x oo K part of the day with walking on the beach, and picking up the
1 pieces of amber which are thrown alhore by the waves of the
fea in fuch large quantities as in fome parts to feem like heaps
of finall ihells.
After creeping near forty hours, we at length reached the
fouthern termination of the fpit of fand, and palled through a
country agreeably diverfified with hill and dale, and appearing
ftill more agreeable from the contrail of the barren and defolate
land which we had juil quitted. We reached Konigiberg at
midnight, after having employed fifty hours in traverfing 20
German, or 90 Englilh miles.
Pruffia, of which Konigiberg is the capital, is formed into
two great divifions, eallern and weilern Pruffia, both of which
were united in the fourteenth century, fubjedt to the Teutonic
knights, and governed by a grand mailer of that order. During
that and the following century, many difputes arofe between
die Teutonic knights and Poland concerning the boundaries of
Poland and Pruffia: and the grand mailer was conilrained to do
homage to the King of Poland for the poileffion of Pruffia.
At length Albert, a prince of the electoral houfe of Branden-
burgh, being chofen grand mailer of Pruffia in 1512, compro-
mifed the matter in difpute with Poland, by ceding to that
crown Weilern Pruffia, and referving to himfelf Eailern Pruffia,
to be held as a ducal fief, defcendible to his heirs male, and in
failure of iffiie male, to revert to the crown of Poland. In conference
of this agreement, Albert received, in 1525, the in-
2 veiliture
veiliture of Eailern Pruffia from Sigifmond, king of Poland;
and at his death tranfmitted it quietly to his fon Albert Frederic.
Albert Frederic being iniane, his Pruffian dominions were governed
by his couiin George Frederic, and afterwards by John
Sigifmond, eleibor of Brandenburgh, who had efpoufed Anne,
eldell daughter of the duke of Pruffia.
In 1611, John Sigifmond obtained from Sigifmond the Third,
king of Poland, the inveiliture of ducal Pruffia, as a vaflal to
the crown of Poland j and, on the death of his father-in-law, in
1618, fucceeded, without oppofition, to that dutchy; thus annexing
to his eleiloral dominions this valuable country.
In 1658, Frederic William, defervedly furnamed the Great
Elector, obtained from John Caiimir, and the republic of Poland,
the abolition of his vafialage for Eailern Pruffia, and the
erection of that dutchy into an independent fovereignty.
His fon Frederic raifed that dutchy into a kingdom, and, in
1701, was crowned king o f Pruffia at Konigiberg; and the late
king, Frederic the Second, wreiled from Poland, by the treaty of
partition, Poliih or Weilern Pruffia, and re-united the whole
country under one fovereignty.
Konigiberg, the capital of the kingdom of Pruffia, is about
five miles in circumference; and including the garrifon o f 7,000
men, contains 60,000 inhabitants. It itands on the Pregel, a
navigable river which flows from the north-weilern provinces
o f Poland, and here falls into the eailern extremity of the Frifche
R r 2 Haf,