Chief cities. Copenhagen, the metropolis of the Danish monarchy, is situated on the east coast of the island of Zealand, and presents a magnificent view when approached from the sea. It is one of the best built cities in the north of Europe, and is not only the residence of the court, but is the seat of all the great public establishments of the kingdom. It has a good harbour, and an extensive commerce.

Altona, situated in Holstein on the Elbe, 2 miles west of Hamburg, has considerable commerce and manufactures. Population 30,000.

Flensborg, in Sleswick, 75 miles N. of Hamburg, is a considerable trading town. Population, 15,000.

Elsinore, 20 miles north of Copenhagen, is a well known seaport, at which all foreign ships that trade to the Baltic pay toll. Population 7,000.

Education. Considerable attention is paid to education. There are 2 universities, one at Copenhagen, and the other at Kiel. The former is on a large scale, having ample funds, a library of about 60,00 volumes of the best botanic gardens in Europe, and usually about 700 students.

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Language. The language is a dialect of the Teutonic, but the French and German are spoken at court.

Religion. Lutheranism is the established religion, but all others are tolerated

Government. The government is an absolute monarchy. Climate. The climate is healthy and uniformly temperate, though the atmosphere, during the greater part of the year, is thick and cloudy.

Face of the country. The continental part is very level. It is watered by no large rivers, but has numerous lakes. Soil and Productions. The soil is generally sandy, but a large proportion is fertile, and produces oats, barley, beans, pease, potatoes, and madder, and much of it is excellent for grazing.

Canal. The Canal of Kiel is 22 miles long. It extends from the Baltic to the Eyder, and thus forms a communication between the Baltic and North sea.

Commerce. Denmark is remarkably well situated for trade, and its commerce is very considerable. The exports consist of grain, horses, cattle, beef, pork, butter, and cheese.

Iceland, a large island, is subject to Denmark. It has no considerable towns, and is very thinly inhabited. The climate is very severe. The island consists of prodigious ranges of mountains, some of which are always covered with snow

Mount Hecla is a celebrated volcano, about 5,000 feet high, subject to frequent eruptions. Matter has been thrown from it to the distance of 150 miles.

RUSSIA.

Extent. Russia includes most of the north of Europe, and all the north of Asia, and is the most extensive empire on the globe.

Divisions. Russia is divided into 52 governments 45 of which are included chiefly in Europe. The Asiatic part is far the most extensive, but the European portion is much the most populous.

St. Petersburg, the metropolis of the Russian empire, is situated on the Neva, near its entrance into the gulf of Finland. It was founded in 1703, by Peter the Great, and it has now become a very large commercial city. The streets are wide, the houses large and splendid, and the city is accounted the most magnificent capital in Europe.

Moscow, the ancient capital, is situated on the Moskwa, and is 24 miles in circumference. The part of the city called the Kremlin contains an assemblage of magnificent public edifices. One of the towers formerly had the largest bell in the world. The weight of it was upwards of Moscow was set on fire in 1812, by the direction of the Russian government, in order to prevent the French from deriving an important advantage from possessing it. This is the most extraordinary transaction of the kind recorded in history. Nearly three fourths of the city were burnt, but it has since been rebuilt.

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Cronstadt, situated on an island, 20 miles west of St. Petersburg, is the principal station for the Russian navy. Odessa, on the Black sea, is a new and flourishing city, and has an extensive commerce.

Riga, situated near the mouth of the Dwina, is, next to St. Petersburg, the most commercial city in Russia

Kiev, on the Dnieper, was anciently the capital of the Russian monarchy.

Abo, the largest town in Finland, is a place of some

note.

Archangel, on the White sea, has considerable com

merce.

Government. The government of Russia, til! 1811, was a despotism, but it is now a constitutional monarchy, Religion. The established religion is the Greek church, and about three fourths of the inhabitants are of this religion. The rest are Catholics, Lutherans, Mahometans, Jews, and Pagans; all religions are tolerated.

Universities. There are 8 universities, at St. Petersburg, Moscow, Dorpat, Abo, Wilna, Charkov, Kiev, and

Kazan.

Education. Russia has some learned men, but literature is in a backward state.-Education has been hereto

fore almost entirely neglected; but an increasing attention is now paid to it.

Bible Societies are now extensively instituted through. out Russia, for the benevolent purpose of distributing the Scriptures in the various languages of the inhabitants.

Inhabitants. The Russians are one of the most illiterate nations in Europe. The great mass of the people are in a state of miserable servitude.

Commerce. Russia has an extensive commerce, which is carried on through the Baltic, Black, Caspian, and White seas.

Inland navigation. Russia has great facilities for inland navigation by means of rivers and canals.

Rivers. The principal rivers are the Volga, Dnieper, Dniester, Don, Onega, Dwina, Petchora, Neva, and Nie

men.

Lakes. The largest lakes are Ladoga and Onega.

Face of the country. The face of the country is mostly a level, and there are plains of vast extent.

Mountains. The Uralian mountains, forming the boun dary between Europe and Asia, are the principal range, and are about 1,400 miles in length. The greatest elevation is 7, or 8,000 feet.

Soil. The soil in the southern provinces is generally very fertile, but in advancing to the north, it becomes less so Climate. The climate in this vast empire is various; in the southern parts it is temperate and agreeable; in the northern, extremely severe.

History. At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia was generally in a state of barbarism. Since that time it has advanced much in civilization, and increased greatly in territory and power. It has had 3 great sovereigns, Peter the Great, Catherine II., and Alexander, the present em peror.

PRUSSIA.

Divisions. The Prussian dominions consist chiefly of two parts, entirely separated from each other, one lying in the cast, the other in the west of Germany. The prov