RUSSIA. 



mountains. The Bafchkirs, the Koibals, the SagayanTartars, 

 &c. prepare yarn and weave linen of them. Of flax, in feeds 

 and other produdts, exclufively of the oil, the exportation in 

 1793 amounted to 7,220.000 rubles. Cotton has hitherto 

 been little cultivated ; fome attempts have been made about 

 Aftrachan and Kitzliar, on the Terek ; but there are other 

 climates and foils that would fuit it. Some wild-growing 

 filk-plants, yielding a material fimilar to cotton, known 

 among botaniits by the name of " cynanchum acutum," 

 and " apocynum maritimum," grow wild in the worft foils, 

 and might be cultivated and manufadtured to advantage. 

 There are alfo other plants of a fimilar kind that might be- 

 come objects of profitable attention. Rufiia alfo furnifhes 

 a variety of plants that would afford, if duly regarded, 

 abundance of dyeing materials ; fuch as madder, which 

 grows wild on the banks of the Oka, near Riazan and 

 Arfamas, on the borders of the Volga, in the confines of 

 Syfran and Saratof, and in great quantities, and of fuperior 

 quality, about the Samara, in Taurida, on the Terek, and 

 in feveral diftridts of the government of Caucafus ; woad 

 (ifatis tinftoria), and a variety of it (ifatis lufitanica , which 

 are feen wild in feveral of the fouthern governments ; faffron, 

 which grows wild about the Terek, in the governments of 

 Voronetch and Ekaterinoflaf, in Taurida, and efpecially in 

 the Caucafian mountains, around Mofdok ; and fafflower 

 (carthamus tindtorius), which thrives perfectly well in the 

 gardens at Toropetz, Mofcow, Tzaritzin, Poltava, and 

 other places. Among the vegetables for fabrication and 

 trade, we might enumerate hops and tobacco ; the former 

 grows wild in molt diftridts of Ruffia and Siberia, and the 

 latter is cultivated in the Malo-Ruffian governments, and 

 alfo about the Volga and the Samara, and particularly by 

 the Coflacks on the Orenburg and Siberian lines. 



In 1793 tha exportation from Ruffia of hemp-oil and 

 flax-oil exceeded in value 697,000 rubles. 



Of medicinal plants of all kinds, Ruffia poffefles a great 

 Itore ; fuch are the rhubarb (rheum compadtum), and the 

 rhapontic, or Sibcriin rhubarb (rheum undulatum). Saffa- 

 fras (faxifraga craffifolia) grows abundantly in the fouthern 

 and lofty fnow-mountains of Kolyvan ; and the polypodium 

 fragrans, a beautiful and odoriferous fern, is gathered by the 

 Burxts on the fummits of rocks, and is taken as a wholc- 

 fome tea againft fcorbutic and colicky complaints. The cu- 

 linary vegetables that are cultivated in Ruffia arc fo nu- 

 merous and various, that it is netdlefs to mention them. Be- 

 fides thofe fhrubs and berries known to us, fuch as rafp- 

 berries, currants, ftrawberries, which grow in furpriling 

 quantities, goofeberries, &C. Ruffia produces in great abun- 

 dance feveral which are here very rarely or never feen. Of 

 thefe, for inftance, are the berries called pianitza. In ap- 

 pearance they are much like the bilberry, but have a very 

 different, exceedingly agreeable talte, and intoxicate if taken 

 in quantities. Hence it is they have their appellation, from 

 plan, drunk. Mufhrooms are found in great plenty, and 

 are very generally eaten, excepting the champignon, which, 

 for what reafon it is not eafy to ducover, is carefully avoided 

 by the common people. Of the Ruffian mufhrooms, the 

 rifchicki or ritzgen are moit famous. This fort of mulli- 

 room is likewife found in Courland and Prullia. Their name, 

 rifchicki, is derived from their reddilli-ycllow hue ; and they 

 are eaten either raw, boiled or broiled, or pickled. We (hall 

 further felect fome other vegetables that have engaged more 

 than ordinary attention : fucli are afparagus, which in the go- 

 vernment of Mofcow, and fome others, is made an article of 

 trade ; fuch are berries of various kinds, fome of which are 

 peculiar to the north of Ruffia, as will as to the whole of 

 Siberia ; the hazle-bufli, found over all Rufiia as far as the 



Vol. XXX. 



