LITHUANIA

republic, consisting former Ru ian governments of and Kovno, with portions of B.); bounded N. by Kurland, E. White Ru ia, S. by Poland and of Memel and Tilsit, at present League of Nations, and W. by Baltic Agriculture is the principal occupation. Cap. is Vilna. From the 10th cent. Lithuanians have been divided into three chief branches of (1) Lithuanians “proper, (2) Letts or Latvis, (3) Pru ians. The Pru ians have always apparently been confined to the Baltic coast the Lower Vistula, chiefly to the that river; they have been wholly sorbed by Germanic influences. Letts, pushed towards the N., have largely mingled with Livonians after founding an independent of vast extent, joined more and closely with the Poles, and fell the Ru ian sway at the di olution the Polish state. The Lithuanian has great affinities with Slavonic, cannot be considered a Slav language; is by far the most archaic of all Aryan tongues. Before the union Poland, begun in 1386 and consummated in 1569, the Lithuanians were pagan, the vast majority were up to 1386, or Gr. Orthodox. Polish connection established the ascendency. Kosciuszko was a jan, and the prov. of Vilna was a center of the Polish insurrection of crushed in Lithuania by General viev. The republic was established 1918. For war connection, see 7,000,000. See Mar Battic