RUSSIA. 



The fleet in the North Sea numbered 7 armor-clad 

 battle ships, 3 circular monitors, 1 cruiser, 6 gun- 

 boats, 3 torpedo cruisers, 20 first-class and 8 second- 

 class torpedo boats, 3 school ships, 3 unarmored 

 steamers and 8 transports : total. 61 vessels, of 118,- 

 351 tons displacement and 138,426 indicated horse 

 power, carrying 480 guns and 118 torpedo tubes. 



The Siberian flotilla consisted of 1 first-class 

 cruiser, 4 gunboats, 2 torpedo cruisers, 7 first-class 

 and 8 second-class torpedo boats, 2 steamers, and 4 

 transports; total, 28 vessels, of 13,044 tons dis- 

 placement and 29,555 indicated horse power, carry- 

 ing an aggregate armament of 129 guns and 30 

 torpedo tubes. 



The naval force on the Caspian Sea consisted of 

 2 gunboats and 5 steamers, carrying 20 guns in all. 



The personnel of the navy in 1890 comprised 1,250 

 navy officers, 100 naval architects, 298 mechani- 

 cians, 230 surgeons, 45 officers of maritime engineers, 

 422 officers and 560 employees in the central admin- 

 istration, and 34,500 under officers and sailors. 



The Czar has approved estimates prepared by the 

 Minister of Marine for seven years in advance. 

 The total sum to be expended up to 1902 is 403,- 

 000,000 rubles, beginning with 57,500,000 for 1896, 

 and increasing by 500,000 rubles annually till in 

 1902 it reaches 60,500,000 rubles. These annual sums 

 are to be expended largely in the construction of 

 new vessels, and will depend upon the development 

 of the war fleets of foreign countries. The Russian 

 war ships in foreign waters in 1896 were divided 

 into two squadrons, a Pacific and a Mediterranean 

 squadron. In the Pacific were stationed 1 ar- 

 mored battle ship, 6 first-class and 2 second-class 

 cruisers, 2 torpedo cruisers, and 5 first-class gun- 

 boats; in the Mediterranean, 1 armored bat tit- 

 ship, and 2 first-class gunboats. The new war ships 

 "Russia" and "Apraxin " were launched on May 

 12, 1896, on the Aeva. The cruiser " Russia" is 

 the largest ship in the navy and more powerful 

 than the " Rurik," having a displacement of 12,195 

 tons, with engines of 17,000 horse power, expected 

 to give a speed of 19 knots. The armor plates 

 and belt are Harveyized steel made in Pittsburg, 

 Pa. The armament will consist of 8-inch, 6-inch, 

 75-millimetre, 47-millimetre, and 37-millimetre 

 guns, besides torpedo apparatus. This vessel will 

 be followed by one of 14,000 tons that is intended 

 to be the most powerful cruiser in the world. The 

 "Apraxin" has a displacement of 4,126 tons, with 

 armor plates 10 inches thick, and will carry an 

 armament of 4 9-inch guns in revolving turrets 

 and 22 rapid-fire guns, besides torpedoes, for which 

 there are 4 dischargers. 



Commerce. The total value of the imports of 

 merchandise in 1894 was 559,500,000 rubles, against 

 463,500,000 rubles in 1893 and 403,900,000 rubles in 

 1892 ; the total value of the exports was 684,500,- 

 000 rubles, against 613,700,000 rubles in 1893 and 

 489,400,000 rubles in 1892. Of the imports in 1894 



and of the exports 488,400,000 and 596.100,000 

 rubles respectively passed the European frontiers, 

 18,900,000 and 15,300,000 rubles represented the 

 trade with Finland, and 52,200,000 and 73,100,000 

 rubles the dealings by way of the Asiatic frontiers. 

