800 



RUSSIA. 



The Don rises in the government of Tula, and receives a number of large tributaries ; it 

 passes by Azof, into the sea of that name, after a course of 850 miles. The Dnieper, one 

 of the largest rivers in Europe, and a fine navigable stream, rises in the government of Smo- 

 lensk, and has a course of nearly 1,000 miles, passing by Smolensk, Kiev, below which the 

 navigation is interrupted by falls, Cherson, and Oczacovv, into the Black Sea. The Dniester, 

 rising in the Carpathian mountains of Galicia, also runs into the Black Sea. 



The Fistula passes through Poland into Prussia, and the JYiemen also enters the Prussian 

 territory. The Duna, or Southern Divina, rising near the sources of the Volga, flows north 

 into the Gulf of Livonia. The JVeva, the outlet of Lake Ladoga, is more remarkable for the 

 volume of its waters, than the length of its course ; it is a broad, full, deep river, and some- 

 times does great mischief by its inundations. The Petchora, the Dwina, and the Onega, are 

 the principal streams, whose waters find their way into the Arctic Ocean. 



4. Lakes. This country abounds in lakes. The Lake of Ladoga lies near the Gulf of 

 Finland ; it is 120 miles long, and 65 broad. It abounds in fish, and particularly in seals, and 

 is connected with the sea by a canal. Lake Onega, lies between this lake and the White Sea ; 

 it is 150 miles long. The other lakes are smaller. 



5. Islands. J^ova Zembla consists of two large islands in the Arctic Ocean, presenting a 

 dreary and sterile appearance, and covered with snow and ice the greater part of the year. 

 The soil produces some shrubs and moss ; the islands are uninhabited by man, but they abound 

 in reindeer, ermine, white bears, seals, and fish, and are much resorted to by fishermen and 

 hunters. To the northwest is the rocky and mountainous group of Spitsbergen, where an al- 

 most perpetual winter reigns. The white bear, whales, seals, &c., abound here ; a company 

 of Archangel merchants have attempted to establish a fishing and hunting post here, on the 

 most northerly inhabited spot on the globe. 



6. Seas and Gulfs. The White Sea in the north communicates with the Frozen Ocean. 

 It is suflliciently deep for navigation and is free from ice from July till winter. The Gulf of 

 Finland is an arm of the Baltic, extending easterly between Russia and Finland. The Sea of 

 Jlzoj, in the south, is an arm of the Black Sea. 



7. Climate. The White Sea, and the ocean which washes the northern coast, are covered 

 with ice Irom September to June, and the rivers in this quarter are frozen for a still longer 

 period. In the morasses and lakes, the frost seldom disappears at all, and the sun's heat does 

 not penetrate a span into the marshy soil. During the brief and cheerless summer the atmos- 

 phere is loaded with fogs. The sun at this season appears like an enormous red balloon, hang- 

 ing motionless in the air. The summer is damp, hot, and oppressive. At Petersburg, the 

 temperature is milder, but the Neva is frozen from November till March. In the south, the 

 climate is deiightful, and vegetation is flourishing. In the plains, there is httle rain in summer, 

 and the streams dry up. 



8. Soil. The country watered by the Volga is tolerably fertile, but the richest districts are 

 those upcwi the Don and Dnieper. In Livonia the soil is excellent. In the north, the soil is 

 unfit for tillage. 



9. J^atural Productions. In the north, firs, junipers, and mosses, are all the productions 

 of the soil. The central parts abound in forests of linden, cherry, elm, birch, willow, poplar, 

 alder, aspen, maple, pine, cedar, and cypress. Upon the shores of the Black Sea grow the 

 turpentine tree, the balm and Byzantine poplar. Walnut trees are plentiful in the Crimea. 



10. Minerals. The European part of Russia is not rich in minerals. Iron and marble are 

 found in some parts, granite is abundant, and salt occurs in large quantities. 



1 1 . Jlnimals. In the north are found most of the animals described in the adjoining coun- 

 tries. In all the other parts sheep are abundant. Wild horses are found in the steppes of 

 the Don. 



12. Face of the Country. The whole region is for the most part a champaign country, with 

 very few mountainous tracts. It abounds in those great level plains, called steppes, sometimes 

 resembling deserts, and at other times savannas, waving with luxuriant grass. 



13. Divisions. European Russia is divided into 45 governments and 2 provinces, exclusive 

 of the territory of the Cossacks of the Don, which forms a sort of military republic ; the grand 

 duchy of Finland, which has a distinct administration, and the kingdom of Poland. The 

 geographical sections are, the Baltic provinces, comprising 4 governments, and Finland ; Great 

 Russia, including 19 governments ; Little Russia, comprising 4 governments ; Southern Russia, 



