RUSSIA. 



RUSSIA. 



362 



ever the swamps are only from 100 to 50 miles in width, and are 

 frequently interrupted by tracts of drier and more elevated land. 

 Ivi-t of the northern extremity of these swamps, between 54 30' 

 and 65 30* N. lat, there is a more elevated country with a very 

 broken surface, and containing numerous rocky hills, between which 

 many lakes occur. From this elevated tract, which separates the 

 upper courses of the rivers Dnieper and Diina, the watershed extends 

 northward over the eastern portions of the governments of Vitepsk 

 and Pskow, where it descends in low ridges to the lakes of Peipua 

 and Ilmen. The most elevated part of it probably attains 1000 feet 

 above the sea, as the town of Mojaisk on the Moskwa is more than 

 700 feet above it The watershed hitherto noticed divides the rivers 

 that flow into the Baltic from those which run into the Black Sea. 

 At this point however it divides, and forms two watersheds, of which 

 one runs nosth-eatt between the watercourses that fall into the White 

 Sea and those which run into the Caspian Sea, and the other runs 

 south-east between the rivers which flow to the Caspian and those 

 which fall into the Black Sea. 



The north-eastern watershed begins in the hilly region of Valdai, 

 which contains the source of the Volga, the largest river of Europe. 

 It lies contiguous to the region just described, beginning on the west 

 between the sources of the river Pola, which falls into Lake Ilmen, 

 and extending north-east to the river Hits. In this direction it occu- 

 pies hardly more than 90 miles, but extends from north-west to south- 

 east, between Novgorod and Vischnei-Volotahok, more than 120 miles. 

 The country rises from the north-west and south-east with a gradual 

 slope, and at the town of Valdai attains an elevation of about 870 feet 

 On the most elevated portion of it there are steep and rocky hills, 

 but of little elevation above their base; the highest of them, the 

 Popowa Qora, according to Humboldt, does not exceed 934 feet above 

 the sea-level. As this region was formerly covered with a continuous 

 forest it i also known by the name of the forest of Volkbonsk. From 

 the banks of the river Msta the watershed extends northward towards 

 the isthmus which divides the great lakes of Ladoga and Onega, but 

 it does not reach it, as it turns again to the north-east and remains 

 about 20 or 25 miles from the southern extremity of Lake Onega, 

 running between its banks and the Lake of Bielo Osero. Having 

 passed between these lakes, it suddenly turn* to the south, and 

 approaches the banks of the Vol* i (40 E. long.) within about 60 miles. 

 Between the river Msta and 40* E. lour, the watershed seems to be 

 much lower than on the hilly region of Valdai, as is proved by the 

 facility with which canals have been made across it to unite the riven 

 which fall into the Lake of Onega or into the Dwina with the affluents 

 of the Volga. The more elevated tract with its very gradual slopes, 

 docs not seem to exceed 20 miles in width, and U entirely covered 

 with forest*. From 40* E. long, the watershed extends eastward near 

 59' N. lat, between the affluent* of the Dwina and thoee of the 

 Volga, to SO* E. long., whence it declines to the north-east and 

 reaches the Ural Mountains in 61* JO" N. lat, 59* E. long., between 

 the sources of the riven PeUcbora and Kolva ; the Utter is a branch 

 of the Kama, an affluent of the Volga. The whole region east of 

 40* E. long, is covered with interminable forest* of pines and fin, and 

 nearly uninhabited. This Urge tract of country U called by some 

 geojgraphen ' uwalli.' 



The south-eastern watershed begin* likewise in the elevated billy 

 region which separate* the upper courses of the Diina anil Dnieper, 

 and runs for some distance close to the bank* of the last- mentioned 

 river, so that the river Moskwa, which originates in these part*, ran* 

 eastward to the Oka, an affluent of the Volga. It continue* in a 

 nearly southern course from 55* to 52* 30", and np to 53* 30' N. lat, 

 MOM to consist of a broad-backed swell, which is covered with forests. 

 Between S3* 30' and 52' 30' N. Ut it expands in wide and nearly 

 level plains,' which occupy perhaps 100 mile* in breadth, and extend 

 over the central provinces of Russia eastward up to the banks of the 

 Volga, between 52* and 53* 30* N. lat These plains do not probably 

 ris-> more than 800 feet above the sea-level, and are chiefly woodless, 

 though in some of the numerous depression* tree* of stunted growth 

 are frequent Where the watershed approaches the banks of the 

 Volga, in the southern districts of the government of Simbirsk, it 

 forms an elevated ridge, but small in width, which runs eastward, and 

 compels the river to make a bend at Samara (near 53* N. Ut). On 

 the eastern bank of the river a similar ridge rise*, which inclose* the 

 river Sock, and continues in an eastern direction until it join* the 

 Obsuhei Sirt, or western branch of the Ural Mountains, near 56 

 E. long. That portion of the ridge which lies east of the Volga con- 

 sists of sandy hills almost without vegetation, and partakes largely 

 of the nature of the steppes which lie south of it This watershed 

 ineWs the wide basin of the upper course of the Volga on the south, 

 and divides it from the rivers which run southward and unite with 

 the Dnieper and the Don. 



