Central Europe . poverished and enfeebled, it fell atlast into the hands of Prussia, and pressed upon not onlyby the nearness of the Russian frontier, but also by thecompetition of Konigsberg and Stettin, has but very slowlygained fresh strength. Natural causes also Vistula, which formerly conducted its main streampast the north side of the town and fell into the sea to thenorth-west at Neufahrwasser, broke through the dunes onthe east at Neufahr in 1840, and made itself a new mouthat some distance from Dantzig. Engineering skill suc-ceeded in drawing an advantage even from this
Central Europe . poverished and enfeebled, it fell atlast into the hands of Prussia, and pressed upon not onlyby the nearness of the Russian frontier, but also by thecompetition of Konigsberg and Stettin, has but very slowlygained fresh strength. Natural causes also Vistula, which formerly conducted its main streampast the north side of the town and fell into the sea to thenorth-west at Neufahrwasser, broke through the dunes onthe east at Neufahr in 1840, and made itself a new mouthat some distance from Dantzig. Engineering skill suc-ceeded in drawing an advantage even from this old arm of the Vistula was now closed near Neufahr 286 CENTRAL EUROPE by a sluice-gate, retaining high floods and floating ice ;its eastern reach was turned into a great harbour, andits western into a sea-canal by which ships could comeup from the outer port of Neufahrwasser, while the littleriver Mottlau which runs through the town was deepenedby dredging to fourteen feet, and boats were enabled. Fig. 37.—The Delta of the Vistula. to come actually into the town itself. Recently thisarrangement was even better secured by removing thehigh waters of the Vistula yet more to the east througha canal piercing the dunes by the shortest way. But all these efforts have not succeeded in raising thesea trade much above that of Konigsberg. The inlandwaterways have been completed by the Vistula and Haff NORTH GERMANY 287 Canal, which connects Elbing and Konigsberg. If com-merce, however, has made no great strides in the last fewdecades, manufactures have greatly developed. Shipbuild-ing, machine-making, and a whole series of trades that dealwith the preparation of agricultural products are especiallyflourishing. The sea-shore, which still lies at a distanceof three miles from Dantzig, is bordered by friendly littlesuburbs, sea-bathing places, which are the last in that lineof visitors resorts that animate the Prussian coast and theoutlying tongues of land in summer-time.
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