DOMPIERRE. 



DON-COBSAKS. 



7o 



A board of education has been recently appointed, and ha* enta- 

 blisbed 7 schools, at which then i* n attendance of 005 chil.1r.-n. 

 There an aim S free schools in Rowan with 286 scholar*. Other 

 tchooU at* under the superintendence of the Wealejan miMionariee 

 and the Roman Catholic clergy. 



The import* conaiat principally of plantation (ton*, cotton, linen, 

 and woollen manufacture! from England ; corn, fimh, and lumber from 

 the Britiah North American colonies and the United States, and lire 

 stock from the neighbouring continent of America, The export* are 

 principally coffee, cocoa, lugar, rum, and orange*. 



(Parltamattary Paptn.) 

 MKRRE. 



DOMPIERRE. [ALLIXB.] 

 DON, the ancient Tdmait and the Tartar Tuna, a river of European 

 Ktuaia, rise* in the (mall lake Ivanofskoe, in the government of Tula, 

 and thence flow* in a general south-south-east direction, through the 

 government* of Ryazan, Tambof, and Voronesh, to the town of 

 Paulovsk, receiving within theee limit* the Soeva, the Voronesh, and 

 the Soana. Below Paulovak it rum east through the territory of the 

 Don-Cowaki to within about 35 miles of the Volga, Repulsed by 

 the mountainous region on the west bank of that river, the Don then 

 proceeds in a south-western direction to the Sea of Azof, which it 

 enters by three mouths, having received in this part of its course, from 

 the right bank the Donecz, or Donetz, the most considerable of its 

 tributaries, and from the left bank the Medwiedicza, the Manitsh, and 

 the Sal, the last of which flows from the Caucasian mountains. The 

 length of its course is estimated at about 880 miles. The width varies 

 from 350 to 1200 feet. This river has a slow current, and abounds in 

 shallows and sand-banks, but has neither falls nor whirlpools. In 

 spring it overflows its banks, and forms broad and unwholesome 

 swamps; it is navigable as high as Zadonsk on the north-western 

 border of Voronesh, and has depth of water enough from the middle 

 of April to the end of June for large vessels, but is so shallow during 

 the remainder of the year, that there is scarcely two feet of water on 

 the sand-banks. Its mouths are so much choked with sand as to be 

 (innavigable for any but flat boats. The waters of the Don abound in 

 fish. A canal projected by Peter the Great, and partly executed, is 

 intended to join the Don and the Volga. It commences a little north 

 of 50 N. 1st., in the Ilavlia, which enters the Don near its most 

 eastern point, and is to terminate in the Kamychenka, a feeder of the 

 Volga, its whole length, including the canalisation of the two rivers, 

 'being about 90 miles. 



The currents of the tributaries of the Don are also sluggish, and 

 none of them but the Dopecz is navigable. As far as the town of 

 Veroneah the Don flows between fertile hills ; but from that point 

 until it strikes the chain of the Volga, its left bank is skirted by low- 

 lands, and its right by a range of uplands ; thence to its confluence 

 with the Donecz its right Iwuk is skirted by chalk bills, and its left by 

 a continued steppe. The waters of the Don are impregnated with 

 chalk, and are muddy, and prejudicial to the health of those who are 

 unused to them. The Ilyrgii, which Herodotus mentions as a tributary 

 of the Don, is probably the Donecz. 



DON-TOSSAKS. The territory of the Don-Cossaks forms a pro- 

 vince of South Russia, lying between 47 and 51 10' N. lat, 37 20' 

 and 44 45' E. long. : and is bounded N. by the governments of 

 Voronesh and Saratov, E. by Astrakhan, S. by Circasma and the 

 Sea of Azof, and W. by the governments of Ekaterinoslav and 

 Voronesh. The area is stated to be 62,276 square miles, and the 

 population in 1846 amounted to 704,300. 



The general character of the country is that of a plain, in many 

 part* consisting entirely of steppes. The interior is a complete flat, 

 l.t in the north and along the banks of the Don there are slight 

 elevation*, and the south-eastern ports bordering on Lake BoUkoi are 

 traversed by low hills. The rest of the country, with the exception 

 of the parts immediately adjacent to the banks of the larger river*, is 

 a broad steppe traversed by numerous sluggish streams and abounding 

 in luxuriant pasturage intermixed with tracts of sand. The whole 

 territory does not contain a single forest, and even brushwood is only 

 occasionally found. The northern districts are best adaj ' 

 agriculture : the southern, where the soil is saline and sandy, for 

 grazing. On the steppes are many low artificial mounds and ancient 

 tumuli, which are suupowxl, from the features and head-dress of the 

 rod* stone images erected over some of them, to be of Mongolian 

 origin. Many of these tombs have been opened, and found to contain 

 gold and silver linn, rings, buckle*, Ac. 



The chief river is the Don, which enters the territory on the west 

 from Voroneab, winds across it to the east to within a few miles of 

 the Volga, and then turning suddenly round, flows through the 

 easUrn and aouthcrn districts to the Sea of Azof. In its course 

 through this government it is joined by the Medwiedicza, Ilavlia, 

 Sal, MamUh, and several minor streams, all on the left bank. The 

 Donee*, or LitUe Don, which flows south-east between Ekatorinoslav 

 and Voronesh and joins the Don in the interior of thi* i-.... mm. n, 

 a little east of Tcberkask, is the most important tributary on the 

 right bank. A few miles below Old Tcherkask the Don leaves the 

 government of the Don-CVmsaks and t raver* an insulated part of 

 that of Ekaterinoslav which encircle* the Bay of Taganrog, leaving 

 the Don-Coinki only two small strip* of coest on the Sea of Azof. 

