other cantons and the allies at different periods. They were declared a free and independent confederacy by the treaty of Weftphalia, A. D. 1648.-Several important alterations have taken place in the government of Switzerland, fince the conquefts of the French. NETHERLANDS, or LOW COUNTRIES. THE Netherlands, or Low Countries, are fo called from their fituation with refpect to Germany: they are divided into seventeen provinces: bounded by the German fea on the north, Germany on the eaft, France on the fouth, and the British Channel on the weft; between 49 and 54° north lat. 2 and 7° caft long. about 300 miles long and 200 broad. In the time of Charles V. they were united to the empire of Germany, under the title of the Circle of Burgundy. After his death, these provinces defcended to his fon Philip II. who attempting to deprive them of their liberties, and to introduce the court of inquifition by the most fhocking cruelty, they revolted under the conduct of William prince of Orange, and others, 1567. But factions afterwards arifing among them, only seven of the provinces fucceeded in establishing their independence, according to the famous union of Utrecht, which they entered into, A. D. 1579, whence they are called Belgium Fœderatum, or the feven United Provinces. The otherten provinces were reduced to fubjection, chiefly by the valour and abilities of Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma; and were called the Spanish Netherlands. Upon the death of Charles II. King of Spain, 1700, they fell to the house of Auftria, and have fince been called the Auftrian Netherlands. Part of them being conquered by France, are hence named the French Netherlands. Part of them alfo belong to the Dutch. The United Provinces maintained a bloody war against the power of Spain for fented; and Tell, taking the command, fteered the veffel to a rock, leaped afhore with agility, and made his efcape through the mountains to Stauffecher; where he lay concealed till the day for effecting the freedom of Swifferland arrived, when he joined his companions, 1ft Jan. 1308. Tell, afterwards lying in wait for Grifler, as he paffed by a wood, killed him with an arrow. -The Swifs, called alfo Switzers, protected by their inacceffible mountains, maintained the conteft against their oppreffors with invincible fortitude for more than 300 years, often defeating numerous armies fent to fubdue them, till at last they established their independence. The Swiss were long efteemed the best foot-foldiers in Europe, and for that reafon were frequently em-, ployed as mercenaries by foreign princes, particularly by the kings of France. near fifty years, first under William Prince of Orange, firnamed the Silent; and, he being affaffinated at Delft by one Gerard, 1584, then under his fon Prince Maurice. They were ftrongly fupported by Queen Elizabeth, and likewife by Henry IV. of France, through whofe influence their independence was acknowledged by Philip III. of Spain, A. D. 1609. The UNITED PROVINCES, or HOLLAND. THE 1. ZEALAND confiits of feveral iflands; formed by one of the two branches of the Scheld, the chief of which is Walcheren, -Towns, Middleburg, Campvere, and Flushing. 2. HOLLAND, South:- AMSTERDAM, north lat. 52° 23. eaft long. 5° 4. at the top of Zuyder Sea; DOкT, famous for a fynod held there A. D. 1618; and Rotterdam, on the Maefe, birth place of Erafmus: Delft; Hague, where the StatesGeneral, or deputies of the provinces, affemble; Leyden, famous for its university; Haerlem, near a remarkable lake called Haerlem-meer: Torgow, Ryfwick, Williamftadt, Naerden. In North HOLLAND are, Saardam, famous for fhip-building, where Peter the Great of Mufcovy learned that art, by working with his own hands; Edam, Hoorn, Alcmaer, &c. There are feveral islands belonging to this province at the mouth of the Maefe; Voorn, in which are, Briel, and Helvoetfluys; Goree, &c.: At the entrance of the Zuyder Sea, the ifland Texel, feparated from North Holland by a narrow channel, through which moft fhips bound for Amfterdam pass; Ulie, and Shelling, &c. 3. UTRECHT-Utrecht, famous for its univerfity, on the old channel of the Rhine; Montfort., 4. GUELDERLAND, and ZUTPHEN-Nimeguen; Harderwick; Loo, a palace of the Prince of Orange; Arnheim; Zutphen. Gelder, the capital, is fubject to the King of Prussia; and Ruremond, to Austria. 5. OVER-YSSEL-Deventer, Coverden, Campen. 6. FRIESLAND-Lewarden, Dockum, Francker, &c. the ifland Ameland. 7. GRONINGEN-Groningen, Winfchaten, Dam, &c. This country contains a greater number of inhabitants for its extent than any in Europe, or perhaps in the world. They are 10 called called the Dutch, or Hollanders, from the name of the principal province, and are computed at above two millions. To defend themselves against inundations of the fea, and land floods, which have fometimes done incredible mifchief, they have conftructed, at an immenfe expence, prodigious dikes or banks of earth, in feveral places feventeen ells thick. Befides the large rivers, there are in Holland numberlefs canals, along which people commonly travel from town to town in covered boats, called Treckfcuites, which are dragged by horses. The Seven United Provinces are a confederacy of fo many separate independent republics, united together for their com mon defence. The internal government of each is called the States of that province; and delegates from them constitute the States-General at the Hague. At the head of this council, previous to the late revolution, was the Stadtholder, which office was hereditary in the perfon of William V. Prince of Orange and Nassau, and who was alfo commander in chief and admiral of the Seven United Provinces. The States-General were addreffed by the title of High Mightineffes.. The established religion is the Presbyterian or Calvinism ; but all religions are tolerated. 