Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/420

 400 BAVARIA The population is almost exclusively of Ger- manic origin. A few hundred thousand inhab- itants of the Fichtel mountains, who are of Slavic descent, have long since been fully Germanized ; only in the Palatinate there are ahout 3,500 Frenchmen. Three original Ger- manic tribes constitute the population : the Boioarians or Bavarians, between the Allgau Alps and the so-called Francouian Jura, and the rivers Lech, Inn, and Salzach ; the Franconians or Franks, between the Franconian Alps, the Thuringian and Bohemian mountains, and in the Palatinate ; and a branch of the Swabians bordering on Wurtemberg. The Franconians number about 2,500,000, the Swabians 500,- 000; the rest are Bavarians. Bavaria is an elevated country, hilly rather than mountain- ous, on the borders of which are the Bavarian Alps, in the south ; the Bohemian Forest, in the east; the Fichtelgebirge and the Fran- conian Forest, in the northeast ; and the Bhon and Spessart, in the northwest. The Bavarian Forest, the Franconian Jura, and other minor ranges, traverse the interior, N. of the Danube. The Palatinate is traversed by the Hardt mountains, a branch of the Vosges. The highest point is the Zugspitz, about 10,000 ft., in the Bavarian Alps; in the Bohemian Forest, the highest points arc the Arber, 4,800 ft., and Rachelberg, 4,750 ft. ; in the Fichtelgebirge, the Schneeberg is 3,480 ft. ; in the Rhon the highest point is about 3,000 ft ; Donnersberg, the culminating point of the Hardt mountains, is about 2,200 ft. The riv- ers of the Palatinate belong to the basin of the Rhine ; the principal ones are the Lauter, Queich, Blies, and Nahe. The rivers of Ba- varia proper are the Main and Danube and their affluents. The principal tributaries of the Main are the Regnitz and Saale. The Danube flows for 270 m. through the centre of the kingdom, until at Passan it enters Aus- tria, being navigable throughout this distance. It receives in Bavaria more than 30 consider- able affluents, the chief of which are the Iller, Lech, Isar, and Inn from the right; from the left the Wornitz, Altmuhl, Kocher, Kaah, Regen, and Ilz. Bavaria has several small lakes, the principal of which are the Chiem, Wurm, and Ammer, all situated at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. The circuit of none of these exceeds 40 m. A corner of the lake of Constance also belongs to Bavaria. The climate is for the most part healthy, although the temperature is variable. It is colder in the winter and warmer in the summer than that of the neighboring countries. In the mountains there are heavy falls of snow, and the Alps, the Fichtelgebirge, and the Bohemian Forest are distinguished from the lower land by the length and severity of their winters. There are exten- sive forests, especially upon the hills and moun- tain sides. Great quantities of wood are ob- tained from these, and distributed through all the surrounding countries. About one third of the forest land is the property of the state; the rest is in private hands. The soil is generally fertile, producing wheat, rye, oats, and barley ; buckwheat, maize, and rite are also cultivated, and potatoes are an important crop. The hop thrives, and the vine flourishes in some parts, especially near Lake Constance and upon the lower course of the Main. Fruits, tobacco, hemp, flax, and licorice are cultivated. But upon the whole agriculture is in a backward condition. Cattle-raising is the most impor- tant industry on the slopes of the Alps ; but, with the exception of sheep, little has been done to improve the breed of the domestic animals. The total area of the productive soil is 27,532 sq. m., of which 12,352 sq. m. are arable and garden land, 5,804 meadows and pastures, and 9,376 woodland. The latest agri- cultural statistics (1863) showed 368,528 horses, 3,185,882 horned cattle, 2,058,638 sheep, 926,- 522 swine, and 150,855 goats. The annual produce of wine is estimated at 16,218,000 gal- lons; that of raw tobacco at 114,676 cwt. The mineral wealth of the country is very con- siderable. Coal and iron are found almost everywhere. In the Palatinate are mines of copper, manganese, mercury, cobalt, and plum- bago. There are numerous choice varieties of marble, as also gypsum, alabaster, and some of the finest porcelain clay in Europe. Salt, which is a government monopoly, is produced by evaporation from the saline springs m the S. E. corner of the kingdom. Still the mineral wealth is to a great extent undeveloped. The production of salt in 1869 was 977,572 cwt. ; of coal, 7,347,247 cwt.; and of iron in 1868, 961,382 tons. The most important article of industry is Bavarian beer, brewed to the high- est perfection in Munich, Nuremberg, and Bamberg, and consumed in vast quantities in the country itself. The kingdom had in 1871 about 5,500 breweries, which brewed about 135,000,000 gallons. The mathematical and optical instruments manufactured at Munich are not surpassed by any in the world. Nurem- berg is the great emporinm for toys ; Augsburg is noted for the production of gold, silver, and plated ware ; the plumbago crucibles of Passau are exported to all parts of the world ; and the ornamental glass of Bavaria rivals that of Bohemia. Coarse linen is the most important branch of textile manufactures, the production of cotton, woollen, and worsted goods not being equal to the home consumption. There are considerable manufactures of leather, straw goods, glass, nails, needles, and porcelain. The principal articles of export are timber, grain, wine, butter, cheese, and glass, the annual value being about $6,000,000. The principal imports are sugar, coffee, woollens, silks, cotton goods, drugs, hemp, and flax. The central position of Bavaria gives it the transit trade between North Germany and Austria, Switz- erland, and Italy. There are several canals, the principal of which, the Ludwig's canal, constructed by the government at a cost of 4,000,000, unites the Rhine and the Danube,