POLOTSK, a district town of the government of Vitebsk, at the confluence of the Polota with the Dwina (Düna), 5 miles from the Smolensk and Riga Railway, is one of the oldest towns of Russia. The continuous wars, however, of which, owing to its position on the line of communication between central Russia and the west, it was for many centuries the scene, have allowed almost nothing of its remarkable antiquities to remain. The “upper castle” which stood at the confluence of the rivers and had a stone-wall with seven towers, is now in ruins, as also is the “lower castle,” formerly enclosed with strong walls and connected with the upper by a bridge. The numerous monasteries and convents also have disappeared. The cathedral of St Sophia in the upper castle, built in the 12th century, and successively used as a place of worship by the Greek, the Catholic, and the “United” Churches, fell to ruins in the 18th century, when the “United” bishop Grebnicki substituted a modern structure. The town is now of trifling importance, and the population (12,200 in 1880, against 13,800 in 1865) is decreasing. Upwards of two-thirds of the inhabitants are Jews; the remainder have belonged mostly to the Greek Church since 1839, when they were compelled to abandon the Union. Flax, linseed, corn, and timber are the leading articles of the commerce of the town....