130 MANUFACTURES OF RUSSIA. 



the government of Kostroma, along the borders of the Volga in the village Krasnov, 

 Mhich is the centre of the trade, and partly in the village Sidorovskoe and in 50 others 

 which adjoin it. The peasants of some of these villages do not at all occupy them- 

 selves with agriculture and consecrate their whole time to the silver and jewelry 

 industry. The articles manufactured by these peasants are sold over all Russia, not 

 excepting the capitals, by middlemen who get them very cheap from the peasants 

 and sell them at great profits on the markets. A great many of these articles go 

 to the Balkan countries, as also to Persia and Central Asia. 



The productions of the Kostroma peasants amount to the sum of 700,000 roubles 

 yearly. They consist not only of silver articles but also of those in copper and 

 latten which are sometimes gilt and sometimes only covered with a hard varnish; 

 all these are made by the same smiths and are therefore included in the same cate- 

 gory. An enormous quantity of articles is made for the above-mentioned sum, if it 

 be taken into consideration that silver earrings with small turquoises are sold for 

 40 kopecks per pair and with artificial stones and strass, 23 kopecks, silver brooches, 

 75 kopecks to 3 roubles per piece, and latten rings, 7 kopecks each. In general 

 articles in silver are prized for sale at 33 to 35 kopecks per zolotnik. 



The price of latten articles is still more astonishing ; thus for example, crosses, 

 a thousand pieces of which weigh two pounds, are sold at 40 to 50 kopecks per pound, 

 rings weighing three-quarters of a pound per thousand are sold at one rouble per 

 thousand, and if they are gilt, at 10 roubles per thousand; earrings with beads or 

 stones, 15 roubles per hundred, and simple earrings at 2.50 roubles and so on. 



Investigations show that in the above region more than 15,000,000 pieces of 

 different articles from silver and latten are made yearly. These consist of earrings, rings, 

 brooches, bracelets, lockets, chains and neck crosses, the greatest number of which 

 form silver, latten and copper rings. In both regions, Krasnoselsk and Sidorovsk. 

 more than 3,000 men work at these articles. This work is considered very profitable 

 although the pay to workmen is very low; thus for example, for the making of a 

 hundred rings, the workmen receives 2.70 roubles and for the same number of 

 brooches, lockets and pairs of earrings, 6 roubles. It must be taken into conside- 

 ration, however, that crosses, earrings, brooches and lockets are made with the aid of 

 hand stamps. 



It should be noticed that all copper articles the workman must return to the 

 merchant, who orders them by number, and silver wares exclusively by weight, to- 

 gether with the waste and tilings. If there is some material wanting, the cost of it 

 is deducted from the earnings of the workman, who receiver for making simple articles 

 6 kopecks per zolotnik. 



The agents and the merchants who are in constant relation with the whole- 

 salers of large towns watch for the appearance of new patterns and such as they 

 think the peasant workman can reproduce, they send him, ordering him to reproduce 

 them. Thus, the articles made by these workmen become more and more various. 



The many coloured glasses which often decorate rings, earrings and other 

 articles are produced and cut in the same villages ; for that purpose white or coloured 

 crystal is used. Such glasses or stones when quite finished are sold at 1.50 to 

 5 roubles per thousand. Lately, these stones are being principally imported. 



Besides the government of Kostroma, articles in silver and in copper silvered 



