708 



RUSSIA. 



The movement of commerce in the years 

 1872 and 1873 was as follows (value expressed 

 in thousands of rubles) : 



The imports and exports of Russia during 

 the year 1874 were as follows : 



The movement of shipping in 1874 was as 

 follows : 



The length of railroads in operation on Jan- 

 uary 1, 1876, amounted to 19,948 kilometres. 

 At the close of the year 1875 the telegraph- 

 lines in operation had an aggregate length of 

 81,545 kilometres, while the length of wire was 

 161,476 kilometres. 



The most prominent feature of Russian his- 

 tory, during the year 1876, is the leading part 

 taken by the Government in the great compli- 

 cations in Turkey (see TTJBKET). In April, the 

 official gazette of St. Petersburg published a 

 declaration in respect to the situation in the 

 East, which was intended to be reassuring. 

 The accord between the powers, it said, with 

 respect to the establishment of peace, was com- 

 plete. The difficulties produced by agitations 

 and material hinderances could not constrain 

 the united will of Europe. The accord of the 

 powers was only confirmed by the contem- 

 plated invasion of Montenegro. The imperial 

 cabinet had immediately invited the other five 

 great powers to advise their representatives at 

 Constantinople to counsel the Porte against war- 

 like proceedings. Germany, Austria, France, 

 and Italy, had responded, and there were 

 grounds to expect the accession of England. 

 Favorable reports had been received from 

 Constantinople. The Sultan had changed his 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, so as to seem to 

 put away every design of attack on Montene- 

 gro, and to give assurances that the military 

 measures at Scutari were intended only for 

 eventual defense. A few weeks later the state- 

 ment was repeated by the press, that the Gov- 

 ernment would act only in accord with the 

 other powers in reference to affairs at Con- 

 stantinople. In June diplomatic representa- 

 tives were dispatched to Servia and Monte- 

 negro, to work, it was said, in a peaceful man- 

 ner, with a view that Russia, in accord with 

 the other powers, might watch over the intro- 

 duction of Turkish reforms for the protection 

 of the South Slavs. In the latter part of 

 August the Czar attended a grand review of 

 troops at Warsaw, where he made a short ad- 

 dress, in which he said that, although there 

 was at present no opportunity to test the de- 

 votion of the army, he knew that he could 

 count upon it at any time. In the beginning 

 of September a statement was officially made 

 on behalf of the Government in reference to a 

 policy which had often been attributed to it, 

 of observing with indifference, or of not op- 

 posing, the formation of parties or risings among 

 the Russian people in favor of self-administra- 

 tion for the provinces of Slavic race and Chris- 