Kamma, and fo plentiful in the regions between Simbirfk and 

 Kazan, as to give rife to a branch of confiderable trade, as 

 a great part of Ruffia and all Siberia are hence fupplied with 

 a fweet-meat in very general ufe, eaten in the fafts with nut- 

 oil ; fugar-melons and water-melons, which thrive in the open 

 air to the 52d degree of latitude ; the common orchard 

 fruits, which fucceed every where in the middle and fouthern 

 parts of Ruffia. Of all the fpecies of fruit produced in the 

 Ruffian empire, apples and pears are the molt abundant. 

 All the villages on the Oka and Volga have their . orchards, 

 or more properly apple-gardens, fo that many boors live 

 here without hufbandry, merely by horticulture, in good 

 circumltances. Cherries are very frequently produced iu 

 orchards, but in Southern Ruffia there are even whole 

 forcits of cherry-trees. Apricots and peaches fucceed in molt 

 parts of Taurida and Caucafus, and in the fouthern cir- 

 cles of Kief, Ekaterinoflaf, Vofnefenfk, and fome other 

 governments, without much attention. The quince-tree 

 grows wild and plentifully in the forefts about the Terek : 

 chefnut-trees are only found fingly in Taurida, Kief, and 

 Voronetch : walnut-trees are feen in moit diftridts of Southern 

 Ruffia, and in great abundance ; but the almond-tree grows 

 only in the provinces that lie molt to the fouth : figs and 

 pomegranate-trees are feen fingly near Kitzliar and in Tau- 

 rida ; but lemons and orange-trees are every where raifed only 

 in hot-houfes, though Pallas affures us, that they would 

 very well bear the winter in Taurida with more attention. 

 The culture of the vine is at prefent carried on in the go- 

 vernments of Caucafus, Taurida, Ekaterinoflaf, and Vof- 

 nefenfk, and the country of the Don Coflacks. The whole 

 region of the Ruffian empire, from the louthernmoft borders 

 to the 48th degree of latitude, conftitutes a luperficics of 

 more than 12,000 fquare geographical miles; but of this 

 large tradt, fcarcely one-fourth part is proper for the culture 

 of the vine. 



The forefts of Ruffia amount to a fuperfluous abundance in 

 the governments of Archangel, OIonetz,Tobol(k, and Irkutfk: 

 the governments of Perm. Kazan, Smolenik, Mohilef, Minfk, 

 Tchernigof, Voronetch, Ufa, Tula, Simbirfk, Orel, Kaluga, 

 Sec. are richly furnifhed with them, not only fupplying molt 

 of the forges and metal founderies, but alfo fending excel- 

 lent fhip-timber to the yards. Molt of the other provinces 

 have a iufficiency for their own confumption ; but fome few 

 of the fouthern governments, as Kief, Kharkof, Kurfk, 

 Ekaterinoflaf, and Taurida, are but fcantily provided. Of 

 trees, thofe that have narrow-pointed leaves are chiefly in- 

 digenous in Northern Rufiia, forming forefts of prodigious 

 extent, among which the fir, the pine, and the black pine, 

 are the molt common and moit widely diflufed. The Sibe- 

 rian cedar (pinus cembra) is found particularly in the Uralian 

 mountains ; the larch-tree grows in the north of European 

 Ruffia, and in molt of the Siberian mountains. Among the 

 umbrageous trees the birch is the molt common, and its 

 bark and wood are applied to various purpoles. Next to 

 the birch is the linden, from which Ruffia derives great ad- 

 vantage. The oak is indigenous only in the European part : 

 it is molt frequently found in the governments of Kazan 

 and Voronetch, where it is chiefly employed in (hip-building ; 

 but alfo in Little and White Rufiia it forms confiderable fo- 

 refts. The nfh and the willow grow ahnoll every where : but 

 beech, elms, the maple, ami the poplar, are chiefly the 

 growth of the fouthern regions. The fore'.ls fupply an ex- 

 traordinary number of products for home conCumption, and 

 alio very confiderable articles of export. In 1793 the value 

 of the latter in fpecie amounted to upwards of zl millions 

 of rubles, when Ruffia (hipped off to the value of 1,744,000 

 rubles in mails, balks, and deals ; 394,000 in poUafhes and 

 5 D barilla; 



