The province of Great Russia is divided into 19 govern¬ 
ments, whose names, extent, and population, are as fol¬ 
low :— 
Names. 
Extent in 
Square Miles. 
Population. 
Moscow . 
Smolensko. 
Pskow, or Pleskow ..... 
Novgorod . 
Olonez . 
10,500 
22,088 
22,293 
54,997 
80,789 
346,133 
1,289,823 
1,297,055 
793,945 
960,000 
352,904 
162,666 
Wnlnrrda ...».. 
163,712 
802,178 
38,570 
1,422,700 
^Tishpo'orod r T r «.. 
20,501 
1,349,508 
'WolfiHjmir T .. 
18,669 
1,306,046 
Tula .. 
11,904 
1,093,721 
12,736 
1,159,600 
24,213 
1,233,358 
14,528 
1,022,991 
14,954 
1,611,109 
16,779 
1,270,085 
Pifisan tT .. 
14,553 
1,270,291 
22,869 
1,391,400 
WorOUGsh T .. 
32,487 
1,437,357 
The inhabitants in this province are nearly one to twenty- 
four acres of land. 
The province of Little Russia, composed chiefly of the 
Ukraine, or the country of the Kozaks, the best people of 
the whole empire, is divided into four governments, viz.-— 
Names. 
Extent in 
Square Miles. 
Population. 
17,557 
21,717 
22,983 
16,810 
1,353,800 
1,471,000 
1,378,500 
1,933,000 
Slobodsk Ukraine . 
Tschernigow... 
Pultoway . 
The inhabitants are about one to eight acres of land. 
The province of South Russia, a great part of which has 
been added to the empire in the course of the eighteenth, 
and the first ten years of the nineteenth century, is divided 
into five governments, viz.— 
Names. 
Extent in 
Square Miles. 
Population. 
Catherinoslaw .. 
29,757 
944,994 
Cherson. 
25,728 
523,600 
Taurida. 
43,562 
437,428 
Bessarabia . 
18,711 
310,000 
Land of the Kozaks. 
77,034 
398,103 
The inhabitants are about one to forty-nine acres of land- 
West Russia comprehends those provinces of Poland and 
Lithuania which have been formed into a component part of 
the Russian empire. They have been divided into eight 
governments, viz.— 
Names. 
Extent in 
Square Miles. 
Population. 
Wilna. 
23,061 
1,328,100 
Grodno .. 
11,434 
842,500 
Minsk. 
14,140 
914,686 
Witebesk. 
23,424 
1,135,100 
Mohileu .... 
19,584, 
963,400 
Wolhynia. 
29,739 
1,464,000 
Podolia ..... 
20,224 
1,606,400 
Bialystock. 
3,370 
219,050 
The inhabitants are about one to eleven acres of land. 
For the poupulation of Poland, see that article. 
I A. 
We shall consider this immense body of people, first, as 
regards their artificial, and, secondly, in relation to their 
natural division. 
The Nobles in Russia, though distinguished by the several 
titles of prince, count, or baron, are all upon an equal 
footing, and enjoy equal privileges. Their persons and 
lands are freed from taxation; they are exempted from the 
recruiting ballot; and are not subject to bodily penalties. 
These exemptions are, however, more apparent than real; 
for though their lands and persons are not taxable, yet a 
capitation tax, at the will of the government, may be im¬ 
posed on their slaves, who form the most valuable part of 
their possessions. Though not in person compelled to serve 
in the army, yet they are bound to furnish from their slaves 
a number of recruits in proportion to the demands of the 
service. In some of the more recently acquired provinces, 
such as Livonia, Esthonia, and in Poland, the nobles have 
or rather exercise other privileges, extending even to the 
power of life and death, over their vassals; but these powers 
arise from custom and general acquiescence, much more than 
from the existing law. Of this class, according to Dr. Lyall, 
those who have travelled may be regarded as equally civilized, 
in so far as regards their conduct and manners, though gene¬ 
rally not so learned, as individuals of corresponding rank in 
the other nations of Europe. The lower nobility, and espe¬ 
cially the untravelled, retain more of the national customs 
and manners, and exhibit more decidedly distinguishing 
characteristics. 
The despotic nature of the government, the excessive mi¬ 
litary taste, and the puerile distinctions of ranks, naturally 
render the natives of all classes- of society servile and obse¬ 
quious, diffident, and even cowardly to superiors; haughty, 
commanding, and frequently severe to inferiors; and insen¬ 
sibly lead the attention more to the exterior of the man,— 
his uniform and his ribbands, his stars and his crosses, than 
to his religious or his moral conduct, his literary attainments, 
or his place in the intellectual world. The same causes ex¬ 
plain the neglect of inferiors, and even at times of equals: 
when a noble of higher rank makes his appearance unex¬ 
pectedly in the circle of a family party, the harmony and 
sociability of which are destroyed, by the general and long 
protracted attention and deference paid to the visitor. To 
this, however, there are honourable exceptions; there are 
spirits which breathe liberality and independence, and minds 
too great to accept the proffered honours, or assume airs of 
hauteur, in consequence of vain and factitious distinctions; 
but the noble is viewed by his vassal as a being of a superior 
creation. A look, a gesture, or a word from the former, 
having a magic effect upon the latter. Dr. Lyall, however, 
relates that as far as his experience goes, he cannot say that 
the nobles are generally cruel or oppressive to their slaves. 
They are very extravagant. All their undertakings are upon 
the great scale, and they are seldom completely executed. 
They are pushed on with vigour till novelty becomes ex¬ 
hausted, or till pecuniary means fail; they are often inter¬ 
rupted, sometimes recommenced, but rarely receive the last, 
the finishing touch. There are, however, exceptions to this 
general feature, but not numerous: for Dr. Lyall says, he 
could not point out half a dozen completely well arranged 
and furnished noblemen’s establishments, among the hun¬ 
dreds of sumptuous palaces, the numerous fine villas, and 
the many beautiful country retreats, which decorate Moscow 
and its vicinity. 
Though some of the nobles are cleanly in their persons, 
and have their mansions well furnished and arranged, it must 
be allowed that, generally speaking, there is, in both these 
respects, much room for improvement. Our travellers dwell 
with especial delight on the vermin found in the heads of these 
grandees; on their using the same knife and fork during a 
whole repast, and on the correspondent dirtyness of their 
attendants. There are many pretty stories of this kind in 
the works of Lyall and Clarke. The hospitality of the Rus¬ 
sian nobility has been proverbial, yet it seems rather the os¬ 
tentation of a grandee who delights in a crowd of dependants, 
than 