 BoWcs tbww there are several other rivers which discharge their 



water* into the Sea of Azof, and there are numerous streams in th- 

 steppes, of which the greater part terminate in marshes, and are dry 

 n summer. The principal lake is the ItoUkoi, an enlarged bed 

 KanHsb, about 70 miles long and 9 miles broad, the length of which 

 'onus for that distance the boundary between the territory of the 

 Don-Conaks and Circasma. Next to this the most considerable lakes 

 are those of Nowoe and Staroe-Oaero, which are covered in summer 

 with an incrustation of rait from one to two inches in thickness. 



The country enjoys a mild climate. The spring sets in early, and 

 n the summer, which is of long continuance, the land is refreshed by 

 frequent showers ; the autumn is at times damp and foggy, and the 

 winter, though clear and not accompanied with much snow, is severe 

 and attended by stormy weather. The rivers are cloned by ice 

 from November to February. Failures of the harvest are rai 

 the inhabitant* often suffer severely from the ravages of the locust, 

 which is the scourge of the country. 



All the north and east of the country is inhabited by the Coasak* 

 of the Don, Calmucks, and Nogay Tartars, who have exchanged the 

 roving life of nomads for the settled habits of the agriculturist. The 

 western district lying between the Don, the Donecz, and Ekaterinoslav, 

 is inhabited by German colonists, chiefly Mennonites from Prussia, 

 and is one of the most prosperous and best cultivated portion* of 

 Russia. The Nogays also have been compelled to settle in village* 

 and devote themselves to agriculture, the processes of which as well 

 as of other common industrial arts, they have learnt from their 

 German neighbours. The Cogsaka of the Don have always been in 

 some degree agriculturists, but their chief occupation was, and is, 

 cattle breeding ; indeed these are the leading employments of the 

 three great divisions of the population. Vast quantities of wheat, 

 the most important article of cultivation, are produced, and large 

 export* are made at the ports of the Sea of Azof. After wheat, 

 merino wool is the most important product The Mennouites 

 possess immense flocks of sheep. 



Agriculture, cattle-breeding, fishing, and the cultivation of the 

 vine constitute the principal occupations of the Don-Cossaks. In 

 the lowlands of the north, which lie along the banks of rivers, the 

 soil is very fertile, and produces grain of various kinds, such as rye, 

 barley, wheat, oata, maize, and buckwheat ; also peas, flax, and 

 hemp. But even in the south, fields are found in the heart 

 steppes at a distance of 30 miles and even 40 miles from the Don, with 

 rich crops of grain upon them. 



The vine, the culture of which was introduced among the Cossak* 

 by Peter the Great, is cultivated to a considerable extent, and wine 

 of a good quality to the value of lOO.OOOi. a year finds its way to 

 Moscow and other towns in the interior. The Mennonites and 

 Cossaks are allowed to distil brandy for their own use, which is a 

 great favour in Russia, where the distillation of spirits is a monopoly 

 of the crown. The former are also exempt from military service, and 

 appoint their own judges. The settlements of this people are on the 

 left bank of the Moloschna, the right bonk of which is occupied by 

 German Lutherans, from Wurtemberg, Baden, and Switzerland, but 

 theee do not enjoy the same privileges as the Mennonites. Hone* 

 are very numerous. The native Coasak horse is small and spare in 

 flesh, with a thin neck and narrow croup ; he is, on the whole, an ill- 

 looking animal, but strong, fleet, and hardy. The poorer Cossaks 

 have each three or four horses, but many of the Tabu no*, or herds, of 

 the wealthier breeders, contain 1000 or more. All, with the except i.m 

 of the saddle-horses, are kept on the pasture-grounds throughout the 

 year, and in winter are forced to seek for their food either beneath 

 the snow or from the high reeds on the banks of rivers. Dromedaries 

 are reared by the Calmucka, and thrive well on the saline plants of 

 the steppes. The ox is used for draught ; goats are bred jriucipally 

 by the Calmucks, and are used as leaders to the sheep over the steppes. 

 Fish in large quantities are taken in the Don and its tributaries, and 

 along the shores of the Sea of Azof. Honey and wax to the amount 

 of 300,000 Ibs. are annually gathered. The exports consist of horses, 

 cattle, fish, tallow, -hide*, and skins, the agricultural produce named 

 above, and also of caviar and isinglass. Salt is gathered in summer 

 from the evaporated laguncs along the sea. 



The steppes are not the usual resort of wild animals or of much 

 game ; wolves, foxes, marsh-cats, dwarf otters, marten . marmot*, 

 jerboas, and hares are occasionally met with. Of wildl'owl there are 

 the steppic-fowl (Otii telrax), water-starling, Muscovy duck, swan, 

 snipe, pelican, and falcon. The principal amphibious animals are 

 tortoises. The steppes also breed the Polish cochineal insect, of which 

 however no use is made, the silkworm, and the cantharides. 



The chief towns are OW Ticherktuk, which stands on an island 

 formed by a branch of the Don called Akwii, in 47 27' N. lat., 

 30 58' E. long., and has U.,000 inhabitants, chiefly Cossaks. Owing 

 to the inundations of the Don, and the nnhealthiness of the site, it 

 was revolved in 1804 to remove to a healthier spot about 4 miles 

 distant, on which New Tscherkask now stands ; but the Cossaks are 

 said still to be attached to the old site. JVew Ttchtrkatk; whi.-h in 

 1840 contained about 2000 houses and 11,327 inhal i II InM 



out with broad regular streets ; the houses are only <>ne .-t.-ry high, 

 most of them of wood. This town in the seat of the govern 

 offices, and the residence of the attaman or liftman ( the Connks. 

 It ha* a gymnasium and eight churches, several school*, and hospitals. 



