Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/395

 CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. 359

The third college, established by Peter I., in the year 1721, is the Holy Synod, and to it is committed the superintendence of the religions affairs of the empire. It is composed of the principal dig- nitaries of the Church. All its decisions run in the emperor's name, and have no force till approved by him. The President of the Holy Synod is the Metropolitan of Novgorod.

The fourth board of government is the Council of Ministers. It is divided into eleven departments. They are —

1. The Ministry of the Imperial House. — Count Alex. Adlerberg, lieut. -general and aide-de-camp of the emperor : appointed Minister of the Imperial House, in succession to his father Count W. Adlerberg, April 29, 1S70.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — Prince Alexander Michael Gortschakoff, born 1798; entered the diplomatic service, 1818; Secretary of Embassy at London, 1824; Minister at Florence, 1830; Plenipotentiary at Vienna, 1832 ; Ambassador Extraordinary at Stuttgart, 1841 ; Ambassador at Vienna, 1854; appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, April 17, 1856.

3. The Ministry of War. — General Count Millntin, Assistant- Minister of War, July 1860 to June 1862 ; appointed minister, June 20, 1862.

4. The Ministry of the Navy. — Admiral Krubbe, appointed October 15, 1860.

5. The Ministry of the Interior. — General Timascheff, appointed March 21, 1868.

6. The Ministry of Public Instruction. — Count Tolstoy, Procura- tor-General of the Holy Synod, appointed April 27, 1866.

7. The Ministry of Finance. — Privy Councillor M. von Reutern, appointed Nov. 9, 1862.

8. The Ministry of Justice. — Count Pahlen, appointed Jan. 10, 1868.

9. The Ministry of the Imperial Domains. — Lieut.-General A. Zelenoi, appointed November 25, 1862.

10. The Ministry of Public Works. — Major-General Count Wobrinsky, appointed May 2, 1869.

11. The Department of General Comptrol. — Privy Councillor M. Tatarinow, appointed Comptroller-General, Feb. 15, 1863.

Most of the above heads of departments have assistant ministers, who supply their place on certain occasions. They all communicate directly with the sovereign, or with the ' Private Cabinet of the Emperor,' in which body centres the whole executive authority of the empire. The Private Cabinet is divided into four sections, the first of which has the presidency and superintendence of the other two, and is in immediate communication with the emperor. The second is the legislative department ; the third is specially devoted to the