitants. Fruflia extends to 55° north latitude, and is divided into.

Population.

Capital.

Towns.

6,000,000

BERLIN.

S

The countries which are independ-
ent of the Gernian Empire.
The countries that are dependent. 6,400,000 inhabitants.

145,136

570.

Wealth and commerce.] The different provinces of the Pruffian monarchy are by no means equal to one another, with refpect to fertility and the articles of their produce. The kingdom of Pruffia, being the most northren part of the monarchy, is rich in corn, timber, manna grafs, flax, and peltry of all forts, and exports these articles. Amber is exported annually, to the the value of 20,000 dollars. Pruffia wants falt, and has no metals but iron. The profits of its fisheries are confiderable. Other parts of the monarchy produce various metalic ore, minerals, and precious ftones. The fum accruing to the king from the mines, amounts to 800,000 dollars, and the profits of private proprietors, to 500,000 dollars. Five thousand hands are employed in the filk munufactures. Pruffia annually exports linen to the value of 6 millions of dollars. Their manufactures of iron, cloath, filk, linen, leather, cotton, porcelaine, hard ware, glass, paper, and their other principle manufactures, employ upwards of 165, co hands, and the produce of their induftry is eftimated at upwards of 30 millions of dollars.

Government and religion.] The Pruffian monarch resembles a very complicated machine, which, by its ingenious and admirable conftruction, produces the greatest effects with the greateft eafe, but in which the yeilding of a wheel, or the relaxation of a spring will stop the motion of the whole. The united effects of flourishing finances, of prudent œconomy, of accuracy and dispatch in every branch of administration, and of a formidable military ftrength, have given fuch confequence to the Pruffian monarchy, that the tranquillity and fecurity, not only of Germany, but of all Europe, depend in a great measure on the politics of its cabinet. The administration of juftice is likewife admirably fimplified and executed with unparalleled quickness.

Under the reign of the late king, Frederick the great, all profeffions of faith lived peaceably together, because the established religion, which is the reformed, had no power to opprefs thofe of a different perfuafion. Roman Catholicks and Jews are very numerous in the Pruffian dominions; they enjoy the moft perfect freedom in the exercife of their religion.

Hiftory.] Pruffia was anciently inhabited by an idolatrous and cruel people. The barbarity and ravages they were continually making upon their neighbours, obliged Conrad, duke of Mafovia, about the middle of the thirteenth century, to call to his affiftance the knights of the Teutonic order, who were juft returned from the holy land. Thefe knights chofe a grand mafter, attacked thofe people with fuccefs, and after a bloody war of fifty years, reduced them to obedience, and obliged them to embrace christanity. They maintained their conqueft till 1525, when Albert, Margrave of Brandenburgh, their laft grand mafter having made

himself

himself master of all Pruffia, ceded the western part to the king of Poland, and was acknowledged duke of the eastern part, but to be held as a fief of that kingdom.. The elector Frederick-William, furnamed the Great, by a treaty with Poland in 1656, obtained a confirmation of this part of Pruffia to him and his heirs, free from vaffalage, and in 1663 he was declared independent and fovereign duke. With these titles, and as grand master of the Teutonics, they continued till 1701, when Frederick, fon of Frederick-William the Great, and grandfather of the late king, raised the dutchy of Pruffia to a kingdom, and on January 18, 1701, in a folema affembly of the states of the empire, placed the crown with his own hands upon his head; foon after which he was acknowledged as king of Pruffia by all the European powers. Frederick III. died Auguft 17, 1786, and was fucceeded by his nephew, Frederick-William, who was born 1744.

Miles. Length

RUSSI A.

Breadth Between {440 and 40' and 72° North Lat.

23° and 62° Eaft Longitude.

{4.880,000.

This is then emit, to Kamtfchatka, and the eastern ocean, HIS is the largest empire in the world, extending from the Baltic

and on the north, from the frozen ocean to the 44th degree of latitude. Divifions] Ruffia is at prefent divided into 42 governments, which are comprehended again under 19 general governments, viz.

Government. Inhab.

12

20 millions,
4 ditto.

Capital. Petersburg. Cafan

European part of Ruffia, 30 Afiatic Ruffia, The fuperiority of the European part over the vast but uncultivated provinces of Afia, is ftriking. The provinces acquired by the divifion of Poland, are highly valuable to Ruffia, to which the acquifition of Crimea is by no means comparable in value.

