"The military system under which Prussia has obtained such tremendous successes in war was established in 1814, on the principle that every man capable of bearing arms should be instructed in military tactics, and actually serve in the army for a specified period. No substitutes are allowed, and there are very few exemptions, and these only of the most obvious character. Every man is enrolled as soon as he is twenty, and must serve seven years, the first three in the regular army, and the other four in the reserve. At the end of this term he belongs to the Landwehr, or militia, for nine years, during which time he is liable to be put into the regular army in case of war. At the expiration of this period he is thirty-six years of age, and then he is enrolled in the Landsturm, until he is fifty; but this body are not sent out of the country, and are called into service only in case of invasion. For thirty years of his life, therefore, the Prussian is a soldier. The military organizations, such as companies, regiments, brigades, divisions, corps d'armée, are always kept up; the officers are ever ready, and in case of war it is only necessary to call in the men. It requires only two weeks to organize the reserves and Landwehr. On a peace footing, the army consists of about four hundred thousand; on a war footing, double this number. "Nearly the whole of Prussia is in the great plain of Northern Europe. It contains no high mountains, the most important range being the Harz, the highest elevation of which is thirty-five hundred feet. The acquisition of Schleswig-Holstein and Hanover has added largely to the extent of Prussian sea-coast. There are but few good harbors on the Baltic, for the water is shoal, and full of sand-banks. There are many _haffs_, or lagoons, like the one on which Königsberg is situated. Prussia has an immense number of lakes, especially in the eastern part, the largest of which is the Spirding See, with an area of thirty-seven square miles; but all these lakes are too shoal for navigation. The rivers of Prussia flow into the Baltic and North Seas. The principal are the Niemen or Memel, the Weichsel, or Vistula, the Oder, the Elbe, the Weser, and the Rhine, all of which are navigable. These river systems are connected by canals. "The climate of Prussia is healthy, the average temperature varying in different parts from forty-three degrees to fifty degrees. The soil is generally fertile, though there are some sandy plains, and desolate, hilly regions. The agriculture, fostered by the government, is of the highest efficiency. All kinds of grain are produced in abundance, and largely exported. Two hundred million pounds of sugar were made from beets ten years ago. Thirty million tons of coal were mined last year, and the country is rich in minerals. In its agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, Prussia is remarkably prosperous. The country has a complete network of railroads, about seven thousand miles in all.