B E R 



270 



B E R 



Surgutah, and iU caMern thnt of Tururlmnsk ; iu northern 

 boundary it the l-y Sea. The larger portion of tins nu- 

 mciiM- district lie within the Arciir circle. It* water* arc 

 the Lower Oh. the C'un.m Sea, the lower line ol tho Ob. 

 and the gulph of T.i--i-h. together with nil their tribu- 

 une*. The chain of the Ural, which runs as far north us 

 the Carian Sea, it, to fur as it respects this cm lr, of mo- 

 derate elevation, forming a humid, and in many part< im- 

 passable barrier of rock. The woods, which terminate 

 at Gi N. U\t.. gradually decline into insigoiAcanoe ; from 

 that point they are succeeded by shrubs and hushes, which 

 eeata to grow at 67. The inhabitants are principally Os- 

 tiaks of the Ob, and Suraoyedes: the former dwell in wretched 

 hovels of wood or earth, i ccasionally changing their place of 

 residence, and existing upon the produce of their fishing 

 and hunting; the latter wander among tho swamps of 

 northern Russia, and depend on the same pursuits as the 

 Ostiak, but with the aid of their rein dtvrs. The least 

 numerous tribe in this remote region are the Voguls, a 

 nomadic race, who are only met with in the circles of Be- 

 rewitf and Turinsk, and whoso whole property is a few hunt- 

 ing weapons, a lance, a couple of hides, and one or two 

 dogs. The Russians, consisting of Cossacks, townsmen, and 

 labourers, reside mostly in block houses, but those within the 

 Arctic circle live together in groups of what are termed 

 1 Siruovie,' or winter-cabins, in the neighbourhood of winch 

 the Ostiaks frequently erect their hovels. Where soil ami 

 climate admit, they keep a couple of cows, some sheep, and 

 swine; but no bones will thrive, and instead of that va- 

 luable animal, dogs are used as beasts of draught for trans- 

 porting wood, &c. The soil, which is in general unsuited 

 to the growth of grain, is however so productive in the 

 district* between Tobolsk and Beresoff, as frequently to 

 yield forty grains for every grain of corn which is sown. 

 At Beresoff, in particular, the spring growth of vegetation 

 is said to be astonishingly rapid ; yet in summer, the alter- 

 nations of heat and cold are so excessive, that the natives 

 never think it safe to lay aside their furs. It is not un- 

 usuul for a fine clear day to be succeeded during the night 

 by a heavy fall of snow ; and frosty nights generally set in 

 with the month of August. 



Beresoff, or Beresova, ' the town of birch-trees,' was 

 founded in 1593, and became tho capital of the circle in 

 1 771 : by the Ostiaks it was formerly called ' Soungoutshc- 

 Yacha,' and by tho Voguls, ' Khal-ouche,' or the place 

 of happiness, the terras boungoutsho and Khal signi- 

 fying 'happiness' in their respective languages. It is 

 built on tho steep left bank of the Sosva or Lesser 

 Ob, of twenty rents (about fourteen miles) in a north- 

 easterly direction above the junction of that stream with 

 the Ob. The Vogulka, another stream, coming from tho 

 south-west, (lows into the Sosva, about two miles to the 

 east of Beresoff. Brman tells us ( Voyage from Berlin to the 

 -'a, in 1828), that ' the town, on his first walk through 

 it, produced that impression upon his mind which might bo 

 expected from the site of the remotest of human habita- 

 : the sky was overspread with c monotonous gloom of 

 clouds, and the day scarcely distinguishable from the twi- 

 light: it was veiled in that " sumrut-lnim den," or semi- 

 darkness, which a Russian poet justly describes as produc- 

 ing a Ulismanic effect on the heart of every northman. as 

 one of those blessings, over the loss of which the poor Sa- 

 moyede, were he under a Neapolitan sky, would pine, as 

 arer the deprivation of his dearest treasure.' The ! 

 about 200 in number, arc built with planks of immense 

 ire entered in general from a lofty flight of steps, and 

 connected by wooden walls with the 'banyi,' or baths, store- 

 houses. Sic., which arc of inferior height and form a court- 

 yard. Though there are wide intervals between them, they 

 are ranged in streets running towards the north and east. 

