POLAND, a portion of the once powerful kingdom of the Tagellens, which now constitutes a vice-royalty and forms an integral part of the Russian empire. It consists chiefly of a large quadrangular territory, from the north-eastern angle of which a long narrow tract, forming part of the government of Augustovo, projects to the northward, the whole lying between 50° 4' and 55° 5' N. lat., 17° 30' and 24° 20' E. long. The narrow projection extends between 53° 20' to 55° N. lat., being about 120 miles in length, its breadth varying from 20 to 50 miles. The mean breadth of the quadrangular portion, from east to west, is above 200 miles, and its length from north to south about the same. The area of Poland, as we have defined it, is 49,091 square miles. The population in 1851 was stated to be 4,851,639, among whom were 563,970 Jews, 291 Mahometans, and 162 gipsies. The viceroyalty forms a vast solid projection, extending westward from the Bug to the frontier of Germany, and separating Austria from Prussian Poland. It is bounded N. by East and West Prussia, E. and N.E. by the Russian provinces of Wilna, Grodno, and Volhynia, S. by Galicia, which includes the suppressed republic of Cracow, and W. by Prussian Silesia and Posen. The Bug, the Narew, and the Nierneu ruu aloug the eastern boundary, and the Vistula to its junction with the San along the south. From the junction the Vistula sweeps through the centre of the country, passing Warsaw and leaving the viceroyalty at its north-western extremity a little above the Prussian town of Thorn. The Frostily a feeder of the Warta, a tributary of the Oder, forms a large part of the western boundary.
Soil and Surface.—Though Poland is generally considered a perfect level, the surface exhibits considerable diversity, and some districts rise many hundred feet higher than others. The northern bouudary of Poland runs over the southern declivity of that swell of high ground which must be considered as the southern limit of the plain of the Baltic, and which, beginning west of the western corner of that sea, and between it and the North Sea, extends eastward, at a varying distance from its shores, to the heights of Waldai and the source of the Wolga, into the centre of Russia. The most elevated parts of the
surface of this tract (300 to 500 feet above the Ica) are interspersed with numerous lakes, and some districts are literally dotted with them. Though the soil is sandy, the abundant moisture by which it is saturated for a great part of the year imparts to it a moderate degree of fertility, and it produces tolerable crops of rye, buckwheat, barley, and oats. The southern declivity of the swell is still more gentle. The river Bug in its western course is probably not more than 300 feet above the sea-level, so that in a distance of more than 50 miles the country hardly descends 150 feet. Hence the rivers in many parts have a sluggish course, not being able to carry off the great supply of water in spring-time, and a considerable portion of the adjacent lowlands is inundated at that period. Several largo tracts along the Bog, Narew, and Bohr remain under water for the greatest part of the summer. A large portion of this region is covered with woods; the most common tree is pine. • The most southern districts of Poland, the greater part of the provinces of Cracow and Sandomir, and that portion of Lubliu which lies between the rivers Vistula and Wieprz, are hilly, and rise iu some places to a considerable elevation. The surface of the Vistula above Sandomir is about 600 feet above the sea-level. At no great distance from the bauks of the river the country rises with a steep ascent until it has attained an elevation of more than 1000 feet, which may bu considered the mean height of nearly the whole country between the Vistula and Pilfers, with the exceptiou of some tracts along the banks of the first-mentioned river. The country between the Vistula and Wieprz has a less elevstiou, though it is not less hilly. In the wido valleys of this billy regiou the soil, though somewhat sandy, is of excellent quality, and yields good crops of excellent wheat.