RUSSIA. 



SALVADOR. 



693 



can not be denied that the passes, if they exist, 

 would dil Russia materially in an onward march 

 t India. In the early summer of 1892 an ex- 

 I'.-.litiuu started out under the command of ('"I. 

 Yanofl, ostensibly with the view of strengthen- 

 in^ Kussiau authority in her own district and 

 securing the evacuation of territory arbitrarily 

 occupied by the Chinese, and to protect the Rus- 

 sian Kirghiz encamped in the Pamirs against 

 tlu'Hggre.-sioii and the exactions of the Afghans, 

 i '<'!. Vanoff, in his report to the Governor of 

 IJudukhsliaii, states that when he arrived in the 

 territory claimed by Russia he found several 

 Chinese outposts established on Russian terri- 

 tory, but that they evacuated their positions on 

 demand. Then, hearing that about 1,000 Af- 

 ghans were encamped at Somatash, he proceeded 

 thither with 1,000 troops for the purpose of ob- 

 taining an explanation from the Afghan leader. 

 Col. Vanoff went in advance with a small force 

 and tried to induce the Afghan in command to 

 meet him amicably ; this he refused to do, but 

 approached at the head of his followers, who 

 had their guns cocked, using abusive and threat- 

 ening language, whereupon Col. Yanoff ordered 

 his men to disarm them. Then the Afghans 

 opened fire, killing 1 Russian and wounding 2 ; 

 tne Russians returned the fire, killing 9, including 

 an officer, and wounding 2, besides capturing 

 7 prisoners. This encounter created a good 

 deal of excitement in India as well as in Europe, 

 owing to the difficulty of obtaining an accurate re- 

 port of the number of the Russian forces and their 

 object, but, as a matter of fact, Russia only exer- 

 cised her authority over territory which she has 

 long claimed as her own, and expelled from it 

 foreign forces which refused to leave Russian 

 soil. The expedition was withdrawn in Septem- 

 ber, but as the reappearance was feared of Chi- 

 nese and Afghans in the Pamirs, who might 

 disturb or oppress the inhabitants, a small force 

 of observation was left in cantonment near the 

 tomb of the Shah Djan, on the right bank of the 

 Murghab. Baron Vrevsky, Governor-General of 

 Turkestan, in a general order which he ad- 

 dressed to his troops, expressed full satisfaction 

 with the manner in whicn the Pamir expedition 

 was carried out. 



The Famine. The famine which visited 

 Russia in 1891-'92 extended over an area of 

 about 475,000 square miles, and afflicted a popu- 

 lation of nearly 30,000,000 souls. The reasons 

 for such a frightful calamity are various and 

 many. The area covered by the famine was for- 

 merly the most fertile and productive part of 



Russia, but of late years the crops have been 

 falling off. In 1886 the distressed provinces 

 produced 140,914,948 chetverts (1 chetvert= 

 about 5'9 bushels) of grain, and in 1889 the har- 

 vest was 105,914,000 chetverta ; but in 1891 the 

 produce had fallen to 71,371,900 chetverte. The 

 exports were not reduced in proportion to the 

 decrease in production, for while the exports in 

 1888 amounted to 484,891,000 poods, those of 

 1891, the year of the famine, still amounted to 

 310,000,000 poods. The total harvest of 1891 of 

 all cereals and potatoes for the European prov- 

 inces of Russia and Poland, after deducting 

 the exports, was about 14 poods per head ; as, 

 however, 14| poods per head is the required 

 annual amount, there was a deficit of about 

 half a pood per head. The amount on hand, if 

 evenly distributed at the beginning, would prob- 

 ably have sufficed to sustain the population ; but 

 .a surplus in one part and a large deficit in other 

 parts of the empire, coupled with the limited 

 means of communication, made it impossible to 

 establish an equilibrium. In spite of the stren- 

 uous efforts of the Government to mitigate the 

 terrible suffering in the famine districts, there 

 were thousands of unhappy peasants who suc- 

 cumbed to the ravages of hunger ; and when, in 

 consequence of the bad nourishment, diseases 

 broke out, the number of deaths increased 50 per 

 cent, in some localities. Up to March 1, 1892, 

 the Government had spent 150,000,000 rubles for 

 the support of the sufferers, and on June 1 the 

 sum was estimated to have reached 200,000,000 

 rubles. Besides this, taxes were remitted, the 

 forests of the imperial domains were opened to 

 the peasants for fuel, and thousands of men 

 were employed on public works, wherever prac- 

 ticable. Private relief was given by persons in 

 as well as outside of Russia. The large and 

 generous contributions from the United States 

 deserve special attention. Besides money con- 

 tributions, not including those sent through 

 private channels, four ships were dispatched 'to 

 the sufferers laden with flour and other bread 

 stuffs, and containing clothing for the half- 

 naked peasants. The total sum received from 

 the United States, including the cargoes, exceeded 

 1,000,000 rubles, which was equivalent to support- 

 ing over 21,000,000 people for a day, or more 

 than 700,000 for a month. Proper arrangements 

 were made at St. Petersburg to apply the Ameri- 

 can donations judiciously and conscientiously, 

 the knowledge of which had extended even into 

 the remote interior, and the name of America is 

 gratefully cherished there. 



S 



SALVADOR, a republic in Central America. 

 Its independence dates from 1840 ; the present 

 Constitution was adopted in 1864, and has been 

 re\ i>rd and amended several times, the last re- 

 vi.>ion taking place in 1888. The legislative au- 

 thority is vested in a Chamber of 42 Deputies, 

 elected annually by the suffrage of all the male 

 citizens of the republic. The executive power 

 rests in the hands of a President, who is cnosen 

 for four years by the direct vote of the nation. 

 The President in office is Gen. Carlos Ezeta, 



elected for the term beginning March 1, 1891. 

 The ministry is composed of the following mem- 

 bers: Minister of Finance, War, and Marine, D. 

 Angulo; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Justice, 

 and Public Worship, Dr. S. Gallegos ; Minister 

 of the Interior and Public Works, Dr. D. Jimenez ; 

 Minister of Public Instruction, Dr. D. Castro. 



The area of the republic, according to a recent 

 survey, is 21,070 square kilometres. The popu- 

 lation on Jan. 1. 1891, was 777,895 ; the capital. 

 San Salvador, had 20,000 inhabitants. The army 