 The trade with the different foreign countries in 

 1894, exclusive of the movement of precious metals, 

 was. in rubles, as in the preceding table : 



The imports of Russia in Europe in 1895, com- 

 prising all that passed the European frontiers, in- 

 cluding those of Finland and the Caucasus and 

 Black Sea, amounted to 489,401,000 rubles, of 

 which 67,652.000 rubles represent articles of ali- 

 mentation, 2,883,000 rubles live animals, 282,373,000 

 rubles raw or partly manufactured materials, and 

 136,493.000 rubles manufactured articles; the ex- 

 ports amounted to 691,030,000 rubles, o which 

 385,647,000 rubles represent alimentary products, 

 15.138,000 rubles live animals, 260,044,000 rubles 

 raw and partly manufactured materials, and 30,- 

 201,000 rubles manufactured products. The prin- 

 cipal articles of importation were: Cotton, 59,439,- 

 000 rubles : machinery and agricultural implements, 

 58.632.000 rubles ; iron, 38,422,000 rubles; wool, 31,- 

 S25.000 rubles; tea, 19,163,000 rubles; colors, 16,- 

 l:>:!.<)00 rubles: coal, 15.553,000 rubles; chemicals 

 and drugs, 12,430.000 rubles ; fish, 12,177,000 

 rubles : iron manufactures, 10,908,000 rubles ; 

 skins, 10,005.000 rubles; fruits, 9,069,000 rubles; 

 wine, 7,027,000 rubles; oils, 6,909,000 rubles; writ- 

 ing materials, 6,804,000 rubles ; raw silk, 6,804.000 

 rubles ; aluminium bronze, 6,275,000 rubles ; watches, 

 5.710,000 rubles; coffee, 5,604,000 rubles; sheet 

 metal, 5,484,000 rubles; indigo, 5,110,000 rubles; 

 woolens, 4,625,000 rubles; lead, 4,551,000 rubles. 

 The principal exports from European Russia to 

 Europe in 1895 were: Cereals. 323.177,000 rubles; 

 flax, 72,364.000 rubles; seeds, 41.627,000 rubles; 

 timber. 37.660.000 rubles: petroleum, 26,740,000 

 rubles; eggs, 19,775,000 rubles; hemp, 19,212.000 

 rubles; animals, 15,138,000 rubles; sugar, 11,850,- 

 000 rubles : legumes, 11,172,000 rubles ; skins, 

 8,295,000 rubles; hair and bristles, 8,132,000 rubles. 

 The goods imported into Russia from European 

 countries in 1894 exceeded by 92,000,000 rubles the 

 similar imports of 1893, and of this increase 45 per 

 cent, was due to the extension of German trade, 

 which now has the leading position formerly occu- 

 pied by British imports. The imports into Ger- 

 many from Russia increased at the same time 11 

 per cent. The exports of breadstuffs from Euro- 

 pean Russia in 1895 were less in quantity than in 

 the previous year, 184,000,000 hundredweight 

 against 205,000,000 hundredweight, due to a decline 

 in the exports of barley, oats, and corn. 



The total trade in 1895 was less in value than 

 that of 1894, but the decrease is due to the cessation 

 of the heavy importations by the Government in 

 1894 of gold and silver bullion. The merchandise 

 trade exceeded that of the former year. The satis- 

 factory results are attributed in great measure to 

 the fixity of the value of the ruble, which the Min- 

 ister of Finance has maintained at considerable 

 cost to the country at large. 



Navigation. There were 282 Russian vessels, 

 of 31,000 tons, and 401 foreign vessels, of 234,000 

 tons, entered in the ports of the White Sea in 1894; 

 734 Russian vessels, of 255,000 tons, and 4,844 for- 

 eign vessels, of 3,088,000 tons, entered at Baltic 

 ports; and 410 Russian vessels, of 405,000 tons, and 

 5.361 foreign vessels, of 5,830,000 tons, entered in 

 the ports of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azof; 

 total in all the ports, 12,032 vessels, of 9,843,000 

 tons. The total clearances were 11,926, of 9.789,000 

 tons. The merchant marine in 1895 comprised 322 

 steamers, of 153,923 tons, and 1,733 sailing vessels, 

 of 359,740 tons. 



