Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/770

74:2 WURMSER WURTEMBERG dons of the contracted muscles has been re- garded as the remedy to be alone depended on. The usual operation is the division of the tendon of the sterno-mastoid muscle about half an inch above the sternal insertion, and is per- formed in a few seconds, without danger, pain, or loss of blood ; it is sometimes necessary to divide the fibres of the trapezius and platysma myoides muscles. WDRMSER, Dagobert Sigismund, an Austrian soldier, born in Alsace of a distinguished fam- ily in 1724, died in Vienna, Aug. 22, 1797. He early entered the French service, but soon left it for that of Austria, and held commands in the seven years' war and the war of the Bavarian succession. In 1778 he became field marshal lieutenant, and in 1787 general of cavalry. On March 31, 1793, he led a corps (Parmee across the Rhine against the French, and bore a considerable part in the succeeding operations. In 1796 he succeeded Beaulien in Italy, who had been driven back by the French, and forced them to raise the siege of Mantua. But having divided his forces, he was defeated by Bonaparte at Castiglione (Aug. 6), Roveredo (Sept. 4), and Bassano (Sept. 8), and threw himself into Mantua, the blockade of which was resumed. His only hope was now from Alvinczy, and this was extinguished by that general's defeat at Rivoli, Jan. 14-15, 1797; and on Feb. 2 Wurmser was forced to surrender Mantua. W&RTFJIBERG, or Wirttemberg (in English often WIRTEMBERO), a kingdom of the German empire, bounded N. E. and E. by Bavaria, S. by Bavaria, the lake of Constance, which sep- arates it from Switzerland, the Prussian prov- ince of Hohenzollern, and Baden, and W. and N. W. by Baden. It lies between lat. 47 35' and 49 36' N., and Ion. 8 12' and 10 30' E. ; greatest length from N. to S. 140 m., greatest breadth from E. to W. nearly 100 m. It is divided into four circles, viz. : CIRCLES. Ai, KJ. mllM. Population la 1871. CAPITALS. Neckar 1 .'-: MrT.M) Lull wi ffsburg. Blaek Forest 1,848 4I-.KVI KfMitlingon. Danube 2,419 1 v,..i:, Ulm. Jaxt 1,984 884,714 Ellwangen. Total 7,B81 i 818,100 The population comprised 1,248,860 Protes- tants, 553,542 Roman Catholics, and 12,245 Jews. The capital is Stuttgart ; the other prin- cipal towns, besides the capitals of the circles, are Tubingen, Heilbronn, Esslingen, Canstatt, and Friedrichshafen. The Black Forest forms part of the western frontier. The Hornis- grinde, 3,855 ft., is the highest summit in Wur- temberg. The Swabian Alps are almost en- tirely in this kingdom, entering it from Hohen- zollern, and stretching about 80 m. N. E., with a breadth varying from 9 to 18 m. On the 8. E. side they sink away in undulating hills ; on the N. W. they are steep. They are not so high as the Black Forest, but bleaker. Their prevailing geological formation is limestone, while the characteristic rocks of the other range are sandstone and granite. The valleys between the mountains are very fruitful and picturesque. The Swabian Alps divide the kingdom into the basins of the Neckar on the northwest and of the Danube on the south- east. The Neckar, the principal river, rises E. of the Black Forest on the Baden frontier ; its scenery is very fine, and it is navigable to Heilbronn for steamers. Its principal affluents are the Kocher and Jaxt, which join it on the right, and the Enz, from the left. The Danube crosses Wurtemberg in a N. E. direction. The elevation of its surface above the sea level at Ulm, the head of steamboat navigation, is about 1,500 ft. Its largest tributary here is the Iller, which joins it on the right near Ulm, and forms part of the eastern boundary. There are many small ponds or lakes, but no large sheets of water except the lake of Con- stance, only a small part of which belongs to Wurtemberg. The soil of the mountain regions is comparatively sterile, but affords abundant pasturage and valuable timber. In the valley of the Neckar and on the shore of the lake of Constance the climate is exceedingly mild. Only 4'8 per cent, of the area is unproductive. The arable and garden lands comprise 47'6 per cent. ; meadows and pasturages, 17 per cent. ; forests, 30'6 per cent. The chief products are grain, particularly spelt and barley, legumi- nous plants, hemp, flax, rapeseed, hops, tobac- co, chiccory, poppy, fruits, sugar beets, wool, timber, salt, iron, and other minerals. There is but little coal. Wurtemberg is chiefly an agricultural country, but the lake fisheries are considerable, and there are iron and steel works (some belonging to the government), breweries, and manufactories of linen, cotton, wool, silk, gold and silver ware, paper, musi- cal instruments, particularly organs, beet su- gar, and sparkling wine. The annual customs receipts are about 2,000,000 florins. The book trade is extensive, the publishers of Stuttgart ranking next to those of Leipsic and Berlin. Railways traverse the kingdom in all direc- tions. Their aggregate length in June, 1875, was 773 m., all belonging to the state except- ing one line of 7 m. The telegraph lines ex- tended in 1873 over 1,434 m. The prosperity of Wurtemberg has been greatly promoted by the large transit trade arising from railway traffic and the increased number of travellers. Emigration to the United States nevertheless continues; in 1872-'4 the annual average was 6,000. Wurtemberg is a constitutional mon- archy, the present constitution bearing date Sept. 25, 1819. The crown is hereditary in the male line, and after its extinction in the female. The executive power is vested in the king, who exercises it through a privy council, consisting of the heads of the six ministerial departments and special councillors. The diet (St&ndeveraammlung), which meets every three