RUSSIA.
Russia occupies very nearly one-half of the sur face of Europe, and yet her territories in this divi sion of the globe are scarcely more than one-fifth of her whole dominions. Three-fourths of her A siatic territories, however, consist of sandy deserts, or frozen plains, which yield very little for human subsistence ; and her possessions in Europe are at present, and perhaps will always be, the most valuable part of the empire. European Russia consists chief ly of an elevated plain, over which numerous rivers flow with a small declivity, so as to afford a greater extent of inland navigation, probably, than exists in all the rest of Europe. Its superficial extent, inclu ding Poland, is about 1,687,000 square English miles, which is more than eight times the area of France, or fourteen times that of the British Isles. But of this surface more than one-fourth part, lying beyond the parallel of 60° is incapable of cultivation, from the rigour of the climate, or the marshy nature of the soil. In the south, also, there are vast sandy plains, the soil of which, destitute of wood and wa ter, and impregnated with salt, is altogether useless for agriculture. The fertile part of Russia consists chiefly of the country lying between the parallels of 50° and 57°, which contains a great proportion of excellent soil, well watered with navigable streams, and comparatively populous and cultivated. The cultivation of wheat is chiefly confined to this re gion, and here abundant crops are procured with lit tle labour, and by a very rude species of culture. But farther north, slender crops are obtained with so much exertion, that a single peasant cannot culti vate more than from seven to ten acres ; and these crops are so precarious, that the rye sometimes will not ripen in the neighbourhood of Petersburg. The lands, however, where corn will not grow, yield pas tore and wood. Trees are found as far as the 67th degree, beyond which there are only shrubs.• It has been computed, that the soil incapable of cultivation in European Russia amounts to 690,000 square English miles, or 40 parts in the 100 of the whole surface. (Mentelle et Malte-Brun, II. 69.) The annual produce of corn in all Russia has been estimated at 181,000,000 tchetverta, including seed, equal to 126,000,000 quarters, and valued at 371,000,000 of rubles. But this estimate is evi dently a gross exaggeration. The crown forests are estimated at 44,500,000 of desiatines, equal to 240,000 square miles. Rye is the grain most extensively cultivated all over Russia; but barley, wheat, and oats, are also raised. In the southern provinces, maize, rice, vines, and even cotton suc ceed; and both in the southern and central parts, vast ranges of pasture ground support numerous herds of cattle, the skins and tallow of which, with the peltrics of wild animals, are leading articles of exportation. These pastures are generally com mons : the quantity of uncultivated lands, says Starch, is so great, that it would be useless to divide them. The number of sheep in Russia has been estimated at 60,000,000. Flax and hemp, how ever, are the productions in which the soil of Rus sia has the greatest superiority, and of these she ex. ports great quantities. Some of the less civilized na tions are almost supported by bees, and wax and ho ney are also among the principal articles of exports tion. The annual produce of raw silk in Russia is estimated at 10,000 pounds. Russia has rich mines of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and salt, the best of which are in the Uralian mountains, and chiefly on the Asiatic side. They employ about half a mil lion of persons. Their annual produce is valued at 17,147,000 silver rubles, of which the crown receives 6,463,535 rubles. It consists of 1600 pounds of gold,
52,000 pounds of silver, 81,000 centner of copper, 18,181 centner of lead, and 6,224,692 centner of iron. The salt mines yield 8,000,000 centner of salt annually. The fisheries are supposed to employ a capital of 6,657,000 rubles, and to yield an annual gain of 2,200,000. (Crome, p. 58, 64, 67.) The manufactures of Russia are inconsiderable, though the government has made great exertions to encourage this species of industry. The principal are those of coarse woollens, flax, iron, leather, silk, glass, and brandies. The manufacturing establish ments, in 1812, amounted to 2331, and employed from 600,000 to 700,000 persons. In 1815 the number was 3262, of which 181 were for cloth, 150 silk, 1348 leather, 247 soap, tallow, and wax, 184 linen, 295 cotton, 138 glass, 200 metal. (Crome, p. 70.) The exports of Russia, in 1796, including the goods carried out by land, and by the Caspian Sea, which do not appear in the customhouse returns, were estimated at 50,000,000 of rubles (Starch. II. 421); which is equal to L.8,330,000, if the silver ruble is meant; or L.5,870,000, if the paper ruble. In 1805, the exports were 72,400,000 rubles. The number of merchants was estimated at 97,227, and their trading capital at 308,000,000 rubles. The in ternal traffic between China, Siberia, and Moscow, employs 38,000 persons as carriers. (Creme, p. 73.) If confidence might be put in the lists transmitted to government, the annual mortality in Russia is on ly 1 in 58, the births 1 in 26, and the annual addi tion to the population 1 in 49, so that the period of doubling should be 35 years. (Starch, I. 282.) But these extraordinary results are irreconcileable with facts. The population in 1783, according to Starch, was 27,397,000; and the highest estimates only make it amount to 42,722.000 in 1815, excluding the kingdom of Poland. (Hassel, p. 223.) Deduct ing about 6,000,000, added to the empire by con quest, the real increase, in 32 years, is only 9,425,000; and the period of doubling, calculated on this basis, would be 75 years, a rate of increase not greater than was exemplified in Silesia, and in Britain during the last 40 years. Russia, however, has ample room to allow her population to expand, as her soil in Eu rope would easily support 100,000,000; while the increase in other countries must be confined within narrow limits. There are in Russia above 80 na tions, who speak more than 40 different languages; but the Sclavonic race forms seven-eighths of the whole European population. According to the offi cial returns in 1783, the peasants, belonging to the crown and to the nobles, amounted to 83 persons in the 100 of the whole population. (Starch, I. 249.) Of the 45,500,000 of inhabitants, the Sclavonic race forms 38,000,000, the Finns 2,376,000, the Tartars 1,850,000, the Caucasian tribes 1,200,000, Monguls 300,000, colonists, including Moldavians, Germans, &c. 800,000. About one-ninth of the peo ple live in towns. (Hassel, p. 223 ; Crome, p. 61.) The army, in 1815, amounted to 621,155; the navy to 32 ships of the line, and 18 frigates ; the revenue is about L. 25,000,000 Sterling. The public debt at the end of the war was about 600,000,000 rubles ; the greater part, however, paper money. (Crome, 78, 80; Hassel, 226.) Of all the powers of Europe, Russia is the only one that, during the numerous changes of the last thirty years, has never lost any part of her territories; but has been continually adding to them. Her acquisitions since 1770 are as follows: