VIRGINIA. 



VITEPSK. 



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bienDUl 



good public building*, a Ivceuro, rauooio-tmll, 14 

 . aod medical whooL 



mrml, tlitttrr, *<. The original constitution adopted in 

 1TT ** miMnoded by the pmrat one in 1851. By it tbo right of 

 Toting U Tutli in all white male citizeni 21 years of age, who hare 

 raided for two yean in the lUte. The legislature coniu of a 

 I of 60 member*, called the General Amenably, elected for four 

 and a HOOM of Delegate*, consisting of 152 member* elected 

 aoially. All election! are by open voting, and not by ballot The 

 governor 1* elected by the peopla for four yean. Hia salary U 5000 

 dollar*. The judge* are alo elected by popular vote. 



The total net revenue obtained by taxe* in the financial year 1858-4 

 WM rctimated at 1,281,047 dollar*. The ordinary expenditure, exclusive 

 of *ehoul* and d. bt, is about 600,000 dollar*. The public debt Oct 1, 

 1M4, wa* S*,8*9,47 dollar*; the inttrert on which WM 1.825,000 

 dollar*. The aggregate militia force of Virginia ix 125,000 men, of 

 whom 0493 are commissioned officer*. The state has a Urge school 

 fund ; the educational returns of the state are however very imperfect 

 In 1850 there were returned in the utate 18 colleges, with 110 pro- 

 faaeors and 1818 students, and 2980 public schools, with 2997 teachers 

 and 7,85S scholar*. Among the colleges is included the University 

 of Virginia, at Charlottesville, a very celebrated institution which in 

 1854 had 16 professor*, 466 students, and a library of 19,500 volumes. 



The early history of Virginia i the history of the establishment of 

 British colonies in North America. In 1584 Sir Walter Haleigh 

 obtained a patent to colonise any unappropriated part of North 

 America, and sent out two small vessels, which reached the coast of 

 Florida, and sailed north as far us the island of Hoanoke, iu which 

 neighbourhood they remained some time in friendly intercourse with 

 the natives. On their return the country was named Virginia by 

 Queen Elizabeth. The first actual settlement was made in NORTH 

 CAROLINA. In 1606 James I. granted patents to two companies. To 

 the one, called the London Company, he granted South Virginia ; to 

 the other, called the Plymouth Company, he granted New England. 

 On the 19th of December, 1606, a small expedition of 105 men in 

 three slups, the largest not more than 100 tons burden, having entered 

 a river which was then called Powhatan, now the James River, they 

 planted the first colony in the present state of Virginia, May 13,1607, 

 on a peninsula connected with the north bank, and named the place 

 James Town, in honour of King James. But the colonists suffered 

 much from sickness and disunion, and the whole would probably have 

 perished if the management had not fallen into the hands of Captain 

 John Smith, whose courage and prudence preserved the little colony 

 from destruction. Smith's history, which is of the most romantic 

 character, he has related in ' The True Travels, Adventures, and 

 Observations of Captain John Smith, in Europe, Asia, Africke, and 

 America, beginning about the yeere 1593, and continued to this pre- 

 sent 1629;' and to one of the most romantic incidents in it the infant 

 colony was indebted for its preservation. On an expedition up the 

 James River and into the interior, in 1607, Smith was taken prisoner 

 by the Indians, and two men who accompanied him were slain. 

 He himself, after l>eing several days in custody, was saved from 

 the tomahawk by tbe entreaties and interference of Pocahontas, 

 the daughter of Powhatan, the principal chief, and he was ultimately 

 allowed to return to James Town. Two years later, when the Indians 

 had plotted the destruction of the little colony, Pocahontas revealed 

 tbeir designs ; and Smith having subsequently succeeded in establishing 

 friendly relations with the natives, the country was gradually cleared, 

 and under his active superintendence James Town began to assume 

 the appearance of a fortified village. The value of his energy and 

 influence w*s seen a year or two later on his departure from the 

 colony. On finding themselves uncontrolled by any sufficient autho- 

 rity, tbe settlers abandoned themselves to improvidence and idleness ; 

 the store of provisions was rapidly consumed ; and in consequence of 

 their marauding habits, attacks were made by the Indians, who mur- 

 dered many stragglers, and laid plans to destroy the whole colony. 

 Smith had left nearly 500 persons ; in six months the number was 

 reduced to 60. Theae had resolved to abandon the settlement, and 

 had actually embarked for Newfoundland, with a view to disperse 

 themselves among the fishing-vessels there ; but before they reached 

 the mouth of the river they met the long-boat of Lord Delaware, who 

 had been appointed governor, and who had arrived in Chesapeake Bay 

 with supplies and emigrants. More colonists with liberal supplies 

 arrived the next year (1611), and from this time the colony advanced 

 in prosperity ; their security being especially promoted by the curious 

 circumstance of a marriage solemnised according to the rites of the 

 Church of Kngland between a young Englishman, John Kolfo, and 

 PocabontM, who had more than once saved the life of Smith. The 

 consequence of this marriige was a confirmed peace with her father 

 Powhatan, and with other Indian tribe* under his influence. Poca- 

 bontM sailed with her husband to England, and became an object of 

 admiration both at court and in London, which her conduct as a wife 

 and mother afterwards confirmed and continued. There are families 

 (till in Virginia who are proud of their descent from that union. 



The bintcry of the colony during the next century exhibits it as 

 engaged in frequent hostilities with the Indians ; while from the time 

 that it had attained to a certain degree of wealth and stability, 

 tie diput and collision* between the colonist* and the home govern. 



ment and its representative, the governor of the colony, were almost 

 continual, until the accession of William and Mary, when a more 

 liberal and conciliatory policy was adopted towards the colony. From 

 this time it continued to flourish till 1704, when the Stamp Act wns 

 proposed, and the American war, which broke out a few years after- 

 wards, led to a separation of all the North American colonies from 

 the parrnt state. 



