SAXONY (Ger. Sachsen), KINGDOM OP, the second in importance and population of the minor German states, though inferior to three of them in extent, is bounded on the n. and n.e. by Prussia, s.c. and s. by Austria, and w. by Bavaria, Thuringia (q.v.), and Prussia. It is divided, for administrative purposes, into the following circles: The kingdom is somewhat of the form of a right-angled triangle, with the right angle in the n.w., and the longer side lying along* the foot of the Erz-gebirge range, which sends its spurs northward over the southern half of the country, giving to that portion a somewhat mountainous character, while the northern half remains a flat or undulating plain. The whole country, with the exception of a small portion in the extreme e. which belongs to the Oder basin, and is watered by the Neisse. is drained by the Elbe (which is wholly navigable in Saxony) and its tributaries the Muglitz, Wilde Weisseritz, Trubsch, Mulde, and White Eisler, on the w., and the 'Wessnitz, Black Elster, and Spree on the east. From the point where the Elbe thirsts through the Erz-gebirge chain to within about' 8 m, of Dresden, it traverses a district rich in picturesque scenery, to which the somewhat inappropriate name of Saxon Switzerland has been This district, which averages about 24 m. long by 23 broad, is an elevated plateau of coarse crumbling sandstone (much resembling the English green-sand); and though destitute of the perpetually snow-clad mountains, glaciers, serrated ridges, and escarped peaks which give a character of lofty grandeur to its namesake, it can boast of features equally peculiar and strikingly romantic. From the soft nature of the rock, it has yielded freely to the action of the mountain rills, which rise the hills on its e. and w. borders, and converge to the Elbe, and is cut up in all directions by deep narrow gorges (so symmetrical in their formation as to resemble artificial lanes), the constantly deepening beds of these mountain torrents, which here form cascades, there sullenly glide through deep vales bordered by rocks of the most fantastic forms, or by steep rugged slopes thickly clad with trees. high above the level of the plateau rise towering rocks, some of them pyramidal or conical, others pillar-like, while a few taper almost to a point, and then bulge out at the top; all clearly testifying to the agency by which they have been produced. The mediaeval knights took advantage of these curious results of nature's so-called freaks, to erect castles upon the summits of some of them; several of these castles still exist, and one of them, is almost the only virgin fortress in Europe. The most remarkable of these peaks
are Kithigstein (864 ft.), Lilienstein (1254 ft.), the Bastei (GOO ft.), Nonnenstein, Jung fernsprung and seven others, each of which possesses its group of traditionary gnomes and koholds. The lakes of Saxony are unimportant, and the only canals are those con structed between the mines and ore mills.
Climate, Soil, Products, ets.—The climate is healthy, and on the whole temperate, though occasionally severe in the south-western districts. Of the whole surface, more than one-half is arable, nearly one-third is in forest, about one-ninth in meadow, while the rest is occupied by gardens and vineyards, coarse pasture and waste land, or quar ries and mines. The arable land has long been in a high state of cultivation, as is the case with the whole of Upper Saxony (see History), yet notwithstanding this, and its extreme fertility, the produce is hardly sufficient to supply the wants of the dense popu lation (441 to the English sq. mile). The agricultural products consist of the usual cereals and leguminous plants, with rape, buckwheat, hops, flax, and potatoes, and all kinds of fruits suited to the climate. The forests, the largest of which are in the Voigt landi(the saw. corner of Zwickau), and along the northern slopes of the Erz-gebirge, supply timber of excellent quality, and in such abundance as to render them one of the great sources of wealth and industry. The rearing of cattle is an important employment in the mountainous districts of the s. w. Sheep, for which Saxony was formerly so famous, have been less generally attended to of late years, though, from the introduction of merinos, and increased care in breeding and rearing, the quality of the wool has much improved, and at the present day it occupies a high position in the markets of the world. Minerals are another great source of national wealth, the ore being both rich and abun dant, and the processes of excavation and smelting in a high state of perfection. Most of the mines belong to the crown; they are situated in Zwickau and Dresden, and mostly on or near the northern slope of the Erz-gebirge. The mineral wealth includes silver, tin, iron, cobalt, bismuth, zinc, lead, nickel, arsenic, antimony, and other metals, besides coal, marble, porcelain-earth, vitriol, and various gems. In 1870 there were m opera • tion 548 mines; 10,045 men were employed in the iron-mines, and 18,377 in coal-mines. The products raised in that year had a value of 12,929,360 thalers (21,939,404).