a province or signory, possessed by a palatine.

PALATINATE of the Rhine, a province of Germany, divided into two parts by the Rhine, called the Upper and Lower Palatinate. The former lies in the circle of Bavaria, and belongs to the elector thereof; but the latter, in the circle we are now treating, belongs to the elector palatine. The latter part is bounded to the east by the county of Katzenelnbogen, the archbishopric of Mentz, the bishopric of Worms, and part of the territory of the Teutonic order in Franconia; to the west by Alsace, the duchy of Deuxponts, the county of Spohneim, Palatinate. Sponheim, the duchy of Simmern, and certain districts of the electorate of Mentz; to the south by the duchy of Wurtemberg and the bishopric of Spire; and to the north by a part of the archbishopric of Mentz and the county of Katzenelnbogen. It contains 41 towns, besides several boroughs; and is about 100 miles in length, and 70 in breadth. The air is healthful, and the soil fruitful in corn, pasturage, wine, tobacco, and all sorts of pulse and fruits, particularly walnuts, chestnuts, and almonds. This country also breeds abundance of cattle, and is well watered by the Neckar, the Nahe, and the Rhine. In the laft of these, near Germerheim and Selz, is found gold; the exclusive right of searching for which is farmed out by the elector. The state of religion hath varied greatly here since the Reformation, Lutheranism and Calvinism having been uppermost by turns, till the electorate devolved to the Popish branches of the family, when Popery, with all its superstition and mummery, was established anew: so that the Protestant religion is now on a very precarious footing in the Palatinate, though most of the natives are full of that persuasion: but the two sects of Protestants, namely, the Lutherans and Calvinists, have greatly contributed to their own ruin, by their mutual jealousy and animosity, being no less rancorous against one another than against their common adversaries the Papists. The Lutherans reckon themselves 50,000 strong, and are possessed of about 85 churches; but not one half of their preachers and schoolmasters have a competent maintenance. The number of Calvinist clergy here is estimated at 500, and that of the Roman Catholics at 400. Besides schools and Jesuits colleges in this country, there is one university, namely, that of Heidelberg; but there is very little trade in it except in wine. Authors are divided about the origin of the name Palatine, or Pfalzgraves, as the Germans call them; but it seems most likely to be derived from the palatin, or palaces, which the old Frankish and German kings and Roman emperors were possessed of in different parts of the country, and over which they appointed supreme stewards or judges, who are called Palatines or Pfalzgraves. The countries where these Palatines kept their courts, were, from them, called Palatinates; which name came at last to be appropriated, by way of eminence, to this country, as being the most considerable of them. The ancient electoral line falling in 1685, the electorate devolved to Philip William duke of Neuburg; and upon the death of his second son Charles Philip, to the prince of Sulzbach. This elector has the title of arch-treasurer of the empire, as well as the elector of Brunswick Lunenburg, and is the fifth in rank among the secular electors. He is also one of the vicars of the empire alternately with the elector of Bavaria, and enjoys many other prerogatives. In his own dominions, he disposes of all vacant benefices; but allows the ecclesiastical council, composed of two clergymen and two laymen, to present two candidates, of which he chooses one. He is also master of all the tithes in his dominions; but he either grants them to the clergy, or salaries in lieu of them, out of the revenues of the church. His title is Pfalzgrave of the Rhine; arch-treasurer and elector of the holy Roman empire; duke of Bavaria, Juliers, Cleve, and Berg; prince of Mons; marquis of Bergen-op-Zoom; count of Veldens, Sponheim, the Mark, and Ravenberg; and lord of Ravenstein. His quota to the army of the empire is 30 horse and 138 foot, or 914 florins monthly. Palatinate. To the chamber of Wetzlar he contributes, each term, 404 rixdollars, 82 kruitzers. There is an order of knighthood in this country, viz. that of St Hubert; the badge of which is a quadrangular cross pendant to a red ribbon, with a star on the breast. The whole of the elector's revenue, arising from the Palatinate, the duchies of Berg and Juliers, the feignory of Ravenstein, and the duchies of Neuburg and Sulzbach, hath been estimated at about 300,000l. per annum. The military establishment consists of several regiments of horse and foot, besides the horse and Swiss life guards: in time of peace he is said to maintain about 6000 men.—All the different courts and councils, usual in other countries for the different departments of government, are also to be found here.

In general, the Lower Palatinate has suffered more by the preceding wars with France than all the provinces of Germany put together during the space of 30 years; for the French have plundered the country, and demolished some of its first towns more than once. It has undergone various changes during the late French revolution, for an account of which, see FRANCE. In the modern part of the Universal History, we have the following account of the rise of the Palatinate of the Rhine, under the history of Germany.

"Though Conrad the son of Everhard inherited from his father the duchy of Franconia, with the counties of Hesse and Alliance, he could not succeed him in the dignity of Count Palatine, because Otho had taken it from his father, and conferred it on Herman third son of Arnold duke of Bavaria: but as this honour was unattended with any solid advantage, the emperor began to annex to it the lands and castles situated on the Rhine, whence he acquired the title of Count Palatine of the Rhine: and, in process of time, these counts made great acquisitions by marriages, purchases, mortgages, and imperial donations, so as to form a very considerable province." The powers of counts palatine in the German empire have always been ample; we have this account of it in the same learned work.

"When the counts palatine of the Rhine began to execute their office, they neither policed on that river lands, cities, nor castles; but having by degrees made great acquisitions by marriages, purchases, agreements, imperial donations, or otherwise, they have at length formed a very considerable principality. We are told, that under the emperors of the house of Swabia, their authority and power increased greatly, though it was a gradual increase. Under the reign of the emperor Henry IV. the credit of the counts palatine was very considerable at the court; and by the German law, the count palatine of the Rhine enjoys not only during the absence of the emperor, but likewise during a vacancy of the empire, the right of the ban beyond the Rhine, to within a mile of the city of Metz, and as far as the ocean, as well as in Flanders. However, this right of the ban has not been granted to him by the emperors. There is likewise an ancient ordinance, in which the office of count palatine is mentioned; it imports, that the count palatine is always by right the representative or lieutenant of the kingdom. Lastly, How great the power of the counts palatine was, may be understood from this, that in the election of Rodolphus of Hapfburgh, and in that of Henry VII. the other electors promised promised to acknowledge as emperor him whom he should name. Although, however, the power of the counts palatine had as it were secured to them the vicariate of the empire, nevertheless the emperors fill referred to themselves the right of establishing vicars." See BAVARIA.