SILENUS. 164 SILESIA. drunken, lascivious nature, also exhibit a nobler side, in which he is the possessor of supernat- ural wisdom. Thus, after his capture through his love for wine, Silenus reveals to King Midas the future and also much other hidden wisdom. So, also, Marsyas (q.v. ) appears as a Silenus. Silenus developed in the later legend as a king of Nysa, and as the foster-father of Dionysus, whom he accompanied in his journeys, borne upon his ass, whose bray struck terror to the giants and other foes. Art represented him as an old miiii, bald-headed, snub-nosed, with a huge paunih. flabby, wrinkled skin, and usually in a state of jovial or helpless intoxication. He usually has beside him a wine-skin, and, if he walks, needs the support of friendly satyrs, or is held by them upon his ass. The Sileni are usually identified with those attendants of Dionysus who have horses' ears, tails, and hoofs, or even legs, and are common on the earlier Attic and Ionic vases. SILESIA, si-le'.shl-a (Ger. Schlesien) . The largest of the provinces of Prussia. It occupies the southeastern end of the kingdom, and is bounded by the provinces of Posen and Branden- burg on the north. Russian-Poland and Galicia on the east, Austrian Silesia and Bohemia on the south and southwest, and Saxony on the west (Map: Prussia, G 3). Area, 15,568 square miles. The whole southwestern part is very mountain- ous. It is traversed by chains of the Sudetic Mountains, the Riesengebirge, and a few other ranges. Its highest summits are the Schnee- koppe (5260 feet) and the Grosser Schneeberg ( 4665 feet ) . The extensive coal-bearing high- lands lie east and west of the Oder, and rise in the Hocliwald. west of the river, to nearly 2790 feet. Silesia is drained chiefly by the Oder and its numerous tributaries. The Vistula takes in a small part in the north. The Klodnitz Canal is the chief artificial waterway of the province. There are many mineral springs. The climate is moderate and healthful in the lower parts, but somewliat raw in the moun- tainous regions. Silesia is still preeminently an agricultural country. About 55 per cent, of the total area is arable land, of which about two-thirds is divided into small holdings, while the remainder is made up of large estates. The fertile land is found chiefly between the Oder and the southwestern mountain chains ; most of the land east of the river is unfit for agricul- ture. Silesia stands next to Saxony among the grain-producing provinces of Prussia. The chief cereals are rye, oats, wheat, and barley. Pota- toes, different kinds of forage plants, beets, and hay are also rai-sed extensively. The forests are very extensive, and cattle-raising is an impor- tant branch of agriculture. Silesia contains the richest coal deposits of Germany, and its coal mines give occupation to over 93,000 persons in 1900. The output of coal for the same year was nearly 30.000.000 tons, or nearly 0.3 of the total output of Prussia. The zinc deposits of Silesia, found in the plateau of Farnowitz, are among the richest in the world, and yielded an output of over 520,- 000 tons in 1900. Iron and lead are also im- portant mineral products. The District of Op- peln is the centre of the iron industry, which has reached a high degree of development. The other manufacturing industries not connected with mining are also extensive, and the indus- trial progress is sliown by the fact that the population engaged in industrial pursuits out- side of agriculture increased from 1,40LI,U9.S in 1SS2 to 1,742,187 in 1895, while the agricul- tural population for the same period shows a decrease from 1,790,934 to 1,628,105. The tex- tile industry ranks next in importance to min- ing and allied industries, employing nearly 100,- 000 people. In weaving and flax-spinning Si- lesia ranks first among the Prussian provinces. The extensive cloth, woolen, and yarn manu- factures are centred in the districts of Breslau and Licgnitz. Other important products are china and other earthen and stone wares, and glassware, beet sugar, spirits, woodenware, ap- parel, etc. The chief centre of indu.strial as well as commercial activity is Breslau. Silesia is divided into the three administra- tive districts of Breslau, Licgnitz, and Oppeln, with Breslau as the capital. To the Prussian Landtag Silesia sends 65 Deputies to the Lower House and 55 members to the Upper. To the Reichstag the province returns 35 members. Population, in 1900, 4.668.8.57, including about 1.000,000 people of Slavic extraction, mostly Poles. About 54 per cent, are Roman Catholics. Hlstort. Silesia was inhabited in ancient times by the Germanic Quadi and Lygii, who were succeeded by Slavic tribes. In the tenth century it came inidcr Polish rule and was soon Christianized. From 1163 the greater part of Silesia was ruled by dukes of the Polish line of Piast. (See Pol. d. ) These dukes, to repeople the country, which had been devastated by the numerntis civil wars, encouraged the settlement of German colonies, especially in Lower Silesia. The practice of division and subdivision of terri- tory prevailed so extensively in Silesia that at the beginning of the fourteenth century it had no fewer than 17 independent dukes. Famous among the Silesian dukes was Henry II. of Lower Silesia, who fell in battle against the Mongols on the field of the Wahlstat't in 1241. In the course of the fourteenth century these petty rulers, who were constantly at war with each other, placed themselves under the over- lordship of the King of Bohemia, and Silesia was thenceforth part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1537 the Duke of Liegnitz. one of the numer- ous Silesian princes, entered into an agreement of mutual succession {Erbverbriiderung) with the Elector of Brandenburg on the extinction of either reigning line. The other ducal lines be- coming gradually extinct, their possessions fell to Liegnitz or to Bohemia, or lapsed to the Em- peror. In 1675, when the last ducal family, that of Liegnitz. failed, the duchies of Liegnitz, Brieg. and Wohlau would have fallen to Prussia; but the Emperor Leopold I. refused to recognize the validity of the agreement of 1537, and took possession of the Liegnitz dominions, as a lapsed fief of Bohemia. The remainder of Silesia was thus incorporated into the Austrian dominions. In 1740 Frederick II. of Prussia, taking advan- tage of the helpless condition of Maria Theresa of Austria, laid claim, on the strength of the agreement of 1537. to certain portions of Si- lesia. Without declaring war. he marched into and took possession of the province, maintaining his hold despite the utmost efforts of Austri.a in the struggles of 1740-42 and 1744-45, called the
