PETERSBURG, ST., a government of European Russia, extends from 57' 56' to 60' 35' N. lat., 21' 5' to 33° 52' E. long. It is formed of the ancient province of Ingermannland, or Ingria, a part of Curelia, and some circles formerly belonging to Novogorod. It is bounded N. by the Gulf of Finland, Finland, and Lake Ladoga ; E. by Novo gored ; S. by Pakow ; and W. by Lake Peipus and Esthonia.
The country is for the moat part level, and in the north-east part it L low, and full of swamps and morasses. In the south it is rather more elevataL The government contains many forests and some good arable land. More than half of the surface is covered by montages, forests, and lakes. The principal lakes are the Ladoga, Peipus, and Pakow. The chief rivers are the Neva, the Luga, the Narova, and the Wolchow. The Neva issues from Lake Ladoga, near the fortress, of Sehlusselburg, from which point to its mouth the whole course, including the windings of the river, is 40 miles to the Bay of Cronstadt, which may be considered as the mouth of the river. The banks are rather elevated ; the breadth varies from 600 to 1200 feet, and the water is remarkably pure, light, and limpid. Within the city of St. Petersburg it divides into several branches. The climate is cold, damp, and not favourable to agriculture. The summer is short, but in general fine and often very hot : thunder-storms are neither frequent nor 'latent. The area of the government is about 20,520 square miles. It is divided into nine circles. The population in 1846 was 643,700, exclusive of the capital. The crops raised are insufficient to supply the great population of the capital. There are in the vicinity of St. Peters burg fine gardeus and parks; kitchen-garden., which produce veget able. in abundance, and numerous hot•housee which supply the capital with pines, melons, pine-apples, asparagus, &c. Timber is the chief source of wealth; the forests, though much injured by waste and bad management, being still of immense extent. The country-people rear great numbers of geese, duck,, and turkeys for the markets of St.
Fish are abuudant. The mineral kiugdont affords granite, limestone, marl, brick-earth, potters'-clay, he. The villagers manufacture wooden wares of various kinds. Trade and
manufactures are almost wholly confined to the capital ; there are however considerable manufactories of cloth, omelet, and blankets, as well as several glass-houses at Jainbarg (2000 inhabitauta), on the Luga, and of printed calico at ScAlusaelburg, on an island where the Neva issues from Lake Ladoga. iVarra, the capital town of the circle of Nerve, is situated in 59° 24' N. lat., 28° 12' E. long., and has a population of 5500, most of whom are of German descent It stands chiefly on the left bank of the river Narowa, which comes from Lake Peipus and falls into the Gulf of Finland about 10 miles below the town. It is surrounded with a rampart, and in the suburb of Ivau gorod, on the other side of the river, there are the remains of a large fortress. Nerve is divided into the old and new town, which are separated by a rampart and by the river. The houses ere well built of brick, and stuccoed white. There are 7 stone and 2 wooden Greek churches, and 2 stone Lutheran churches, an exchange, and a good German school. The port has a considerable export trade in balks, planks, flax, hemp, corn, and furs. The fishery in the Baltic is very productive, and the lampreys and smoked salmon of Nerve are cele brated. The barks which come down the Narowa from Lake Peipus are unloaded about a mile from the town, at the island of Kragholm, where there is a fall in the river about 12 feet perpendicular. Nerve was built in the year 1213 by King Waldemar. On the 30th Nov., 1700, Kiug Charles XII., with 8200 Swedes, totally defeated 60,000 Russians under Peter the Great and the Duke of Croy, and stormed their intrenched camp near the town. In 1704 however Peter the Great took it by storm, and it has ever since remained in the possession of Russia. Gaischina situated on a beautiful lake formed by the has 7000 inhabitants, a military orphan-house, a foundling hospital, and a palace, formerly a favourite residence of the late ernpresa, the consort of Alexander I. Tzarskocelo, or the Emperor's Village, about 15 miles S. from St. Petersburg, has sprung up around the palace of that name, which was erected by the empress Elizabeth, and restored after A fire by Alexander I. [CRONSTADT; PETERS. BURG. ST.)