XVIII JNTKODUCTIOK. 



les of Eussia, aiul man}- works engaged in the chemical, dye, glass, starch, starch 

 and molasses, machine and fonnding industries; here are also the centres of all the 

 most important internal, and the majority of the external, especially Asiatic, trading' 

 enterprises. The latter are concentrated in the commercial houses of Moscow and iu 

 the most important fair in Bussia, that of Nizhni-Novgorod, commonly called Maka- 

 licv. Compared with the other parts of primitive Russia this district has the largest 

 population. 



Agriculture does not here yield great prolits, both because of ancient cultiva- 

 tion and the exhaustion of the soil, and because the intensive method of raising- 

 grain, most appropriate here, is as yet little known. It is true, however, that here 

 the growing of potatoes, the raising of artificial grasses, hop raising, and the culti- 

 vation of aniseed and other commercial plants, have been more developed than in 

 the other parts of Eussia. As a consequence of the state of agriculture the mills 

 and mannfactdries of this district experience no lack of workmen of every kind, both 

 skilled and unskilled, thus aiding to a considerable degree the rapid development of 

 the industry of this district. The railways start from Moscow as from the natural 

 centre and heart of Eussia. All these conditions together with the character of its 

 inhabitants make the region described at this day, as was the case in the sixteenth 

 century, the most important district in respect to Russian economical life. Although 

 mining industries are here little developed, the getting of iron, millstones, plaster of 

 Paris, and many other minerals, had already begun in ancient times. These enter- 

 prises are, however, now being but slowly developed, although coal veins exist at a 

 certain depth under the whole surface of the district. The coal, which is however 

 not of high quality, crumbling easily and containing a large percentage of ash, is 

 found along the southern edge of the region, in the governments of Tula, Riazan 

 and Kaluga. This local fuel forms only a small part of that which is consumed in 

 the region where wood is everywhere abundant. 



In ancient times this region was covered with dense forests, and they are even at 

 the present day abundant in the government of Kostroma, half of which is still co- 

 vered with wood which is cut principally to supply the lower reaches of the Volga 

 destitute of timber. In the remaining governments of the district the forests still 

 occupy about one-third of the surface, and being more or less regularly renewed 

 they serve not only for the building necessities of the inhabitants and for warming 

 their dwellings, but also for supplying many manufactories, works, engines and steam- 

 ers. The numerous manufactories and mills of this region, founded long ago and 

 situated in the most populous parts, purchased forests enough to ensure their contin- 

 ued activity. This necessity largely increases the capital required for carrying on 

 manufacture. The purchase of fuel is accordingly effected annually at the proper 

 time, so that the wood may have time to get dry and to be then delivered by the 

 winter sledge roads by the peasants who are then free from rural occupations. In 

 consequence of the relative scarcity of forests the prices of wood fuel are rising con- 

 siderably in the region; and in the localities most distant from ways of communica- 

 tion they reach, with delivery, not less than 10 to 15 roubles per cubic sagene,by 

 weight about 240 ponds, or 4 tons. The customary cost to manufacturers of wood 

 fuel is, however, already about 20 to 25. roubles per cubic sagene. As a cubic sagene 

 of wood fuel is only equivalent for steam engines to 100 pouds of high quality coal. 



