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Witgenftcin.j GERMAN!''.
135
'The
County of
JF I T G E N S T E IN.
§. I. '"T^HIS county is to be met with in the fifth and third leaf of Ho-
* jnann'i maps of Hcjje-Darmßadt and the land adjacent, and borders
on the prefedlurates of Battenberg and the eftate of Breidenbach, Biedenkopf,
belonging to Heffe-Darmftadt, the Principahty of Najjaii- Dillenburg,
and the dutchy of WeßpbüUa. Its length about four Cennan miles and a
half, and its greateft breadth fomewhat above three.
§. 2. Some parts of it are very mountainous, yielding plenty of wood, and
mines of filver, copper and iron, which laft being melted in the founderies
of Bauffer, is fent to the flatting-mills at Laafpher and Safzmajinßjaußn. It
deals largely in grafiery, but produces little grain, and that chiefly oats. The
rivers Lahn and Eder, the fources of which are in the territories of NaJJau-
Dillenbiirg, not far from the borders of Wetgcnjtein, run through this county
into the abovementioned prefedurates of Hejfe.
§.3, The prefent counts of Sa-^n and Witgenfiein are defcended from
Godfrey, count of Sayn, whofe fons, fohn and Engelbert, founded two
lines. The John line obtained the county of Sayn, and the portion of the
Engelbert line was the lordihips oi Homlmrg and Vallendar. Count Valentin
Engelberty grandfon, fucceeded the lafl: count of Wiigenftein in right of
his \N\{t Elizabeth, daughter of the faid count and heirefs to his territories;
and all the prefent counts of Witgenftein are his defendants. See p. 666.
On the profpedt of the failure of the John line in Count Henry, in I59'5,
Count Leivis of the Engelbert line, with his concurrence and that of the
lords of the fiefs, made an order that the reigning lords fl:iould be only two,
and George, his eldeft fon, was to have the feat and prefecturate of Berleburg,
together with the lordlhip of Neumagen ; and that the fecond fon
fhould inherit the county of Witgenftein and the lordlhip of Vallendar-, but
that, on the extinction of the John line, the county of Sayn Ihould devolve,
by confanguiiiity, to his line, and that Count William iLould enjoy
it ; the county of Witgenftein, together with that of Vallendar, to go to
Lewis, his third fon ; all which fell out accordingly at the deceafe of
Count Henry, in the year 1606. Thus the county of Witgenßein became
divided into the two houfes of Sayn-Witgenßein of Witgenftein, and Sayn-
Witgenftein of Berleburg.
§. 4. The title of the Witgenftein houfe is Count o/~Sayn, Witgenllein and
Hohenftein,