or LUNENBURG Zell, a principality of Germany, bounded to the south by that of Calenberg, the diocese of Hildesheim, and the duchy of Brunswic; to the north, by the duchy of Lauenburg and the Elbe, by the last of which it is separated from the territory of the imperial city of Hamburg; to the east, by the duchy of Brunswic, the Alte Mark, and the duchy of Mecklenburg; and to the west, by the duchies of Bremen and Verden, the county of Hoya, and the principality of Calenberg. The soil, except along the Elbe, Aller, and Jetz, is either sand, heath, or moor. In the more fruitful parts of it are produced wheat, rye, barley, oats, peas, buck-wheat, flax, hemp, hops, pulse, oak, beech, firs, pines, birch, and alder, together with black cattle and horses. The heaths abound with bees and honey, and a small kind of sheep whose wool is long and coarse. Lunenburg is well furnished with salt springs and limestone, and the forest of Gorde with venison. The rivers Elbe, Ilmenau and Aller, are navigable; and consequently very advantageous to the country, independent of the fish which they yield. The general diets of this principality are convened by the sovereign twice a-year, and held at Zell. They consist of the deputies of the nobility and the towns of Lunenburg, Uelzen, and Zeil, who have the nomination of the members of the high colleges, and other officers, jointly with the sovereign. There are near 220 Lutheran churches in the country, under two general and 15 subordinate superintendants, several grammar-schools, two Calvinist churches at Zell, and an academy of exercises at Lunenburg. The manufactures are chiefly linen cloth, cottons, ribbons, stockings, hats, flarch, bleached wax, refined sugar, gold and silver wires, all kinds of wooden wares, barges, boats, and ships. The exports of these to Hamburg, Lubec, and Altona, are considerable. The neighbourhood of these cities, with the facility of conveying goods and merchandise to them and other places, either by land or water, is very advantageous to this country, and contributes greatly to its subsistence. On account of this principality, the king of Great Britain has a seat and voice both in the college of the princes of the empire and of the circle of Lower Saxony. Its quota in the matricula is 20 horse and 120 foot, or 720 florins in lieu of them. The revenues of the principality arise chiefly from the demesnes, tolls on the Elbe, contributions, duties on cattle, beer, wine, brandy, and other commodities, which altogether must be very considerable, some bailiwicks alone yielding upwards of 20,000 rix-dollars.

the capital of the principality of the same name, is a pretty large town of Germany, on the river Elmen, or the Ilmenau, which is navigable from the town to the Elbe, at the distance of 13 miles. It is 27 miles from Hamburg, 43 from Zell, 65 from Brunswic, LUNenburg, Brunswic, 76 from Bremen, 68 from Hanover; and stands in E. Long. 10. 40. N. Lat. 53. 28. Its inhabitants are reckoned at between 8000 and 9000. Formerly this town was one of the Hanse, and an imperial city. Some derive its name from Lina, the ancient name of the Ilmenau; others from Luna, the moon, an image of which is said to have been worshipped by the inhabitants in the times of Paganism. Here were anciently several convents, viz. one of Minims, another of Premonstratensians, another of Benedictines, and a fourth of Minorites. Out of the revenues of the Benedictine monastery was founded an academy for the martial exercises, where young gentlemen of the principality of Lunenburg are maintained gratis, and taught French, fencing, riding, and dancing; but foreigners are educated at a certain fixed price. A Latin school was also founded, consisting of four classes, and well endowed out of these revenues. The superintendency and management of these, and the estates appropriated to their maintenance, belongs to the landschaft director, and the aufréiter, who are both chosen from among the Lunenburg nobility. The first came in place of the Popish abbot, and as such is head of the states of the principality, and president of the provincial college. He has the title of excellency; and in public instruments styles himself, by the grace of God land/schaft director, and lord of the mansion of St Michael in Lunenburg. The chief public edifices are three parish-churches, the ducal palace, three hospitals, the town-house, the salt-magazine, the anatomical theatre, the academy; the conventual church of St Michael, in which lie interred the ancient dukes, and in which is the famous table eight feet long, and four wide, plated over with chased gold, with a rim embellished with precious stones, of an immense value, which was taken from the Saracens by the emperor Otho, and presented to this church: but in 1698, a gang of thieves stripped it of 200 rubies and emeralds, together with a large diamond, and most of the gold, so that at present but a small part of it remains. Here are some very rich salt springs. Formerly, when there was a great demand for the salt, upwards of 120,000 tons have been annually boiled here, and sold off; but since the commencement of the present century, the salt trade hath declined greatly. A fifth of the salt made here belongs to the king, but is farmed out. It is said to excel all the other salt made in Germany. This town is well fortified; and has a garrison, which is lodged in barracks. In the neighbourhood is a good limestone quarry; and along the Ilmenau are warehouses, in which are lodged goods brought from all parts of Germany, to be forwarded by the Ilmenau to Hamburgh, or by the Ache to Lubec, from whence other goods are brought back the same way. The town itself carries on a considerable traffic in wax, honey, wool, flax, linen, salt, lime, and beer.