RUSSIA. 



384 



10 to 180 net. From this elevated coast, the <*.., 

 to a Wvel plain from 80 to 40 mile* southward, and then 

 i to the plain of Uvom. by a gradual .lope. The surface of 

 Jwith a layer of mould of indifferent fertility, pro- 

 crop, of rye and barley. A part of the plain is 

 wtth wood*. liniMJitlnt commonly of birch, but frequ-nlly 

 with poplar and llmluss; th* laat-mentioned trees con- 

 O*BO place*, utoeaJTi forest*. The plain is furrowed by 

 which lie many yards below the surface, ami the rivers 

 have a very rapid course, so as to be unfit for 

 at tea* in eeveral places. Then an no swamps in this 

 , bat mrther weet then are many. [COORLASD; EBTBOSIA.] 

 h both the northern and southern shore* of the Gulf of 

 I an elevUd and rooky, the country that surrounds it* mner- 

 IOM* on both aide* of the river Neva form* a depression which 



I roaod th* southern shore* of th* Lake of Ladoga, and continues 



to the southern extremity of that of Onega. Towards the south it 

 >o*r 59' X. Ut., the hilly tracts that branch off from the 

 of Valdai. A moderately thin layer of mould covers a 

 of rook. The surface U level and very swampy, and though 

 1 it not devoid of fertility, grrat Ubour is required for its sue- 



| eoltavation. Though situated in the immediate viciuity of one 



of the UrgMt and meet populous towns of Europe, only a very small 

 proportion of the surface of tbis region U under cultivation, aud about 

 JO mike from SL Petersburg the forests commence, which occupy 

 neatly Uw whole of the country. The forest* consist almost solely of fir 

 nd birch. Immense boulder* of granite are dispersed through thee 

 |*je*U The mean annual temperature of St. Petersburg is only 37 : 

 th* mean of the winter U 16% of the spring 324, of the summer 5u", 

 and of the autumn 374*. Th* mean annual quantity of rain which 

 fciw in that city U between 17 and 18 inches ; but it must be remem- 

 bered that vast quantities of snow fall in the winter. 



Th* table-land of Valdai and the elevated tract which extends from 

 the river Msta to the lake Bjelo-Osero (both these countries surround 

 the plain above noticed on the south and south-east) were formerly 

 covered with extensive forests of elm, birch, and poplar, the greater 

 part of which have been cleared. The surface is undulating, aud the 

 rocky eminences which rise on it only attain a height of 100 to 200 feet 

 above tiieir base. Gram succeeds very well, and crops are abundant ; 

 bat a gnat part of the produce is used for the maintenance of horses, 

 which an in great nqurst, as several well-frequented roads and three 

 linrt of canal traverse this region. The elevated and broken region 

 which i* contiguous to the table-land of Valdai on the west, and 

 ooonpies the greater part of the governments of Pskow and Vitepsk, is 

 similar in its natural features, but the surface exhibits greater variety, 

 lake* being very numerous. 



A ridge of eletated ground of considerable width commences on the 

 banks of the Uuna near Dunaburg, not far from which town the last 

 rapid* in the river occur. It extends northward on both sides of 

 27' E. long., and terminates on the shore of Lake Peipus south of 

 Dorpai. It* average elevation is about 600 feet above the sea, but in 

 eon* place* then are hills which are from 300 to 500 feet higher. 

 This sandy and sterile ridge separates the elevated table-laud of 

 Vitepsk and 1'skow from the low plain of Livonia, which extends 

 westward from it to the shores of the Gulf of Riga. The eastern 

 portion of this plain, east of 26 E. long., is in general undulating, but 

 in many places contains hills 400 or 500 feet high. In this tract the 

 oil is chiefly loamy, and has a considerable degree of fertility. Iu 

 th* forests the birch prevail*. To the west of 26 E. long., the country 

 is nearly a level, with the exception of the southern districts between 

 the Ihina and the river Aa, where there are some hills. The soil of 

 the level portion of the plain is much leu fertile, it yields however 

 grain, hemp, and flax. The forests consist mostly of pine, and occupy 

 a considerable portion of the level ground. It terminates on the sea 

 with a low, flat, and sandy shore. 



Th* large tract of country which extends from the Diina southward, 

 having the swampy region on the east, and terminating in the great 

 swamp* of Pinak and Katnor, is traversed from north to south by a 

 series of table-lands, which occupy extensive tracts between the Diina 

 and Vuia (an affluent of th* Niemen), the Vilia and the Niemen, and 

 the la* menUunsJ riven and th* Bug, and extend eastward to the 

 swamps. The more elevated portion* of these table-lands are from 

 400 to 800 feet above the sea-level ; the soil is sandy and dry, covered 

 with pine forest*, which supply the best pine-timber in Europe. This 

 Umber is floated down the affluent* of the Niemen, and shipped from 



ween the Niemen and the Bug, 

 1 contiguous to the swamps of 

 (between 62* 29' and 62 s 61' N. lat., 23 40' aud 

 V E. long.), U the forest of Bialoviza, which occupies more than 

 700 eqoan mile*, and contain* oak, fir, and pines of immense size 

 It i* the only place when the Una is still found in Europe. The lower 



Me*BeL On the southern table land, between th 

 near the source* of the river Narew, aud contig 

 riaak ead Katnor (between 62* 29' and 52 



rise along the banks of the rivers have a tolerably fertile soil, con- 

 I of loam and sand, intermixed with alluvial mould, the deposit of 

 i of the riven. They produce wheat, rye, barley, oats, 

 I millet. Cattle an not abundant, owing to the want 

 of meadows. Horse* are numerous, but of small use. The climate 

 ef this region is much colder than that of the countries along the 

 UeJUo under the same parallel. Even in the southern districts the 



mean annual temperature does not exceed 42. The winter is long 

 and severe; the spring short and late. The summer is extremely 

 variable; the difference between two days frequently amounting to 

 20 degrees and more. The heat is sometimes insupportable, but is 

 soon followed by a cold wind. Fogs are very frequent in thin season. 

