Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/506

 482 RUSSIA ASIATIC TRADE. ImporU, ruble.. Export., rublM. Turkey 6,275,000 8,015,000 4,1*25,000 20,000 8.552,000 J.>2o.OOO 1,693,000 1,262,000 China Persia. Other countries Total 19,285,000 9,882,000 The following table gives the value of imports and exports for a series of years : YEARS. Import*, rnblet. Exporti, rnblM. I860 1M. .>:',.-' ,1 .-203,247,777 823,451.000 8,$53,<K)0 860.867,284 242 S.'O.OOO 159.808.405 104.805,010 428,959,000 818,510,000 852.578,688 272,870,000 1865 1868 1370 1871 1872... In 1872 the imports of gold and silver, in coin and bars, amounted to 12,968,000 rubles, and the exports to 5,742,000. The movements of shipping in 1871 and 1872 were as follows: TEARS. EXTKRID. CLEAKKD. Vxiob. Tonnagv. VMMU. In it.-,-. 1871... 1 2.256 10,071 1.894,880 1,577,489 12,173 10,044 1.S-.I7.&1S 1.579,294 1372... The Russian commercial fleet in 1874 com- prised 2,504 vessels (of which 227 were steam- ers), of 520,584 tons. The inland trade is car- ried on in a very great measure by means of annual fairs, of which those at Nizhni Novgo- rod are the most remarkable. The first rail- way in Russia was completed in 1836, and ex- tends from St. Petersburg to Tzarskoye Selo and Pavlovsk, two imperial residences, the latter distant from the capital 17 ra. A much more important road, from St. Petersburg to Moscow, was opened in 1851, and is 398 m. long. In 1874 the total length of the Russian railways was 10,725 ra., with about 2,400 m. in course of construction. The aggregate cap- ital expended in the construction of railways up to January, 1874, was 1,403,900,000 rubles. The interest guaranteed by the state amounted in 1873 to 51,180,000 rubles, of which 14,590,- 000 had really to be paid. The entire receipts of the railways in 1878 amounted to 122,880,- 000 rubles. The first electric telegraph was constructed in 1853, since which time the lines have been rapidly extended throughout the empire, including one across Siberia. The ag- gregate length of the lines at the close of 1872 was 44,692 m., and of telegraph wires 90,430 m. The number of offices was 1,333, and of telegrams 3,259,552; the revenue, 17,120,000 rubles; expenses, 14,957,000 rubles. The Bal- tic is connected with the Black sea by the Dana, the Oginski canal, the Beresina, and the Dnieper and Bog systems, and with the Vol- ga and the Caspian sea by the Nizhni Volo- tchok, Tikhvin, and Maria canals. A canal across N. Finland forms a connection be- tween the White sea and the Baltic. Many other canals connect two rivers. The Don and the Volga are connected by a horse railroad. The communication with Siberia is greatly facilitated by natural waterways. The Kama and its affluent the Ufa lead close to the mines of the Ural. The government of the Russian empire is an absolute monarchy. The emperor has the title of samoderzhetz (autocrat) of all the Russias. At the same time he bears the titles of king of Poland, grand duke of Fin- land, czar of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, and several others, including many hereditary German ones which have come to him through the connection of the Romanoff dynasty with German princely houses. According to the law of 1797, the crown was hereditary by right of primogeniture, with a preference for the male descendants ; but the emperor Nich- olas changed this law, excluding female inher- itance altogether so long as there is a male member of the family. All the marriages of the members of the reigning family must have the emperor's sanction, and all the children of a matrimonial alliance not recognized by the sovereign are excluded from the succession. The hereditary grand duke becomes of age at 16; all the other princes at 18. With regard to Finland, the emperor is bound by the act of incorporation of 1809 to observe certain con- stitutional privileges of the grand duchy ; but in reality this is never done, and the kind of diet which Finland possesses is of no value to its people. The highest consultative body of the empire is the state council, which is fre- quently presided over by the emperor himself. It consists of the ministers and such other dig- nitaries as he may appoint, and is divided into three departments, legislative, administrative, and financial. The next in importance among the central boards of the empire is the senate, created in 1711 by Peter the Great. It has charge of the promulgation and execution of the law, and forms also the supreme court. The number of its members generally does not ex- ceed 120. The third central body is the holy synod, which has jurisdiction over the affairs of the Russian state church. The synod was es- tablished in 1721, and has its seat nt St. Peters- burg, with a section at Moscow. The state min- istry consists of ten ministers, and a depart- ment of general financial control. There is also an institution called the committee of ministers, in which all the ministers meet once a week and consult on the affairs of the state, under the presidency of a dignitary specially appointed by the emperor. The ten ministers are those of the imperial house, of foreign affairs, of war, of the navy, of the interior, of finance, of public instruction, of justice, of the imperial domain, and of public works. Poland and Finland are represented at St. Petersburg by special secretaries of state, through whom all orders issuing from the central power are trans- mitted. The Caucasus, Siberia, and central Asia are ruled by their respective governors