THE, 



ENGLISH CYCLOPEDIA. 



GEOGRAPHY. 



OLONETZ. 



OLYNTHUS. 



OLONETZ, an extensive government of Itussii comprised 

 between 60' 30' n.l 66 SV N. lot., 29 4(X and 40 20 7 E. long. ; U 

 bounded N. and N.K. by Archangel, S E. by Wologtla, a by Novogo- 

 rod, 8.W. by St. Petersburg, and \V. by Lake Ladoga and Finland. 

 The area, including the great lakes, amount* to 58,006 square miles. 

 The population in 1846 was only 263,100. The total area of the lakes 

 in this government amounts to 7797 square tuiles : including Lake 

 Onega 4851 square miles (exclusive of the island of Klinezkoj, 44 

 square mile'); a portion of the Lake of Ladoga 1175 square miles; 

 Bseg-Osero Lake 453 square miles ; Wyg-Osero 353 square miles ; 

 Latscha 205 square miles ; Wo.Ua 198 square miles ; Sjam-0wro 114 

 square miles, and many othrrs. 



As this government extends to the polar circle, its northern half hiui 

 entirely the character of the high northern latitudes, while the south- 

 ern part has more of the character of the temperate zone. The 

 Scandinavian Mountains enter the country from the north-west, 

 surround the two great lakes Ladoga and Onega, and run to the borders 

 of St. Petersburg and NoTogorod. This range is low and rocky, the 

 highest summits tcarcely rising more than from 300 to 420 feet above 

 the general level, yet they are covered during a great part of the year 

 with snow. The country at their base is in general low, wet, and 

 swampy. The summits are clothed with thick forest* of fir ami 

 other timber : the declivities are in some places open and susceptible of 

 cultivation. Blocks of granite, some of them of enormous size, are 

 scattered all over the mountain'. The dry, open, and wooded parts 

 contain unHcr the greensward pure or clayey mould over clay mixed 

 with boulders of the rocks of the country : in the morasses bog-iron 

 ore abonn<U. with deep sand and clay. The surface may be said to be 

 equally divided between mountains and forests, open tracts, morasses, 

 and water. 



This government contains 1998 lake*, and 858 rivers and rivulet*. 

 The two greatest lakes are Ladoga and Onega : of the former a large 

 portion is in this government, the remainder is in St. Petersburg and 

 Archangel. Lake Onega is nearly in the centre of the government : 

 its mean length is 130 miles, and the bit-mi th from 70 to 80 miles. 

 Like Lake Ladoga, it contains numerous islands, most of which are 

 covered with forests. The principal rivers are the Svir, which runs 

 from Lake Onega into Lake Ladoga, and though full of boulders is 

 navigable : the Olonka, the Ruakola, and the Jancz, all of which run 

 >ke Ladoga. The following rivers run into Lake Onega : the 

 Wytegra, the Wode, the Lisch, and the Suma, all flowing from hikes 

 of the same names, and the Losocha. The most considerable river 

 however is the Onega, which issues from Lake Lussa, near I -ake Onega, 

 nii'l running through the government of Archangel, falls into the 

 White Sea. In many of these rivers then are waterfalls, the most 

 remarkable of which is that called KiwaUcha, in the river Suna. The 

 climate is pretty uniform : the spring is long and damp, with frequent 

 frosts ; the summer short, with many foggy Hays, the vegetation 

 however very vigorous, on account of the length of the days: 

 the autumn is bleak ; the winter long and severe. Corn, chiefly barley 

 snd rye, ripens well ; but unforeseen accidents sometimes destroy the 

 entire harvest. The health of the inhabitants does not suffer by the 



Notwithstanding th ; cold and severe winter and the short summer, 

 agriculture is carried on in all |b<-' circles. The inhabitants cannot 

 however raise sufficient corn for their own consumption. Flax and 

 hemp thrive, and are extensively cultivated. There is no fruit except 

 cranberries, bilberries, to., and these and other wild berries abound. 



oioo. DIT. VOL. IT. 