 Autumn is the most agreeable season, when the days are dry and warm ; 

 but the nights are chilly. West of the region just noticed lies t). 

 tory of Poland, which is described iu a separate article. [I'OLAXD.] 



The basin of the Volga occupies about 650,000 square miles, and is 

 equal in extent to three times the area of France. It con-tin. 

 most important, and, generally speaking, the most fertile portion of 

 the empire. The upper basin of the Volga comprehends the govern- 

 ments of Twer, Yaroskw, and Kostroma. The source of the river is 

 910 feet, the town of Twer 390 ftet, and the town of Nishnei-Novgorod, 

 at the lower extremity of this part of the basin, 230 feet above the 

 level of the sea. [VOLGA.] To this region belongs a great part of the 

 southern declivity of the uwalli. Between Yaroslaw aud Ko t 

 the declivity of the uwalli terminates about ten. or twelve miles from 

 the Volga, but farther east at a greater distance. Between it ami th..- 

 river there is a level plain. The forests, which consist mostly ut 

 pines, occupy less than half the surface of this slope. Tin 

 is partly covered with morasses and moors, aud partly with 1 

 here and there interspersed with tracts of Baud. It is only along tbu 

 watercourses that cultivable tracts of moderate extent and fertility 

 occur. The plains along the Volga above and below Twer yield wheat, 

 rye, barley, oats, hemp, and flax : and on their borders are forests of 

 oak, birch, ash, alder, poplar, fir, and pine. Farther down the land in 

 less fertile, and as the climate seems to be more severe, hemp and ihtx, 

 rye and barley, constitute the principal objects of agriculture. Forests, 

 chiefly of pine, are rather numerous. West of Kostroma ho. 

 where the plains increase in width, the soil is almost exclusively 

 covered with sand, which produces few trees, aud is only partially 

 cultivated. In a few depressions there are meadows, but it is in 

 general a very poor tract. 



South of this portion of the basin of the Volga lies that of its 

 affluent the Oka, which iu some places extends to 52 N. lat, aud is 

 on an average 260 miles from north to south. Not far from the banks 

 of the Volga, the country south of it rises to an elevation of from 

 50 to 100 feet, generally with a steep asceut, but iu several places with 

 a long gentle slope. The country which hence extends southward is 

 an undulating plain interspersed with a few hills of moderate elevation 

 and gradual declivities. The general level of the surface rises very 

 slowly, as the town of Moscow is only 416 feet above the sea, or only 

 26 feet higher than Twer, and no part of the intervening country 

 much exceeds 600 feet; but towards the west it rises higher. The 

 soil, which near the Volga in of indifferent quality, improves towards 

 the south and east. In the government of Moscow it is fertile, but 

 still more so in those of Kaluga aud Tula, and a part of Orel. But oil 

 approaching the watershed in Orel, the soil, though clayey, is very dry, 

 and partakes of the nature of the steppes which lie towards the Black 

 Sea. The country to the west of Moscow has also a less fertile soil, 

 but east of Moscow, in the governments of Vladimir, liia. an, aud the 

 northern districts of Tauibow, the soil improves still more thau it 

 does towards the south. The rivers which intersect this extensive 

 region run in narrow valleys from 50 to 100 feet below the surface of 

 the plain. The river bottoms are chiefly covered with sand, ami 

 sterile; in a few places ouly there are meadows. The heights which 

 inclose these valleys are steep. Forests are rare in the countries south 

 of Moscow, but in the eastern districts they occur at certain in- 

 between the well-cultivated fields, and consist of birch and fir, among 

 which there are many tall oaks. The climate of Moscow may be con- 

 sidered as representing the climate of all this region, as the districts 

 farther south are more elevated. The mean annual temperature is 

 39, that of the winter 13, that of the spring 394, * aa ' f tu o summer 

 62, and that of the autumn 40. The number of rainy days is 205 

 in the year, but the quantity of rain is small. A great depth of snow 

 however falls during the winter. 



The middle basin of the Volga extends from the mouth of the Oka 

 downwards to the ridge of Samara, and comprehends the four govern- 

 ments of Nisbnei-Novgorod, Pensa, Casau, aud Simbirsk. It contains 

 the most fertile part of the basin of the Volga, and perhaps of all 

 Russia. The most fertile portion of it lies on the west of the river. 

 Along its banks there is an acclivity from 300 to 500 feet above its 

 lowest level ; aud the country at the back of this acclivity does uot 

 descend, but stretches out on an undulating level, here and there 

 rising into hills covered with excellent soil. It produces abundance 

 of wheat, rye, spelt, barley, buckwheat, aud millet. Horses and cattle 

 are numerous, but of small size. Sheep are very abundant, especially 

 the broad-tailed kind. Oak is the most common kind of wood ; birch 

 and lime-trees are also numerous ; fir is of stunted growth and unfit 

 for timber. The region east of the river is uot quite so fertile., but still 

 it supplies rich crops, and is remarkable for the extensive forests of 

 oak which occupy the higher grounds. These higher grounds are 

 divided from the banks of the river by a low tract of from 4 to (j miles 

 or even 8 miles iu width, which is partly -covered with swamps, but 

 partly supplies good pasture. The mean annual temperature of Casan 

 is 37j. The mean temperature of the autumn is 33, of th; winter 

 10, of the summer 65, and of the spring 42. 



