. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA. 325 Berlin* the capital of Prussia and all Germanj?-, has now only London and Paris, and perhaps Vienna, for its superiors in population in Europe. On the termination of the Thirty Years' War in 1648, Berlin had only 6,000 inha- hitants, whilst now it is one of the great cities of the world. The causes which conduced to this rapid growth do not at once strike us, and there have even been some who spoke of Berlin as occupying a site fixed upon by chance or caprice. Nothing could be less true, for Berlin is no
. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. PLAINS OF THE ELBE, ODER, AND VISTULA. 325 Berlin* the capital of Prussia and all Germanj?-, has now only London and Paris, and perhaps Vienna, for its superiors in population in Europe. On the termination of the Thirty Years' War in 1648, Berlin had only 6,000 inha- hitants, whilst now it is one of the great cities of the world. The causes which conduced to this rapid growth do not at once strike us, and there have even been some who spoke of Berlin as occupying a site fixed upon by chance or caprice. Nothing could be less true, for Berlin is no artificial creation, but the spontaneous product of its geographical surroundings. It is true that the environs of the great city are singularly unattractive. Sandy plains, heaths, and swamps ; stunted trees overhanging muddy pools ; roads alter- nately covered with dust or mire ; dilapidated houses, with storks perched on their chimneys—these are the features of the country, except in the immediate vicinity Fiar. 187.—Comi-arative Growth of Vienna and 17 so 60 20 60 UU USUO 10 20 30 Voo 000 50 fil) 10 72. Max. Reclus. of the great highways. Nature has her charms there too, but equally true it is that Berlin owes nothing to the beauty or natural fertility of its environs. It possesses not even the advantage of being seated upon a great navigable high- way, or in the neighbourhood of coal mines. A huge agglomeration of vulgar houses, placed in the centre of a sandy plain almost devoid of picturesque features, Berlin, nevertheless, has not sprung into existence at the beck of a despot. The fact of its having become the capital of a large state has no doubt contributed towards its growth, but it does not suffice to account for it. There are, indeed, geographical reasons, though they lie not on the surface, which have enabled Berlin to increase rapidly. The site which it occupies is marked out by nature * In 1871, Berlin, including its suburbs, had 826,341 inhabitants;
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