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* POTOMETER. 318 POTSDAM. recorded. By exposing the leaves to varying con- ditions of light, heat, wind, and moisture in the air the effect of external conditions upon evapora- POTOMETER. tion may l)e easily shown. Somewhat complex self-registering instruments have been made. See Tbakspiration. POTOO, or GBAJfD PoTOO. A name given by the Creoles in the West Indies to one of the large nightjars [yi/ctihius Jamaiceasis), especially common in Jamaica. It represents a small group confined to South America and the Antilles, re- markable for the tooth of the upper mandible. POTOSt, p6't6-se'. A southwestern depart- ment of Bolivia, bounded by Chile on the west, Chile and Argentina on the south, the Bolivian departments of Tarija and Chuquisaca on the east, and Oruro and Cochabamba on the north (Map: Bolivia, D 8). Its area is estimated at 52,100 square miles. The surface is very mountainous, and at the northwestern end is situated an ex- tensive saline marsh known as the Grandes Sa- linas. The region is drained chiefly by the liead- streaiiis of the Pilcomayo. Agriculture is only of secondary importance; the chief industry is the exploitation of the silver mines, which are sup- posed to be the richest in Bolivia. Besides silver there are also found gold, tin, and copper. The population was officially estimated in 1900 at 30o,.i00, the bulk of whom are Indians. Capital, PotosI (q.v. ). POTOSI. The capital of the Department of PotosI, in Southwestern Bolivia. It is situated on the Cerro de Potosi at an altitude of 13,325 feet, being probably the highest town in the world (Map: Bolivia, D 7). It lies several hun- dred feet above what has been considered the highest inhabitable altitude, and, owing to the rarity of the atmosphere, infant mortality is so great that the population can be kept up only by immigration. The city is now only a shadow of its former self. A large part of it lies in ruins, through which passes the now deserted Prado, lined with statues and other evidences of former grandeur. There are several fine and solid build- ings, such as the gi-eat granite cathedral, and the mint, the latter built in 1502 at a cost of over a million dollars, but no longer used. Potost owes its origin to the silver lodes which were discov- ered in the Cerro in 1546. and which for a long time remained the richest silver mines in the world. The total output for the next 300 years up to ISoO is estimated at $1,000,000,000, or an average of over $5,000,000 per year. The city itself grew rapidly, and in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was the largest city in the New 'orld, its population being then estimated as high as 170,000. The mines are now almost abandoned, only a few of the 2000 shafts being still worked. The present population is about 16,000. Consult Contzen, Potosi (Hamburg, 1893). POTOTAN, pu-tO'tiin. A town of Panay, Phil- ippines, in the Province of Iloilo, situated on the Jalaur River, 16 miles north of Iloilo (Map: Pliilippine Islands, G 9). It is well laid out, has a large church, and a population of 14,500. POT-POURRI, po'poo're' (Fr., rotten pot). In music, a selection of favorite pieces strung together without much connection, so as to form a sort of medley. Such arrangements generally have very little artistic value. POTSDAM, puts'dara. The capital of a dis- trict of the same name, a royal residence and the seat of the administration of the Prussian Prov- ince of Brandenburg, situated on the Potsdamer Werder, an island in the Havel, 16 miles south- west of Berlin, with which it is connected by three railway lines (Map: Prussia, E 2). The town is celebrated for its beautiful situation amid the numerous lakes of the Havel, as well as for its picturesque environs embellished by luxurious gardens, royal palaces, fountains, statues, etc. The city proper consists of the old town and four suburbs. Of the suburbs the Teltower, on the south, is connected with the old town b_y a fine stone bridge crossing the intervening Freund- schaftsinsel. Potsdam is laid out in regular, broad and shaded streets, which form a number of fine squares. The Wilhelmsplatz lias a statue of Frederick William III., and the Lustgarten, opposite the palace, is adorned with a number of statues and busts, including a statue of Frederick William I. The principal churches are the Garri- son Church, built in 1731-85, with a higli tower, and containing the remains of Frederick the Great and his father in a vault under the chancel; the Church of Saint Nicholas (18.30-37), built from designs by Schinkel, with a fine dome; and the Friedenskirche, in the style of an early Chris- tian basilica, at the entrance to the Park of Sans Souci. Of the many secular edifices of note may be mentioned the palace, originally erected in 1670, and rebuilt in 1750, and containing the apart- ments of Frederick the Great; the town hall (1754), with a gilded figure of Atlas on its gable; the military orphan asylum; the theatre; the barracks, etc. Potsdam has a number of fine gates, of which the Brandenburg Gate, in the west, built in 1770 in the style of a Roman tri- umphal arch, leads from the city to the Park of Sans Souci (q.v.). The park contains, besides the famous residence of Frederick the Great, the pal- ace of Charlottenhof, with reliefs by Thorwald- sen, and the new palace, at the western end of the park, founded by Frederick the Great and used as a summer residence by Emperor Wil- liam II. Potsdam has only few industries. Its chief manufactures are sugar, beer, and optical instru- ments. The Geodetic Institute is located here. Of the noted places in the vicinity may be men- tioned the Russian settlement of Alexandrovka,