PRAGUE, the capital of Bohemia, is situated nearly in the centre of the kingdom, on the right and left bank of the river Moldau. The city consists of the old town, stretching in an oblong form along the bank of the river; the new town, separated from the river by the old town; and the detached quarter of llradschin, on the left bank of the Moldau. The old town, which is the largest, contains the quarter of the Jews. The new town has the best streets; and Hradschin, occupying a high hill at some distance from the river, commands very fine views. It contains the cathedral and the archiepiscopal palace, besides many houses belonging to the nobility and gentry. The Lesser Town, as it is called, which is said to be the oldest part of it, lies to the north and east of Hradschin ; and the suburb of Smichow lies on the side of the river. The houses are in general of stone. Some of the buildings erected since the bombardment of 1757 are modern, but the greater number are in the old style. The whole city is encircled with a moat, or mounc•of earth, which is nearly ten miles in circumference. The ancient palace of Prague stood at the south side of the city, within the citadel, which has an arsenal, and is well fortified. Another large edifice, which bears the name of a palace, is situated at the other end of the town. It has 150 rooms, which arc appropriated for public offices, and a hall nearly equal to that of Westmin ster.
The dome, or cathedral, is a fine old Gothic structure, which stands on a steep declivity of the Hradschin, and contains the rich monument of St. Nepomene, the guardian saint of the city, and the chapel of St. Winceslaus. Among the numerous churches in Prague may be men tioned that of St. Winceslaus, the most ancient, of St. James, and that of Tien, which contains the monument of Tycho Brahe. Among the other public buildings are the Hotel de Ville ; the bridge over the Moldau, which, ac cording to some, is 1850 feet long, and according to others only 742 ; the palace of the archbishop ; that of the Grand Duke of Tuscany; that of Prince Schwartzenberg, which resembles in its magnitude and ancient style those of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Italy ; the palace of the Count Czernin, (formerly the site of Tycho Brahe's obser vatory,) and various others of the nobility. There is also
here a theatre, a fine fountain in the old town, the house of Schaubitzer, the royal baths, the buildings of the uni versity, the ruins and antiquities of the chateau of Wis chehrade, and the cavern of St. Procopius about a league from the city.
The university of Prague dates from the year 1548. At one time the students are said to have amounted to 30,000, but they now scarcely amount to 900. There are forty professors. The library contains above 100,000 volumes, and a MS. of Pliny. The observatory contains a few ves tiges of Tycho Brahe. The university has also a cabinet of curiosities and of machines, and a collection of natural history. 'There are various private collections and cabi nets of medals in the city. There are here a Royal Society el Sciences, a Patriotic Society for the Arts, a Society of Agriculture, an institution for training schoolmasters, three gymnasia, and an Academy fcr Drawing and Paint ing. Among the charitable institutions there arc three hospitals, two orphan houses, and a lying-in hospital. The principal manufactures of Prague are those of linen, wool len, cotton, silk, hats, gloves, lace, woollen stockings, pa per, and the ordinary articles which every large town sup plies.
The environs of Prague are ornamented with nume rous gardens and public walks, among which are the grand promenade, the gardens of Bucquoi, of the Count de Cu nal, of Colonel of the Count de Waldstein, the Count de Clumm, the Farber Isle, and the Isles of Great and Little Venice. The monument erected by Joseph IL to Marshal Schwerin, in a village about a league from Prague, deserves to be mentioned. It occupies the spot on which he fell at the head of his grenadiers, in the bat tle of 1757. Population of Prague about 85,000, of whom nearly 8000 arc Jews. East Long. of observatory 14° 25' 15". North Lat. 5' 19". See the article BOUEMIA.