a government or stadtholderate of the Russian dominions in Europe, formerly a portion of what was denominated White Russia, but now bearing the name of the largest city within it. It extends in north latitude from 54° 42' to 57° 21', and in east longitude from 15° 35' to 21° 39'. It is bounded on the north-west by Livonia, on the north and north-east by Prkow, on the east by Smolensko, on the south-east by Mohilew, on the southwest by Minsk, and on the west by Wilna and Courland. It is divided into twelve circles, with a capital to each; besides which there are twenty-three other cities or towns, and 12,185 villages. It is 14,690 square miles in extent, and contains 934,900 inhabitants.

The whole is a level plain, without hills; and even hillocks are rare, so that nothing is to be seen but sandy fields, with here and there the banks of the rivers, and occasionally a few small lakes. The soil is poor, of sand or sandy loam, with a thin covering of vegetable mould. The chief river is the Duna, which receives and carries to the sea the waters of the Mesha, the Kasplia, the Ula, the Polota, the Drissa, the Druja, the Saryja, the Feacanka, and the Ewest. Among the lakes, the most extensive are the Usmyrn, the Usmiat, the Osweja, and the Lubaba, which last indeed belongs in part to Livonia.

The greater part of the inhabitants adhere to the Catholic church, or to the Greek united. The former has an archbishop at Mohilew, with sixty-three parishes and forty monasteries; the second has a bishop at Polozk, with 153 parishes and thirty-three monasteries. The orthodox Greeks have sixty-five parishes. Among the Lithuanians, the Livonians, and the Germans, the Protestants are the most numerous. The Jews are numerous, but chiefly in the cities and towns.

The capital of this government, the city of the same name, and the capital of a circle, stands on the river Duna or Dwina, 460 miles from St Petersburg. It is surrounded with old walls and towers, has narrow and crooked streets, and contains three Catholic and eleven Greek churches, 1940 houses, and about 14,500 inhabitants. It has six Greek and two Catholic monasteries, and three synagogues for the Jews. The city has a considerable number of tanneries, the leather made at which is sent partly to Riga and partly to St Petersburg. It has several large fairs, where much business is transacted. Long. 29° 55'. E. Lat. 55° 11'. N.