Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/415

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of great strength, being constructed on the cellular tubular principle. The entire bottom of the vessel is built with double iron skin for the purpose of giving great additional safety as well as strength. It is a remarkable fact that not only are the hulls of the new iron-clads built in Russia, but the entire quantity of iron used is home-made. The steam-engines and boilers, the armour-plating, and the arma- ment are also wholly of Russian manufacture. According to the statement of a semi-official p;iper, the ' Pojarski ' was constructed at an expenditure of 1,500,000 roubles, while the 'Sevastopol' cost nearly two millions of roubles.

The Imperial navy was manned, at the beginning of 18G8, by 60,230 sailors and marines, under the command of 3,791 officers, among whom 119 admirals and generals. The organisation of the navy is after the model of that of France, but so far different that the government of naval affairs is divided between the High Ad- miral of the Fleet and the minister of the navy, the. latter with sole charge of the administrative departments.

Population.

The Russian empire comprises one-seventh of the territorial part of the globe, and about one-twenty-sixth part of its entire surface. But the superficial extent of the empire has never been determined with accuracy. A topographical .-urvey made during the years 18G5-66, and embracing the provinces of Russia in Europe, showed the total area of the same to be 90,117 geographical square miles, or 1,992,574 English square miles. Finland and Poland were not included in this survey, but their area was calculated on the basis of other measurements. The following statement gives a summary of all the official returns regarding the area of the Empire : —

Geog. sq. miles Russia in Europe ....... 90,117

Northern Asiatic Russia, or .Siberia .... 223,780

Southern Asiatic Russia, or Trans-Caucasia. . 3,123

Grand duchy of Finland 6,400

Kingdom of Poland 2,320

Total 325,740

or 7,210,374 Eng. sq. m.

The subjoined table gives the area and population of the empire, according to general enumerations made by order of the govern- ment in 1846 and in 1858 : —