Page:Notes upon Russia (volume 2, 1851).djvu/52

under that of Tver, and was thus under the command of two lieutenant-governors. Two of the rivers already mentioned take their rise there, namely, the Tvertza and the Sna, — the latter flows westward to Novogorod, the former takes an eastward course.

Great Novogardia is the most extensive principality in all Russia. It is called in the language of the country, Novogorod, meaning new city or new fortress. For whatever is surrounded with a wall, defended with oak stakes, or in any way enclosed, they call gorod. The city of Novogorod is large, and traversed by the navigable river Volchov, which rises out of the lake Ilmen scarcely two versts above the city, and falls into the lake Neva, which they call Ladoga, from the town in its neighbourhood. Novogorod is a hundred and twenty miles south-west from Moscow, though some reckon it only a hundred; thirty-six from Plescov; forty from Velikiluki; and as many from Ivanovgorod. But in former times, when this city was flourishing and under its own jurisdiction, it possessed a very extensive domain, which was divided into five parts. Each of these divisions not only referred all matters of public or private importance to the ordinary competent magistrate of its own district, but could transact business or conveniently traffic with other of the citizens only in its own municipal boundary; nor was any one allowed to summon another in any matter before any other magistrate of the same city. It was at that time the greatest commercial town in all Russia, for an immense crowd of merchants resorted thither on all sides from Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany itself; and the citizens increased their riches and their stores from this repeated concourse of many nations. Indeed, at the present day, the Germans are allowed to have their own treasurers or registrars. Its dominion extends for the most part eastward and northward; it used nearly to reach to Livonia, Finland, and Norway. The merchants of that place earnestly