the name of two circles of the German empire, distinguished by the epithets Upper and Lower. The circle of Upper Saxony comprehends the duchy of Saxony, the marquises of Mainz, Lusatia, and Brandenburg, and the duchies of Pomerania, Sax Hall, Sax Altenburg, Sax-Merseburg, and Sax Naumburg. The circle of Lower Saxony comprehends the duchies of Mecklenburg, Holstein, Lawenburg, Lunenburg, Zell, Bremen, Brunswic, Hanover, and Magdeburg; the principalities of Verden and Halberstadt, and the bishopric of Hildesheim.