Luxemburg

Luxemburg (Germ. "Liitzelburg"), an ancient hereditary possession of the House of Orange, now comprises (1) a grand-duchy ruled by the king of the Netherlands, (2) a province in the kingdom of Belgium. After the fall of Napoleon the Congress of Vienna made it an independent member of the German Confederation, under the sovereignty of the king of Holland (1815). Luxemburg joined itself to Belgium on the formation of that kingdom in 1830, but by the Treaty of London (1839) that part which now forms the grand-duchy was restored to Holland. On the dissolution of the German Confederation the connection with Germany ceased, and the Prussian troops were withdrawn. (1) The grand-duchy is bounded by the Belgian province on the W. and N.W., by Rhenish Prussia on the E. and N.E., and by France on the S. The area is 998 square miles. It belongs mainly to the table-land of the Ardennes; the surface consists chiefly of moors and swamps, alternating with wide tracts of forest. It is drained by the Moselle, which skirts the S.E. border. The chief industry is the rearing of live stock. There is an abundance of iron ore, which, together with timber, forms the chief export. The inhabitants are Low German in race and speech, and profess the Roman Catholic religion. French, however, is the official language, and is spoken in the upper ranks of society. The government is carried on by a House of Representatives containing 42 members, 21 of whom retire every three years. The capital, Luxemburg, 32 miles S.W. of Treves, is partly situated on the summit of a precipitous rock, 200 feet in height, and partly on the plain below it. It was formerly considered almost impregnable, but was dismantled under the Treaty of London in 1867. There are manufactures of leather, gloves, and linen. (2) The products, industries, and general characteristics of the Belgian province are very much the same as those of the grand duchy. The area is 1,706 square miles.