Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/375

Rh N E U N E U 361 instruments are carried on here, and the trade in wool and agricultural products is very considerable. The horse fair is also important. Neu-Brandenburg was founded in 1248, j and has belonged to Mecklenburg since 1292. The popula- tion in 1880 was 8406. NEUBURG, a small town of Bavaria, in the district of Schwaben und Neuburg, is pleasantly situated on the Danube, and in 1880 contained 7690 inhabitants, three- fourths of whom are Roman Catholics. It is a place of very ancient origin, but is chiefly noteworthy from the fact that for three centuries (1503-1802) it was the capital of the independent duchy of Pfalz-Neuburg. The most important building is the old ducal chateau, the handsomest part of which is in the Renaissance style of the 16th century. A considerable trade in agricultural products is carried on by the Danube. NEUCHATEL, or NEUFCHATEL (Germ., Neuenburg}, a canton of Switzerland, consisting of a section of the Jura system (see JURA) between the Doubs valley and the Lake of Neuchatel, lies between 46 50 and 47 10 N. lat. and 6 25 and 7 5 E. long. It is bounded on the N.E. and E. by Bern, on the S.E. by its lake, which separates it from Freiburg and Vaud, on the S. by Vaud, and on the W. and N.W. by France (department of Doubs). The greatest length is about 30 miles, the average breadth 11, and the area 312 square miles. It consists for the most part of the longitudinal ridges and valleys character istic of the Jura mountains, which here have an average elevation of over 3000 feet, and reach their highest point in the Creux du Vent (4900 feet). The drainage is divided by the Thiele or Zihl, which flows into the Aar, and by the Doubs, the former receiving by far the larger portion. The lowest part of the canton, stretching along the shore of the lake, and known by the name of Vignobles, has, as the name implies, the vine for its characteristic growth. It extends from about 1425 to upwards of 1800 feet above the level of the sea. An intermediate region represented by the Val de Travers and the Val de Ruz, ranging from 1800 to about 2700 feet in height, produces cereals (only a fifth, however, of the total required by the population). The higher valleys are occupied by meadow and forest. About one-fifth of the total area of the canton is under wood, and nearly a fourth is ranked as un productive. The geological structure is explained under JURA. The most valuable mineral product of the canton is asphalt, of which there is a large and rich deposit in the Val de Travers, from which upwards of 2000 tons are annually taken (see vol. ii. p. 716). The wine of the Vignobles (both sparkling and still) is plentiful and has a good reputation, being exported in large quantities. On the mountain pasture lands large herds of cattle are reared ; in 1876 the number was 19,469, and there were besides 3009 horses, 3433 pigs, 3586 sheep, 2853 goats, and 4723 beehives. Absinthe is manufactured in the Val de Travers, and exported to the extent of 200,000 bottles annually ; lace is also largely made, especially in that valley, but the characteristic industry of the canton is that of watchmaking in all its branches, carried on chiefly in and around the lofty and secluded villages of Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle. The former, which is upwards of 3200 feet above the level of the sea, had a population of 22,456 in 1880, the latter (upwards of 3000 above sea-level) had 10,464, the annual value of the total production of watches exceed ing 1,000,000. The population of the canton in 1880 was 103,732 (50,169 males). The proportion of Pro testants to Catholics is nearly 8 to 1 ; there are also a small number of Jews. The language of three-fourths of the inhabitants is French. The territory of Neuchatel was inhabited during the Roman period by the Gallic Sequani. It is not again mentioned in history until the beginning of the llth century, when it passed from Burgundy to the German empire. In 1288 it was given by Rudolph of Hapsburg to John II. of Chalons, with the title of count. In 1444 the count of Neuchatel joined the Swiss league against Austria, and ever afterwards enjoyed Swiss protection. In the beginning of the 16th century the countship passed to the house of Orleans- Longueville, and in 1579, being conjoined with the countship of Valendis, it became a principality, which in the beginning of the 18th century was inherited by Frederick I. of Prussia (his claims being preferred by the people over those of numerous other candi dates). In 1806, after the treaty of Tilsit, it was given by Napoleon to Marshal Berthier, but it was restored to Prussia in 1814, though Neuchatel was at the same time recognized as holding a place in the Swiss confederacy, being the only non-republican canton. In 1848 a republican constitution was established, the king of Prussia protesting ; and in 1856 an attempt was made by a royalist party to re-establish monarchy, but without success. The ultimate result of the negotiations which ensued was that, by a treaty at Paris in 1857, an amnesty was granted to the insurgents, and the king of Prussia resigned all claim to sovereignty while still retaining the right to bear the title of prince of Neuchatel. NEUCHATEL, the capital of the above canton, stands near the north end of the lake, at the mouth of the Seyon, partly on low alluvial ground and partly on the slope of the Jura. The castle (whence the name Neocomum, Neoburgum, Novum Castrum), which is situated on an eminence, is a considerable building, now occupied by the Government offices. It was formerly the residence of the princes of Neuchatel, and the most ancient portion, recently restored, dates from the Burgundian period. Near it is the Temple du Haut, a church dating from the 12th century; it contains a handsome monument (1372) to Count Louis of Neuchatel, and a memorial stone to the Reformer Farel, who frequently laboured here. His statue in front was erected in 1875. On the lake stands the gymnasium or college, containing a library, an archaeological museum, and a valuable natural history collection founded by Agassiz. The town also possesses a picture gallery, a good observatory, and considerable charitable institutions, mostly due to the munificence of private citizens, the municipal hospital, founded by David de Pury, whose statue stands in the Place Pury, and the Pourtales hospital, founded by M. Pourtales. The Pre&quot;fargier lunatic asylum, presented to the canton in 1844 by M. de Meuron, is situated 3 miles to the west of the town. Neuchatel has a considerable trade in the products of the canton, the chief items being wine, watches, lace, and liqueurs. It has railway communication by Yverdon with Lausanne and Pontarlier, by Bienne with Basel, by Chaux-de-Fonds with Locle and also with Basel, and by the Val de Travers with Pontarlier. The population in 1880 was 15,612. NEUCHATEL, THE LAKE OF, along with the connected lakes of Morat and Bienne, is the modern representative of the large body of water which at one time occupied the whole lower valley of the Aar. It is 25 miles in length, at its broadest part it measures 6 miles, its maximum depth is 500 feet, and the area is 92 square miles. The Thiele (Germ., Zihl), which flows into it at the south-west angle, rises in the heights above La Sarraz close to the edge of the Geneva basin ; the Broye, which joins it on the north-east, comes from the Lake of Morat (Lacus Aventicensis). It is also fed by the Reuse, which drains the Val de Travers, and by the Seyon from the Val de Ruz (Rudolf sthal). It drains by the Thiele into the Lake of Bienne and thence into the Aar. Its elevation above sea- level, lowered 7 feet by a recent enlargement of the outlet, is 1424 feet. The north-west shore is cultivated and populous, but the opposite bank is rocky, overgrown with wood, and comparatively thinly peopled. The scenery, though pleasing, cannot compare with that of the more famous Swiss lakes. Besides Neuchatel, the principal towns upon its banks are Estavayer and Yverdon the ancient Eburodunum or Ebredunum, from which came its Roman name (Lacus Eburodunensis). It abounds in fish; XVII. 46