MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN, a grand duchy in the north of Germany. It extends from 10. 34. to 12. 20. E. long., and from 53. 8. to 54. 19∙ N. lat. It is bounded on the north by the Baltic Sea, on the east and south by the Prussian territory, and by the Danish, late Hanoverian, province of Lunenburg. It is a compact duchy, except that some small portions of it are within the Prussian province of Brandenburg, and others in Mecklenburg-Strelitz. It extends over4924 square miles, and is divided politically into five provinces, in which there are forty-one cities or walled towns, seven market towns, and 621 villages, with, in 1827, 430,928 inhabitants. The population is derived from a tribe of Wendens or Vandals, though they have not retained their old language, but now speak the dialect of German commonly known by the name of plait Deutsche. At present the whole of the peasantry are in a state of freedom from the feudal system which once universally prevailed in Europe; but in Mecklenburg it was the longest retained, having been only abolished in 1825. The religion of the duchy is Lutheran, but there are about 1000 Catholics, and 300 Calvinist dissenters, and 3000 Jews, with a few scattered Menonites. The principal river is the Elbe, which receives the waters of five smaller streams, and has on its banks the towns of Domitz and Boitzenburg, by which navigation is carried on upwards to Berlin, and downwards to Hamburg. There are several lakes in the country; that of Schwerin is only manufactures, besides, are those of linen and the several kinds of leather. The chief foreign trade is by the Rhine with Holland, whence supplies of sugar and coffee, and the other colonial wares are obtained. The duke, in 1817, established a kind of representative legislature of two houses of nobles and burghers. The income of the state is about £188,000 annually; the public debt amounts to £500,000; the annual expenditure is £155,000; and the surplus of income is applied to diminish the debt. The regular troops are 2800, besides which there is a numerous militia or landsturm, in which all males from nineteen to twenty-five years of age are bound to serve.

the most extensive; and for the most part they discharge their waters by small rivers into the Baltic Sea. The face of the country is generally level; much of the soil is sandy, but a part is moderately fertile, and being well cultivated, yields a larger surplus of corn, chiefly wheat, than any other part of Europe of the same extent. Corn and wool are the chief commodities for export. The greater part of the land is occupied by the proprietors; and by the application of marl and the increase of the flocks of sheep, stimulated by the high prices obtained in the markets of Holland, Sweden, and England, cultivation has been much extended. The horses of Mecklenburg are much esteemed, and great pains have been taken to improve the racer, by the introduction of valuable horses and mares from England and other countries. Races, too, have been established of late years, the professed object of which has been to give encouragement to improve the whole race of horses. The government is hereditary in the family of the sovereign, which is asserted to be the oldest reigning house of any in Europe. The Grand Duke is limited in his power by the States, which assemble yearly, to adjust the public accounts, and to recommend new enactments, as well as to attend to local affairs. The income of the Duke consists in a great degree of the domains and royalties, with some taxes on foreign goods, and amounts to about £200,000. The public debt is about £300,000, but by a sinking fund is diminishing. The military, including cavalry, infantry, guards, and artillery, consists of 3500 men, besides which there is a numerous militia or landsturm. There are some manufactures of linen and woollen goods, but solely for domestic consumption, and some for the more common articles of every-day use. The foreign trade consists in the exportation of the productions of the land, chiefly from Rostock and Weimar, and in part from Boitzenburg; they consist of corn, wool, wood, bacon and hams, feathers, and corn spirits. The imports are wine, fruits, and colonial wares. The capitalis Schwerin, but the ducal residence is at Ludwigslust, or, in summer, at Dahlenbure, a bathing place on the Baltic.