The total number of departures in the same year amounted to 6799, of which 1197 were Prussian ; 5884 carried freights measuring 476,949 lasts, and 915 left in ballast. The principal foreign trade is carried on with Great Britain, Denmark, the Hansa towns, Norway, Holland, Sweden, Hanover and Oldenburg, Russia, Mecklenburg, Belgium, and France.
The Constitution was until lately an unlimited monarchy, heredi tary in the male and female line. Prussia had formerly a represent ative body called the Estates, which however, as the power of the crown increased, soon fell into disuse. In July 1823 a law was promulgated by Frederick William III. for the institution of pro vincial estates, which were thenceforward convoked in all the provinces ; but no steps were taken towards the institution of a general national representation. On the accession of the present king, Frederick William IV., in 1840, provincial and district assemblies were established in all parts of the monarchy. Subsequently (Feb ruary 3rd, 1847), the king granted a kind of representative consti tution to his subjects, according to which there was a diet consisting of two chambers—one of the Nobles, who sat separately, except on financial vote; when they sat with the other orders; the other called the Usitiel Diet, consisting of the provincial diet* conjoined into one legislative body, which was to be convened at least ooce in every four years. The king bound himself to contract no new loan and to impose no new tax (except in certain cases) without the conseot of the diet. no United Diet was excluded from legislating on all suvijects of foreign policy, frontier due., and war taxes; its positive nehta were limited to question. of internal taxation. Finally, the right of petition with reeled to Internal affairs was conceded.
On this foundation, email and slender though it wax, an ample share of liberty might In time have been neenred by a patient prac tical people ; but eircumatances were unfavourable. The French revolution of February ISIS established a republic in France, and the king, dreading the spread of this contagious example, tried to pre weepy the mind. of his subject, with fears of French invasion, and with a devise to secure an impracticable object, the unity of Germany —both in some measure subjects' of foreign policy, and excluded by the new coostitution from the legislative functions of the diet. The revolutionary way. however which had originated in France reached Berlin in less than a month. On the night of March 18 barricades were thrown up In the streets, and many bloody encounters took place between the people and the royal troops, which on the next morning withdrew from the capitaL The king then, bending to the storm, granted all sorts of liberal measures—abolition of the censorship and perfect freedom of the press; a political amnesty ; a truly consti tutionel form of government for Prussia, with an electoral law for regulating the election of a National Assembly to discuss a new constitution; Independence of judges; right of public meeting; exer cise of political rights withont reference to religious belief ; the sub mission of all new laws to the deliberation of the representatives, &c.
The National Assembly met on May 22nd: it discussed and passed 'evensl laws forming the bases of a new constitution ; but frequently its debates were boisterous and iutemperate, and its discussion, were criticised or cootinued In clubs; and even in the streets, where members who opposed the popular demands were frequently ill treated. The menacing attitude of the populace became more aggravating afteithe opening of the Demoeratio Congress in Berlin (October 26). The National Assembly was kept almost in a state of siege, and it was said that he resolutions were influenced by the democratic mobs that thronged about its place of meeting. On October 31 the Assembly adopted an article declaring all Prussians equal before the law, denying any difference or privilege of rank or any special nobility, and forbid ding the use of titles of nobility or other qualification. in public documents; and voted to urge the government to take prompt and energetic steps to secure the liberty of the people in the German portion of the Austrian states. On Its rising the Assembly found that the populace bad nailed up the outer doors of the Hall of Session. To deliver the capital from a state of long-continued ferment and commotion, and to get rid of the National Assembly, which was every day becoming snore impracticable and more democratic, on the accession of Count Brandenburg to the ministry, the Assembly was prorogued (November 8) and ordered to transfer its sitting to Bran denburg. The president (Unruh) refused to close the session; the National Guard of Berlin was ordered to keep the members who per sisted to meet from reaching the hall of the Assembly ; but instead of obeying the government the National Ouard took the Assembly under its protection, and enabled it to continue Its deliberations. The National Guard was then disarmed, the city declared in a state of siege, and occupied by the royal troops under General Wrangel, who closed all the clubs, prohibited all meetings In the streets and the sale of all political papers without the authority of the police. A portion of the Assembly met (November 1G) in a coffee-house, messed a reso lution to withhold payment of the taxes, and was then dispersed by the troops.