THE TOWN OF RIGABallou's Monthly Magazine, Vol. XXXV—No. 2, February, 1872

THE TOWN OF RIGA.

On page 1101 we give a view of Riga, one of the fortified towns of Russia, and the capital of the government of Livonia. It is situated upon the river Duna2, about five miles from its mouth, in the gulf of Riga, and three hundred and twelve miles southwest from St. Petersburg.

The harbor, of which a view is given in the picture, is safe and commodious, and vessels unload and load alongside of quays. Riga rises from a sandy plain surrounded by hills, and the suburbs are more extensive than the town itself. The manufactures are woollen and cotton goods, iron ware, canvas, etc. No other Russian port has a greater trade than Riga, if we except St. Petersburg. Albert, Bishop of Livonia, founded the town, and instituted the order of knights sword-bearers in the year 12013, about fifty years after the introduction of Christianity into the country.4 At first it consisted of a colony of Germans, and was the capital of the order which afterwards became united with that of the Teutonic knights, and in the thirteenth century joined the Hanseatic league.

When the Reformation had spread in Livonia, Kettler, who was the last commander of the knights sword-bearers, gave up his dignity and Riga was joined to Poland in 1562. It was taken by Gustavus Adolphus in 1621, and surrendered to Peter the Great in 1710, after much suffering from bombardment and plague. It was besieged, without success, by the allied French and Prussians, in 1812, but the suburbs were destroyed. The defence is commemorated by a granite column.5

The province of Livonia lies in the western part of Russia, and has an area of 18,188 square miles. It includes the islands of Oesel6, Moen78 which lie at the entrance of the Gulf of Riga. The surface of the country is level, or gently undulating. The few hills which exist do not usually exceed one hundred feet in height, but the Mesenberg9 which is the loftiest rises to the altitude of twelve hundred feet.10 Quite a large portion of the land is occupied by forests and marshes. By the seacoast the soil is very sandy; in the interior, sand, clay, loam and moorland are found; yet the country is in many places very fertile. The province contains no less than 1120 lakes, of which the chief one is Lake Peipus, united by a narrow channel with Lake Pskov on the southeast, and by the Great Embach11 with Lake Werzierwe12, which is nearly one hundred miles in extent, in the centre of the province. The Duna, which is the boundary towards Courland, is the principal river, and receives from Livonia the Ervest13 and the Oger14; there are, beside, more than three hundred smaller streams among them the Embach15, Boulder-Aa16, Salis17 and Pernau18. Until the close of May the climate is cold and raw, but is very hot during the three summer months. The attention of the people is mostly given to agriculture. Rye, barley, flax, hops, hemp and linseed, are some of the products of the country. Much of the live stock is poor, and all the good is owned by the nobility. There are many bears, wolves, lynxes and foxes; and seals are taken on the islands and seacoast. Several kinds of fish are also abundant. Potters clay and limestone are obtained. Coarse woollens and cloths are manufactured, and there are many distilleries. The rural population consists of Letts19, Lives or Livonians proper, and Esthonians, and the nobility, clergy and burghers are Germans, Swedes and Russians; beside these there are a few Jews. A large majority of the people are Lutherans.20 The principal towns are Riga, Pernau21, Wenden22, Dorpat23, the seat of a university, and Arensberg24 in the island of Oesel. About the middle of the twelfth century, Bremen merchants first made Livonia known to Europe. The possession of the province was afterwards disputed for a long time by Russians, Poles, and the knights, and at length also by Sweden, to which the treaty of Oliva ceded it in 1660. The treaty of Nystadt made in 1721 annexed it to Russia. The northern part of Livonia formerly constituted a portion of Esthonia, and the southern a part of Lithuania. The population consists of Esthonians, Lithuanians, Russians, Germans, and (along a portion of the coast) Lives, the most ancient inhabitants of the country, and from whom it has derived its name. About eighty-five thousand of the inhabitants reside in the towns, and these, as well as the nobles, clergy, etc., are chiefly of German descent. Until 1825 the Esthonians and Lithuanians were in a state of predial slavery; now, however, they are free. There are only about twelve thousand individuals of the Greek church, and other professions of faith.