128 MANUFACTUEES OF RUSSIA. 



his life and gives liim supplementnry means for paying- the taxes imposed bj'' the 

 Zemstvos and the Government. Therefore the Ministry of Domains takes all sorts of 

 measures to sustain and improve these domestic industries. These measures, which 

 consist in the collection of good samples of the different trades, in facilitating 

 the means for producing raw material and in the establishing of regular agents be- 

 tween the producers and the wholesale dealers in these manufactures, in order to do 

 away with the pressure of the middlemen, have a very favourable influence on the 

 home artisaus as well as on the industries themselves. Trade schools which are being 

 constructed at the present time, and which will contain drawing classes, will also tend 

 much to the improvement of the domestic industries. 



In order to facilitate the description of the metallurgical industries it is neces- 

 sary to divide them into sections, as follows : 



1. Products of the noble metals and jewelry. 



2. :> » copper and copper alloys 



3. » > lead, zinc, tin and their alloys. 



4. » > smithcraft and in slieet iron. 



5. Cast iron and steel. 



6. Artillery arms, guns and implements. 



7. Side arms and cutlery; instruments for working different materials; scythes 

 and sickles. 



8. Wire and wire manufacture?. 



9. Locks and the different productions of the locksmith. 



It is quite impossible to define the dimensions and cost of the productions in 

 metal manufactured in Russia as the statistical informations on the domestic and 

 manufacturing industries are not yet ready, although the Government has paid spec- 

 ial attention to this question. As to the data which the Ministry of Finance has 

 given on the manufacturing and large trade industries, to which belong such estab- 

 lishments as contain more than sixteen workmen, it must be admitted that they are 

 also incomplete owing to the manner in which these statistics have been gathered. 

 Besides, Pome manufactories and fabrics which belong to one owner and not encor- 

 porated, and therefore not obliged to publish their reports, as well as some trade 

 establishments, generally return their data too low, from fear that additional taxes 

 may be imposed upon them. Therefore, the official figures published in the different 

 parts of this survey of the cost of the different productions must be considered in 

 general lower than the fact. In the same way the definition of the cost of some 

 domestic industries must also be considered only approximate, as the data were based 

 upon material in hand, more or less imperfect. 



Products or the noble metals and jewelry. 



The working of articles in gold and silver in Russia dates from very ancient 

 times. The industry was more or less prominent in pagan times but became especi-, 

 ally developed since the introduction of Christianity, when gold and silver wares 



