Conterminous with the government of Kovno, in Lithuania, situated between it and the Baltic, and the Gulf of Riga, is Courland. To the east of this, separated from it by the Dwina, lying between the north-western boundary of Vitepsk and the Gulf of Riga, is Livonia; and to the north of this, between this and the Gulf of Finland, is Estonia.
Limited and compressed as Estonia or Est-land, the land of the Ests, may now be, that tribe represents the primitive people inhabiting the whole of this region previous to the settlement within its bounds of the dominating German population.
Three, if not four, or more distinct tribes resident here are represented by these Ests, while a fourth allied family or tribe— the Fins — are found on the northern shores of this arm of the Baltic, inhabiting still the whole land between Russia and the Gulf of Bothnia, and giving their name to that territory. The Ests, or a large portion of them, and their territory constituted from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century a federal state, acknowledging the Roman Emperor and the Pope as its paramount lords and supreme heads. And the people differ as manifestly from the Lithuanian and Polish people of the adjacent provinces as they do from the Russians, whose empire extends over all.
Lithuania is frequently spoken of as a Polish colony, and I have no reason to doubt the correctness of the supposition that many of the more energetic Polish people penetrated into the country, contiguous as it is to their own, and in course of time became the dominant race. Something similar has occurred here — the dominant race is composed of the descendants of German emigrants, who, in turn, are being dominated by Russia.
Including the outlying islands, these provinces cover an area of 1,754 German miles, and comprise a population numbering about 1,850.000.
Courland is described as a flat country, interspersed with sand hills, extensive heaths and marshes, and patches of cultivated land, intersected by two ranges of hills running east and west. About two-thirds of the surface are covered with noble forests of pine and fir, interspersed occasionally with groves of oak. Game is abundant; and deer, bears, wolves, lynxes, and martins, haunt the forests. Agriculture and the rearing of cattle are the leading branches of industry.
According to official returns, which I obtained some years ago, in Oourland the total area of forests is 851,000
desatins, the area of crown forests is 458,963 desatins, giving for every square verst 35 '4 desatins of forests, and 19 desatins of crown forests — giving 1*4 desatins of the former, and '7 desatins of the latter, for every inhabitant of the province. The annual fellings in the crown forests yield 61 '8 cubic feet of wood, and 52 roubles 9 kopecs per desatin.
On crossing the Dwina, travelling eastward, we enter Livonia, a province, the physical aspect of which is different, and also the people, who manifest more of an Estonian character, while their language is designated Dorpat Estonian, in contradistinction to that spoken in Estonia, which is designated Revel Estonian.
According to official returns which I obtained at the same time with those already cited, the total area of forests in Livonia is 1,896,000 desatins; the area of crown forests is 195,711 desatins; giving for every square verst 47'4 desatins of the former, and 4'8 desatins of the latter, and giving 1/9 desatins of the former, and 0*2 desatins of the latter for every inhabitant of the province. The annual fellings in the crown forests yield 30'7 cubic feet of fuel; and the revenue is 32 roubles 1 kopec per desatin.
By a boundary imperceptible to the passing stranger is Livonia separated from Estonia, the province situated further to the east, with Revel for its capital.
In Estonia the total area of forests is 450,000 desatins, the area of crown forests is 4,556 desatins, giving for every square verst of territory 26 4 desatins of forests and 0*2 desatins of crown forests, and giving 1*3 desatins of the former and 01 desatins of the latter for every inhabitant of the province. The annual fellings in the crown forests yield 44 2 cubic feet, and the revenue is 20 roubles 6 kopecs per desatin.
Both in Courland and Estonia are extensive forests of the lime tree, and these have given rise to much local industry, but, as has been intimated, there are also forests yielding both forest timber and firewood.
CHAPTER II. FOREST ADMINISTRATION.