60 



Bourses of the rivers have formed channels below the 

 general level of the country. As these rivers, though 

 in summer they appear small streams, are swollen by 

 the rains of autumn, and the melting of the snow on 

 the Carpathian mountains in the spring, they form 

 large channels, extending on both sides to a great 

 distance ; and their deposit, in many parts, enriches 

 the land, and it presents, in the summer, the aspect 

 of verdant and luxuriant meadows. In other parts 

 the periodical swellings of the streams have formed 

 morasses, which in their present state are not appli- 

 cable to any agricultural purposes. The plains which 

 extend from the borders of one river to another, are 

 open fields, with scarcely any perceptible division of 

 the land, and showing scarcely any trees even around 

 the villages. The portion of woodland on these 

 plains is very extensive ; but they are in large masses, 

 with great intervals of arable land between them. 



The Soil is mostly sandy, \vith occasional mixture 

 of a sandy loam ; it is very thin, resting chiefly on a 

 bed of granite, through which the heavy rains gra- 

 dually percolate. Such a soil is easily ploughed ; 

 sometimes two horses or two oxen, and not unfre- 

 quently two cows, perform this and the other opera- 

 tions of husbandry. 



This representation of the kingdom of Poland is 

 strictly applicable to six of the eight waiwoodships 

 or provinces into which it is now divided. 



To the south of the river Pilica, which compre- 

 hends the two provinces of Sandomir and Cracow, 

 the appearance of the land, and the face of the coun- 

 try, improve ; and in proceeding south to the banks 

 of the Vistula, there is to be seen a more undulating 

 district and a more tenacious and fruitful soil. Much 

 of the land is a clayey loam, requiring three or four 

 horses to plough it, yielding, when tolerably managed, 

 crops of excellent Wheat and Oats ; and where the 

 husbandry is so good as to have adopted the practice 



