Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/516

* SAINT PETERSBURG. 466 SAINT PETERSBURG. liutnnical gardens. The reinaining islands are I'uvered with numerous parks and private gar- dens, and have many summer residences. Thcreare also a number of summer resorts along the right bank of the Xeva, while the mainland north of tl>e main arm of the Neva is ueeupied by indus- trial establishments and workingmeu"s dwellings. Saint Petersburg has a unique system of mar- kets and trading centres, in which ne.^rly all of the retail trading is carried on. There are twelve of the former and two of the latter, all belonging to the city and constituting a source of profit to the munici|)al treasury. In the two trading centres called Gostinny Dvor and Apraxine Dvor, well known all over Russia, clothing and foot- w^ear are chiefly sold. In the markets all sorts of foodstuft's constitute the chief article of trade. Edi t'ATioNAL Institutions, Collections, and Charities. Saint Petersburg is the intellectual centre of Russia. It is more influenced by West- ern civilization than any other part of Russia. Besides the university (see Saint Petersburg, University of) there are the Technological In- stitute, the Military Academy of Medicine, the Military Academy of Law, the Nicholas Military Academy, the institutes of forestry, mining, and civil engineering, the Imperial HistoricoPhilo- logieal Institute, the Alexander Lyceum, the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic academies, the 'corps of pages,' and the archseological insti- tute. There are also institutions for the higher edu- cation of women in medicine and philosophical and exact sciences. Among the special schools mention should be made of the conservatory of music, founded and directed for some time by Rubinstein. The Imperial Public Library (1,- 330,000 volumes and some 27,000 manuscripts) is inferior in size only to the Biblioth^que Nationale and the British Museum. Its nucleus is the Zaluski Library, which was seized by Suva- rofl' at Warsaw in 1794. Other important li- braries are those of the Academy of Sciences (about 400.000 volumes and 13,000 manuscripts) and the Asiatic Museum. There are also a number of interesting archives in charge of the Holy Syn- od and the various Ministries. The Hermitage contains one of the most prominent galleries of paintings in the world. There are about 1700 canvases. The Flemish and Dutch schools ( in- eluding about 40 Rembrandts). the Spanish col- lection (with especially the works of Velazquez and Murillo), and the French school, with its Claudes, are richly represented. The Hermitage has also an important collection of sculptures, an extensive collection of Scythian, Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian, and Russian antiquities, collections of engravings and coins, and a valuable library. The Academy of Art contains a valuable array of Russian paintings and works of modern French landscapists. The Alexander III. Museum, opened in 1895, is devoted chiefly to old Christian and old Russian works of art. The most note- worthy of the scientific organizations are the Academy of Sciences, to which are attached the observatories at Pulkova (q.v.) and Vilna, and the. botanical gardens, the Russian Geographical Society, with branches in Siberia and the Cau- casus, the Russian Historical Society, the Archse- ological Society, the Physico-Cheniical Society, and the Free Economic Society. There are over 300 philanthropical societies, maintaining more than GOO charitable institu- tions, including about 150 asylums for children, 90 poorhouses, and about 100 dispensaries and nurseries; also model tenements, lodging houses, etc. The hospitals are maintained mostly by the central Government and the municipality. Commerce and Industry. The capital forms with its suburbs one of the largest manufactur- ing centres of Russia, being inferior only to the industrial region of Moscow. Of special impor- tance are the textile, metal, and rubber indus- tries. Important also are the tobacco, leather, and various stone products. In 1898 the large industrial interests were represented by over 90 stock companies, with an annual output of over .$100,000,000. These, however, indicate only a part of the industrial activity, since there are a very large number of snuill industrial establish- ments, engaged mostly in the production of food products, articles of apparel, small metal and wooden wares, leather goods, etc. In the early part of the nineteenth century Saint Petersburg had over 50 per cent, of the total for- eign trade of Russia. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century the total trade of Saint Petersburg absolutely decreased, although the im- ports show a considerable absolute increase. For the two years of 1883 and 1898, for instance, the exports amounted approximatelv to $62,000,000 and .$47,000,000, and the imports to .$46,000,000 and $73,000,000 respectively. The principal ex- ports are agricultural and dairy products and Iiuiiber; the imports are composed of coal, met- als, various foodstuffs, and manufactures. By the construction of the sea canal to Kronstadt the port of Saint Petersburg has been made ac- cessible to the largest vessels. The incoming shipping of these two places in 1899 amounted to over 1,600,000 tons. Only about 5 per cent, of the vessels carried the Russian flag. Saint Petersburg is the strongest financial centre of Russia, and an important one in Europe. Its principal financial concerns are the Imperial Bank, the International Commercial Bank, and the Saint Petersburg Discount Bank. Administrative and Municipal Functions. The administration is largely in the hands of the central Government. There is, however, a mu- nicipal council elected by a very small number (about 7000) of property-owners for four years. The munici]iality and the central Government own most of the public utilities, including the water-works (which have lately been provided with a filtering plant), the street railway lines, the ferries, docks, and harbors, and the telephone lines. The street cleaning is only done in part by the city, and the sewerage is far from ade- quate. Electricity is used only to a limited ex- tent. There are as yet no electric or cable street railways. The annual budget balances at over $9,000,000. The revenue is derived principally from taxes on real estate and on business, and from the income on municipal property and undertakings. The principal expenditures are on education, service of the debt, maintenance of public works, and charities. Population. The population increased very rapidlv during the nineteenth centurv. In 1800 it was' 220,000; in 1864, 539,122; in 1897, 1,132,- 677: and in 1900, 1,248,739. It is now (1903) estimated at over 1,500,000. The suburbs, which are economically dependent on the city, had a