Vis'tula (Lat.; Polish, transliterated, Vistla; Ger. Weichsel), the great river of Poland when it was yet a kingdom, rises in Austrian Silesia, near the frontier of Galicia, at the height of 3600 feet above sea-level, amongst the outliers of the Carpathians. Formed by three head-waters, the White, the Little, and the Black Vistulas, the Vistula flows north-west a few miles to the village of Wisła, where its course is marked by a fall of 180 feet, and thence to the town of Schwarzwasser, where it leaves the mountains. At this point the Vistula turns north-east, and flows in this direction past Cracow, to its confluence with the San, 10 miles below Sandomierz, forming throughout nearly the whole of this part of its course the boundary between Galicia and Russian Poland. From its confluence with the San the river turns to the north, enters Poland, which it traverses in a general north-west direction, passing
Warsaw, Plock, and Lipno. Leaving Poland, it enters Prussia near Thorn, flowing west-north-west to its junction with the Bomberger Canal, thence north-north-east past Kulm and Grandenz, where it turns north, and flows in that direction to its embouchure in the Baltic Sea, which it enters by several mouths. About 10 miles below Marienwerder it throws off an arm called the Nogat, which, taking a north-east direction, and after flowing 32 miles, enters the Frisches Haff by about twenty mouths. The main stream continues to flow north for 115 miles, dividing, however, into two branches, one of which flows into the Frisches Haff, the other into the Gulf of Danzig at Weichselmunde, 3 miles below Danzig. The Vistula receives from the right the Bug, the San, the Dunajec, and the Wieprz; from the left, the Pillza and Brahe. The Vistula is 650 miles in entire length. It becomes navigable at Cracow for small vessels, and for large vessels at the confluence of the San; and its lower course, which is carefully and laboriously dredged and regulated, is the great outlet of the commerce of the Polish provinces.