POSEN (Posnanie), a government of Prussia, was formerly a part of the kingdom of Poland. On the first partition of Poland in 1772, the part of Poseu to the north of the Netzc, and ou the second parti tion in 1793, the remaining part, fell to the share of Prussia; this, together with the part of the kingdom south of the Vistula, as far as Warsaw, acquired by Prussia on the third partition, received the name of South Prussia. In 1807 all South Prussia was taken from Prussia by Napoleon I., to form part of tho duchy of Warsaw. In 1815 the congress of Vienna restored the original province of Posen to Prussia by the name of the grand-duchy of Posen. During the insurrectionary troubles in Prussia iu 1848 this government was violently agitated. The Poles were in open insurrection against Prussia in the mouths of April and May of 1843. The principal action took place at Rion, in the province of P03(11, and Exin, in the province of Bromberg, in both of which the Poles suffered very severely. At last the leaders were arrested and the insurgents dis persed. On the 3rd of April of that year, the districts chiefly inhabited by Germans demanded incorporation with the territory of the German confederation ; the question was referred by Prussia to the German Diet, which admitted the districts to form a part of Germany, and their admission was recognised and confirmed by a decree of the German National Assembly, sitting at Frankfurt, on the 27th of July of the same year. A bill incorporating the whole of the duchy of Poseu with Germany passed the Berlin chambers in 1350 ; but after the insurrectionary wave subsided in Germany we believe the territory of Posen was restored to its former condition. The government of Posen lies between 51° 10' and 53° 32' N. lat., 15° 7' and 13° 33' E. long. It is bounded N. by the province of Prussia, E. by Poland. S. by Silesia, and W. by Brandenburg. The area is 11,352 square miles, divided into the two provinces of Bromberg and Posen. The population in 1852 numbered 1,331,745 ; of whom 869,433 were Catholics ; 437,861 Protestants of various sects; 30 of the Greek Church ; and 74,331 Jews. The Catholics are in spiritual matters subject to the archbishop of Gnesen and Posen ; the Protestants are guided by a superintendent-general assisted by the council of the government. The great bulk of the population are Poles, and Polish
is the general language of the country. There are however many inhabitants of German descent, who inhabit the towns on the frontiers of Sileeis. and Brandenburg.
The surface is level, except the banks of the Wartha in the circle of Obernik, which are rather more elevated, and there is here and there a bill on the frontiers of Silesia. The soil is partly marsh, which is very fertile, and partly sandy, but even here the sand is so mixed with more solid elements, especially loam, that the soil may be considered as tolerably good. The most fertile parts are the country on both sides of the Wartha, and the Netzbruch, a low tract on the river Netze, about 90 miles in length, and not above 3 miles is breadth, which, having been completely secured by dikes, is now converted into fine corn-land and meadows, with farmhouses and villages. The 1Vartha or Warta, which traverses the province in its whole breadth, and the Netze, are navigable. The Netze is connected by the Bromberg Canal (20 miles in length) with the Brahe, which has been made navigable, and falls into the Vistula, which only touches the frontier for a short distance below Thorn, and opens a communication with the Baltio. There are several lakes, the largest of which is that of Gopplo. The air is pure and healthy.
The chief products are corn, pulse, culinary vegetables, flax, and hemp ; tobacco, hops, fruit, and timber ; the common domestic animals, game, poultry (especially geese), fish, and bees. There are limestone, freestone, saltpetre, and bog-iron. The exports consist chiefly of corn, especially wheat, a large quantity of wool, timber, cattle, tallow, hides, wax, honey, hogs' bristles, and feathers. Broad cloth of good quality is manufactured in most of the towns. The railway that connects Berlin with Stettin, Danzig, and Kouigsberg traverses the government of Posen, and passes through the town of Bromberg. A branch line from the Woldenberg station runs up to Posen.