ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 123 



part of the province, the felling and transporting of which, 

 down the rivers to Chersonin the east, and Konigsberg in 

 the north, form a principal branch of the industry of its 

 inhabitants. They are reckoned at two millions of souls ; 

 and consist of Lithuanians, Poles, Jews, and Russians.' 



At Minsk Dr Pinkerton met a number of distinguished 

 Poles at the table of one of the nobles, and he remarks : 

 ' The spirit of national rivalry and enmity betwixt the 

 Poles and the Russians is still strongly cherished in 

 secret, and manifests itself in a variety of ways ; the 

 Polish ladies, for instance, I was told, refuse to dance with 

 Poles who have become officers in the Russian regiments ; 

 and this deep-rooted national enmity against the Russians 

 is daily nourished in the family circles and private associa- 

 tions of the Poles.' 



In the government of Minsk the area of forests is 

 3,676,000 desatins, of which 1,019,522 desatins belong to 

 the crown, equivalent to 424 desatins of forests, or 11 '7 

 desatins of crown forests per square verst, and to 3 

 desatins of forests, or 0'8 desatins of crown forests per 

 inhabitant. The annual fellings in the crown forests are 

 7*1 cubic feet, and the revenue is 9'8 kopecs per desatin. 



In the government of Volhinia, conterminous on the 

 north with the governments of Grodno, Minsk, and 

 Moghileff, the area of forests is 2,733,000 desatins, of 

 which 674,639 desatins belong to the crown, equivalent to 

 43'3 desatins of forests, or 10'7 desatins of crown forests 

 per square verst, and to 1'6 desatins of forest, or 0'4 

 desatins of crown forests, per inhabitant. The annual 

 fellings in the crown forests yield 16*9 cubic feet, and the 

 revenue is 16*9 kopecs per desatin. 



Conterminous with the government of Volhinia on the 

 south is the government of Podolia, in which the area 

 of forests is 589,000 desatins, of which 113,195 desatius 

 belong to the crown, equivalent to 16 desatins of forests, 

 or '3 desatins of crown forests, per .square verst, and to 0'3 



