RUS

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RUS

RUSSELTA, in botany, a genus of the digynia order, andpeutandria class of plants. Calyx five leaved; petals five, above ;capsule one-ceiled, many-seeded. It has but one species.

RUSSELSHEIM , a town in Hesse Darmstadt, 6 miles E. ofMcntz, and 13 N, W. of Darmstadt.

RUSSIA, a very large and powerful empire, partly in Europe ,and partly' in Asia , bounded on the N. by the Northern Ocean, orFrozen Sea; on the E. by the Eastern Ocean, and divided fromAmerica by Behring’s, formerly Anian Straits, which are about 73■versts wide. (See Verst.) From thehce, towards the S. it ex-tends along the chain of the Aleoutskie islands, which approach theN. W. coast of America; and from Kamtschatka , towards theS. W. it extends, by a chain of other islands, cal.ed KouriLkieislands, as far as Japan ; on the S. it borders on the Black Sea , onthe nations which dwell at the foot of the Caucasan mountains, ona part of Persia, the Caspian Sea , the hordes of Kirghiskaisacki, onZiungoria, Chinese Mungalia andDaouria; a territory traversedby the Amour, and so named fron the Daouri, its ancient inhabi-tants ; and on the W. on the Danish and Swedish Lapland, theBaltic Se„, Courland, Livonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Turkey in Europe. Russia occupies more than a seventh part of the Eu-ropean continent, and nearly the 2bth part of the whole globe. Itsgreatest extent from W. to E. viz. from the 39J° to 207J'’ of Ion.is 168°; and if the islands of the Eastern Ocean be included, it willthen be 185° ; so that the continental length of Russia , viz. fromRiga to Tchoukotskoy Noss, which is the easternmost promontory,will constitute about S500 versts. The greatest extent of this em-pire from N. to S. i. c. from the 73° to SOj- 0 of lat. is 27 J degrees.Hence the breadth of Russia , from Cape Taymour, which is theN. E. promontory, to Kiakhta , is about 3200 versts. The greaterpart of this empire lies in the temperate zone, and a part of it, viz.that which is beyond 66 ° t s j of lat. lies in the frigid zone ; and thewhole surface contains above 2,150,000 square versts. Thereaerefore is not at present, and never has been in any period, anempire, the extent of which could be compared to that of Russia .Russia was anciently inhabited by various nations ; such 3s Ilunns,Scythians , Sarmatians, Massagetes, Srlavonians, Ciinbri, &c.The origin of the Russians themselves, though not prior to thepth century, is covered with almost impenetrable obscurity ; partlyowing to the ignorance and barbarity of the people, and partly tothe mistaken policy'which yet prevails in the nation, of suppress-ing all accounts of their origin, and inquiries into their ancientstate ami situation ; of which we have a remarkable instance in thesuppression of a work by professor Muller, intituled “De Origi-nibus Gentis et Noinims Russomm.” According to several au-thors of credit, the Russians derived their origin from the Slavi , orSlavonians, corruptly called the Sclavonians, who settled hrstalong the banks of the Volga, and afterwards near the Danube ,in the countries named Bulgaria and Hungary ; but being driventhence by the Romans (whom the Russians call VVolochers, orWolotaners), they first removed to the river Rorysthenes, orDneiper, then over ran Poland , and, as is reported, built thecity of Kiow. Afterwards they extended their colonics farthernorth, to the rivers which run into the Ilmen lake, and laid thefoundation of the city of Novogorod. The towns of Smolensk and Tsernikow appear also to have been built by them. The mostancient inhabitants, not only of Russia, but all over Siberia , quiteto the borders of China , are called Tshmli: for professor Muller,on inquiring in those parts by whom the ancient buildings and se-pulcliral monuments lie saw there, were erected, was everywhereanswered, that they were the works ofTsluidi, who in ancienttimes had lived in that country. In the 9th century, theScandinavians, that is, the Danes. Norwegians, and Swedes,emigrated from the north, and, crossing the Baltic, went toseek habitations in Russia . They hrst subdued the Courlanders,Livonians, and Eslhouiuns; and, extending their conquests stillfarther, they exacted tribute from the Novogorodians, settled kingsover them, and traded as far as Kiow, and even to Greece .These new invaders were called Waregcrs ; which, according toprofessor Muller, signifies sea-faring people; or, if derived Iromthe old northern word w .r, it signifies warlike men. To theseWarugers the name of Rushes, or Russians , is thought bv themost eminent authors to owe its origin ; but the , Ivmologv of theword itself is uncertain. In these (lark ages, Russia was dividedamong a great number of petty princes, who made war upon each

