LOMZA, or Lomzha, a government of Russian Poland, is bounded on the N. by Prussia and the Polish government of Suwalki, on the E. by the Russian government of Grodno, on the S. by the Polish governments of Siedlce and Warsaw, and on the W. by that of Plock. It covers an area of 4670 square miles, or 9⅜ per cent, of all Poland. It is mostly flat or undulating, with a few tracts in the north and south-west, where the deeply-cut valleys give a hilly aspect to the country. Extensive marshes overspread it, especially on the banks of the Nareff, and in the east there are also good forests. Lomza is traversed by the Nareff, which flows from east to south-west, joining the Bég in the south-western corner of the government. The Bôg flows along the southern border, joining the Vistula 20 miles below its junction with the Nareff. The inhabitants numbered 501,385 in 1872, the Poles constituting 76 per cent, of the population (or 83 per cent, when the Poles who are mixed with Lithuanians are included), the Jews 14∣ per cent., and the Germans 2 per cent. Of this population 402,146 belonged in 1870 to the Catholic Church, 10,354 to the Protestant, and 1817 to the Greek and United Churches. In 1878 394,570 were peasants, while only 76,950 belonged to the citizen class, and 11,470 to the nobility (szlachtd). In 1877 45 per cent, of the total area, or 1,366,000 acres, were under crops. Stock raising is carried on to some extent (197,900 cattle, 263,700 sheep, and 68,705 horses). The wood trade is an important branch of industry, but manufactures are very imperfectly developed, the total production in 1873 having been only some .£110,000, or 1 ’ 3 per cent, of the total for Poland. Lomza produces some wooden wares, spirits, tobacco, and sugar. There is only one railway (between ...