YAROSLAV, or JAROSLAW, an extensive government of European Russia, is situated between 42' and N. lat., 45' and 20' E. long. It is bounded N. by Novogorod and Vologda, E. by Kos. troma, S. by Vladimir, and W. by Twer. The area is 13,965 square miles. The population in 1846 was 1,003,100.
The country is a pretty high table-land, the level surface of which Is diversified only by some ridges of low hills and the high banks of the risers. The soil is a mixture of sand and gray clay, and there are extensive morasses, and some small tracts which are wholly incapable of cultivation. The hills and the banks of the rivers consist of strata of clay, marl, and limestone. Of the 19 rivers, the principal Is the Volga, which enters the government from Twer, runs at first to the north to Motoga, where it is joined by the river of the same name, then turns to the south-east, to the city of Yaroslav, where it makes a Mall bend towards the north, and then flows east ward to Kostroma. At Rybinsk, between Mologa and Yaroslav, it is joined by the Scheksna. All the rivers of the government flow into the Volga. The Mologa and the Scheksna are by far the most con siderable. The lakes are 38 in number : the largest is that of Nero, near Rostow, which covers an area of 23 square miles. The climate is rather !severe; the winter, spring, and autumn are long ; the summer is short. The purity of the air is very favourable to vege tation and to the health of the iuhabitauts.
Agriculture is the chief occupation of the inhabitants. The soil is only moderately fertile, and the corn produced is far from sufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants. The chief corn crops are rye, barley, wheat, buckwheat, and oats. Peas are grown in large quan tities; flax and hemp only for domestic use. Horticulture is well under stood. Apples and cherries thrive in the southern circles. The forests chiefly consist of birch, alder, aspen, and underwood ; but timber for building is scarce, there being hardly any oaks, and very few pluea and firs. The beasts of prey are bears, wolves, lynxes, and foxes; the fur-bearing animals are squirrels, martens, badgers, and weasels; hares are pretty numerous. The fisheries in the rivers are very productive. Very little attention is paid to the breeding of cattle.
Spinning and weaving, both of flax and wool, are universally practised ; in the country, gloves, shoes, and cloaks for the peasantry, caps, stockings, harness, and agricultural implements, are manufactured for home use. The manufactures, properly so called, are confined to the towns, and consist of leather, linen, cotton, silk, tobacco, paper, soap, and candles. The principal articles of export are Russia leather, sail-cloth, duck, linen, cordage, some linseed and linseed-oil, salt meat in large quantities, and horsehair; the imports are corn, brandy, salt, iron, and all kinds of colonial produce, drugs, and manufactures.
The inhabitants are almost all Russians. They are of the Greek Church, under the Archbishop of Yaroslav and Rostow, whose diocese contains 833 parishes.
Yaroslar, the capital of the government, is situated near to the eastern frontier, at the junction of the Volga with the Kotorosla, the outlet of Lake Nero. The town is surrounded with palisades and defended by a citadel, which is in the angle formed by the two rivers, and is surrounded by a rampart. The city stands on an elevated platean, and its many stone houses, its 44 churches and three monas teries, give it a striking appearance. It is however ill built, with generally narrow streets; the principal street by which the town is entered on coming from St. Petersburg is broad, and consists of hand some stone houses. Yaroslav has a theological seminary, a gymnasium, a district school, and a school for the higher branches of learning, called the Demidoff Lyceum, from its founder, Prince Paul Demidoff, who in 1803 endowed it with a capital of 300,000 silver rubles and 3600 peasants. The lyceum has a very good library. The linen and Russian leather of Yaroslav are highly esteemed. Its trade is very considerable, and the merchants have a very large bazaar. The population is 28,500.
Rostov, situated on Lake Nero, is one of the most ancient towns in Russia. It is six miles in circuit, has several times suffered by war and fire, and now consists of the city and an extensive suburb. The city is surrounded by a rampart and a moat. The site is low and surrounded by marshes. The Archbishop of Yaroslav resides here, where he has his principal cathedral, an ancient richly-adorned edifice, and a vast palace with a sendnary. There are 24 churches and 3 convents in the city. Besides the bazaar, the city contains 200 shops and above 1000 houses, with 6500 inhabitants. The great fair of Rostow, which begins at the end of February and continues for a mouth, is attended by at least 40,000 Russians, Armenians, Greeks, and Tartars, who bring goods to the value of 14,000,000 rubles.
Ughtsch, on the right bank of the Volga, is likewise an ancient town. Before it was burnt by the Lithuanians in 1607, it contained, it is said, 150 churches, 12 coaventa, and 30,000 houses. At present it has two convents, 23 churches, and a fortress built of wood. The streets are narrow and crooked. There are 7000 inhabitants, who have a considerable trade and some manufactures.
Rybinsk, at the confluence of the Rybinka with the Volga, 50 miles 1C.W. from Yaroslav, is an important commercial town, though the population hardly amounts to 4000. Goods are here transferred from the large vessels that ply on the Volga to smaller craft, which convey them to St. Petersburg and other Baltic ports. As many as 20.000 barges arrive annually with goods to the amount of 250,000,000 rubles.
Itybinsk.has a fine exchange, several churches, an arsenal, a theatre, large bazaars and corn-stores, a house of correction, and several schools. Beer, spirits, salt, oil, soap, candles, and earthenware are among the manufactures. Corn is the chief article of commerce. Two large annual fairs are held.