BRANDENBURG (Marquisate of), a large country of Germany, having Mecklenburgh and Pomernia on the north; Poland, on the east; Silesia, with the Lusatias, the electorate of Saxony, Anhalt, and duchy of Magdebourg, on the south; and part of the same duchy, and that of Lunenburg, on the west. Its greatest length is near 200 miles, and its greatest breadth near 100. Its northern situation makes it very cold for seven or eight months in winter. The soil in general is far from being fruitful, a great part of it consisting of sand: yet there are several fruitful spots in it; and the whole, under the last and present reign, has been greatly improved, and much better peopled. In some parts there is great plenty of potatoes and turnips; in others of buck-wheat, millet, and flax; in others of tobacco, woad, and other herbs for dyeing. All sorts of colour earths, together with alum, salt-petre, amber, iron, stone, and medicinal springs, are found in it. Abundance of cattle, especially sheep, are bred here; and the woods not only supply the inhabitants with fuel, but with timber, charcoal, tar, and wood-ashes, both for domestic uses and for exportation. The culture of silk also is carried on in this country with great success. The principal rivers by which it is watered are the Elbe, the Oder, the Prignitz, the Havel, the Warte, and the Spree. Some of the rivers and lakes abound in fish, and are united by canals, for the benefit of navigation. They reckon in the whole Mark 120 towns, above 2500 villages, and about 800,000 inhabitants. The states here consist of the nobility and towns, whose assembly-house is in the Spandau-Street at Berlin, and who still enjoy some small remains of their ancient privileges. The hereditary officers of the marquisate are a marshal, chamberlain, cup-bearer, purveyor, fewer, treasurer, and ranger. The king of Prussia, who is also elector of Brandenburg, with his whole court, are Calvinists; but the religion of most of the inhabitants is Lutheranism. The churches of both
persuasions are well endowed, and the laity jointly employed by the government. The Roman-catholics are also tolerated here. In short, every inhabitant enjoys full liberty of conscience. A great variety of manufactures, most of which were introduced by the French refugees, are carried on in the marquisate, especially at Berlin and Potsdam; where are also excellent painters, statuarys, and engravers. By means of these manufactures, factories, and arts, not only large sums are kept in the country, but also imported from other parts, to which considerable quantities of the manufactures, and natural productions, are exported. For the education of youth, and the advancement of learning, besides Latin schools in several places, and gymnasia, there is an university at Frankfort on the Oder, and an academy of sciences at Berlin. This marquisate, together with the arch-chamberlain's office, and the electoral dignity, was conferred, in 1415, hereditarily on Frederic V. or VI. burgrave of Nuremberg, in whose family it still remains, with the addition of many other territories and dignities. The present king of Prussia and elector of Brandenburg, Frederic III. is one of the greatest and most powerful princes of Europe, as well as one of the most despotic. He hath greatly enlarged his dominions, by the addition of all the lower, together with the greatest part of the upper Silesia, and the county of Glatz. In 1744, he also took possession of east Prussia; but in 1754, disposed of his share of the succession of the late king William, prince of Orange, to the present prince and stadtholder. The qualifications and talents of this prince are great, and he hath performed many singular actions; but his ambition would have proved his ruin, had he not been supported in the last war by the troops and treasures of Great Britain. It is hard to say, whether his subjects have been greater gainers by his encouraging and promoting commerce, manufactures, agriculture, population, order, and the regular distribution of justice; or sufferers by the wars in which his ambition hath involved them, and the prodigious standing army he keeps constantly on foot, to maintain his conquests, and extend them, as opportunity offers. Such an army must be a great burden, besides their labour being lost in a great measure to the country. Among the electors he possesses the seventh place. As arch-chamberlain, he carries the sceptre before the emperor at his coronation, and brings him water in a silver basin to wash with. In the college of princes of the empire, he has five voices. His assessment, as elector, is 60 horse and 277 foot, or 1828 florins in lieu of them. To the chamber of Wetzlar, his quota is 811 rix-dollars, 58 krüitzers, each term. As to the orders of the knights of the Black Eagle, and of Merit, it is sufficient here to observe, that the former was instituted by Frederic I. at his coronation, and the other by the present king. For the government of this country and the administration of justice, there are several supreme colleges and tribunals; particularly for the departments of war, foreign affairs, and the finances, there are distinct boards. Here is a supreme ecclesiastical council and consistory for the Lutherans; a supreme directory of the Calvinist church; a supreme medicinal college; a supreme mine-office; a college or board of trade, &c. Those of the French nation, settled in this country, are allowed particular courts of their own. The amount of the yearly revenues of the Mark, arising,
Brandenburg Brandt. sing from the domains, protection-money paid by the Jews, tolls, land-tax, mines, forests, duties on stamp-paper, salt, and variety of other imposts and excises, is computed at about 2,500,000 crowns; but the money is said to be much inferior in goodness to that of Saxony and the dominions of Hanover. During the late war it was extremely debased. Some estimate the whole number of the inhabitants of the royal and electoral dominions at 5,000,000, and the revenues at about 2,000,000 sterling. The present king and elector keeps upwards of 100,000 men on foot in time of peace, which are said to cost him more than half of his whole revenue. These troops are under strict discipline, very expert at their exercise, always in readiness to march, and always complete. Each regiment has a particular canton or district allotted it for its quarters and raising recruits. The infantry are clothed in blue, and the horse and dragoons in white; and both are required to hear sermon twice a-day when in quarters or garrisons. In time of peace they are allowed, for several months in the year, to hire themselves out, or to follow their business either as burghers or peasants, in the canton where they are quartered; but they are not allowed to marry. A considerable part of these troops are stationed in the Mark, particularly at Berlin and Potsdam. The corps of hussars alone amounts to about 10,000 men. The Mark of Brandenburg is divided, in general, into the electoral and new Marks. The former is again subdivided into the old Mark, the Pregnitz, the middle Mark, and the Ucker Mark. The old Mark, which lies on the west side of the Elbe, between that river and Lunenburg, is about 50 miles in length, and 30 in breadth.