a small independent state of Southern Germany, bounded on the W. and S. by Switzerland, and E. and N. by Tyrol. Area 53 square miles. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in agriculture and cattle rearing. Some wine is produced. This is the smallest of the states forming the German Confederation, to which it furnishes a contingent of sixty-four men. It has one vote in the full council, and, with several of the other small states, occupies the fifteenth place in the diet. The Prince of Liechtenstein has also extensive possessions in Austria, among which are the dependent principalities of Troppau and Jägerndorf, and which have altogether an area of 2212 square miles, and a population of 600,000. His income from these possessions amounts to at least 1,500,000 florins annually, while the revenue of Liechtenstein itself is only about 22,000 florins. Pop. (1853) 7000. Vaduz or Liechtenstein, the capital, has only about 10,000 inhabitants.

LIÈGE, an important province of Belgium, is bounded on the N. by Limburg, E. by Rhenish Prussia, N.W. by South Brabant, S.W. by Namur, and S. by Luxemburg. Area 1115 square miles. Its surface is level in the N. and N.W., but in the S. and E. parts it is mountainous, and covered by extensive woods, including a portion of the forest of Ardennes. The Meuse, the principal river in the province, flows from S.W. to N.E., through a long and fertile plain, and is joined near the city of Liège by the Ourthe, previously augmented by its tributaries, the Ambleve and the Vesdre. Liège contains several mineral springs, the most celebrated of which are those of Spa. The hot spring of Chaudfontaine is on an island of the Vesdre, about 5 miles from the city of Liège. Its water, which is pumped up by means of a wheel turned by the river, supplies a large bathing establishment, much frequented by visitors. The climate in the N. parts of the province, although damp, is in general healthy. In the S. parts the air is keener and the winter longer. The soil in general is fertile and well cultivated, especially in that long sweep of level land traversed by the Meuse, where hops, corn, and wine are produced in abundance. Large numbers of sheep and cattle feed on its pastures. The chief minerals found in Liège are calamine, lead, alum, and iron ores. The coal mines, however, are the great source of industry and wealth, and in 1850 amounted, in this province alone, to 116. The articles manufactured are chiefly woollens, hardware, iron, and especially fire-arms; and all these, together with cheese, Spa-water, timber, coal, and minerals, constitute the exports of the province. The principal seats of the woollen manufacture are Herve and Verviers; those of the iron manufacture are Herstal, Scerain, and Liège. Glons is celebrated for its straw hats. For the purposes of government, Liège is divided into three arrondissements,—Liège, Huy, and Verviers, and subdivided into twenty-one cantons. Previous to 1789, this province was governed by the Bishop of Liège, who was a prince of the empire. It was afterwards subject to the French till the fall of Bonaparte, when it was incorporated into the kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1830 it became a part of the kingdom of Belgium. Pop. (1854) 494,793. See Belgium.

Liège (Dutch Luik, Ger. Lüttich), an important manufacturing town of Belgium, capital of the province of Liège, situate near the confluence of the Ourthe and the Meuse, in N. Lat. 50° 39' 22", E. Long. 5° 31' 42"; 54 miles E. by S. from Brussels. Though in a fine situation, the city is by no means beautiful and healthy, owing to the smoke of its numerous manufactories, the narrowness of many of its streets, and the height of many of its houses. It is divided into two portions, the upper and the lower town: the former on the declivity, and the latter at the foot of a hill. The River Meuse, on entering the town, divides into several branches, which are lined by quays, and crossed by numerous bridges. Liège is famous for its manufacture of iron; and the fire-arms, cannons, and machinery it produces, are said to surpass in quality those of all other countries except Great Britain. The number of cannons and fire-arms submitted to the Board of Approval, in 1849, were 405,030; and in 1850, 432,347. There are large factories at several of the suburbs, especially at Scerain, where spinning machinery and steam-engines are extensively produced. The other manufactories of Liège are,—hardware of all kinds, woollens and cotton fabrics, hats, glue, tobacco, glass, leather, and other articles. There are likewise steel-works, breweries, distilleries, tanneries, and dyeing-houses. The city has a considerable trade, which is greatly facilitated by the roads, railways, and canals, that traverse the country in all directions. The great cause, however, of its prosperity are the coal-mines that abound in the neighbourhood, and are extended even under the town and the River Meuse. Besides coal and iron, the district produces also zinc, lead, Liège was once fortified, but its sole defence now is a citadel erected at the N. side of the city, on St Walburg's Mount. Its churches are numerous, of which the following are the principal:—The cathedral, founded in the thirteenth century; the church of St Jacques, the finest of all the sacred edifices; and the churches of St Denis, St Bartholomew, St Croix, and St Martin. The university, erected by the King of Holland in 1817, comprises the faculties of law, theology, and medicine; and possesses a museum containing, among many other specimens, a collection of fossils chiefly culled in the neighbourhood. Besides the Palais de Justice, which is a splendid specimen of ancient architecture, the other public buildings are, a theatre, an episcopal seminary, a royal college, several schools, a library, containing, in addition to numerous volumes, many curious manuscripts, an academy of fine arts, and other educational and benevolent institutions. Liège is the see of a bishop, and the seat of a superior court of justice. In the tenth century, the Emperors of Germany elevated the Bishops of Liège to the rank of independent princes. In 1467, the citizens, rebelling against their liege lord, Charles the Bold, were compelled by him to raze a great part of their fortifications. Pop. (1851) 81,789.