BESOURCES, &C. OF RUSSIA. 463 



vastly increased since the demise of Peter the Great. Its annual 

 amount was then only about 1,000,000/. sterling ; now it is little, if 

 at all, short of 17,000,000/. The national debt is about 55,000,000/. 

 and is almost wholly of paper currency, guaranteed by the Crown. 



In literature Russia is far, very far behind all the other great 

 powers of Europe. The great bulk of the population are as ignorant 

 as can well be conceived. Among the nobles and higher orders of 

 the gentry the belles lettres have been pretty extensively cultivated of 

 late years. Peter the Great endeavoured, but with very limited suc- 

 cess indeed, to inspire a taste for literature among the wealthier 

 classes in his dominions. At all events, there are only one or two 

 authors of any merit which either this or the succeeding reign pro- 

 duced. Forty years since there were not, of any kind, above 4000 

 works published in Russia. Their number at this moment is not 

 supposed to exceed 8000. Of authors who enjoy even a tolerable 

 measure of popularity the number is under 500 ; and of these no 

 fewer than 300 are now alive. It is a remarkably rare thing for a 

 literary work published in Russia to pay itself. It is believed there 

 were never above two or three productions of which an edition of 

 400 copies was disposed of. Still, as we have already said, the 

 belles lettres are, on the whole, extensively cultivated among the 

 higher classes, as are also one or two of the severer sciences. History, 

 poetry, and the philosophy of language are the departments of lite- 

 rature which excite most interest. Of historians the most eminent 

 are Talischtsche, Schlscherbatof, Tschulkof, Ehilkof, Novorokof, 

 and Karmsin. The most celebrated poets are Boyan, Lomonossof, 

 Smirarokof, Kanusi, Scheraskof, Duntriev, Bogdanofitch, Der- 

 chavin, Elgin, &c. The last-mentioned is in Russian dramatic 

 literature what Shakspeare is in England. Besides these, and ten or 

 twelve other poets of considerable genius, all of the male sex, there 

 are two Russian ladies, Anna Bunin and Anna Volkov, whose poetical 

 works entitle them to rank with the Hemans and Landons. We pass 

 over the names of the writers, in mercy to the eyes and jaws of our 

 readers, who have most distinguished themselves in the philosophy 

 of languages. The field of chemistry has been pretty successfully 

 cultivated by Mussin Poschkin. Natural philosophy is not neglected. 

 Medicine and mathematics are also studied rather generally, the lat- 

 ter with greater success than the former. A number of works of 

 great value, in the shape of tours, travels, voyages, &c., are to be 

 met with ; but novel literature, whenever attempted, has signally 

 failed. The only novels, indeed, to be found in the Russian language 

 worthy of being read are translations from foreign authors. We need 

 hardly say that among these our own Sir Walter Scott is the chief 

 favourite. 



The periodicals of Russia are not numerous. In St. Petersburg 

 there are only three newspapers ; in Moscow two. In the former 

 city, the capital of the empire, there are eleven or twelve journals 

 of one kind or other devoted to literature and science ; in Moscow 

 seven. The censorship of the press is enforced with the utmost 

 rigour. 



In Russia the number of universities is seven, the principal of 



