122 FORESTRY IN LITHUANIA. 



with the Hanseatic towns, about the beginning of the 

 fifteenth century, at which time they began to coin silver 

 money at PleshkofT. This coin had the head of an ox, 

 with a crown below it ; and on the reverse, the value 

 marked. Republican principles prevailed in Pleshkoff 

 till it was subdued by the Grand Duke Ivan Vasillivitch, 

 in 1509. The Russian chronologer, Nestor, says that the 

 Christian religion was propogated as early in the region 

 of Pleshkoff as in Novgorod by St. Joachim the 

 Chersouite/ 



Conterminous with the government of Moghileff, and 

 occupying the centre of Lithuania, is the government of 

 Minsk, conterminous with Vilna and Grodno on the west. 

 ' Minsk is an ancient Lithuanian town, situated on the 

 river Swistoche ; sometimes subjected to the principality 

 of Poletsk, and at others to that of Smolensk. So early 

 as 1066 the two sons of the Grand Duke Jarosloff 

 beseiged it, took it, massacred all the males, and distribu- 

 ted the women and children as slaves to those who 

 accompanied them. In 1104 a Russian prince named 

 Gleb Vseslavitch reigned here, who afterwards became 

 Prince of Poletsk. Its fortunes were for many ages 

 united to those of Poland (of a Palatinate of which 

 kingdom it formed the capital), but was taken by the 

 Russians in 1656. It is now the seat of government 

 for the province of the same name, and of a Russian 

 archbishop, who takes the title of Archbishop of Minsk 

 and Lithuania. There is also a Russian Catholic Bishop 

 of Minsk. The Jews form two-thirds of the population. 

 At the last census there proved to be 8000 Jews, and 

 only 4000 Christians of all denominations, in the town of 

 Minsk. Many of the public buildings are of brick ; but 

 the houses of the inhabitants are chiefly of wood. There 

 are a number of manufactories of hats in this place, 

 which are thence exported to every part of the dominion 

 of Russia. The country around Minsk is fertile in grain 

 and pasturage. Extensive forests of pine still cover a great 



