Описание Бессарабской области
Description of the Bessarabian Oblast

Summary/Abstract: «Description of Bessarabia» is a work by P.P. Svinyin, an officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire, who was sent to the Bessarabian oblast’ in the middle of 1815. The main purpose of his trip was to study the Moldavian legislation, and while doing it he also produced a description of Bessarabia that is published here. This description was the first significant study of the region annexed to Russia, following the armistice with Turkey signed in Bucharest in 1812. The new administrative territory had to be studied, and in this regard it «was lucky». The officer Svinyin was quite good at writing (in 1818, he founded a journal of letters «Otechestvennye zapiski» - National Memoirs – which later became very popular), and his literary skills were realized in his «Description». This review presents and describes almost every aspect of life in Bessarabia and its inhabitants: geographic situation of the oblast’, its climate, its flora and fauna, main occupations, national and social composition, traditions and beliefs of its population, legislation, administrative set-up and management of the region, condition of roads and mail, trade, etc. Alongwith the general description, Svinyin gives a detailed description of each county in the Bessarabian oblast’. A special value of this review, both to researcher and amateur of history, consists in the fact that, by its form, it is a report to the central authorities and thus contains exact data and accurate figures. «Description» contains many interesting peculiarities and details.

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