POLAND. Whether regarded as a king dom, or as a mere province of the Russian Empire, Poland demands only a few words respecting its produce and commercial in dustry.
Though Poland is not distinguished by fertility, it produces more grain, hemp, flax, and tobacco, than are required for its con sumption, and it exports these articles to other countries. Wheat is only abundant in the hilly southern region : the principal species of grain which are cultivated in the other parts of the kingdom are rye, oats, and buckwheat ; barley is also raised, but less ex tensively. Leguminous vegetables are much valued and their cultivation attended to. As a considerable part of the country is still covered with forests, timber constitutes an important article of export. The forests consist of oak, ash, lime-trees and birch, but chiefly of pine and fir. Several metals and minerals are abundant in the hilly region. Among the metallic ores are those of silver, iron, copper, lead, and zinc. Rock-salt, marble, and a little
coal, are met with.
In the city of Cracow there are no manu factures of any importance except a few in cloth and woollens. Cracow is the chief depot in Poland for Hungarian wines, salt, and wax, and is the central point of commerce between Poland and Hungary; but its trade, which is principally in the hands of Jews, is not extensive. At Warsaw the manufactures are of =my different kinds, and the trade of the city is considerable, the vicinity of the Vistula being favourable to its developement. It is felt, however, that the mouth of the Vistula being in another country (Prussia), is a circumstance which greatly checks the commerce of Warsaw, owing to the restrictions in international commerce between Russia and Prussia. All the other towns in Poland are less in commercial and trading importance than Cracow and Warsaw.