(Smith, Gcnerall Jliitorie of Virginia, <{<. ; Bancroft, llittory of the 

 United Slata ; Jefferson, \otet on the Stale of Virginia ; Lyell, Travels 

 in America, and Geological Manual ; Gazetteer of Virginia ; Gazetteer of 

 the United Stales ; Rogers, Geological Survey of Virginia ; Maroou, Geo- 

 logical Map of the United Statei ; Seventh Centui of the United States ; 

 Statistical View oftht United States ; American Almanac, 1855.) 



VIRIEUX. *[Ais.] 



VISTULA (Wish, Weiohsel), a large river of Europe, rises at the 

 foot of the Carpathians, in the circle of Teschen in Austrian Silesia. 

 Taking at first partly an eastern course, it enters Poland, panes 

 Cracow, and then turning to the north-east divides Poland from 

 Qalicia as far as Sandomir. From Sandomir its course is north and 

 north-west to Warsaw, then westerly and north-westerly till the river 

 enters Prussia a little above Thorn, below which it flows northward 

 to the Baltic. Before it reaches the Baltic however it divides at 

 Montau, below Marienwerder, into two branches, the smaller of which, 

 called the Nogat, discharges itself into the Frisches-Haft The larger 

 or western branch, after flowing about 40 miles farther, again divides 

 at Furstenwerder, 9 miles from Dantirig, into two branches, the 

 smaller of which turns to the east, and empties itself into tin 

 ches-Haff, and the main stream taking the opposite direction falls 

 into the Baltic at Weichsclmiinde, north of Dautzig. The principal 

 feeder of the Vistula is the Bug which (fed by the Narew) joins it 

 near Warsaw on the right bank. Another large feeder on the right 

 bank is the Save. The most important tributary of the Vistula on 

 the left bank is the Pilica, [POLAND.] The wholu course of the 

 Vistula is abaut 460 miles, for above 300 miles of which, n 

 from Cracow, it is navigable. The Broinberg Canal connects the 

 Vistula with the Oder. The Vistula, being connected with so in my 

 navigable rivers, is a great channel for the conveyance of the pro- 

 ductions of Poland, especially corn and timber, from the interior to 

 the sea-coast. At the junction of the, Bug with the Vistula Btands 

 the important fortress of Modlin : at Warsaw the river is commanded 

 by Alexander's citadel. 



VITEPSK, or WITEBSK, a government in the north-west of Euro- 

 pean Russia, which, with the government of Mohilev, forms the part 

 of Poland that fell to Russia at the first partition of that country in 

 1772. Catherine II. divided it into two governments, which she 

 united in 1796 under the name of White Russia ; but in 1802 it was 

 again divided into two, when Vitepsk waa organised as at pi sat It. 

 is bounded N.W. by Livonia, N.E. by Pskow, E. by Smolensk, S.E. by 

 Mohilev, S.W. by Minsk, and W. by Wtlna and Courland. Its area 

 is 17,145 square miles, and the population in 1846 amounted to 

 789,500, the great majority of whom are Rusuiaks and Catholics. 



The surface presents a vast plain diversified ouly by the banks of 

 the rivers, which rise a little above the general level. The soil is 

 sand mixed with clay, and with a very thin covering of vegetable 

 mould. The principal river is the DO NA or Dwiua, which enters the 

 government from Pskow, makes a semicircular bend to Desna, from 

 which place it runs along the western frontier, and is joined in its 

 course by most of the rivers of the province : among these are the 

 Mesha, the Kasplia, the Ula, the Polota, the Drissa, the Druja, tlu> 

 Saryja, the Feanauka, and the EwesL There are numerous small lakes : 

 the largest is that of Lubahu, on the frontier of Livonia, The climate 

 is damp, but temperate and not very variable. 



Though the soil is poor, agriculture is the chief occupation of the 

 inhabitants, and, on account of the facility of exportation, very 

 profitable. They cultivate rye, wheat, barley, oats, some pulse, flax, 

 hemp, and hops. Horticulture is pretty well attended to, but there 

 is no fruit except cherries. The bird-cherry is very common, as well 

 as all sorts of wild berries (bilberries, cranberries, &c.) The immense 

 forests, consisting both of pines and other timber-trees, afford ample 

 employment to the inhabitants in felling and squaring timber. The 

 posture-lands are very extensive ; horned-cattle and horses are bred 

 in great numbers, but the former are small ; the horses are partly of 

 ths strong Russian race and partly of the light Polish breed. There 

 are large flocks of sheep, the wool of which is coarse. The inhabit- 

 ants have abundance of goats, swine, poultry, and bees. In the forests 

 there are bears, wolves, foxes, stags, wild boars, flying squirrels, hares, 

 and game. The lakes and rivers produce various kinds of fish, espe- 

 cially smelts, of which immense quantities are dried and exported. 

 The minerals are iron-ore, freestone, limestone, marl, and fuller's-earth. 



The commerce of the government is greatly facilitated by the Duna, 

 by which all its surplus produce is conveyed iu light boats to Riga 

 and Pcrnau; hemp is sent in fledges to St. Petersburg. Greater 

 facilities have been given to commerce by the Berezina Canal, which 

 connects the Diina and the Dnieper. The principal articles of export 

 are hemp, dried fish, com, flour, bristles, horses, square timber, masts, 

 linseed, flax, oxen, wool, hides, tallow, honey, and wax. 



Vitepik, the capital of the government, to which it gives its name, 

 is situated on the Diina, at its confluence with the Viteba, in 5 6' 



