BOOK fituation on the Duna, a river which, being navigable from the
, frontiers of the government of Polotfk, brings the produélions
of the north-eailern parts of Poland, and the weilern provinces
of Ruffia, and is fufficiently deep to receive, clofe to its walls,
Ihips of burthen, which fail to and from the Baltic.
Next to St. Peterlburgh it is the moil commercial town in
the whole Ruffian empire. The trade is chiefly carried on by
foreign merchants, who are refident in the town. The merchants,
of an Englilh faftory eftabliffied there enjoy the greateil ffiare o f
thè commerce, and live in a very hofpitable and fplendid manner.
The principal exports are corn, hemp, flax, iron, timber,, mails,
leather, tallow, &c. ; its principal imports are fait, cloth, filks,
wine, grocery wares, and falted herrings.
The mail trade, fo beneficial t<£ this town, is carried on in
the following manner : The burghers of Riga fend perfons, who
are called mail-brokers, into, the Ruffian provinces, in order to
mark the trees which are fit for the purpofe. The proprietors
of the lands fell them Handing. They grow moitly on the dif-
triils which border on the Dnieper, and are fent up that river
to a landing place, and tranfported about thirty verils to the
Duna. They are then formed into floats of from 50 to 200
pieces, and defcend the ilream to Riga. The tree which produces
the largeft malls is the Scotch fir. Thofe pieces which
are from 18 to 25 inches in diameter are called mails ; under
thofe dimenfions, fpars, or, in England, Norway mails; becaufe
Norway exports no trees more than 18 inches in diameter.
The
The Engliih merchants, who contrail with government, buy
thefe mails from the burghers of Riga; and great ikill is required
in diiliriguiihing thofe that are found throughout from
thofe which are in the leail internally decayed. They are ufually>
from 70 to 80 feet in. length.
The hemp is brought from the Ukraine and Poland, and employs
two years in its paifage to Riga. The barks in which it.
is conveyed, are from 250 to 300 to n s ; burthen; are covered
with matting, iloping like a penthoufe roof, and- have a falfe,
bottom. They afcend the Dnieper and the Duna; but can only
pafs the lad-mentioned river in the fpring, or about three weeks
after the fiiow begins to melt, on account of the numerous ihoals;.
fo that, if they mifs that time, they are delayed till autumn;
The hemp exported from Riga is- generally more eileemed, and
30 per. cent, dearer, than that which is -exported from Peterfi'
burgh * ; the former comes from the Ukraine, the provinces of
M o h i l e f ; and Polotik, and. the neighbouring parts of Poland;:,
the other from the governments of Tver, and Novogorod.
T h e . Riga hemp, is-chiefly ufed for ihrouds and itays*of men
of war; and procured by contraft-for the Engliih. admiralty and
Eail India, company.-
In cafe of neceffity, tina.Urtica-- Cannabina^ or the hemp-net^
tie, might-be fuhllituted in the place of hemp. It is a native of
fouth-eailern Siberia, on the other fide of the Oby, and is chiefly
found in the vallies, between rocky mountains, and on the banks
* La te ly the Ukraine, hemp has found its way to Peteriburgh..