Grodno

Grodno, a western government of Russia, lying between lat. 52° and 54° N., and long. 23° and 26° E., having Wilna to the north, Minsk to the east, Volhynia to the south, and the old kingdom of Poland to the west, and containing about 15,000 square miles. The region consists for the most part of an alluvial sandy plain, in places swampy, in others covered with pine-forests, ill-fitted for the growth of fruit or vegetables, but producing fair crops, cattle, and bees; and there is a not inconsiderable export of grain, wool, cotton, and timber. The climate is misty, damp, and cold. One of the forests is said to contain bison. The principal rivers are the Niemen, Narev, Bobia, and Bug, and there are many canals. The town of Grodno, on the right bank of the Niemen, is the seat of the provincial government, and has a fine government office, and two palaces of the Kings of Poland. Here it was that the last King of Poland abdicated. There is railway communication with St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Warsaw.