Besides these two lines of watershed which crow; Russia from west to east, there is in the southern provinces an elevated tract, the base of which is granite, and which traverse. it in the same direction, but does not form a watershed, being broken through by several large rivers. 'At its western extremity it is' connected with the eastern offsets of the Carpathian Mountains, which extend over the north western portion of the rsvcrument of Kisheneff, or Bessarabia, and advance as far south 84 the town of Kisheneff. From these ridges the elevated tract extends eastward, occupying on the hanks of the river Dniester the whole space between Yampol and Dubossary, and rendering this part of the river unfit for navigation by forming rapids and falls. Farther east, on the banks of the Bug, it occurs near Olviopol, and on those of the Ingool, an affluent of the Bug, between Yelisavetgrad and Bobrinetz. It continues eastward to the Dnieper, which is compelled by it to make the great bend eastward between 47° and 49° N. lat., and in which it produces the Poroges, or twelve waterfalls of Ekaterinoslay. From this place it declines more to the month, and extending along the banks of the Konekaya, en affluent of the Dnieper, it approaches the Sea of Azof, where it terminates on the banks of the river Berets.
&a—Russia has a much greater variety of soil than any other country of Europe. Some very extensive tracts are hardly more adapted for agriculture than the great African desert; while others in fertility may be compared with those countries without the tropics which are most favoured by nature. In taking this survey of Ruseia, we begin from the north-east.
Between the northern portion of the Ural Mountains on the cast and the river Mezen on the west, is the region of the ' tundras,' which extends from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to 64° N. 1st. It is mostly a plain covered with moss, which for eight or nine months is frozen, and the remainder of the year is so saturated with water as to be impartable. In some places bushes occur, which bear berries. The few inhabitants live on fish, which is very plentiful in the rivers, end clothe themselves with the skin, of wild animals. For furred skins, their only article of traffic, they obtain small quantities of corn, which is brought from the countries south of the uwalli' down the river Petachora.
To the south and west of the tundras extends the largest forest in Europe, if not on the whole globe. This region occupies the country on both sides of the upper course of the Petechora, and all those which lie within the basin of the Dwina and its great branches the Sukhona and Vyehegda. According to official statements, it covers 150,000 square miles. It consists chiefly of different. kinds of pines, with some firs, larch, and birch. A few cultivated spots produce rye, barley, meta peas, hemp, and flax. But as the summer is very short,
and, during this season the weather very unsettled, fogs and rain being very frequent, the crops frequently fail. Bard frost continues from the end of October to the end of April. The scanty population is mostly occupied in bringing the produce of the forests to Archangel. This region extends westward to the river Onega, and southward to the uwalli, the northern declivity of which, chiefly occupied by swamps, but well wooded, belongs to it. It comprehends the western portion of the government of Archangel and the whole of Vologda.
West of the river Onega begins the region of rocks and lakes. It extends over the immense tract which lien between the gulfs of Finland and of Bothnia on the west and south and the White Sea on the north east. This region extends from east to west about 500 miles, and from south to north more than 400 miles. It has a much more broken surface than any other portion of Russia of equal extent. The northern portion, as ter as 65 30' N. lat.; is level; at least it does not contain any continuous ridge of hills; and hero the watershed is found to rise gradually, but not to a great elevation. Near 65' 30' N. lat., 30' F.. long., a ridge of bills (Meehan Mountains) rises, which runs south to 64' N. lat., where it divides into two ridges, of which that which runs east divides the waters that fall Into the White Sea from those that run to the lakes of Ladoga and Onega. After having paaaed the last-mentioned lake at a short distance, It approaches the banks of the Onega River, and then turns to the south-west, and terminates in that direction not far from the south-eastern shore of the Lake of Onega. It consists chiefly of sand-hills; but in some parts granite appears, and in such places the declivity is steep. The ridge which runs westward la mainly composed of granite, but it is of considerable elevation, and grows lower as it approaches the Gulf of Bothnia, sinking down to the level ground at a considerable distance from the shores. The country surrounded by these two ridges, by the golfs of Bothnia and Finland, the river Neva, the Lake of Ladoga, the river Swir, and the Lake of Onega, has a rocky Rub-soil, and iu many places the rocks rise above the surface and constitute hills. They never form an extensive masa, but only low and narrow ridge., which alternate with wide and deep depressions, the greater part of which are filled up with lakes. It is supposed that one-fourth of the surface Is covered with water. The general surface of the country appears to be lowest towards the east, north of the Lake of Ladoga, where it probably does not attain 200 feet above the sea-level, end is leas interspersed with rocks and lakes; but in approachifig 30' E. long. it rises considerably. The country west of this meridian le described under Fteeaste.