I^^ Population of Btissia, ' [MARcis, 



CKecuted during the years 1720—1723, 1741—1743, 1761— 17Q3. 

 The years of revision usually quoted are 17i^2, 1742, 1762. 



The first revision, ordered in the year 1721, and finished in the 

 year 1723, gave the whole number of revisionaries as 5,794,928. 

 This is the well-known number quoted in all the statistical accounts 

 of Russia ; but according to a statement of the population sent to 

 Voltaire for his History of Peter the Great, and which is found in 

 the first folio volume of the MSS sent io him, and which returned 

 with his library to the Hermitage of St, Petersburgh, there were 

 only at the first revision 5,401,083 revisionaries who paid their 

 cnpitation, and were liable to be called into military service; and 

 34,971 not liable ; tnaking a whole of 5,436,054 revisionaries. A 

 difference of 358,874 males Is too considerable to be ascribed either 

 to an error in the calculation, or in taking down the numbera 

 ordered for a financial and military purpose by Peter the Great. I 

 cannot account for the difference in a satisfactory manner ; for even 

 supposing that the statement sent to Voltaire did not include the 

 inhabitants of towns and the merchants, which might very well be 

 the case, as they are not revisionaries, still the number 358,874 

 appears to me too great for the state of industry at that time ; be- 

 cause at present, when the population is three times as great, and 

 the national wealth prodigiously increased, the number of inha- 

 bitants of towns, and the number of merchants, do not exceed 

 650,000 males. I am somewhat uncertain^ therefore, about the 

 ttue result of the first revision. 



The siecond revision, which was ordered in 1741, and terminated 

 in 1743, is likewise attended with some uncertainty. There are 

 two or three tabular statements of the result : one gives 6,646,390 

 for the number of males comprehended under the revision ; another 

 gives 6,677> 167. Georgi mfikes the number only 6,643,335. The 

 difference of 30,777 between the two statements is much smaller 

 than the discrepancy which exists with regard to the first revision, 

 and agrees pretty well with the number of revisionaries which, at 

 the first revision, did not pay the capitation tax. 1 have no data for 

 accounting for the difference. 



The third revision, of 1762, is the only one which givts diiiy 

 ptie result. The total number of revisionaries is marked at 

 7jS63,348. 



This r»ould be the proper place to speak of the aiinual general 

 enumerations of the peasants tiiade sirice the year 1800 : but not to 

 interrupt the chronological order, I pass to the fourth revision^ 

 begun in 1781, and terminated in 1783, with which the getieral 

 enumeration^ in Russia corn mence. 



The object of this general revision was id relieve the people, wfid 

 necessarily suffer, at length, in consequence of the inequality 

 introduced into the division of the imposts, and of the civil and 

 military services, by the loss of those who die, for whom it iS 

 always necessary to pay, while those persons who are borri subje- 