 On the opposite side of the Soswa or .Sosna 'pine-tree), 

 which is with great propriety so called from the l;air 

 forest of pines, that stretches along tho precipitous banks 

 of that stream, Brman describes ' the whole expanse to 

 the horizon iUclf, a* one uninterrupted plain of snow and 

 ire ;' nor ' was there sound or object to break the chcer- 

 UM gloom which pervaded the streets of Beresoff, but 

 columns of smoke ascending from the chimney*.' It con- 

 tains three churches and about 1500 inhabitants, mostly 

 Coasacks, and inclusive of numbers of exiles, who are 

 banished to this distant and inhospitable country for poli- 

 tical or other offences. The people of the town 

 their livelihood by tho chase and llthing : they barter furs, 



skins, &c., for flour, meat, tobacco, ironware, and brandy 



brought by Ihe 1 .ilent, whose craft are floated 



dnwn the Irtish into the Ob. Bore.-"ff is the favourite 

 irt fnr lh ml Voguls, and has a very 



considerable annual fair. The mi|>cn.il favouiiic. 1'rince 

 Mcli/il.off. died ui di-grace ill lint town in 17.fl. It il 

 tuated about 930 versts (62(1 mil. : ... r ih ol Tobolsk, 



in 63 46' N. lat., and 65 li' K. loutr. TV- palh-aded 

 spot, Obsdorsk. which lies on the right bank of the. lYlui, 

 not f.ir from the month of the Ob, and is the most noithcrn 

 possession of Russia in this quarter of the globe, is a de- 

 pendency of Burcioff. It isdorrihud by Knnan as eoi. 

 ing a church of wood, some dark wooden-houses (\ 

 loysky says five only) inhabit d by Cossacks, . 

 humble Ostiak cabins, or 'Vurtas,' which arc >cat:e:ed in a 

 picturesque manner on the hills, separated 

 which form the right bank ot the 1'olui. (.' llbii 



vorsts (about 7'.'2 miles) to the north of Tobolsk. 



BERG, formerly a duchy in the west of Germany, 

 bounded by the duchy (if Cleves on the north, by the carl- 

 ; Mark and the duchy of \Ycstphalia on the east, by 

 the Weslcrwald, or rather the Nistcrwald (forest of the 

 Nister, a small river), on the south, and by the Rhine on 

 the west. In the year 1802 the duchy of Berg c"ii. 

 an area of 1134 square miles, with I .'!).|,7IO inhabitants, 

 twenty-four towns, and eighty-one villages ami ha: 

 and its net income was about 300,Uu(l gulden, or i'.i.OUO/. 

 That portion of the duchy which lie.- t'^ards tin- Rhino is 

 level and productive, but the eastern parts of it are d 

 with forests and hills. It does tint yield grain, or support 

 cattle enough for the use of the population, which is .. 

 than in any other part of Germany ; but il abounds in copper, 

 lead, quicksilver, and particularly iron, and contains numer- 

 ous iron, steel, linen, cotton, woollen, and soap manufac- 

 tories. The yearly amount of merchandise of all kinds 

 which it produces is estimated at upwards of l,500,ooo/. 

 sterling. 



After the line of the first counts of Berg had become ex- 

 tinct, which occurred in the year 1348, their possessions de- 

 volved to the then prince of Juliers (Jii licit); in 1380 they 

 were raised to the rank of a duchy, and forty-three years 

 afterwards the principality of Juliers was incorporated with 

 them. This line of princes becoming also extinct in 1511, 

 both Berg and Juliers fell to the dukes of tle\c; and 

 again their line failing in 1609, the elector of Branden- 

 burg and thu elector-palatine both laid claim to the 

 dukedom, which at that period comprehended likewise the 

 earldoms of Mark and Ravensberg. After a long scries 

 of wars they agreed, in 162-1, to hold the entire territory 

 in joint possession ; and this stale of ilnnus subsisted 

 until the year 1666, when they divided it between them. 

 Berg was assigned to the electors-palatine, whose possession* 

 subsequently merging into the electorate of Bavaria, which 

 was created a kingdom at the beginning of thu present 

 century, it was ceded to France by the Bavarian crown in 

 the year 1806. It now Ixjcamc the chief province of tins 

 grand-duchy of Berg, instituted by Napoleon on the loth of 

 March in that year, and in conjunction with this duchy 

 comprised the bishoprick of Minister, the earldoms of Mark, 

 Lingen, Tecklenbnrg. Beut'ucim, Dortmund, and other ter- 

 ritories in those quarter*, extending altogether over a surface 

 of about 6698 square miles, and . a population of 



nearly 900,000 souls. Joachim Murat. Napoleon s brother- 

 in-law, was constituted sovereign of this new principality, 

 and retained it until the year lt<08, when Napo'eon placed 

 him on the throne of Naples. On the 3rd of March in the 

 following year. Napoleon's nephew, then crown-prince of 

 Holland, was made grand-duUo ol Berg, with reservation of 

 the governing power to France until he became ol a<;e. Two 

 years afterwards Napoleon, however, .-tripp.-d the grand 

 duchy of cei tain districts amounting to 11!* I up. are miles 

 in area, for tho purpose of incorporating them with tho 

 French umpire. After a In eight years th 



grand duchy was extinguished altogether, and its component 

 parts being transferred to Prussia, under the settlement 

 made by the Congress of Vienna in 181 J, the larger portion 

 of them was included in the- province of Diisseldorf, and 

 the remainder was consolidated with that of Juliers, Clevcs, 

 and !' 



BE'RGAMO, a city of Lombard}-, and the capital of a 

 province of thu Imbardo- Venetian kingdom, in .1j4'i' 

 N. '.at., and U .-!7 1C. long., twenty-five miles N.E. of Milan, 

 and twenty-eight N.W. of Brescia. It is built on the brow 



