Imperial Forest of' Bialowieza. 289 



interspersed in the uniform expanse of sand, and only bear a 

 proportion to the latter of 1 to 4. A ferruginous earth is the only 

 mineral deposit which is explored by the natives. Amber has 

 not yet been discovered, but it probably exists. According to 

 the statistics of Count Plater, amber is found in Poland, of 

 remarkable beauty, and considerable quantity, in the deposits 

 of brown-coal. 



The chief place is the village of Bialowieza, situate nearly in 

 the centre of the forest. It consists of a church, fifty-six dwell- 

 ing-houses, and an inn. Augustus III. of Poland built on 

 the height at this village a hunting seat, which was enlarged 

 by Stanislaus Augustus. Besides this, there are in the forest 

 two hamlets, which have been lately erected. On the other 

 hand, round its exterior, there are twenty-four villages and 

 hamlets, which are all connected in some way or other to the 

 forest, and are under its local jurisdiction. All the houses con- 

 sist of logs of wood piled upon one another, and the roofs 

 are covered with boards or shingles. The inmates are as 

 unpretending as the dwellings, and as rude and uncultivated 

 as the surrounding wilds. They are of Russo-Polish de- 

 scent, and are simply clothed ; the only covering for their feet, 

 for example, are sandals of the wood of the lime-tree. They 

 prefer to the agricultural occupations, which are followed by 

 their neighbours, a wandering forest life, which furnishes them 

 with honey, wild fruits, edible mushrooms, and pasture for 

 their cattle ; they are, consequently, very expert as foresters 

 and hunters, on which account all the imperial huntsmen and 

 foresters are chosen from among them. Five villages are exclu- 

 sively set apart for the service of the forest ; their inhabitants 

 must fell the wood, collect winter fodder for the wild animals, cul- 

 tivate the fields of the foresters, and employ themselves in hunt- 

 ing. The inhabitants of the other forest villages must also do 

 service in the chase, so that SOOO individuals can be brought to- 

 gether for this purpose. None of these people have any proper- 

 ty in the forest itself ; the fields from which they get their bread 

 are the property of the crown, but they have pasturage in abun- 

 dance, and can make use of the wood for fire and building free 

 of expense. In the whole district there is no manufacture, nor 

 process for the better working of the timber : there is no saw- 



