a government of European Russia, N., W., S., and E., by Orlov, Tchernigov, Poltava, Kharkov, and Voronej. Its greatest length, E. and W., is 170 miles, breadth 150; area 17,318 square miles. Pop. (1851) 1,665,215. The general surface is undulating, there is comparatively little wood, and the only considerable rivers are the Sem, a tributary of the Dessna, flowing to the W.; and the Donetz, which rises in the S. of the province. The soil is singularly rich, needing no manure; the climate mild, and so dry, that corn is never housed, the grain itself being heaped in pits underground. The agriculture is very primitive; and though the breed of horses is good, oxen alone are employed in the fields. Among the chief crops are wheat, barley, rye, oats, millet, peas, flax, hemp, and tobacco; garden fruits and vegetables are grown in great abundance. The principal minerals are iron, limestone, and saltpetre; fuel is very scarce. Koursk is one of the most populous, as well as fertile provinces of Russia; of the towns besides the capital, the largest are Bielgorod, Karotcha, Putiwi, and Soudja; the face of the country is thickly strewed with villages. With small exception, the universal employment is husbandry: cattle, sheep, and swine, are bred in great numbers, as also are bees.

capital of the government, is built on a tributary of the Sem, 500 miles S. of Moscow. It is a large place, with narrow and dirty streets, and no remarkable buildings. It is the residence of the civil and military governors, and of the Archbishop of Koursk and Bieglorod, and has a considerable trade with St Petersburg and Moscow, exporting cattle, leather, tallow, wax, honey, &c. Pop. (1849) 30,469. A great annual fair is held at a village in the neighbourhood.