RUSSIA. 



763 



976,000 rubles, and the exports at 11,124,000 

 rubles; the exports of sugar at 13,745,000 ru- 

 bles; the exports of animals at 12,955,000 ru- 

 bles ; the imports of tobacco at 2,838,000, and 

 the exports at 1,048,000 rubles; the imports of 

 dye stuffs at 15,734,000 rubles ; the exports of 

 hair and bristles at 13,101,000 rubles; the im- 

 ports of tissues, trimmings, and apparel at 9,933 - 

 000 and the exports at 10,282,000 rubles ; the im- 

 ports of raw metals at 24,238,000 rubles; the 

 total imports of alimentary substances at 85,- 

 ' 349,000, and the exports at 397,937,000 rubles ; 

 the imports of raw and partly manufactured ma- 

 terials at 242,632,000, and the exports at 254,- 

 335,000 rubles ; the imports of manufactured ar- 

 ticles at 75,223,000, and the exports at 21,858,000 

 rubles. The imports of precious metals across 

 the European frontiers were 9,349,000 and the 

 exports 17,411,000 rubles ; and the imports froni 

 Asia were 1,815,000 and the exports 3,062,000 

 rubles. The imports of tea overland from Asia 

 in 1889 amounted to 17,579,000 rubles ; textile 

 materials, 10,190,000 rubles; the grain exports 

 to Asia 17,558,000 rubles; the exports of textile 

 manufactures, 2,485,000 rubles. 



The export movement was checked and im- 

 portation stimulated by a sudden rise in the val- 

 ue of the paper ruble in the summer of 1890. 

 which was attributed to German bourse manipu- 

 lators. In order to make the duties correspond 

 with the altered rate of exchange, they were 

 raised all around 20 per cent, by a ukase issued 

 on Aug. 30, the effect of which was neutralized 

 by an immediate further rise of 20 per cent, in 

 the exchange value of the paper ruble. 



Navigation. In 1888 688 vessels were en- 

 tered at the White Sea ports, of which 309 were 

 with cargoes, and 674 were cleared with cargoes 

 and 2 in ballast ; 6,965 were entered and 6,886 

 cleared at the Baltic ports, 3,553 of the former 

 and all except 415 of the latter carrying cargoes ; 

 6.278 were entered and 6,227 cleared at the ports 

 of the Black Sea, 4,745 arriving and only 908 

 going away without cargoes ; and on the Cas- 

 pian Sea 1,040 were entered and 1,005 were 

 cleared. For the entire empire the arrivals 

 numbered 14,971, of which 6,291 brought car- 

 goes, and the departures numbered 14,794, of 

 which 13,200 sailed with cargoes. Of the total 

 number entered 10,042, and of the vessels cleared 

 9,917, were steamers. Of the vessels entered, 

 4,623 were English, 2,623 Russian, 1,740 Swed- 

 ish and Norwegian, 1,711 German, 1,050 Danish, 

 830 Turkish, 652 Austrian, and 185 Dutch, etc. 



Railroads. The railroads on Sept. 1, 1890, 

 had a total length of 26,554 versts or 28.327 kil- 

 ometres, without reckoning the railroads of Fin- 

 land, measuring 1,825 kilometres, and the Trans- 

 caspian line of 1,433 kilometres. The gross 

 earnings of the state railroads in 1888 were 

 279,444,317 francs. 



Posts and Telegraphs. In 1888 there passed 

 through the post-office 157,121,000 domestic and 

 22,078,000 foreign letters, 17,300,000 domestic 

 and 8,254,000 foreign postal cards, 19,006,000 do- 

 mestic and 8,373,000 foreign papers and circu- 

 lars, and 11,994,000 money letters of the value of 

 16,299,985,000 francs. The receipts were 75,259,- 

 133 and the expenses 91,787,784 francs. 



The telegraphs had an aggregate length in 

 1888 of 122,020 kilometres, with 284,637 kilome- 



tres of wires. The internal messages numbered 

 8,638,039 ; foreign messages dispatched, 079,308 

 foreign messages received, 727,122; total, includ- 

 ing official and in transit, 10,804,587. The receipts 

 were 2,284,725 francs. 



Finland. The Grand Duchy of Finland by 

 the treaty of 1809 and the special grant of Alex- 

 ander I, renewed by his successors, has preserved 

 some of its ancient constitutional liberties. A 

 national Parliament is convoked every three 

 years to consider projects of law submitted by 

 the Emperor, who is Grand Duke of Finland 

 For altering the Constitution or levying taxes, 

 the unanimous consent of the four Chambers of 

 Parliament, representing the four estates of the 

 nobles, clergy, burgesses, and peasants, is neces- 

 sary. There is a Senate sitting at Helsingfors, 

 the members of which are nominated by the 

 Crown, to exercise supervision over the adminis- 

 tration of the duchy. The money unit is the 

 mark, having the same value as the franc. In 



1888 the customs produced 16,434,000, and in 



1889 over 19,000,000 marks. During the trien- 

 nial period 1888-90 a surplus of 15,000.000 

 marks accumulated in the treasury. The ex- 

 ports are timber, wood pulp, paper, cardboard 

 and paper hangings, iron and steel goods, but- 

 ter, leather, hides, and pitch. Since the imposi- 

 tion of heavy duties on Finnish products in 

 1885 the exports to Russia have steadily de- 

 clined, while those to England, Germany, and 

 other countries have grown. 



Russiflcatiou of Finland. The policy of 

 amalgamating the non- Russian communities 

 with the general mass of the Russian nation by 

 abolishing their guaranteed autonomous institu- 

 tions and promoting conformity with the state 

 religion was vigorously prosecuted in 1890. 

 Pobodonstcheff. the procurator-general of the 

 Holy Synod, who endeavored to wipe out the 

 Russian sects by relentless persecution, used 

 both force and enticements to induce the Uniate 

 Catholics of the Polish provinces to adopt the 

 orthodox religion, and planted churches and 

 missionaries among the Lutherans of the Baltic 

 provinces. The separate judicial and municipal 

 institutions and all the rights of self-govern- 

 ment having been abolished, the officials could 

 proceed without restraint in their task of up- 

 rooting the German language and forms of 

 worship. Pastors who resisted ran the risk 

 of being deprived of their incomes, for the 

 church lands and endowments that were former- 

 ly managed by the clergy for their own benefit, 

 were placed in charge of local lay committees 

 dominated by Russian officials. Candidates for 

 the ministry were compelled to seek the approval 

 of the Czar in St. Petersburg, and his confirma- 

 tion was required also for Catholic appointments 

 in Poland. In South Russia the Itussification 

 of the once favored and encouraged German 

 agricultural colonies was begun, and ordinances 

 were issued by the Governor of Kieff to repress 

 and restrict their influence. 



In January, a commission composed of mem- 

 bers of the Russian Council of State and of the 

 Finnish Senate, met to consider a project for se- 

 curing a closer union of Finland and Russia by 

 abolishing certain constitutional rights of the 

 grand duchy. The commission approved the 

 amalgamation of the Finnish customs, post- 



