FORESTS OF OLONET& 43 



this country. This part of the Government of Olonetz is 

 passing through that period of its history at which any 

 measures taken for the formation of roads, the opening up 

 or clearing of forests, or the introduction of regular system- 

 atic agriculture, possess very great interest. 



'Unhappily the execution of this enterprise has not 

 proceeded further than the felling of a strip of trees 

 through the forest along which it was proposed that the 

 road should be made. And the general impression is that 

 soon the whole matter will end, for money is not forth- 

 coming, and the kind of road is not satisfactory. Coming 

 upon it at various points, it seemed to me that the pro- 

 jector or surveyor had of design made it to pass at a 

 distance from the most important centres, and carried it 

 over uninhabited districts and unsuitable land. 



' For forest operations this road to the White Sea would 

 not have been unimportant, and, having referred to the 

 subject, I am led to mention also a proposal which has 

 been made to open up water communication between the 

 White Sea and the Onega Lake. Having no accurate 

 data, but only partial information, I cannot give details or 

 discuss fully the importance of this gigantic subject. 



' Of this proposal it is stated in the Pramiatnais Knjka 

 or official Notes of the Government of Olonetz for the year 

 1867, " The execution of this project, opening up communi- 

 cation between the White Sea and the Gulf of Finland, 

 and vice versa, proposed solely with a view to commercial 

 enterprise, would for strategical purposes affecting the 

 whole of the north of Russia have immense importance;" 

 and Mr Seederoff [a gentleman well known throughout 

 this region, a merchant who has carried on great commer- 

 cial transactions in Archangel and Nova Zembla, and made 

 valued contributions to the different International Exhi- 

 bitions in the capitals of Europe] says in a communication 

 to the Imperial Free Economical Society, "Steam war 

 vessels could proceed from Cronstadt and make their 

 appearance for the protection of the inhabitants of the 

 shores of the White Sea, or, if necessary, of Archangel, 