Besides these two lines of watershed which croes Russia from west 

 to eswt, there is in the southern provinces an elevated tract, the base 

 of which i* granite, and which traverses it in the same direction, but 

 does not form a watershed, being broken through by several large 

 rivers. 'At its western extremity it is connected with the eastern 

 onsets of the Carpathian Mountains, which extend over the north- 

 western portion of the government of Ki liencff, or Bessarabia, and 

 advance a* far south as the town of K--hpin.-:r. From these ridges 



the elevated tract extends eastward, occupying on the banks of the 

 river Dniester the whole space between Yampol and Dubossary, and 

 rendering this part of the river uofit for navigation by forming rapids 

 and falls. Farther east, on the banks of the Bug, it occurs near 

 Olviopol, and on those of the Ingool, an affluent of the Bug, between 

 Yelisavetgrad and Bobrinetz. It continues eastward to the Dnieper, 

 which is compelled by it to make the great bend eastward between 

 47 and 49 N. lat, and in which it produces the Poroges, or twelve 

 waterfalls of Ekaterinoslav. From this place it declines more to the 

 south, and extending along the banks of the Kouskaya, an affluent of 

 the Dnieper, it approaches the Se of Azof, where it terminates on the 

 banks of the river Berda. 



Soil. Russia has a much greater variety of soil than any other 

 country of Europe. Some very extensive tracts are hardly more 

 adapted for agriculture than the great African desert ; while others in 

 fertility may be compared with those countries without the tropics 

 which are most favoured by nature. In taking this survey of Russia, 

 we begin from the north-east. 



Between the northern portion of the Ural Mountains on the east 

 and the river Mezen on the west, is the region of the ' tundras,' which 

 extends from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to 64 N. lat. It is mostly 

 a plain covered with moss, which for eight or nine months is frozen, 

 and the remainder of the year is so saturated with water as to be 

 impassable. In some places bushes occur, which bear berries. The 

 few inhabitants live on fish, which is very plentiful in the rivers, and 

 clothe themselves with the skins of wild animals. For furred skins, 

 their only article of traffic, they obtain small quantities of corn, which 

 is brought from the countries south of the ' uwalli ' down the river 

 Petschora. 



To the south and west of the tundras extends the largest forest in 

 Europe, if not on the whole globe. This region occupies the country 

 on both sides of the upper course of the Petschora, and all those which 

 lie within the basin of the Dwina and its great branches the Sukhona 

 and Vychegda. According to official statements, it covers 150,000 

 square miles. It consist* chiefly of different kinds of pines, with 

 some firs, larch, and birch. A few cultivated spots produce rye, 

 barley, oata, peas, hemp, and flax. But as the summer is very short, 

 and, during this season the weather very unsettled, fogs and rain 

 being very frequent, the crops frequently fail. Hard frost continues 

 from the end of October to the end of April. The scanty population 

 is mostly occupied in bringing the produce of the forest* to Archangel. 

 This region extends westward to the river Onega, and southward to 

 the uwalli, the northern declivity of which, chiefly occupied by 

 swamps, but well wooded, belongs to it It comprehends the western 

 portion of the government of Archangel and the whole of Vologda. 



West of the river Onega begins the region of rocks and lakes. It 

 exh-nds over the immense tract which lies between the gulfs of Finland 

 and of Bothnia on the west and south and the White Sea on the north- 

 east This region extends from east to west about 500 miles, and 

 from south to north more than 400 miles. It has a much moro 

 broken surface than any other portion of Russia of equal extent. 

 The northern portion, as far as 05 ' 30' N. lat, is level ; at least it does 

 not contain any continuous ridge of hills ; and here the watershed is 

 found to rise gradually, but not to a great elevation. Near 65 30' 

 N. lat, 30* E. long., a ridge of hill* (Masielka Mountains) rises, which 

 run* south to 64 N. lat, where it divides into two ridges, of which 

 that which runs east divides the waters that fall into the White Sea 

 from those that run to the lakes of Ladoga and Onega. Aftor having 

 passed the last-mentioned lake at a short distance, it approaches the 

 banks of the Onega River, and then turns to the south-west, and 

 terminates in that direction not for from the south-eastern shore of 

 the Lake of Onega. It consists chiefly of sand-hills ; but in some 

 part* granite appears, and in such places the declivity is steep. The 

 ridge which runs westward is mainly composed of granite, but it is of 

 considerable elevation, and grows lower as it approaches the Gulf of 

 Bothnia, sinking down to the level ground at a considerable distance 

 from the shores. The country surrounded by these two ridges, by the 

 gulfs of Bothnia and Finland, the river Neva, the Lake of Ladoga, 

 the river Swir, and the Lake of Onega, has a rocky sub-soil, and in 

 many places the rocks rise above the surface and constitute hills. 

 They never form an extensive mass, but only low and narrow ridges, 

 which alternate with wide and deep depressions, the greater part of 

 which are filled up with lakes. It is supposed that one-fourth of the 

 surface i* covered with water. The general surface of the country 

 appears to be lowest towards the east, north of the Lake of Ladoga, 

 where it probably does not attain 200 feet above the sea-level, and is 

 leas interspersed with rocks and lakes; but in approaching 30" E. long, 

 it rises considerably. The country west of this meridian is described 

 under FIBLAHD. 



That portion of Riisia which lici north of a lino drawn from 

 Uleaborg to the extremity of the Oulf of Kandalasknyn comprehends 

 Russian Lapland, which is described under LAPLAND. According to 

 meteorological observation* taken at Enontekis, in Russian Lapland 

 (68 30' N. lat), the mean annual temperature does not exceed 

 27 Falir. ; that of the winter i* 0, of the spring 25, of the summer 

 55, and of the autumn 264* Fahr. 



On the southern coast of the Oulf of FiaUnd, the shores or com- 

 posed of limestone, and rio abruptly Ctom, Ujo sea like a wall t> an 



