VOLHYNIA (Wolyusk), a government of West Russia, is bounded N.W. by Grodno, N. by Minsk, E. by Kiew, S. by Podolia, and W. by Galicia and Poland. its area is 27,434 square miles; the population in 1846 was 1,495,500.
The country is an elevated level extending at the foot of the Carpa thian chain. On the northern frontier there are extensive peat moors and morasses, and where there are hills they are clothed with the finest forests, chiefly of pine, though there are some which consist entirely of oaks, beeches, and limes. The southern portion is undu lating, and has two ridges of low bills, which enter it from Podolia and decline towards the centre of the province. These chains of hills (generally not more than 300 feet high), are covered with forests, and are to be considered as the extreme offsets of the Carpathians on this side. In the southern district they rise to the plateau of Awratyn, to which some give an elevation of 1000 feet. This plateau extends from Awratyn to Bieloserka (from the north to the south-west) for about one degree ; and forms part of the watershed between the Baltic and the Euxine. There is no great river in the government. There are great numbers of large ponds, and several mineral-springs. The climate resembles that of Southern Germany, only that the winter is rather more severe, and the night frosts protracted to a later period, so that the livers are every year frozen. There are no prevalent endemics except the Plica Polonica. Locusts periodically desolate the fields.
Volhynia is ono of the most fertile provinces of Russia, and there is perhaps no other in which agriculture is so general and so flourish ing. But agriculture is still in a backward state, and farming imple ments are rude. The rich crops of grain are to be attributed to the fertile soil. In the northern border, where there are many marshes, there are the most luxuriant pastures. Besides rye, barley of several kinds, oats, millet (which thrives especially in the heavy marsh-lands), the farmers cultivate several species of wheat of the finest quality. A large surplus of corn is annually exported. Flax and hemp are grown in great abundance, and here and there rapeseed, tobacco, and pulse: linseed, hempseed, and oil are exported. All the ordinary vegetables are cultivated in the gardens. Mustard, saffron, capsicum, hops, and tobacco are commonly grown ; and chamomile, panic-grass (Marne de Pologne), and wild asparagus, are gathered in the fields and meadows.
The forests are very extensive. Great quantities of timber and fire wood are conveyed to the Dnieper, partly by rafts, partly by land carriage ; the forests also furnish much pitch, tar, charcoal, and potash.
The wild animals found in them are stags, elks, fallow-deer, wild boars, hares, squirrels, martens, polecats, weasels, beavers, and otters, a few bears, lynxes, and wild-cats, and many wolves and foxes. Wild berries
of various kinds abound, and truffles and mushrooms are commonly met with.
the rich pastnres are very favourable to the breeding of cattle. The Volhynian oxen are fine animals, and great numbers are exported.
The management of the dairy is not well understood. The horse, when properly tended, is larger and stronger than the other Polish horses, though of the same breed : the horses of the peasants and poor Jew, are in general inferior. The sheep are mostly of the Polish breed. The farmer has fewer goats than swine ; poultry is very abundant ; great numbers of bees are kept, and the honey is very fine. The rivers furnish abundance of fish, and on all the estates there are regular carp-ponds.
Bog-iron, saltpetre, building-stone, millstones, potter's-clay, porcelain clay, and limestone are found.
The women in the villages knit, spin, and make coarse linen and woollen cloth ; the men prepare potash, pitch, tar, and charcoal.
Manufactures have greatly extended in Volhynia since the commence ment of the present century. The principal products are linen, leather, woollen-cloths, earthenware, porcelain, and paper.
The Dnieper is near enough to afford easy communication with Odessa. The articles exported are the products already enumerated, and some manufactured goods. The cattle, horses, honey, and wax find a ready market in Allah-la and Poland, whither they are conveyed by the Jews, who have the whole trade of the province in their hands. There are great fairs at Dnbno and Oetrog.
The principal towns are—Sehitolair (in Polish, Zilesnierz). the capital of the government, situated on the river Teterow. Before it came under the dominion of Rumba it was an insignificant place, with less than 2000 iollabitants. It has now a population of about 12,000, who have • considerable trade in woollen-cloths, linen, silks, calicoes, loather, wax and honey, and Moldavian and Hungarian wines.
Berrlyew, an ugly town, is one of the most considerable in the country; it. has several churches, and a large fortified Carme lite convent. The population is stated to be between 30,000 and 40,000, of whom a great proportion are Jews. There are several respectable Christian merchants, who carry on a considerable trade in the productions of the country. Iaslau, with 5000 inhabitants, has four Greek churches, one Roman Catholic church, a monastery, and a synagogue. Oetrog, on the Wellija, consists of the old and the new towns ; it contains an ancient castle, several Greek and Roman Catholic' churches', a Basilian convent and school, and about 5000 inhabitants, of whom many are Jews. Kr-emends is situated at the foot of a high mountain, on which there is a castle or citadel. It has several Greek churches, a monastery, and 8000 inhabitants.