Litera- genius-.in th e nativfe language'haVe been little ftb.oym tftl: the .prefent
turb*. , century, the literature o f Pruffia has few pretenfions^ and yield to
th a t o f Saxony, the- elaffical feat o f Ge rman = letters. Frederic the
great had a mean opinion o f German literature ; and, th ough he wrote
in French, m u ll be clafled among the moft diftinguilhed authors, of his
kingdom. N o r is Count Hertfherg, his minifter, without merit.
Among the other names either natives or who fiouriffied in Pruffia,
may be mentioned Ramler the poet, Nicolai an original writer of romances,
&c., Bufching the geographer, Spalding, and Mpndelfohn.1
N o r has Pruffia. yet produced an y artifts, painters, fculptors, or archi-
te f ts , o f diftinguifhed reputation. * . -
Education.. • T h e ftate o f education in- this- country feems. to b e equally negleCted
aS in the far greater part o f E urope: T h e number o f recruits wanted
for th e army, and th e c o n feq u en t uncertainty o f defoliation for life,
m u ft Angularly impede the national in f tru a io n . - - ^
Univeitities. ' T h e re are however feveral umverfities* fiach as th a t o f Frankfort on
. th e Oder, founded b y Joachim elector o f Brandenburg in the year 1516.
-Konigfberg in Pruffia was founded' in 1544. C£ the.Poliffi univerfities--
Cracow has fallen, to Auftria, and was founded in 13.64; and Wilna,
founded in 1570,10 Ruffia. P o fn ao r Pofen has. become fubjeCt to'Pruffia.
Cities and Among the chief cities of Pruffia . muft firft b e . mentioned Berlin,
Towns. - fituated on the banks o f the river Sprey, and regularly fortified. It
®erKn* was founded in th e twelfth century, b y a colpiiy from „the Netherlands,
and contains upwards o f 140,000* inhabitants, being, about fo u r
miles5 and a h a lf long and- three-wide ; b u t w ithin this enclofiire are
many gardens, and fometimes even ftelds ; nor is it eafy to reconcile
gooo houfes, ‘as enumerated b y Riefbeck,, with th e .number^ of, in habitants
computed by Boetticher. However this be, th? city is more-
remarkable for. th e elegance o f the buildings, th an for its wealth 9r
induftry, many beautiful houfes being let in ftories to mechanics';
KonJfterg. N ext to Berlin may- be mentioned Konigfberg, o f w h ic h the p opulation
°mg * is computed a t about 52,000, Th is city was founded? in the. th irte e n th
century, and.is well fortified. It maintains a confiderable trade by the*
riv e r Pregel, which flows into- the gulph o f Dantzick.
■ * Riefbeck’ 8 Trav. iii, 44, * H o eck 1879-142,09.9 ; h o u fe s 'f ij jo .' ,
‘6 ’ Brdlatw,
Breflaw, the capital o f Silefia, has been dong celebrated as one o f the
m o ft .beautiful cities in Germany. I t is o f uncertain antiquity, but
was deftroyed by th e Tatars in the thirteenth cen tu ry .'' ‘ T h e population
is at le'aft! equal to that o f Koniglberg; and it has feveral manufactures,
the lin en s o f Silefia being particularly.celebrated. T h e ruling religion
is that of Luther.
- Among the chief .cities of Pruffia muft not now be forgotten W ar-
faw, the former capital o f Poland ; a*nd Dantzick, an independent city
o f aficient fam e ... Wagfaw Hands p a rtly in a plain', partly on a gentle ■
afeent rifing from the Viftula, but the appearance is melancholy from
' th e ^ e n eM ’pdv e rty '•oKPela'nd iftilpf'-its' fo rm er‘unhappy gbv&mment.3
T h e t$cipm“lat?6uf w'a^ compufefcf at 'the unfortunate
fuburb 'M 'P n tg h ^ b u t i t r rfiuft have1'been- -much thinned b y th e de-r
f tr u < fo ^ 4wcM'foft'Suwafrow. 'Yet H-detk«flftfos4€,(* 6’6f, J ^ ? «b
,‘>ljauizf£lc'lJ©mainh"T about Sirihhbi'taTlts, £ahd,:waS';^n'ow.h 1 as- a
co'nimh-rSift -totWf even from the tenth c&ntnfy-.ffi, It vraSifedfifideVeffias- the’
chief^ci’i^-''of' * the: 1 Harifeaitic- leagu|ekvand -v^aS^hla'Egeft -an'd- adorned-1 by ‘
fthe knights',>-©f thfei|'FeutoniL}ejfd:epi ‘ ■- Itmuft^ffe|ie|confideredJaS>thei
.fifief ft&rlle* for th e exportation o f the corn ahlE*m#,<5ther -produCtsfof
-Polafid • -but'fts commerce has<hedn fo r fome time bn' th'd dedliueA >
In t<h&countrl6^retnoved'from tHeT#uthe*rn limits’ of aricient-civiltea-
, tdoh, any formal enumeration o f cities becomes lefs important, becaufe
thofe places which make aii-appearance on maps often derive their foie.
impOTfanee' from the ir fituation amid ft furrounding deferts ; and the
expeCted' city becomes, upon examination, an irifignificant town. Yet
- a few other cities o f the Pruffian dominions deferve geographical enumeration',
in a pr'ogrefs from the more arrcient territories' in the well,-
to the recent acquifitions in the eftl. -
' In the electorate o f Brandenburg; and in the adjoining duchy o f Mag-
dchuro- on the weft, may he named Brandenburg!, a fina'il city o f 6,000
inhabitants ; and Frankfort on the Oder which contains about 16,pool
' Potfdam, a recent .city, is fitUated on an ifland, amid ft lakes and canals,
and nofexpence has been fpared in its decoration. THd rbyal* draftle
3 Coxe’s Pol. i. 206.
w
C it ie s a i. d
1 Tow:-Si
Breflaw.
Warfaw.
Dantzick.
Towns,
Potfdam.
VOL. I. was