RUSSIA, a great dominion in Europe and Agin, ruled by tut autocrat emperor from St. Petersburg. The historical and geographical future of Russia impels her farther and farther towards the south, in spite of all obstacles ; and, yielding to these natural impulses, she has advanced, on one side, from the Irtysh to the upper courses of the Syr Darya or Jaxartea and Amu Darya or Oxus ; on the other, from Orenburg to the Sea of Aral, thus incorporating within her boundaries the greater portion of the steppes dividing Europe from Asia proper. A necessity arose for con necting her Central Asia settlements firmly together, and with this object roads were con tructed, stations erected, steamers introduced, as on the Amur and Syr Darya, and telegraphic lines established from the Chinese frontier to St. Petersburg. The Amu Darya (Oxus) is for many reasons of greater importance to Russia than even the Syr Darya. It disembogued at ono period into tho Caspian, and its bed to that sea still remains. Many are of opinion that the course of the river can be again directed to its ancient bed. Tho importance of this connection will readily be understood when it is remembered that a water route, in continuation of the Volga, will be thus created, which will extend for 3000 versts into the interior of Asia, and that the extreme points of this uninterrupted water-way will be St. Petersburg and the northern slopes of the Hindu Kush, almost reaching the boundaries of the British possessions, and very closely approach ing the Indus. The number of Turkoman, Kirghiz, Kazak, and other nomade hordes in Central Asia is computed at 3 millions, and the settled popu lation at more than 5 millions.
Russia's Asiatic dominions nre estimated at 6f million square miles, with 18,000,000 of population. Russia has pushed forward her outposts to within 300 miles of the British frontier on the north. But there intervenes between the Russia in Asia and British India the barriers of the Hindu Kush and Konen Luu, which rise like a wall, 17,000 feet high, ssith scarcely a crest or depression through out their entire extent,—none certainly practicable for an army svith the material and appliances of War as waged by the 19th century civilisation.
In tho far east, a settlement of the Amur was effected in much the same manner as 31uhammad Toghluk once attempted to transfer the population of Dehli to Dowlatabad in the Dekhan, but with a more successful issue. Whole colonies of Cossacks, men, women, children, and household goods, were moved from their homes, and settled at distances varying from 100 to 600 miles.
In Europe, tho people ruled by Russia are of varioua races. In Finland, the people are Scandinavians, if not altogether by blood and language, at least by long-cherished traditions, by ' culture and habits. In Esthonia, Livonia, and Courland— the Russian Baltic provinces— the native races exhibit engrafted, far-advanced Ger man civilisation. In St. Petersburg, there is an amalgam of n11 European nations, with little, if anything, in its trade, in ita various social ranks, in the court itself, that is not of alien birth, or at least descent On the Volga, Tartar, Kal muk, and other Asiatic tribes mix everywhere with tho crowds of the cities, and aro still at home throughout a vast extent of the country. In the Caucasus, svhat has been rescued front its savage tribes is either a desert, or is being seized by Arnie nians, everywhere superseding the less energetic and thrifty Georgians. In the Crimea and the adjoining mainland, what has been taken from the Tartars belongs in a great measure to German, Bulgarian, Greek, and other settlers.. Odessa is a cosmopolitan commercial town, formerly Greek awl Italian, now mainly Jewish. Between Odessa and Kief the Polish element preponderates. Ac cording to Russian official statistics, the population of the empire amounted at the last census, in 1872, to 86,952,347, which may at the present tame have risen to 98,323,000. Of these, 55,000,000 is assigned to the 'ruling race,' the East Slays, divided into Great' and 'Little' Russians.