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Show Where the German Army Must Cross to Attack the Czar's Armies. Washington, D. C , Aug. 31. "The government of Minsk, whose borders German armies aro approaching on three sides, north from Kovei, east from Brest-LIlovsk, and south from Vilua, forms tho heart of White Russia Rus-sia and one of the most desolate regions re-gions in tho European division of the Czar's empire," says a war primer issued is-sued today by the National Geographic Geograph-ic society. "The government of Vllna, half over-run by Teutonic invaders bounds Minsk In the north; Grodno government bounds St in the west, and tho government of Volhynia in the south With the fall of Brest-Litovsk, Brest-Litovsk, there is no other powerful fortress on the western lino until Bobruisk, a first-class fortress 150 miles northeast of PInsk or 240 miles northeast of Brest-LItovsk, is reached. This fortress lies behind the great White Russian swamps. "Somewhat rolling and hilly In the northwest, by far the greatest part of the government, however, is taken up by lowlands and marshes. These dreary marsh stretches reach far to the north beyond the borders of the government, and in the south almost to the fortress of Rovuo, which Ilea west of Galiclan Lemberg. In the went, these marsh lands reach to Brost-Lltovsk, and, to the east, they spread Into the governments of Vitebsk, Vit-ebsk, Mogllef, Smolensk, Chornlgef and Kief Drainage of these feve swamps and URclosa sponge-lands has been effected to a Hinnll extent by a system of canals and other, works There still remain, however, great- areas where the floating land lies altogether al-together waste and quite impassable. "Minsk has an area of 35.2S3 square miles. The highest point in the government, in the northwest, is found in a narrow range of hills, which, rising between 800 to 1000 feet, form the dhlde between the Black sea and Baltic 'waters "The Pripot river crosses the government gov-ernment from west tb east, draining its swamps to the Dnieper, while the Beresina crosses it from north to south, passing before the fortress of Bobruisk, which, with the swamp lands before, forms the central link in the Russians' new line ot defense. The Beresina now takes the place of the Bug, and Bobruisk that of Brest-Litovsk. Brest-Litovsk. "The marshes often cover hundreds of square miles of cheerless country, with lakes and muddy ponds interspersed. inter-spersed. There are many areas of treacherous sands that go to make the region an unusually dangerous j one for those unacquainted with the paths that thread its labyrinth. Joined in the maze of peat-bog, morass, quicksand, swamp, pond and lake are vast forests, of dense growth, cavernous cavern-ous and black. These heavy forests have given the region one of the names by which it is best known the Polysie, meaning 'the woods." It is estimated that swampy and morass lands take up about 22 per cent of the government's area, while 40 per cent of Us area Is clothed with waterlogged, water-logged, spongy forest land. The marshy forest trees, while very dense, are stunted, and consist of pine, birch and aspen. "This part of Russia, together with the parts of White Russia that reach beyond the border of Minsk as part of the marsh and swamp land, fs extremely ex-tremely poor. It is a country plagued with malarias, other fevers and mostly useless soils. The Russian government's work of reclamation has greatly improved small sections of the country, but most of this work remains re-mains for future accomplishment. The climate of the land is severe. There are inadequate means for communications, communica-tions, most of the ways being unmarked un-marked tracks through the marshes. For these reasons, few towns of any importance have developed in the region, re-gion, which has remained passive and unknown beneath Us poverty. The inhabitants in-habitants occupy themselves mainly with agriculture, 'and their largest city, the capital of their government, does not number anywhere near a half a hundred thousand. "The farming population constitutes consti-tutes 70 per cent of the government's two million and a half inhabitants Racially, the population is divided Into In-to White Russians, 71 pr cent; Poles 12 per cent; Jews, 16 per cent; Great Russians, Tartars, Letts and Germans. Ger-mans. Bee-keeping, hunting and fish"-Ing fish"-Ing take up a large part of the energy oi the people. A considerable com- ',W merce is also done in forest prod- ;v8j ucts, timber, charcoal, wooden dishes, !' jjj pitch, and bark products. There Is ''fflV almost no manufacturing; a few saw- Jn mills, tanneries and flour mills is i!J T about all. The great fortress that' jiffi guards the government lies to the Vif east, In the rear, so to speak, and j? j not before the marsh land in the ! fU west" ",wl |