Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/621

Rh P O T P O T 599 opened (except the tunnel of Suram) in 1872. The white walls of the fortress may be seen at a great distance con trasting with the green trees which surround them, and the lighthouse, 117 feet high, is visible 1 7 miles. Situated in a low and marshy delta not more than 2| feet above the level of the river, Poti is extremely unhealthy, fever and ague prevailing in summer and autumn. Ever since the Russians obtained possession of the place they have laboured to improve the town and port, but with compara tively limited success. The houses are built of wood and supported on piles. After Batoum was transferred to Russia in 1878 it was thought that Poti would be aban doned as a port, but the Commission of Inquiry appointed in 1883 decided in its favour. Works estimated to cost 2,365,000 roubles and to be finished in four years were accordingly undertaken. The population of the town is given as 3112 in the Russian Calendar for 1882. Poti represents the ancient Phasis, a commercial colony of the people of Miletus. The present fortress was built in 1578 by Amurath III. at the time of the war with Persia. In 1640 it was destroyed by the Imeritians, but it was again restored and enlarged, the ancient ruins in the neighbourhood yielding the necessary material. The town was a great market for the trade in slaves. It was captured by the Russians in 1812, and again in 1829. POTOMAC, a river of the United States, which joins Chesapeake Bay by a considerable estuary after a course of about 400 miles. The northern branch of the upper river rises in the Alleghanies, West Virginia, the southern in the Shenandoah Mountains. Affluents are received from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, the most important of all being the Shenandoah, which joins it at Harper s Ferry, below which the united stream breaks through the line of the Blue Ridge. Ships ascend for a short distance above Washington (the capital of the United States), or a total distance from the sea of 125 miles. POTOSI (not to be confounded with San Luis Potosi, the state and state capital in Mexico) is a town of Bolivia, at the head of the department of Potosi, in 19 36 S. lat. and 65 46 W. long. It stands in a bleak and barren country not far from the sources of the Pilcomaya, and thus belongs to the great basin of the La Plata system. Situated at the height of about 13,280 feet above the sea, it is one of the highest inhabited places in the world, and the Cerro de Potosi, 1 at the foot of which it stands, reaches a height of 16,150 feet. The wealth of silver ore drawn from it up to 1846 is stated at upwards of 300,000,000 sterling ; and, though the works had for a time to be dis continued as heavier machinery and greater capital were required, the store is far from being exhausted. The city is still the seat of the national mint. It consists of nine streets about 30 feet broad, running north and south and crossed at right angles by others of varying breadth. The houses (two-storied in the heart of the town, but only of one story in the outskirts) are built of adobe and white washed. Besides the cathedral (restored in 1858) there are a large number of churches, several convents, and other public buildings ; but the city as a whole has that dilapi dated and melancholy appearance which is the result of a greatly diminished population. In 1611 its inhabitants are said to have numbered 160,000; at present they are probably not more than 11,000, though Hugo Reck about 1867 gave 22,850 and Ondarza in 1882 repeated exactly the same figures. The foundation of the town dates from 1547, two years after the first discovery of silver ore on Cerro de Potosi. In 1825 a monu ment to Bolivar was erected in the public square. The history of Potosi from its origin till 1702 will be found in Don Vicente Ballivian y Rojas s Bolivian Archives. POTSDAM, the seat of government for the Prussian province of Brandenburg, and the summer residence of the emperor of Germany, lies 16 miles to the south-west of 1 For a description of this mountain, see BOLIVIA (vol. iv. p. 13), Berlin, on the river Havel, which here expands into a series of small lakes. The town is handsomely built, though with a monotonous regularity that betrays its artificial origin, and is situated amid the prettiest scenery of the Mark of Brandenburg, consisting of an oasis of wood and hill and lake in the centre of a sandy and un attractive plain. Except during the summer months, when its streets are enlivened by endless streams of excur sionists from Berlin, Potsdam usually presents a somewhat dull and deserted scene, relieved only by the soldiers of Potsdam. its extensive garrison. The greater part of the town lies on the right bank of the Havel and is connected with the Teltow suburb on the opposite bank by a long bridge. At the north end of this bridge rises the royal palace, a large quadrangular building of the 17th century, with a colonnade, chiefly interesting for the numerous relics it contains of Frederick the Great, who made it his favourite residence. It also contains reminiscences of Voltaire, who also resided here for several years. The principal churches are the Nicolaikirche, a handsome edifice with a dome ; the garrison church, containing the remains of Frederick the Great and his father; and the Friedens- kirche or church of peace, erected by Frederick William IV. as a &quot;positive and Christian counterpart to the worldly negative of Sans Souci.&quot; Among other conspicuous build ings are the large barracks, orphanages, and other military establishments ; the town-house ; the district courts ; the theatre; and the Brandenburg gate, in the style of a Roman triumphal arch. The Lustgarten, Wilhelmsplatz, and Plantage are open spaces laid out as pleasure-grounds and adorned with statues and busts. In spite of its some what sleepy appearance, Potsdam is the seat of a varied if not very extensive industry, of which sugar, cotton and woollen goods, chocolate, and tobacco are the chief pro ducts. Market-gardening affords occupation to many of the inhabitants, and the cultivation of winter violets is important enough to be mentioned as a specialty. The Havel is well stocked with fish. In 1880 Potsdam con tained 48,447 inhabitants, mainly Protestant. The garri son consists of about 7000 men. Potsdam is almost entirely surrounded by a fringe of royal palaces, parks, and pleasure-grounds, which fairly substantiate its claim to the title of a &quot; German Versailles.&quot; Immediately to the west is the park of Sans Souci, laid out by Frederick the Great, and largely extended by Frederick William IV. It is in the formal French style of the period, and is profusely embellished with primly- cut hedges and alleys, terraces, fountains, statuary, and artificial ruins. Adjacent to the palace is the famous windmill (now royal property) which its owner refused to sell to the king, meeting threatened violence by an appeal to the judges of Berlin ; the whole story, however, is now doubted. A little farther on is the so-called Orangery,