1. AUSTRIAN and FRENCH NETHERLANDS. RABANT, Dutch-Boifleduc, Breda, Bergen-op-zoom, Maeftricht, Grave, Lillo, Steenbergen: AuftrianBRUSSELS, north lat. 50° 50. eaft long. 4° 6. Louvain, Ramillies, Vilvorden, Tirlemont. 2. ANTWERP, fubject to Auftria, furrounded by Brabant. -Antwerp was once one of the richest trading cities in the world; but in the ftruggle for liberty, it was plundered for three days, by the foldiers of the Duke of Alva, A. D. 1576. And the Dutch afterwards, in order to ruin its commerce at once, funk veffels loaded with ftone in the mouth of the Scheld, which runs paft it: thus fhutting up for ever the entrance of that river to fhips of burden. But it has lately been opened by the French. The whole of the Austrian Netherlands is now annexed to the French Republic. But it has been thought proper to retain here the former divifions. 3. MALINES, 3. MALINES, or MECHLIN, likewife furrounded by Brabant, and fubject to Auftria -The capital, Mechlin, is famous for the manufacture of lace. 4. LIMBURG,-Limburg, fubject to Auftria; the other towns to the Dutch, Dalem, Valkenburg, and Wych. 5. LUXEMBURG-Luxemburg and Baftagne, fubject to Auftria; the other parts to France, Thionville, Montmedy, and Danvilliers. 6. NAMUR, fubject to Auftria-Namur, Charleroy. 7. HAINAULT-Mons, Aeth, Enguien, fubject to Austria; Valenciennes, Bouchain, Conde, Landrecy, Charlemont, and Givet, to France. 8. CAMBRESIS, fubject to France-Cambray and Vecœur. 9. ARTOIS, French-Arras, St. Omer, Aire, St. Venant, Bethune, and Terouen, 10. FLANDERS-Sluis, Axel, Hulft, Sas van Ghent, subject to the Dutch; Ghent, Bruges, Oftend, Newport, Oudenard, Dendermont, Courtray, Dixmude, Ypres, Tournay, Furnes, and Menin, fubject to Auftria; Lifle, Dunkirk, Douay, Mardyke, St. Amand, Gravellines, and Mount-Caffel, subject to France. The inhabitants of Flanders are called Flemings. The Flemish language is a dialect of the German, but different from the Dutch. The cities of Flanders are greatly reduced in their opulence and number of inhabitants from what they were in former times. They ftill however carry on feveral manufactures, in which they are yet unrivalled; fine lawns, lace, and cambric, fo called from Cambray, the chief place of its manufacture. The Auftrian Regent or Viceroy refides at Bruffels. Each of the provinces have a feparate governor under him, and courts of juftice for the trial of civil caufes. The established religion, except in that part which belongs to the Dutch, is Popery. There is one archbishoprick, seven bifhopricks, and three univerfities, namely, Louvain, Douay, and St. Omer. GERMANY. ERMANY is bounded on the north, by the German fea, Denmark, and the Baltic; on the eaft, by Poland, Bohemia, and Hungary; on the fouth, by the Alps and Switzerland; and on the weft, by France and the Nether lands; lands; between 45 and 55o north lat. and 5 and 19° east long. about 600 miles in length, and 500 in breadth. GERMANIA ANTIQUA.-Germania Antiqua, or Ancient Germany, called alfo Tranfrhenana, Barbara, and Magna, extended from the Rhine to the Viftula; and from the Baltic to the Danube; fo that its ancient boundaries were very different from the modern. The chief states along the Rhine were, the Frif, Bruciĕri, Ufipii, or Ufipetes, Tenctĕri, Catti, Ubii, Sicambri, Sedufii, Marcomanni, whose territory was afterwards occupied by the Alemanni, whence Germany was called ALLEMANNIA, and now Alemagne in French. Farther east, the Harudes, Narifci, Hermunduri, From the river Amifia, or -us, Ems, to the Albis, Elbe, dwelt the Chauci, and Cherufci; north of whom, the Angli and Fofi, or Saxones, adjoining to the Cherfonefus Cimbrica, now Holftein and Jutland, anciently occupied by the Cimbri and Teutones. Eaft from this, along the Baltic, Longobardi, Vendili, or Vandalii, Burgundiones, Gothones, &c. But the fituation of these tribes is very uncertain, as the Romans never made any confiderable progrefs paft the Elbe, Hence Strabo fuppofes the Baltic to be a part of the ocean, and that by failing caft from the German sea one might reach the Cafpian sea, which he fuppofed was alfo joined to the ocean, vii. p. 294. xi. p. 507. The interior part of Germany was poffeffed by the SUEVI, who were divided into a number of tribes. From them the Viadrus, or Oder, was called, Suevus; and the Sinus Codanus, or the Baltic, Mare Suevicum. That part of modern Germany which lies fouth of the Danube was included in Noricum and Vindelicia. The ancient Germans, according to Tacitus, had no cities. The name German, as it were Ger or Gar man, fignifies in Celtic a warlike man. The most ancient name of this country was Teutfch-land, from the Teutones, or from their god Tuifco or Teuth. The vulgar people in Germany still call themselves Teutschers. MANNERS and CUSTOMS of the ancient GERMANS. The manners of the ancient Germans have been described by feveral authors, particularly by Tacitus, in his admirable treatise on that fubject; which is justly esteemed one of the moft precious remains of Roman learning, not only as being curious 4 |