GtlMATB
A N n ' S e A-
■ so n s .
Face o f the
Country.
Soil and
Agriculture.
C H A P T E R IV. 1
~ N a t u r a l G e o g r a p h y..
Climate and Seafons.— fa ^ fif tb eM ia try .— Soil and A griculture.^-R ivers.—
Lakes.__Mountains. — Torijh.—Botany.— Mineralogy.—Mineral' Waters. —-
^ Natural Curiqjities.
rH E cKmatc o f the Pruffian. dominions is, u p on-the whole, cqld'a'ftd
ih o ff i 'r T h a f o f B ra n d e ftb u tg ^ J ^M # is an 'exfenfivc' idynl o f
d a d ,th a t o f’ Pomerania, m a f be- regardedudlfthqre & J § | from--$fti AMity
th an th a t elf Pruffia proper* which»"1 as BufeMhg tofouditf us*'-'has /about
efgEt morfths Hf »winter, :tjbeT;.atauaajas-. beiag**ofi&ii arfaged^tvith rain.
T h e northe rn 'p a rt o f'B o lan d , which has M ien Under th e 'Pruffian
fceptre, abounds w ith forefts a n d marffiesy W h ic fr-b a im ^ ^
tep ten d e r th e a jr fiffiffiriousl T h e lower -p a rti ofSHefia?are sq|sftdfed>'as-
moft h ealthy and;' fertile ^provinces- of*rthe -;me®ajehy.'pib,ut:'. the*
fouthem-, and wefiern p a rts o f th a t duchy, .h o rderingniridbya ted mount
a i n lo n g covered w ith fa ow , are expofed ev en inrifuusmer. to fevere
freezing gales. v:d y j i .. ■ -
I n confiderihg th e general appearance o f thefe- ektenfive-. regions;
Brandenburg is a fandy, and barren country, .but Pruffiajpro^et; formerly
abounded in woods, a n d difplays fuperiqr fertility,, a ^haraC fe r
which may alfb be extended to Pruffian Poland, a n immemfe‘p la in ;
Silefia, on th e co n rta iy , difplays a p l y i n g d iv e |fftjv ^ n g fF e v b i, an d ’
open towards Poland, b u t feparated f r e a n 'H u n g lf ^ on the S. by the
Carpathian mountains, a branch: o f whieh proceeding N. W . divides?
this country from Moravia; and Bohemia. I t is every where watered'by
th e Oder, and its tributary ftre am s: n o r is there any deficiency o f rivers-
in the other parts o f th e Pruffian fovereignty.
T h e foil o f Brandenburg is meagre, and even the fpace between
B erlin a n d ' Potfdam refembles a wildernefs; b u t th a t o f Pruffian:.
•iii.s,
Poland
Foland isjfqam^ahd fertile-. .The. n o r t h e d extremity ^df|SU,efia (hares th e j
'fandy ©<6.Bf^ndenbuijg, <j($< tfiisf,(province is^im gqjj^ral e x trem e ly
•p?bduiHve,^ and ab$Ufi4|<in frnit^’a^/ehliriaEy/yegetfibles. -
^ i^gfeicjqltural > ip p f^qver4 ^ ffis^ap^,li|tle ; knqvjp^^.and,; B ran d en b u rg :
ch ie fly produces ffcanty , crqpjj.^sfi^rye^ b u t Pruffia proper,, ^nd the
ffiqlffh proyi^ces^i^lsB^t'ej^Bs^K.Qd'^of;gra^.n«,., and efgulent p lan t; that
„aan fiouri^bn under la titu d e ;;. an,d> . among the .productions .'of
BifefisL imuflu he clawed mai?®» aodjeYeHfiV.ihes-,' fiut .fche;;y?merts,Qf
.ferior qjj^lityv.
^u JS u c h g re .th e g e h e r^ id e ’as-tohe derived from,B qji hang, and.Cft|mr/G(ef-
.mani. geo g rap h ers; b u t an intel^^l^ffiyuMUriO^uur.-'Own eQi^ntry has
, throwfr: a' jftrc®igm* i:om this?Jf^po^rtar^Mpielancle ^ fe j$ b p f his -ojbifrtvations
iha fk h e r e be franfcribedA; T h e foil^of^Biuffia proper he
yiseprefenta > a s, fandy? and ^IJrqikiyated^’y e t th e peafents-jJtboUgh? dp-
^prefled b y heayyft4xa tion^ b e in g £xee,,fro;rn the wanton- extortiQ|l^^ and
' capricious- perfonaL T e rv ic e s ^ .e x ad e d 'sb y 'then Eolifh ‘ ariftocracy,. dif-
, playedfi^ns-ofi cotnparative.eafe (and »prolper^tyi T h e frfoiyb.eijag slight,,
>two Oxen; or forSetupes evehja ifgialLhorfeianthasesw, .aferfiafficifedtl to
-draw’ the p lo u g h / ,Th e !ch ief crop was bncfcwfeat^) w h ich they?“ fduiid
«■more profitable *' th an ?b 5 trk y ; andl thjs g ra in 'wast''gftniepiHyl^ultivated,
f^loiig'-With a»ifew Bwediffi. turnips, except ^ l t h e , ne^ljhonrh&odiof
Dantzick, where th e 'ab u n d an c e o f'.m an u re affured^phUtiful ^crAps; o f
'iy.rfe^t. ■ ■ In different partsofiSilefia th e .d a rid isd e tiih if a rm h la ^ d n .E n g -’
-land, and the pedfants hired as» d ay lab o tire fs; while iuuderj.the^de-
. Wftable^go-vernmeQt o fP o lan d they-were mpfeifliav«s,!rand e;yery avenue
* In*. fpeakihg^io$ thoh o n ten u o fisTan d y fo ib o f
' Brandenburg, Ire ■. obferves, “ they find: ' that . th e o n ly ye-ry .profita^le.
»Wop Upon."ithefe.'; fhnds^iti^ :buck^whpat^-wVhieh. they! fqw; .large
quantities, and th ey get a product which equals the beft foils applied'^to
^ th a t-g ra in pi when a piece) o f land h fe lb e e u .mdr^Wrfefolly, m ^ g e d ’
•'diSn ordinaiy,: it y^»;:.yyicfoa«gDnd c ro p jlo fa^ e i but ^3 (tqi,whqat p r
h a r le f it is h a rd ly to be.faeQ.’h i Between Beilin, and Saxony £ e tfinds
a. continuation o f the-Jfame/crOpj. with tu®plpsvahdj r y w h i c h :hq jfuppofess
S o il. AND
A g r icdl -
TUAE.
f Marlhall’ s Travels/ iff. .a/j.o;i, 5cc.