On November t17 (to which date it was prorogued by royal ordi nance) the National Assembly met in Brandenburg, and continued its Fittings for a few days, during which it exhibited undignified help lessness by its squabbles and dissensions. On December 5 the king issued a proclamation dissolving the Assembly, and containing the heads of the present constitution of Prussia. This state paper guarantees the freedom of the press, subject to prosecution for offences by existing law.; freedom of meeting iu Inclosed places, and also in public on 24 hours' notice and permission of the police; a responsible ministry; two &embers, the upper consisting of 180 members elected by the wealthier inhabitants of the state, who are themselves chosen by the general body of the electors—the lower of 350 members, elected by universal suffrage—the members of either house requiring no other qualifications than being of a certain age and proof of natu ralisation; complete liberty for all religions ; abolition of aristocratic privileges; and the adoption of the principle of the British Habeas Corpus Act. It I. true that some of these principle, have been modified, narrowed, or violated (as in the case of the press, and in the composition of the upper house, of which the king nominatee the majority if not all the members for life) since the subsidence of the revolutionary period of 1848-0, but the leading features of consti tutional liberty on the basis of representation are there.
Prolate, as a member of the Oerman Confederation, is the second In rank; Its contingent to the army in 1815 was 79,484 men, including Infautry, cavalry, and artillery and train with 100 pieces of cannon; but In recent time. Prussia baa placed her whole army at the service of the Confederation. It contributes 301,083 florins per annum to the expenses of the Diet ; and in the full council has, like the other kings, four votes.
Historical name of Prussia la derived from the nemeses, a Slavonic people, who inhabited the territory that now forms the provinces of East and West Prussia. These people were subjugated and converted to Christianity in the 13th century by the Teutonic knights. In the 15th century 11'est Prussia became subject to Poland, and the Teutonic knights, who still held East Prussia with Kiinigsberg for their capital, became reseals of Poland. Albert of Brandenburg, a descendant of Frederick von Hohenzollern, burgrave of NUrnberg and 35th grand master of the order, renounced his vows, became a Protestant, and erected East Prussia into a hereditary duchy, which he left with the march of Brandenburg to his descendants. The estate, of the electors of Brandenburg increased by slow degrees till 1648, when the elector Frederick Wilhelm obtained by the treaty of Westphalia the bishoprics of Halberstadt and Minden. In 1658 he delivered Prussia from the suzerainty of Poland, and in 1680 ha added to his possessions the archdiocese of Magdeburg. His son the elector Frederick M. obtained the title of King (Frederick I.) from the emperor in 1701, and made several acquisitions of territory, the most important of which VMS the principality of Neuchiltel. He also took an active part in the Thirty Veers War. Itis successor, Wilhelm I., who mounted the throne In 1713, wrested a large part of Pomerania from Sweden, and obtained at the peace of Utrecht a part of Guelderlaod and the duchy of Limburg. Frederick II. (the Great), who reigned front 1740 to 17S6, made Prussia famous by his military genius and his successes against Austria, Saxony, and Sweden. Soon after his accession he wrested Silesia from Austria ; in 1744 ho overran Saxony. In the Seven Years' War he took a leading part, and
fought fourteen battles, of which he gained nine. At the close of the Seven Years' War, in 1763, he applied himself to the improvement of his kingdom, which he did not fail to enlarge on the first partition of Poland, by seizing for his share the greater part of West Prussia. His successor, Wilhelm IL, joined the first coalition against the French republic, from which he gathered little glory; but added to his states considerable territories on the second and third partitions of Poland (1793 and 1795). His son, Frederick Wilhelm III, who ascended the throne November 16, 1797, joined the coalition against France November 8, 1805, upon certain conditions. After the battle of Austerlitz peace was concluded between Austria and France. A few days before, on December 15, 1805, the Prussian ambassador, Count Haugwitz, concluded a preliminary convention between Prussia and France, by which Prussia ceded Anspach to Bavaria and Cleves and Neufehetel to France, which made over the electorate of Hanover to Prussia, and Prussia in fact took possession of that country. This led to a declaration of war by England against Prussia. 'Various nego tiations followed, which ended in a war between Prussia and France. The battle of Jena (October 14, 1806) decided the fate of the Prussian army. The most important fortresses between the Weser and the Elbe surrendered in rapid succession, and Napoleon 1. entered Berlin on October 27th. Frederick William retired to Memel, collected a new army, and, together with his ally the Emperor of Russia, marched to oppose the advance of the enemy in East Prussia. The battles of Eylau and Friedland led to the peace of Tilsit (July 9, 1307), by which the king lost his dominions between the Rhine and the Elbe, and the greater part of Prussian Poland, which went to form part of the grand-duchy of Warsaw. The king did not return to his capital till the end of 1809. On February 24, 1812, he concluded an offensive alliance with France, and wheu war broke out between Russia and France, in June 1812, he sent 30,000 men to join the 10th French corps under Marshal Macdouald, which was employed in the siege of Riga. On the rapid retreat of the French from Russia the Prussian corps was likewise obliged to retire, but General York, who commanded it, concluded a convention with the Russian general Diebitach, by which the Prussian corps was declared neutral and separated from the French army. The campaign of 1813, the advance of the allies to Paris, the capture of that city in March 1814, the deposition of Napoleon I., his removal to the island of Elba, and the restoration of the Bourbons, followed in rapid succession. The return of Napoleon from Elba in 1815 led to a new alliance between Prussia, Austria, Flossie, and England, who declared war against him. The battle of Waterloo led to the general peace of Europe, when the Congress of Vienna restored to l'russia her lost territories, with the exception of a part of Poland, in lieu of which she obtained a part of Saxony and the territories on the lower Rhine, distinguished above as Rhenish Prussia. During the reign of the present king, Frederick William IV., the most Important events that have occurred in Prussia are the constitutional reforms above noticed; the suppression of the insurrection of the Poles of Posen in 1848; delivering Baden from insurgout bands of democratic socialists iu 1899 [Basmej; and the I open assistance given to the Schleewig-Holsteiners in insurrection I against their sovereign the King of Denmark. (Hoesseiss]