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other with die ferocity an 1 cruelty of wild beasts ; so that the wholecountry was reduced to the utmost misery; when Gostomisel, achief of the Novogorodians, pitying the unhappy fate of hiscountrymen, and seeing no other method of remedying their cala-mities, advised them to offer the government of their country tothe Waregers. The proposal was readily accepted, and threeprinces of great abilities and valour were sent to govern them;namely Ruric , Sineus, and Truwor, said to have been brothers.The first took up his residence at Ladoga, in the principality ofGreat Novogorod ; the second at Bielo Osero, or the White Lake;and the third kept his court at Isborsk, fir, according to others, ata small town, then called Twertzog, in the principality of Ples-kow. The three brothers reigned amicably, and made considera-ble additions to ibeir dominions; all of which at length devolvedto Ruric by the death of Sineus, and Truwor. The Russian em-pire is inhabited by no less than lb different nations, of which ourlimits will hardly permit us to give the names. The first are theSclavonic nations, comprehending the Russians , who are the pre-dominant inhabitants ot the whole empire, and the Poles, who be-sides occupying the countries lately wrested from the republic,live in the governments of Polatsk and Moghilev, as well as in thedistrict of Salengliinsk and along the river Irtish. 2. The Ger-manic nations, comprehending the Germans properly so called,who inhabit Estbonia and Livonia; the Swedes inhabiting theRussian Finland , as well as some of tire islands on the Baltic sea;ami the Danes who inhabit the islands of the Baltic sea, theWorms, and Gross or Great Roge. 3. The Lettonian or Livo-nian nations, ufider which are classed the original or real Lelto-mans or Letishi, inhabiting Livonia ; and the Lithuanians , wholive in the government of Polatsk and Moghilev. 4. The Finns,orTchudi, nations who inhabit the governments of Viberg and St.Petersburg !!, with many other districts of the empire, beingbranched out into no fewer Ilian 12 different tribes. 5. The Tar-tarian nations, who are ail either Mohammedans in'idolaters. TheMohammedan Tartars, commonly called by the Russians Tartare,dwell in Kazane, and the places adjacent; at Kesimove ; at Ouse,iu the government of Parma ; at Tomsk and its neighbourhood,and are in general a sober, industrious, cleanly, and generouspeople. r l he other 'I artars inhabit diffluent parts of Siberia , andare intermixed with still different races, called alter the towns,rivers, and other places to which their habitations aie nearest.Thev are idolaters, and governed by shamans. Besides these,there are in the Russian dominions the Nagav Tartars ; the GrimTartare, inhabiting the Crimea , who, together wiih the land be-longing to them, came under the subjection of Russia in 1783 ;the Mescheraki ; the Bashkirs; the Kirghistzi or Kirghis-kaisaks ;the Yakouti ; and the white Kalmucks. (i. The Caucasan na-tions, which are six in number, and are each subdivided into manydifferent tribes. Among these are the Circassians , who live indifferent settlements bordering on the river Kubane. 7. The Sa-moyeds or Samoeds, comprehending the Ostiacs. (See Osri-Acs.j These inhabit the northernmost part of Russia , along thecoast of tlie ley Sea.—8. The Mungalian nations, comprehendingthe original Mungals, who are chieily dispersed in the deserts ofGobev ; the Bourati, wiio live on the banks of the Baikal , andotiiffr places in the government of Irkutsk ; and the Kalimiks, con-sisting of four different tribes.—All these hordes speak the Mun-galiau language, observe the religion of Lama, and the Kalmuckslive in large tents. 9. The Tongoosi, a very populous tribe, dis-pei.-ed from the river Enisscy as far as lhe sea oi Okhotsk , andfrom the Penjinskaya Gooha beyond the Chinese frontier. Theyare all idolaters, and live by hunting and fishing. 10. ri lie Kamt-chadels. 11. The Koriaki. 12. 'I lie Kouriltzi. Of these three..aeons we have given some account under (lie article Kaintscluilka.13. The Aleouti, who dwell in the islands between Siberia andAmerica, and very much resemble the Esquimaux and the inhabi-tants of Greenland. —They live in large lints, and seem to beidolaters.—14. 'Pile Arintzi, a very numerous people scattered hithe government of Kolhivane. 15. The Yukaghiri, who are dis-persed on the coasts of the Glacial sea, about the rivers Yana»Kolhma, and Lena, and as far as the source ol the Anadir. 'G’I lie '1 chouktchi, who occupy the N. E, part of Siberia , betweenthe rivers Kolhima and Anadir. Besides these lb different na-tions, there are scatlered through the Russian empire vast mini-bers of Buckiiariau Tartars, Persians, Georgians , Indians, Greeks,

.Servians,