The large tract of country which extends from the Dune southward, having the swampy region on the east, and terminating in the great swamps of Pinsk and Ratner, is traversed from north to south by a series of table-lands, which occupy extensive tracts between the Duna and Villa (an affluent of the Niemen), the Villa and the Niemen, and the last-mentioned rivers and the Bog, and extend eastward to the swamps. The more elevated portions of these table-lands are from 400 to 800 feet above the sea-level; the soil is sandy and dry, covered with pine-forests, which supply the best pine-tiwbor in Europe. This Umber is Coated down the affluents of the Niemen, and shipped from emeL On the southern table-land, between the Niemen and the Bug, near the sources of the river Narew, and contiguous to the swamps of Pinsk and Ratner (between 52' 29' sod 52' 51' N. lat., 23° 40' and 2i• 30' E. long.), is the forest of Bialoviza, which occupies more than 700 square mike, and contains oak, fir, and pines of immense size. It is only place where the Oats is still found in Europe. The lower countries along the banks of the rivers have a tolerably fertile soil, con sisting of loam and sand, intermixed with alluvial mould, the deposit of the inundations of the rivers. They produce wheat, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, and millet. Cattle are not abundant, owing to the want of meadows. Horses are numerous, but of email size. The climate of this region is much colder than that of the countries along the Baltic under the same parallel. Even in the southern districts the mean annual temperature does not exceed 42'. The winter is long and severe; the spring abort and late. The summer is extremely variable; the difference between two days frequently amounting to 20 degrees and more. The heat is sometimes insupportable, but is soon followed by a cold wind. Fogs are very frequent in this season. Autumn is the most agreeable season, when the days are dry and warm; but the nights are chilly. West of the region just noticed lies the terri tory of Poland, which is described iu a separate article. [POLAND.] The basin of the Volga occupies about 650,000 square miles, and is equal in extent to three times the area of France. It constitutes the moat important, and, generally speaking, the moat fertile portion of the empire. The upper basin of the Volga comprehends the govern ments of Twer, Yaroelaw, and Kostroma. The source of the river is 010 feet, the town of Twer 390 feet, and the town of Nishnei-Novgorod, at the lower extremity of this part of the basin, 230 feet above the level of the sea. [Vows.] To this region belongs a great part of the southern declivity of the uwalli. Between Yaroslaw and Nostroma, the declivity of the uwalli terminates about ten or twelve miles from the Volga, but farther cast at a greater distance. Between it and the river there is a level plain. The forests, which consist mostly of pines, occupy less than half the surface of this slope. The remainder is partly covered with morasses and moors, and partly with heaths, here and there interspersed with tracts of sand. It is only along the watercourses that cultivable tracts of moderate extent and fertility occur. The plains along the Volga above and below Twer yield wheat, rye, barley, oats, hemp, and flax : and on their borders are forests of oak, birch, ash, alder, poplar, fir, and pine. Farther down the laud is lees fertile, and as the climate seems to bo more severe, hemp and flax, rye and barley, constitute the principal objects of agriculture. Forests, chiefly of pine, are rather numerous. West of Kostroma however, where the plains increase in width, the soil is almost exclusively covered with sand, which produces few trees, and is only partially cultivated. In a few depressions there are meadows, but it is iu general a very poor tract.
South of this portion of the basin of the Volga lies that of its affluent the Oka, which in some places extends to 52° N. lat., and is on an average 260 miles from north to south. Not far from the banks of the Volga, the couutry south of it rises to au elevation of from 50 to I00 feet, generally with a steep ascent, but in several places with a long gentle slope. Tho country which hence extends southward is an undulating plain interspersed with a few hills of moderate elevation and gradual declivities. The general level of the surface rises very
slowly, as the town of Moscow is only 416 feet above the sea, or only 26 feet higher than Twer, and no part of the intervening- country much exceeds 600 feet; but towards the west it rises higher. Tho soil, which near the Volga is of indifferent quality, improves towards the south and east. In the government of Moscow it is fertile, but still more so in those of Kaluga and Tula, and a part of Orel. But uu approaching the watershed in Orel, the soil, though clayey, is very dry, and partakes of the nature of the steppes which lie toward! the Black Sea. The country to the west of Moscow has also a less fertile soil, but east of Moscow, in the governments of Vladimir, Masan, and the northern districts of Tambow, the soil improves still more than it does towards the south. The rivers which intersect this extensive region run in narrow valleys from 50 to 100 feet below the surface of the plain. The river bottoms are chiefly covered with sand, and sterile; in a few places only there are meadows. The heights which inclose these valleys are steep. Forests are rare in the countries south of Moscow, but in the eastern districts they occur at certain intervals between the well-cultivated fields, and consist of birch and fir, among which there are many tall oaks. The climate of Moscow may be con sidered as representing the climate of all this region, as the districts farther south aro more elevated. The mean annual temperature is 39°, that of the winter 13°, that of the spring 394, that of the summer 62°, and that of the autumn 40°. The number of rainy days is 205 in the year, but the quantity of rain is small. A great depth of snow however falls during the winter.
The middlo basin of the Volga extends from the mouth of the Oka downwards to the ridge of Samara, and comprehends the four govern ments of Nishuei-Novgorod, Peusa, Casau, and Simbirsk. It contains tho most fertile part of the basin of the Volga, and perhaps of all Russia. The most fertile portion of it lies on the west of the river. Along its banks there is an acclivity from 300 to 500 feet above its lowest level; and tho country at the back of this acclivity does not descend, but stretches out on an undulating level, here and there rising into hills covered with excellent soil. It produces abundance of wheat, rye, spelt, barley, buckwheat, and millet. Horses and cattle are numerous, but of small size. Sheep are very abundant, especially the broad-tailed kind. Oak ia the most common kind of wood; birch and lime-trees are also numerous; fir is of stunted growth and unfit for timber. The region east of the river is not quite so fertile, but etill it supplies rich crops, and is remarkable for the extensive forests of oak which occupy the higher grounds. These higher grounds are divided from the banks of the river by a low tract of from 4 to 6 miles or even 8 miles in width, which is partly.covered with swamps, but partly aupplica good pasture. The mean annual temperature of Casan is 31r. The mean temperature of the autumn is 33°, of the winter 10', of the summer 65", and of the spring 42°.
To the north and east of this portion of the basin of the Volga extends that of its largest affluent, the Kama, which comprehends an area of about 200,000 square miles. As this basin lies contiguous to the Ural Mountains, the country adjacent to the range is traversed by a few °Mete of that chain. But the country lowers rapidly to the westward. The town of Perm, hardly seventy miles distant from the great range in a straight line, is only 576 feet above the sea-level. Along the rivers there are valleys, or rather depressions, from 10 to 20 miles wide, and between these depressions there is a swell of elevated ground from 200 to 400 feet above the valleys, the highest part of which is a level or undulating plain, equal in width to the adjacent depres sion*. The higher portions of the country are entirely covered with forests of pine, oak, and lime-trees. A great part of the lower country is also wooded, but extensive tracts have been cleared, and yield rye, barley, and oats. In a few places wheat is cultivated. The basin of the Kama contains the richest mines of iron and copper in Russia, and immense quantities of salt are extracted from salt-springs. In this region platinum has been found.