This immenfe empire comprehends upwards of 50 different nations, and the number of languages is fuppofed not to be lefs than the number of nations.

Wealth and commerce.] In fo vaft a tract of country as the empire of Rutha, fpreading under many grees of latitude, watered by more than eight rivers, which run through the space of 2000 miles, and croffed by an extenfive chain of mountains, we may expect to find an infinite number of natural productions, though we must make fome allowances for the great deferts of Siberia, and the many parts not yet thoroughly investigated by natural historians. The fpecies of plants peculiar to this part of the globe, which have already been difcovered, amount to many thoufands. The foil contains almost all minerals, tin, platina and fome femi

metals

metals excepted. Ruffia abounds with animals of almost all the various kinds, and has many that have never been described. It has the greateft variety of the fineft furs. In 1781, there were exported from Pe-* terfburg alone 428,877 fkins of hares, 36,904 of grey fquirrels, 1,354 of bears, 2,018 of ermine, 5,639 of foxes, 300 of wild cats, befides thofe of wolves and of the fuflic (a beautiful animal of the rat kind) exclufive of the exportation of the fame articles from Archangel, Riga, and the Cafpian Sea. In one year there were exported from Archangel, 783,000 pud of tallow (a pud is equal to 40 lb.) 8,602 pud of candles, and 102 pud of butter. In 1781 from Petersburgh, 148,099 pud of red leather, 10,885 pud of leather for foles, 530,646 pud of candles, 50,000 pud of foap, 27,416 pud of ox bones, 990 calve skins. The fisheries belonding to Ruffia are very productive. The forests of fir-trees are immenfely valuable. Oaks and beeches do not grow to a useful fize beyond the 60th degree of north latitude. They export timber, pitch, tar and pot-afh to a vast amount. Rye, wheat, tobacco, hemp, flax, failcloth, linfeed oil, flax-feed, iron, filver, copper, jafper, falt, marble, granite, &c. are among the productions of Ruffia. The whole of the exports of Ruffia amounted in 1783 to near 13 millions of rubles; the imports did not much exceed the fum of 12 millions. The imports cɔnfift chiefly of wine, fpices, fruits, fine cloth, and other manufactured conmodities and articles of luxury. There are at prefent no more thar 484 manufacturers in the whole empire.

Government.] The emperor or autocrator of Ruffia (the prefent emprefs ftyles herself autocratrix) is abfolute. He muft be of the Greek church by the ancient cuftom of the empire. The only written fundamental law exifting is that of Peter the First, by which the right of fucceffion to the throne depends entirely on the choice of the reigning monarch, who has unlimited authority over the lives and properties of all his fubjects. The margement of public affairs is entrusted to feveral departments. At the head of all thofe concerned in the regulation of internal affairs (the ecclefiaftical fynod excepted) is the fenate, under the prefidency of a chancellor and vice-chancellor. The fovereign nominates the members of this fupreme court, which is divided into fix chambers, four at Petersburg and two at Mofcow. The provinces are ruled by governors appointed by the fovereign.

4

Religion.] The religion established in the Ruffian empire is the Greek. The most effential point in which their profeilion of faith differs from that of the Latin church, is the doctrine, that the Holy Ghoft proceeds from the Father only. Their worship is as much overloaded with ceremonies as the Roman Catholic. Saints are held in veneration, and painted images, of them, but no ftatues, are fuffered in the churches. The church has been governed, fince the time of Peter the Great, by a national council called the Fioly Synod. Marriage is forbid to the archbishops and bishops, but is allowed to the inferior clergy. There are 479 convents for men, 74 for women, in which are 70,000 perfons.. Above 900,000 peafants belong to the eftates in poffeflion of the clergy; Hiftory.] The earlieft authentic account we have of Ruffia is A. D. 862, when Rurick was grand duke of Novogorod in this country. In the year 981, Wolidimer was the first Chriftian king. The Poles conquere

it about 1058, but it is uncertain how long they kept it. Andrey I. be gan his reign 1158, and laid the foundation of Mofcow. About 1200 of the Mungls Tartars, conquered it, and held it in subjection to them till 1540, when John Bafilowitz restored it to independency. About the middle of the fixteenth century, the Ruffians difcovered and conquered Siberia. It became an empire 1721, when Peter I. affumed the title of emperor of all the Ruffias, which was admitted by the powers of Europe to be obferved in future negociations with the court of Petersburg. The reign of Elizabeth, in the courfe of the prefent century, is remarkable, on account of her abolishing the ufe of torture, and governing her fubjects for twenty years without inflicting a fingle capital punish

ment.

