68 FORESTKY IN EASTERN RUSSIA. 



The general control of the Ural mines is vested in 

 a board located here. 



In the Governments of Olonetz and A.rchangel the 

 exploitation of forests has been largely determined by 

 the demand for large timber for exportation to foreign 

 lands, or to St. Petersburg. In the Government of 

 Vologda and Viakta it has been largely determined by the 

 demand for timber and firewood in the district, and in the 

 interior of the country. In the Government of Perm it 

 has been determined mainly by the demand for timber and 

 for fuel in the mining operations, which have given its 

 character to this region of the Ural. 



It being the requirements of mining operations in the 

 region which has given its character to the forest economy 

 and exploitation of the forests existing there, we may 

 glance at the history and development of these operations. 



A writer on the Ural mountains in FuUartons Gazetteer 

 remarks in regard to the gold found in this region : — 



' The continental tracts formerly so rich, as cited by 

 Strabo, with the exception of the North Ural or country 

 of the Arimaspes, whence the Scythian ores came, are no 

 longer gold-bearing districts. The Scythian or Uralian 

 tract had, in fact, remained unknown and unattended to 

 from the classical age until this century, and so completely 

 ignorant were the modern Russians of the existence of 

 gold in the Ural mountains, or that they had in their 

 hands the country which supplied so much gold to Greece 

 and Rome, that excellent German miners had long worked 

 the iron and copper mines of that chain before any gold 

 veins were discovered. These also were worked as solid 

 veins in the rock for some time before the accidental dis- 

 covery of a small per centage of gold ore in the ancient 

 alluvium or drift led to the superficial diggings, which 

 produced at an infinitely less expense ten times the 

 amount of produce of the mines in the solid rock near 

 Ekaterineburg. All the energy displayed by the Russian 



