RUSSIA. 485 
Russia from China; and the Valdai hills, half way between 
Petersburgh and Moscow, &c. &c. 
The famous steppes of the Russians are immense plains, 
some of them barren, others very productive, especially of 
grass, occupying different parts of both Asiatic and Euro¬ 
pean Russia. In Asia, the principal are those of the Irtish, 
of the Oby and Yenissey, of the Yenissey and Lena, and of 
the Lena and Indighirka. In Europe, are the steppes of 
Petshora, of the Dneper, of the Don, of the Volga, of the 
Ural, &c. Some of the steppes in Siberia are covered with 
forests, or birch, pines and firs, and interspersed with salt 
lakes. 
With respect to the cultivated lands in Russia, Hermann 
informs us that, allowing the general extent of Russia to be 
1,473,881,726 desiatins, of which 402,100,552 belong to 
European Russia, and 1,071,781,174 to Siberia, or Asiatic 
Russia, the tilled lands maybe reckoned at 61J millions, the 
7 
woods and forests at 156, the meadows at — m ^^ ons 
desiatins; so that there remain 178| millions for the site 
of buildings, the roads, water, and uncultivated land. 
By an harvest table before us, it appears that the winter 
corn (wheat and rye) does not yield, on an average, more 
than three and a half for one grain that is sowed; and the 
summer corn (barley and oats) not much more than two and 
a half for one. The increase of production seems to be 
about as progressive as the increase of population. By a 
return of the whole produce of the harvest of 180S, it 
appears that the whole quantity raised in Asiatic Russia, was 
43,424,966tschetwerts or 29,854,622 quarters; from which, 
if two-sevenths be allowed for seed, there will remain for sub¬ 
sistence 21,324,760 quarters. Taking the whole population 
at 10,164,000, and allowing for 1,164,000 who eat no bread, 
there will have been about 18 bushels of com for each in¬ 
dividual. In many parts the goats and sheep, and in some 
the oxen, furnish food for the inhabitants; whilst aid for the 
subsistence of others is afforded from the fish of the seas, 
lakes, and rivers. 
Morasses are frequent in Russia, and are of enormous 
extent in Siberia. 
The seas connected with Russia are the Arctic ocean, the 
Eastern ocean or Archipelago, the Inland Seas, the Baltic 
Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azoph, the Caspian Sea, the 
Sea of Aral, and the Sea of Ochotsk. 
The bays and gulfs of Russia are chiefly the gulf of Fin¬ 
land, the gulf of Archangel, the bays of the Oby and of the 
Yenissey, the bay of Anadhir in the eastern Archipelago ; 
the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, in the southern extre¬ 
mity of Kamstchatka. 
The Russian empire is watered by numerous and highly 
important rivers, some of them of small size, and others of 
great magnitude, and running a course of thousands of miles. 
Among them are to be enumerated the northern Dvina (gene¬ 
rally though falsely, called the Duna), the western Dvina, the 
Neva, the Volga, the Oka, the Terek, the Don, the Kuban, 
the Dneper, the Dnester, the Boog, the Ob or Oby, the 
Irtish, the Tobol, the Yenissey, the Lena, the Yana, the 
Indighirka, the Kolyma, the Anadhir, the Kamstchatka, 
&c. &c. 
Russia is not abundant in lakes considering its size. In 
Europe, are the Yenadia; in Russian Lapland, the Ladoga; 
the Onega, and the Peipus, in the neighbourhood of St. 
Petersburgh; and the Ilmen, and the Belo-Ozero, in the 
government of Novgorod. In Asia, the chief lakes are, the 
Lake or Sea of Baikal, the Lake of Altyn-Noor, or the 
Golden Lake, and the Lake of Altyn or Telitsko. 
European Russia for the most part, abounds in wood. 
Extensive and even boundless forests are seen between Peters¬ 
burgh and Moscow, Moscow and Vladimir, and in some of 
the north-eastern governments. Towards the south, woods 
are less abundant; and the vicinity of the Black Sea, of the 
Caspian Sea, and the Kuban, are almost naked. In some 
Vol. XXII. No. 1517. 
parts of Siberia are also seen interminable forests; but its 
northern and eastern parts are destitute of wood. 
Statistics of Russia. 
The population of Russia is, by a somewhat doubtful cal¬ 
culation, reckoned at about 53,778,000 souls. 
In the year 1722, the population only amounted to 
14,000,000; in 1742, to 16,000,000; in 1762,to 20,000,000; 
in 1782, to 28,000,000; in 1795, to 36,000,000; in 1807, 
to 35,000,000; in 1811, to 37,000,000; in 1818, from 
45,000,000 to 48,000,000. 
At this period, according to M. Hermann, of the Academy 
of Sciences at Petersburgh, the classes of the inhabitants of 
Russia, including the Polish provinces, but not the kingdoms 
of Poland and Finland, were as follow :— 
Males. 
Both Sexes. 
Nobles. 
261,600 
580,000 
Clergy . .. 
211,300 
400,000 
Merchants. 
142,000 
300,000 
Traders, Inhabitants of Towns.. 
600,000 
1,000,000 
Cultivators, exempt from capi- \ 
tation... j 
1,200,000 
2,500,000 
Kozaks, idem . 
1,110,000 
2,200,000 
Peasants in vassallage. 
16,110,000 
32,795,000 
Jews. 
108,000 
210,000 
Employed by Government .... 
59,300 
120,000 
Army and Navy .. 
589,000 
1,000,000 
Uncivilized Tribes . 
500,000 
1,000,000 
Total .. 42,105,000 
The local arrangement of this mass may be fully seen from 
from the following tables. 
Names. 
Extent In 
Square Miles. 
Population. 
East-Sea Province. 
Great Russia . .... 
Little Russia . 
South or New Russia. 
West Russia . 
Poland. 
192,064 
938,929 
88,256 
192,362 
139,712 
46,741 
3,857,107 
21,330,279 
6,124,585 
2,550,700 
8,480,022 
2,732,324 
It thus appears, that in the whole of European Russia, the 
density of the population is somewhat less than 2| persons to 
each square mile, or nearly one person to 282 English sta¬ 
tute acres. 
The East-Sea Province is divided into the following 
governments, viz:— 
Names. 
Extent in 
Square Miles. 
Population. 
Petersburgh... 
18,090 
808,512 
Finland . 
134,444 
1,346,139 
Esthonia. 
6,890 
396,032 
Livonia . 
20,110 
737,734 
Couriand. 
9,544 
568,690 
So that the inhabitants in this province are nearly one to 
twenty acres of land. 
The principal cities in the government of Petersburgh are, 
Petersburgh, one of the capitals of the empire, with 300,000 
inhabitants; Kronstadt, with 35,000; Narva, with 3800. 
In Finland are Helsingfors, with 8000 inhabitants; Abo, 
with 11,300; Uleaborg, with 3350; and Wiborg, with 
3200. The chief city of Esthonia is Revel, with 15,000 
inhabitants. The cities of Livonia are Riga, with 30,000 ; 
Dorpat, with 6000 ; and Pernau, with 2500. The only 
city of note inCourland, is Miltau, containing 12,000 inha¬ 
bitants. 
6 H 
The 
