A US T RI A N B OMI N IO N S.
C H A P T E R H
P o l i t i c a l G e o g r a p h y .
Religion.— Efdejiajiical Geography.—Govqrnrqept.—haws.—Population-, C opies,y
Army.— Navy-.—R&oejmey.— Political Importance and Re(qÿom*t
Religion. fT"VHE preponderant religion of the^uftrjap dominions,, i& t|ie fRomap
1 Catholic, h o t ,attended with ^.ccmfid^rable degree^ p f^ ta |e |a ,^ .
Protpftants of various feds ate found in ^ohèmia, and;Moravia ^ nçr
^re Lutherans unknown at Viejin^ ^ i g h .,t^ery jcbfefly abop^d ip
T^çânjfylyanîa,1 nay in Hungary jit %'jheljipyèd that th$ proteftants^ate
equâ in number to the catholics.1 1 VifjmA did nçt^becAine.à tpet.rp-
politan fee p S the, year 17221: the^rch^Uhop m. a. pt
Roman| çnrpire. ,The prefent Raterf$ f ’ {fgdfâjjjftiç g,eogr*iphy? ,the
npmb^ and bw n d a r^ pf, ^he bifhppricks, Wv44,fft^Ke.|ft^ijfc-
ycftigadon not interefting to the general reader.^
Government. , ’phe form tâ ^ypm oe eD t: is an h^ed^ary monarchy» ^ .W O ^ îR f
to absolute power. For-though. Hungary .retaip tits,.anciçpt.Ratf^,i or
rather an ariftoqfefeçal, fçnate*- yet #ie domiaipns;, %ing/p^arj^^and
estenfive,' and.the military-, force lÿ^pHy^dniShÆhaadaip|’ the.foy§r§dgp,
"no diftin^ kingdom or ,;ftate can ; withftand wW > wfà&jfâfô-W&fc
oppreffive meafures were purfued, there can bn: B.o general; >ipt^'#:>tP
league agaipft; ,-T.Rpn rAi#ria has jitsi #a|es,.; £qpfi$i?g o f . foür
.orders, ckrgy, peers, knights, burgeffes 1 the affembly for loiter Au-
ftria being held at Vienna, and that of the upper, at Linz.1 But, thofe
local conftitutions can. little avail againft the will o f a' .powerful
monarch, fupported by a numerous army.
. V Bufching, vi. 540. 1 Townfon, 181. _ , . j
* Hungary, the principal province, contains two archbifhopncks and fifteen hifhopncJcs,
including Bofnia and Croatia. rPhe archbïftiop of Gran has about 36,000!. 3 year, the .others
do not exceed 8,oool.— Townfon', i . 137/ . .
3 B ufchin g, vi. 536. M French edition. „
C H A p.' II. P O L i T 1C A l ' GE O G R A PH Y . 345
The laws vary according to the different provinces, almoft every Laws.
ftate having its peculiar code. The Hungarians in particular have
idefand&d their ancient laws, though in many inftances
aUaudA'l^j^the p^&mt|ry,bjeing in a ffate)?o£|,yillanage 178^.* Yet
whast as called ate f^rbytriam, puMifned 'by the empr-efs ThgEela in 1:764,
attempted with'It&ia lirccefc Ito define the rights-of the landlords, and
©f ftfte'peafante, and was "received for .few. In LI7§6 Jofeph II, after
fapprefling'v^l^nasge in Bohepaia and I^pjpvia,: i^ttended:the like freedom
to Hungary; and this decree remains nncancelled, though many
of-the .laws-of * that vweil'-h^ahing'hut injudicious monarch expired with
their ‘ author.1- yi Yet tte-bda'ftdd- ffoedrim'ef Hungary-is rather-that of
a' powerful -aitftocraey, tha»i .-df *thg -peaplecat large, dm general the'
Jaws may ‘be regarded as mild arid Palutary ancLthe AuftriphSjin par*
ficular are a weff fogalated arid con-terited people, while the Hungarians
are cfften laSd ^etatft-Mriehpf their ancient animpffity agaifift
the: Germans., As Hririgafiy is the moft iiSportant province g)f. the
monarchy,:-it might perhaps have been more prudent ;to. have, there
eftabliShed-the royal refidehle-and feat of power, had not the repeated
fubjufatkm'of a gf^itpaft -of that kingdom by the Turks.rendered fuch
a id-engn precarious.
*l- T3ic general population of the Ariftrian dominions * is ■ computed at Population,
more than ,l|«J,odb'jboQ; that of Hungary, Tranfylvania, and the
Buckovina, -being eftimated at four millions and a- half. .Yet lome
hufhors compute the population of Hungary alone at 7,000,000; and
a Ihte German author has in confequerioe fwelled the general popula-
fidh’ of the Auftrian dominions to 25^0^006.- .H<ence, .upon the
wholej it wilbbe feafonablc-fo- allow a^bl^®®c>‘W-':‘a.-'inedlal compufaj
lion <jf the numbers fobjeEt to .the Auftrian ffceptrfe.
Of the other chief provinces, Bohemia isfuppofcd to htM two millions
and a halfj' arid Moravia on e" million and a half. The Wh-dle^ ac- .
quifitions in Poland may ctintain more than three millirins j.. the Italian
dominions probably two ; while the archduchy of Auftria is computed
Jet ’ 15685,600.
* Townfon] 1 pa. 107." - * See'Townlbni <ftiap. -i.
VOL. I. y y Till