; RO EOT. 



RUSSIA. 



38D 



I w*. specially applied to the whole country that lie* south of 

 mbeandth. 83,to the north of Greece, and between the 



, .^i !_ Bjaek and JEgutn teas ; to tht it comprised Maoe- 



Tkraoa, Albania, BotniaTSerria and Bulgaria. Bulgaria is now 

 JL53.tltatrtbeKy.ltU of 8ui.tr., or Silirtria, Widin, and N.ch 

 (N*>; Thrae*. or the greater part of it, form, the Kyalet of Edirm<, 

 or Adri-^ooJeTsyrp. or Swot,, bnearly independent of Turkey ; the 

 Srthlffr trrn- include. Bosnia and Turkish Croatia ; the southern 

 put of Macedonia form* with Thettaly the Eyalet of Selanik, or 

 Shaftl the north-e*t*rn part of Albania, with some adjacent 

 iHthlns, form the Kyalet of Uskub, whilst the south part belongs to 

 IB, Byalet of Yaaia, or Joannina ; and the remainder of the territory 

 a* .bore indicated, and conauting of eartern Albania and tbe western 

 part of Macedonia, fonnt tho prttent Eyalet of Rowm-ili. 



The fce. of the country, which it describe 1 in the articles on 

 AL.UVIA and MAODOVIA, U traTersed by ramifications of the Balkan 

 Mountain*, which inclot* many fertile plains and valleys. The climate 

 i* in general mild and salubrious. Cotton, wine, oil, and tobacco are 

 chW product*. There are extensive pasture* on which largo 

 i of sheep are bred. The principal rivers are the Axios, the 

 .A, and the Jfal.aemtnt, now the VittriHa, and in its lower 

 ^w /mj+Kara, which fiows partly from the Lake Kastoiia, so named 

 from the fortrees of Kaitoria, which ia built on a peninsula in the 

 lake on tbe rite of tbe ancient Celetnm. Its course is winding, but 

 sill to the south of east, and it enters tbe Thermaic Gulf. In 

 tnoient time, tbe Haliacmon was joined by the Lydias (the modern 

 Karacmak), which U the outlet of the Lake of Pella, but now the 

 Lydia* i* a feeder of tbe Axius. The banks of the Haliacmon are 

 lined with dykes to save the adjacent country from inundations. Both 

 the river and the lake of Kastoria (which is six miles long and four 

 milet wide) are famous for a fish named Guliani, which grows to 

 enormous dimensions. 



The present Eyalet of Roum-ili comprises the livns of Mouastir and 

 C.hitistendil. Mvtuutir includes the south-west of Macedonia. The 

 capital J/OKoifir, called alto Ri'nlin, near the site of the ancient 

 Ileraclea, not far from the banks of the river Erijonus, an affluent of 

 the Axiua, and on the borders of Albania, is a considerable town, with 

 about 15,000 inhabitant*. GkitatendU, embraces the northern part of 

 Macedonia and the east of Albania. It has some rich copper- and 

 iron-mine*. The head town Ghiustendil is situated on the slope of 

 a hill at a abort distance from the right bank of the Kara-su, or 

 Strum*, in 42 13' N. lat, 22 6' E. long., and has about 10,000 

 inhabitant*. The town, which is surrounded by an old wall flanked 

 with towers, contains a bazaar and sulphurous baths. A Greek bishop 

 reside* in it [ToRKEr ; ALBANIA; MACEDONIA; THE.SSALT.] 



HI'SCoRX, Cheshire, a market-town, and the seat of a Poor-Law 

 Union, in tbe parish of Runcorn, is situated on the left bank of the 

 river Mertey, near its junction with the Weaver, in 53 20' N. lat, 

 2* 44' W. long., distant 17 miles N.N.E. from Chester, 187 miles N.W. 

 from London by road, and 182 miles by the London and North- 

 Wertern railway. The population of thn town of Runcorn in 1851 

 was 8049. Tbe living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry and diocese 

 of Chester. Rnncorn Poor-Law Union contains 37 parishes and 

 township*, with an area of 45,776 acres, and a population in 1851 of 

 25,77. 



Runcorn U a place of considerable antiquity. The town was ol 

 little consequence in modern times, previous to the formation of the 

 Duke of Bndgewatcr's Canal. It now possesses some manufactures 

 and a considerable amount of trade. Iron-foundries, corn-mills, 

 collieriea, slate- and stone-quarries, shipbuilding-yards, soap-works, 

 and works for distilling turpentine, employ many of the inhabitants 

 The Duke of Bridgewater's Canal, the Mersey and Irwell Canal, and 

 the North-Western railway, which has stations on both sides of the 

 river, afford facilities for the conveyance of passengers and traffic 

 Kuncorn is a favourite resort of tea-bathing visitors in summer. The 

 town i* lighted with gas. The town-hall, a neat structure of recent 

 erection, contains a subscription news-room. There is also a bride- 

 well A county court is held. The parish church is a handsome 

 new building. Holy Trinity church, built in 1838 of red-sandstone, 

 ba* a low tower. The Wesleyan Methodist*, Independents, Baptists, 

 the Conntett of Huntingdon's Connexion, and Roman Catholics, have 

 placet of worship. There are National, British, and Infant schools, 

 and a saving* bank. Friday is the market-day ; fairs are held on the 

 hut Friday in April and the last Friday in October. 

 RDKN. (CtrrcH.1 



[BUIBBT.1 



RUITIN. M:\V. 



KMONDE. 

