CONTOUR AND GENERAL APPEARANCE. 147 
that is exclusive of Nova Zembla, which depends upon it, 
and of the islands Kalgoner and Vaigatch. It has a level 
surface traversed by the Petchora and Mezen, and contains 
numerous marshes, and has on some parts good soil and 
abundant pasturage, but the severity of the climate pre- 
vents the culture of corn being anywhere successful. The 
aborigines, who are chiefly Samoides, maintain large herds 
of reindeer, and find their chief subsistence in the produce 
of fishing and of the chase. The town was formed in 1784 
by the junction of the towns of Okladnikovo and Kouznet- 
zova. Itis situated about 162 miles north-east of Arch- 
angel, on the right bank of the Mezen, which here divides 
into two branches 18 miles above its entrance into the 
White Sea. The rivers are frozen from October to May. 
The only vegetables which are cultivated with any success 
are hemp and flax, of both of which great quantities are 
grown. The pastures are good, but neither horses, cattle, 
nor sheep are numerous. The forests are extensive. The 
wild animals are bears, wolves, foxes, ermines, and rein- 
deer, with the birds common to such latitudes. Of the 
population, estimated in 1829 at 263,000, and in 1838 at 
253,000, 5000 families of Samoides live between the Ural 
Mountains and the White Sea, and 2000 families of Lapps 
between the west coast of the White Sea and the Arctic 
Ocean. The inhabitants are largely employed in timber 
felling, and in the manufacture of charcoal, potash, and 
turpentine. The chief insular dependencies are Solo- 
vetzk, Waigatz, and Nova Zembla. 
Lapland is divided by Wahlenburg into five zones, 
characterised by their vegetation. Professor Diiben states 
that with regard to the extension of vegetation of different 
kinds, there may be distinguished eight different zones, in 
proceeding from the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia to the 
centre of the country, and from the lowlands to the moun- 
tain tops. The zone of the fir-tree, extending to 950 metres 
below the snow region, with a medium temperature of + 3° 
centigrade; the zone of the pine, extending to 831 metres 
