Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1302

946 and Port Arthur, and run, in addition, the tea trade and passenger traffic between China and the Black Sea, besides being employed in peace as transport for troops, particularly for carrying recruits and Reserve men between Odessa and Batoum. The connection of this fleet with the State was formerly much too loose, in consequence of which a new organisation of it took place in 1886, whereby the Volunteer Fleet is under the Admiralty, but has its own management and capital.

According to official data of 1892, the whole territory of the 50 Governments of European Russia proper, exclusive of the islands of Arkhangelsk, and the pasture grounds of the Kalmucks and Kirghizes (40,925,060 acres), was distributed among different owners, as follows:—

Owners. Area Unfit for Culture, Roads, &c. The State. The Imperial Family. The Peasants Private Owners. Total. Acres 410,801,867 19,890,835 373,310,496 294,504,582 Acres 139,397,498 35,545,735 35,115,557 1,098,507,780 210,058,770

In 1892, the total land and that held in private ownership was as follows:—

Nature of Land Total In private ownership Acres Per cent. Acres Per cent Arable .... 287,969,552 26'2 80,063,271 27-3 Orchards, meadow, grazing, &c. . . 174,958,734 15-9 68,628,269 23-2 Forests, &c. . 425,520,714 38-8 110,697,486 376 Unfit for culture, roads. &c Total. 210,058,770 19-1 35,115,566 11-9 1,098,507,780 100-0 294,504,582 100-0

In Poland 55 per cent, of the area is arable land.

The state of the redemption operation among the village communities of liberated serfs is seen from the following accounts up till January 1, 1895. The accounts are shown separately for Russia and the Western provinces where the conditions of redemption were more liberal for the peasants, according to the laws of 1863