one of the larger provinces into which the kingdom of Prussia is divided, and the division from which that powerful monarchy originally sprung. See PRUSSIA. It is situated between Lat. 57° 0. and 53° 34' N. and Long. 11° 25' and 16° 10' E., and is bounded on the north by Mecklenburg and Pomerania, east by West Prussia and Posen, south by Silesia and the kingdom of Saxony, and on the west by the province of Saxony and Hanover. It has an area of 15,538 square miles, and is divided into the two governments of Potsdam and Frankfort, having 30 circles, 138 cities, 27 market-towns, and 3078 villages. The entire province is nearly a sandy plain, but interspersed with a few fertile spots; and a considerable portion of it is covered with woods. It is generally well watered by streams, most of which empty themselves into the Elbe or the Oder. The chief agricultural product is rye, with some wheat, barley, oats, and buckwheat. Fruit of all kinds is abundant, as well as culinary vegetables; and considerable quantities of hemp, flax, and hops are raised. The climate is cold and raw in winter, and excessively hot in summer. The manufactures are chiefly confined to Berlin and the other cities; but the rural inhabitants are employed in spinning or weaving, and produce much linen cloth. In 1849 it had 2,129,022 inhabitants, of whom 1,069,043 were males, and 1,059,979 females; 968,717 lived in towns and 1,160,305 in the country; 2,076,608 Protestants, 32,514 Catholics, 19,761 Jews, 23 Mennonites, 115 belonging to the Greek church, and 1 Mohammedan. There were 2880 primary schools with 289,869 scholars, 79 middle schools for boys, with 17,465 scholars, 224 similar institutions for girls, with 20,795 scholars, 34 higher schools and gymnasia with 8924 scholars, and 4 normal schools with 276 scholars, being in all 337,329 scholars, or nearly one-sixth of the entire population.

a town of Prussia, capital of the circle of West Havelland, in the government of Potsdam, and province of Brandenburg. It is situated on the river Havel, and also on the Magdeburg and Berlin railway, 37 miles W.S.W. of Berlin. It was founded about the seventh century by some Slavonian tribes, who were afterwards driven out by Albert the Bear, and Brandenburg became the capital of the mark of the same name. The town is inclosed by walls, and is divided into three parts by the river, the old town on the right and the new town on the left bank, while on an island between them is the "cathedral town," also called from its position "Venice." The cathedral, an ancient structure of the fourteenth century, the old church...