Freiberg is a town highly interesting for its institu tions and manufactures connected with the rivers of the district. There is here a mining academy, of which M. Mobs is now professor, having succeeded to \Verner. Connected with that institution, there is a cabinet of minerals and of natural history. There is here a manufacture of false lace, carried on by M. Thiele, and occupying 1000 persons. The 103 mines wrought in the canton of Freiberg yielded in 1749, 49,714 marts of coined silver, and in 1800, 45,949..
The net produce of all the Saxon Erzegebirge from 1761 to 1801, amounted to 22,447,738 rix-dollars. The house of Amalgamation is about a league from Freiberg. About 60,000 quintals of ore yield here from 28,000, to 30,000 marts of silver, and there are laid up annually for the use of that establishment 10,000 voies of wood. See La Description de tous les Travaux tint d'amalgamation que de fonderie qui sont en usage dans les atteliers de Halsbruek pres de Frei berg, par Of. Fragoso do Sigueiro. Dresden 1800.
The want of inland communication is unfavourable to the trade of the kingdom, the ordinary method of transport being by waggon, and the roads being in general not good. The principal articles of export are wool, linen, and woollen goods, yarn, tar, and mine rals. The chief articles imported are silk, flax, cot ton, coffee, sugar, wine, and corn in plentiful seasons.
Although the royal family of Saxony are Catholics, having abjured the doctrines of the Reformation in 1697, in order to obtain the crown of Poland, yet there is a great majority of Lutherans in the popula tion. The Catholics indeed amount only to 40,000. Leipsic is now the only university seat in Saxony. The establishments for education are numerous, Sand under good regulations, and the lower classes are in general taught reading and writing. There are en dowed classical schools at Meissen, Wurzen, Grim ma, &c.
In Saxony the sovereign shares the legislative power with the states. The states consist of two houses, the one being formed of the bishops and nobility, and the other of landholders and deputies from towns. There is here a cabinet council, a board of finance, a military court of appeal, and an upper etc clesiastical court.
The revenue of Saxony has been estimated at one million and a quarter sterling. The public debt is 3,700,000 sterling, and the military force on the peace establishment, 10,000.
The following are the principal towns in Saxony, with their present population.
The history of Saxony has been so much interwo ven with that of the other nations of Europe, that we must refer our readers for a farther account of it to our articles ANGLO-SAXONS, AUSTRIA, BRITAIN, ECCLE SIASTICAL History, FRANCE, &C.