694 



RUSSIA. 



According to an official report, the Russian 

 fleet consisted, in 1871, of 229 steamers, hav- 

 ing 34,277 horse-power, with 1,585 guns, be- 

 sides 32 sailing-vessels. The greater and more 

 formidable part of this navy was stationed in 

 the Baltic. The Black-Sea fleet numbered 32 ; 

 the Caspian, 31 ; the Siberian or Pacific, 39 ; 

 and the Lake Aral or Toorkistan squadron, 6 

 vessels. The rest of the ships were either sta- 

 tioned at Kronstadt or engaged in cruising in 

 European waters. All these ships are of iron. 

 At the beginning of 1868 the Imperial Navy 

 was manned by 60,230 sailors and marines, 

 under the command of 3,791 officers, among 

 whom were 119 admirals and generals. 



The movement of commerce in 1869 was as 

 follows (value expressed in rubles) : 



The merchant navy, in 1869, was composed 

 as follows: Sailing-vessels, 2,534; steamers, 

 114; total, 2,648. 



The danger of a war between Russia and 

 Turkey was fortunately averted by the Con- 

 ference held for the settlement of the Eastern 

 question in London (see EASTERN QUESTION), 

 On March 13th, the representative of Russia 

 as well as that of Turkey announced to the 

 Conference that they had received authority 

 from their courts to conclude a convention ab- 

 rogating the stipulations of the act signed in 

 Paris, 1856, relating to the number and force 

 of vessels- of-war which each of the parties 

 concerned should maintain in the Black Sea. 

 On March 18th the convention was concluded, 

 and during the remainder of the year the two 

 Governments remained on friendly terms. The 

 Sultan sent to the Czar the Imperial Order of 

 Osmanli ; and the Czar, when the order was 

 presented to him, replied to the Turkish envoy 

 that the London Conference had removed all 

 points of irritation between the two countries, 

 and that nothing now could disturb the pres- 

 ent entente cordiale. A visit which the young 

 Prince Milan of Servia paid to the Czar, in the 

 Crimea, increased again for a time the fear 

 that Russia might stir up a new Panslavio 

 agitation in the East, but the Russian Govern- 

 ment officially denied all intention to disturb 

 the peace of Europe. 



The official relations between the Govern- 

 ments of Germany and Russia remained 

 throughout the year of the most friendly char- 

 acter. The efforts of the Russian Government 

 to divest its Baltic provinces more and more 

 of their German character gave, however, 

 great offence. 



Exasperated by the severe treatment they 

 were receiving at a time when the fame of their 

 race was resounding through the world, the 

 fterman Lutherans of the Baltic provinces at the 



beginning of the year sent a petition of rights 

 direct to the Emperor. The Czar called a 

 council to consider this petition; and that 

 body declared the movement a *' factious dem- 

 onstration," and the Governor-General of the 

 provinces was instructed to read a severe 

 reproof to the legislative bodies that had ven- 

 tured in this way to approach the throne. 

 Thus all hope from within was lost, and the 

 Lutherans began to turn for sympathy to 

 other lands. In this way the matter came in- 

 to the hands of the Evangelical Alliance in 

 England and America; and, in view of the 

 friendly relations between America and Rus- 

 sia, it was hoped that representatives from 

 the United States might exert a large influence 

 in favor of the persecuted Christians of these 

 populous provinces. A deputation from the 

 American branch of the Evangelical Alliance 

 consequently proceeded to Europe to present 

 an address to the Emperor, who at the time 

 of the arrival of the deputation was at Stutt- 

 gart, on a visit to his sister, Queen Olga. 

 After their arrival at Stuttgart, the delegates 

 had a conference with Prince GortschakofF, 

 who published in the official Government Mes- 

 senger, of August llth, the following report 

 addressed by him to the Emperor on the con- 

 ference : 



Many members of the deputation, lie said, made 

 long speeches, and, although he considered it his 

 duty, as a matter of politeness, to listen to them pa- 

 tiently, "he will not venture to expose his Majesty 

 to a similar fatigue." The speakers declared that 

 their visit had no political character, and begged the 

 prince to obtain for them an interview with the Em- 

 peror, in order to present Mm with three addresses : 

 one from the American Protestants ; one, drawn up 

 in London, from the Protestants of Europe ; and the 

 third "from some Quakers." The prince observed, 

 in his reply, that the Emperor, like Ms predecessors, 

 had always adhered to the principles of religious 

 toleration and liberty of conscience ; the confidence 

 in his Majesty, unanimously expressed by the mem- 

 bers of the deputation, was therefore a sufficient 

 guarantee of his sentiments, and it was impossible 

 for him to offer them any other guarantee. He 

 added, in regard to the suggestions made by some of 

 the speakers for an alteration in certain of the im- 

 perial laws, that Eussia could not permit any foreign 

 interference in such matters. " However important 

 the declaration that no political object is aimed at 

 may be and I am ready to believe in the entire sin- 

 cerity of this declaration the mere fact of a depu- 

 tation composed of the representatives of various 

 nations having come to his Majesty with such loudly- 

 professed objects would have the appearance of an 

 intervention in our internal affairs ; and we cannot 

 permit even the shadow of such an intervention from 

 any quarter whatever." This declaration, proceeds 

 the prince, "was received with profound regret, 

 which, however, was expressed in respectful terms." 

 He then declared his readiness to present the Ameri- 

 can address to the Emperor, upon which the delegate 

 from Geneva asked that the London address might 

 be presented also. This, however, the prince "most 

 positively " declined to do, on the ground that the 

 assertions contained in the London address about 

 the Church in Esthonia and Livonia rested on 

 " either false or incomplete information," which ap- 

 peared to him " derived from partial sources, whose 

 trustworthiness must inspire doubt." He then sug- 

 gested that it would be better not to present the 

 Emperor with any address at all, and this suggestion 



