AUSTRIA.
The Austrian empire is one-fourth larger than France, and twice as large as Britain and Ireland. Its population consists of a mixed mass of nations, differing in origin, language, religion, and manners, having few common ties, and little intercourse with one another. Austria has but a small extent of sea coast, and is almost entirely an inland power. The climate is similar to that of France, but subject to greater extremes of heat and cold, die soil not much inferior, the grain and fruits nearly the same. She is richer in mineral wealth than any other state in Europe, and possesses coal, though not in great a bundance. Her natural resources are capable of vast improvement, and in the hands of a wise and liberal government, would soon raise her far above the rank she now enjoys. Of the six sections into which her territories are divided, Lombardy is the most po pulous in proportion to its extent ; Bohemia and Moravia are next in population, and are the seats of the chief manufacturers; Austria Proper and Hun gary are remarkably rich in mines; and Galicia, though in a low state of cultivation, is fertile in grain, and contains the most productive mines of salt in Europe. Austria has but a slender title to be re garded as a German power; less than one-fifth of her population are Germans. The Sclavonic race, who form nearly one-half of the population, give a character of ignorance and backwardness to the go vernment. In Bohemia, Hungary, and other pro vinces where this race predominates, vassalage ex ists in some of its forms, and cramps the progress of society. The Austrian empire, in truth, consists properly of six separate governments, feebly united under one head. Each of these governments, ex cept that of Lombardy, has a diet or states, com posed of the deputies from the nobility, clergy, and towns; but these bodies exercise no real influence over the government, except in Hungary, where the old feudal institutions remain in vigour, and the aristocracy have always maintained a great degree of independence.
The surface of the Austrian monarchy is estimat ed at 258,000 square English miles. Of this sur face, the waste lands, including morasses, mountains, rivers, and ground covered with buildings, is esti mated at 5 parts in 24, the useful soil at 19 parts in 24; and of the useful soil, about the 100 are in tillage, 9 parts meadow com mons, which support cattle, 2 parts vineyards, 2 and orchards, and 35 parts forest land. total produce of grain is estimated at 165,500,000 metzen: or about 35,670,000 quarters; consisting of, wheat 14 parts, barley 11, rye 31, and oats 44. In 1804, the net produce of a jock (equal to 1 acre) of corn land, for the whole Austrian states, was va lued, by Lichtenstern, at 5 florins (10s.), and of pas ture land at 2 florins (4s.). (Hassel's Stal. abris des Oest. p. annual produce of wine in the Austrian dominions is estimated at 36,000,000 to 40,000,000 of eimers (each equal to 14 English gallons), of which Hungary furnishes nearly two.. thirds. This is rather more than one-half of the pro. duce of the French vineyards. Galicia is the only province in which there are no vines. Hungary and Sclavonia supply 180,000 centners of excellent to.. bacco. The Ex-Venetian states furnish yearly 1,200,000 pounds of silk; Milan and the Tyrol near ly as much ; and altogether this species of culture employs 400,000 persons. Flax, hemp, hops, and fruits, are also extensively cultivated ; and the forests, which cover more than one-fourth of the empire, fur nish an ample supply of wood. The total produce of the vegetable kingdom is valued at L.68,500,000 Sterling,—a small amount, considering the extent of the country ; but agriculture, though there are nu merous societies for its improvement, remains in a low state, from the prejudices of the higher classes, and the oppressions to which the peasantry are exposed. The horses in the empire are estimated at 1,800,000, the sheep at 12,000,000, and the horned cattle at 10,000,000: The live stock has greatly diminished within the last twenty-five years. The annual pro.
duce of the mines is 5846 marks of gold (the mark is about three-fourths of a pound Troy); 486 cent ners (hundred weights) of silver; 56,000 centners of copper; 30,000 centners of lead ; 4890 centners of tin; 1,200,000 centners of iron ; and 5300 centners of mer cury. About 5,500,000 centners of salt are prepared, the greatest part from salt mines and springs. The annual produce of these minerals in 1802, when it was probably one-third less than the above, was va. lued at L.4,700,000.* The leading manufactures are linen, cotton, wool len, silk, leather, and works in metal and wood. The linen manufacture existing in all the provinces, but to the greatest extent in Bohemia and Moravia, is supposed to employ 1,200,000 persons ; the wool len manufacture 300,000 persons; the cotton 100,000: about 18,000 or 20,000 centners of cotton were spun by machinery in 1817, which is three times the quan tity spun in 1803. The silk manufacture, which is carried on chiefly in Lombardy, employs 110,000 persons. The most considerable manufactures in metal are in Styria, Carinthia, and Lower Austria. The estimate of the annual products of the Austrian manufactures, given by Crome, is too extravagant to derive any credit. But those of Bohemia, in 1811, were valued at 158,000,000 of florins, and if we add twice as much for all the other states, the whole pro. duce of the Austrian manufactures may, on this ground, be computed at L.47,000,000 Sterling. Even this is probably above the truth. (Lichten stern, p. 44. Crome, 173-176.) The commerce of Austria is extremely trifling. She possesses but a small extent of sea-coast, which is remote from the centre of her territories, is desti tute of navigable rivers, and rendered difficult of ac cess by mountains. The numerous rivers that wa ter her dominions afford few advantages to her trade, as (excepting in Italy) she does not command the outlet of any one of them. The whole exports of this large empire are only L.3,000,000, and the imports L.3,200,000. (Lichtenstern, p. 48.) The population of the Austrian empire, in 1817, was 28,207,886, of which the Sclavonic race amount.. ed to 13,182,000, the Germans to 5,342,000, the Italians to 4,226,000, the Magyars, or Hungarians, to 4,225,000, the Wallachians to 1,246,000, and the Jews to 487,000. (Lichtenstein, p. 1858.) There are besides considerable numbers of Greeks, Turks, Albanians, and Armenians, so that, except Russia, no state in Europe has such a heterogeneous pbpu lation. Throughout the Austrian dominions the nobility and clergy are numerous, and many of them very rich. In Hungary, Galicia, and indeed in the greater part of the empire, these classes are exempt from taxes, and enjoy other pernicious privileges. The Austrian clergy, exclusive of their families, are estimated at 64,000, of whom 56,000 belong to the Catholic church; the nobles of both sexes at 475.000, the civil servants of the government, with their fa milies, at 280,000; the military, men, women, chil ren, and servants, at 800,000; the burghers and tradesmen, with their families, at 2,333,000; the persons engaged in agriculture at 4,005,000 families, or about 20,025,000 individuals. (Lichtenstern, p. 133.) In all the provinces, especially in Bohemia, Moravia, and Hungary, there has been a rapid in crease in the numbers of the inhabitants. Though the people are poor and ignorant, the government has been at much pains to provide them with the means of instruction; and the numerous schools and academies established, must essentially contribute to the improvement of the country. The Catholic re. ligion, though it predominates, nowhere enjoys that exclusive ascendancy which produces such perni cious consequences in Spain and Italy. The other sects, Greeks, Calvinists, Lutherans, form nearly one-third of the inhabitants in the provinces beyond the Alps; and this circumstance, by generating a certain freedom of thought and discussion, must prove favourable to the progress of society.