 01. JDoBUjr," County of.] 

 RU8HDEN. jNokTMAMrroMiiiiiiE.] 

 RUSHVILLE. [IxDiAjiA,] 



RUSSIA. Th Kuuian Empire extends over the north-eastern part 

 of Rnrope, orer tbe whole of Northern Asia, and the north-western 

 COM* of North America. It contUU of Riwua-in-Europe, properly so 

 called, in which term Poland and Finland also are comprised ; th, 

 "~tom*ian Territories, which comprise the countries between the Black 

 iand th* Catpian; A*i*tic Ruuia, in which are included the four 

 of Tobolak, Tomsk, Jenuefak, and Irkutsk, and some 



Baron Haxthauseu, in his recent work upon Russia, states the 

 population in 1852 to be 69,660,146. In respect of religion about 

 50,000,000 belong to th Greek Church, 7,000,000, chiefly Poles, are 

 Catholics, and about 3,000,000 are Protestants ; the rest are Mnuom- 

 me'lans, Buddhists, and heathens. 



The present article, while in some points of view it relates to tho 

 whole of the vast empire, comprises briefly the physical geography 

 df I'.uripean Russia only; under the heads of SIBKKIA, GEORGIA, 

 ALTAI MOUNTAINS, KAMTCHATKA, AMUR, and BAIKAL, the surface of 

 the rest of the empire -is described; while under the names of tho 

 great administrative divisions of the empire, the physical features, 

 products, towns, &c. of all the provinces, are noticed in detail in tho 

 present work. 



European Russia comprehends the north-eastern portion of Europe, 

 extending from 43 to 71 N. lat , 20 to 63 E. long. It is divided 

 from Asia by the Ural Mountains, which begin on tlie peninsula that 

 lies opposite the island of Nova Zembla, east of the Strait of Waigat/,, 

 and extend in a southern direction to 54 N. lat., where they divide 

 into three ranges. From this poiut, the river Ural, which rises 

 between the two most eastern ranges, forms the boundary-line until 

 it falls into the Caspian Sea. From the mouth of the river Ural the 

 boundary runs along the north-western shore of tlie Caspian Sen tn 

 the embouchure of the river Kuma. At this point begins the southern 

 boundary-line, which runs along the course of tliat river to 45 

 E. long., and then nearly north to the river Manytch, whose course 

 it follows to 41 30' E. long., whence it continues nearly due west to 

 the Sea of Azof, and chiefly along the course of tlie river leia. Tin; 

 sovereignty of Russia has been acknowledged by most of the countries 

 on each side of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the Caspian, 

 as far south as the Kur and the Araxes [CAUCASUS, GEORGIA, Ac.], 

 and though the territories west of the Caucasus are considered to 

 belong to Europe, yet they have not as yet beeu included in European 

 Ruesia. The remainder of the southern boundary is formed by the 

 Sea of Azof, the Strait of Yeuikald, and the Black Sea. Near its 

 western boundary Rus-ia extends to the banks of the Danube, which 

 forms the boundary between it and Turkey as far as the mouth of 

 the river Pruth (near 28 E. long.). The Pruth divides Russia from 

 Moldavia nearly to its source in the Carpathian Mountains ; further 

 north between Austrian Galicia, Silesia, and Prussia, there is no 

 natural boundary. On reaching the Baltic the boundary-line of 

 the empire towards tho west runs round the Gulfs of Riga and 

 Finland, and up the Gulf of Bothnia to its northern extremity 

 (66 N. lat.). Farther north it touches Sweden and Norway. From 

 Sweden Russia is partly separated by the lower course of the river 

 Tornea, and farther north by its affluent the Muonio. The boundary 

 between Russia and Norway is partly formed by the watershed 

 between the Gulf of Bothnia, and partly by the course of the river 

 Tana. A small part of Norway extends east of the river Tana. On 

 the north Russia is washed by the Arctic Ocean, which hero forms 

 the extensive gulf called the White Sea. 



Surface. The whole surface of Russia may with propriety be con- 

 sidered one extensive plain. If the Ural Mountains, which extend 

 along its eastern border, and a mountain tract in the Crimea [CBIMKA] 

 be excepted, there is not in this immense extent of country an 

 eminence which rises more tlian 500 feet above its base, or more than 

 1100 feet above the sea-level. The watershed which divides the 

 rivers that flow to the Arctic Ocean, the Baltic, the Black Sea, and 

 the Caspian Sea, is not formed by mountains, Imt by tracts of elevated 

 ground, the summits of which extend in wide and nearly level plains, 

 and whose declivities form long and generally imperceptible slopes. 

 The plains themselves are covered either with bogs and swamps or 

 with forests, and in other parts they are dry and woodless tracts called 

 steppes. 



Almost on the banks of the river Bug, which used partly to separate 

 Poland from Russia, between 61 30' and 53 N. lat, there is a flat 

 plain, the watercourses on which have too little fall to carry off tho 

 accumulated water. The whole plain is nearly a continuous swamp, 

 and covered with fir-trees. It contains the sources of several all! 

 of the Dnieper and Vistula. On both sides of 52 N. lat it exti'inU 

 from 24 to 30 E. long., a distance of 240 miles, and renders the 

 country on both sides of the river Pripecz almost impassable. This 

 portion of the watershed is called the Swamps of Pinsk and Ratnor. 

 The swampy ground extends farther north, between the affluents of 

 tho Niemcu and Dnieper, to 53* 30' N. lat., and terminates on the 

 bunk* of the Diina between Polotsk and Drooya. In these pnrts how- 