The prefent emprefs is actually employed in founding a number of fchools, for the education of the lower claffes of her fubjects, throughout the best inhabited parts of the empire; an institution of the most be neficial tendency, which, if rightly executed, will entitle the great Catha rine, more than any of her predeceffors, to the gratitude of the Ruffian

nation.

DEN.

SWEDE

Miles.
Length 1300
Breadth 600S

Between {100 and 40° East Longitude.

50° and 70° North Latitude.

Boundaries.] Buna, fouth, by Denmark and the Baltic; weft, by
BOUN
Ruffia;

OUNDED north, by the Frozen Ocean; eaft by

Norway. The whole kingdom of Sweden contains 104, towns, 80,250 villages. and 1,200 eftates of the nobility.

Divifions

Square miles

1 Sweden Proper, S

2 Gothland,

{64,000

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Cop. Towns. Stockholm.

Population.

2,100,000

80,0000 inhab.

[blocks in formation]

100,550

Bergen.

dies, Sweden obtained from France, in the year 1785, 7 In the Weft-In Barthelemi.

the island of

Climate, exports and imports.] Sweden has an inhofpitable climate, and the greater part of the foil is barren, upwards of 110,000 fquare miles lie uncultivated. Yet the industry of the inhabitants in arts and agriculture, has raised it to the rank of a fecondary European power. Sweden imports 300,000 tons of corn, and 4,535 hogfheads of fpirit. ous liquors, befides hemp, fax, falt, wine, beef, filk, paper, leather, and Eaft and Weft-India goods. The exports of Sweden confift chiefly of wood, pitch, tar, fifh, furs, copper, iron, fome gold and filver, and other minerals, to the amount, in the year 1768 of upwards of 13

millions

millions of dollars; their imports in the fame year amounted to little more than 10 millions of dollars. The Swedes trade to all parts of Europe, to the Levante, the East and Weft-Indies, to Africa and China.

Government.] Since the memorable revolution in 1772. Sweden may be called a monarchy. The fenate still claim fome share in the administration, but its members are chosen by the king The king has the absoJute difpofal of the army, and has the power of calling and of diffolving the affembly of the ftates; but he cannot impofe any new tax, without confulting the diet. The fenate is the higheft court or council in the kingdom, and is compofed of 17 fenators, or fupreme counfellors. The provinces are under governors, called provincial captains.

Religion.] The religion established in Sweden is the Lutheran, which the fovereign muft profefs, and is engaged to maintain in the kingdom. Calvinifts, Roman Catholics and Jews are tolerated. The fuperior clergy of Sweden have preferved the dignities of the Roman Catholic church it is composed of the archbishop of Upfal, of 14 bishops, and of 192 pre fidents. The jurifdiction of ecclefiaftical matters is in the hands of 19 confiftories. The number of the inferior clergy, comprehending the mimifters of parishes, &c. amounts only to 1387.

Hiftory. We have no account of this country till the reign of Bornio III. A. D. 714. Margaret. queen of Denmark and Norway, was called to the throne of Sweden, on the forced refignation of Albert, their king, A. D. 1387. It remained united to the Danish crown till 1523, when the famous Guftavus Vafa expelled the Danes, and ever fince it has remained independent; but was made an abfolute monarchy by the prefent king in 1772.

Poffeffions of DENMARK in Europe:

LL the Danish provinces contain 182,400 fquare miles, and, in

Acluding the col contain

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Divifions. Square miles.

Population.

Chief Towns.

Inhab.

1 Denmark Proper,

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2,800

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},

112,000 723,141

Bergen,

18,000

4 Faroe islands,

5 Iceland,

5,000

46,400

3 Norway, which

has

the Atlan

tic weft,

46,201 Skalhol.

The whole of Denmark contains 68 towns, 22 bo ougas, 15 earldoms, ift baronies, 932 eftates of the inferior nobility, 7000 villages. Norway contains 18 towns, two carldoms, and 27 eftates of the other iltiy.

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