Turnips, carroU, radishes, onions and some potatoes are cultivated. 

 Timber, which is the principal source of wealth, abounds. Except 

 the oak and beech, almost all the forest trees common in Russia 

 flourish here, the finest larches in the world perhaps, and pinea fit for 

 masts 100 feet in length. The forests supply fuel, timber for building 

 houses and boats, rosin, turpentine, pitch, tar, charcoal, tannera'-bark, 

 balks, planks, and laths for exportation. 



The fur-bearing animals furnish a profitable article of commerce. 

 The breeding of cattle is not carried on to any great extent, because 

 their maintenance in the long winter is too expensive. Almost every 

 peasant however has a couple of horses, cows, swine, and some domestic 

 fowls, yet the total number of any of these on such a vast area is 

 altogether insignificant. The number of sheep was stated a few yeara 

 ago to amount only to 4000. The wild animals are wolves, bears, elks, 

 gluttons, foxe*, badgers, and reindeer. Seals are found in the two 

 great lakes. Water-fowl of various kinds abound. The fisheries are 

 very productive ; great quantities of sturgeon and salmon ore sent to 

 St Petersburg. The minerals are iron, granite, serpentine, porphyry, 

 sandstone, quartz, lime, clay-elate, alabaster, talc, gypsum, and marble. 

 Iron is smelted, and wrought into various articles for domestic use. 

 Copperas is manufactured. The province has copper- and gold-mines 

 not worked ; there arc also silver, lead, and sulphur. Salt is 

 obtained from some springs, but not sufficient for the supply of 

 the inhabitants. 



The exports are the natural productions of the government, cannon 

 from the imperial foundry of Petrozavodsk, cast-iron, and some tallow. 

 The greater part of the exports goes to St. Petersburg ; the remainder 

 to Archangel 



The great majority of the inhabitants are Russians ; in the western 

 part there are many Finns. There are a few nomade Laplanders in 

 the circle of Kern. 



Olmutz, the former capital, is situated in 61 0' 45" N. lat, 32 50' 

 E. long., on the river Olonka. It is an open town, with 3000 inhabit- 

 ants. There are three stone and five wooden churches. A good deal 

 of fine thread is manufactured here, and a considerable trade is carried 

 on, partly across Lake Ladoga with St. Petersburg, anil partly at the 

 two annual fairs. The first dock-yard established by Peter the Oreat 

 was at Onega, and ship-building is still carried on. Petrozavodsk, the 

 present capital, is situated in 61 47' N. lat., 31 24' E. long., on a bay 

 of Lake Onega, and was so named by the empress Catharine II. from 

 many manufactories (' zavod ') erected here by Peter the Great. It is 

 an ill-built town, remarkable only for the great imperial cannon- 

 foundry : population, 4000. The only other place worth naming is 

 Karyopol, in the. south-east of the government, near Lake Latscha : 

 population, 3000. 



OLONNE-LES-SALLES. [VnHDfeE.1 



OLONO, RIVER. [AUSTRIA.] 



OLORON. [PTRE.ip.Es, BASSES.] 



OLOT. [CALABRIA.] 



OLYMPUS. [ANATOLIA; CRETE; TFIESSALY.] 



OLYNTHUS, a town in Macedonia, at the head of the Toronaio 

 Qulf, was probably founded by the Chalcidians and Eretriaus of 

 Eubcea. (Strabo, x. p. 447.) It was 60 stadia from Potidaca, and was 

 visible from the latter place. (Time., i. 63.) It fell under the dominion 

 of Athens, but revolted at the beginning of the Peloponnesian war, 

 and secured its independence with the aid of the Spartan Bra*idas. 

 From this tune it was the most important of the towns of Chalcidice, 

 and the head of league. The jealousy of the Spartans subsequently 



