New_System_of_Geogra.. - Medievalcoinage.com

6^8
GERMANY, [Brandenburg,
Remark on the power of the royal Pruflian houfe under King Frederick II.
The power of the royal Prußian and electoral Brandenburg houfe, has
rifen, under King Frederick II. to a height which has attrafted tlie aftonifliment
and attention of all Europe. This power is not fo much founded on
its extent of territory ; for, compared with feveral other European States, it
is but fmall ; but on its excellent internal conftitutioh, as well as on the
great infight of its governor into the conneöion of the different parts of
the body politic, and likewife on his own wife and indefatigable paternal attention
to the government of the State.
The whole of the countries and States of this royal and electoral houfe,
as poffeffed by King Frederick II. after the peace of Drefden in 1745,
amount at mofl to about 3000 geographical fquare miles, and contain in
them nearly five hundred towns. In the fix years laft part, that is to fay,
from the year 1750 to 1756, there are, as I am well informed from an
account communicated to me by one of my colleagues, throughout the
whole of thele countries, one year with another, 1,66,567 perfons baptized,
and about 1,25,348 deaths. In order to find out the number of inhabitants
here, which fome eftimate at five millions, the lafl; of thefe fums is
to be multiplied by thirty-eight. The whole of the royal yearly revenues
are rated at near twenty millions of dollars. The contributions of the feveral
fubjedls here are fixed once for all, and at no time, not even in the moft
difficult conjundlures of war, are afterwards either raifed or renewed. According
to the complete lift of the royal Prujjian army, which was printed
in 1753 at Anjßerda?n, with amendments, it confifted at that time of
1,46,257 men, which in time of peace requires the fum of 10,932,960
dollars for their yearly maintenance, exclufive of the charges of mounting
and remounting, quartering and levying, which may arife to about one
fourth more : fo that thus the fum total of the money required for their
maintenance one year amounts nearly to fourteen millions of dollars. The
difcipline of thefe troops, as well as their expertnefs at their exercife is not
to be equalled j and they are always kept conftantly complete as well as in
perpetual readinefs to march. For their fubfiflance, the feveral royal and
elefloral countries are divided into cantons or fmaller circles, out of which
cantons, each regiment, nay even each company, has a feparate one to
itfelf, and out of thefe its recruits are to be drawn ; for which reafon the
feveral regiments are always quartered upon fuch, or at leaft not far Irom,
thofe cantons out of which they draw their recruits. In times of peace,
however, the greater part of thefe recruits are hired for money out of the
country ; and fuch as are levied from among the cantons in the country
have yearly nine or ten months furlows granted them in order to enable
them