132 



MANUFACTURES OF RUSSIA. 



power, and 2.500 men were employed therein with a total production to the value 

 of 2,800,000 roubles. But taking into consideration tliat the working- of gold and 

 especially of silver is practised in the capitals by separate workmen or by groups 

 of artisans, and that the household industries show also considerable proportions, 

 the total yearly production of jewelry and precious stones amounts to not less than 

 7,000.000 roubles. 



The import of such articles is not great nor necessary, but is due chiefly to 

 the desire of fashionable people to have articles of a certain style, and of foreign 

 make. However, lately great quantities of light and therefore cheap articles in gold 

 are being imported, principally from Germany. The export compared to the import 

 is in every case rather considerable; the principal objects exported are those in silver, 

 as also galloons. 



The following table shows the amount of the export and iniport from 

 1886 to 1892 of precious metals and jewelry, valued in roubles. 



YEARS. 



Gold and jewelry. 



Silver products. 



Leap gold, gold 

 threads and gal- 

 LOONS. 



In thousands of roubles. 



Import. Export, i Import. 



Export. 



Import. 



Export. 



18S6, 

 1887, 

 1888, 

 1889 

 1890 

 1891 

 1892 



190 

 127 

 285 

 225 

 234 

 418 

 211 



155 

 77 

 142 

 145 

 193 

 195 

 113 



109 



70 



22 



124 



118 



164 



85 



Products in copper and copper alloys. 



To this category belongs a quantity of different products, such as house uten- 

 sils, church wares, armory, and finally articles of luxury and of art. 



Although copper foundries were established in Russia rather late, namely in 

 the middle of the seventeeth century, which delayed the development of the copper 

 industry, nevertheless some articles in copper were produced from ancient times and 

 acquired a firm foundation. The principal of these were bells, which already in the 

 tenth century were one of the most considerable Russian industries of that time. In 

 the seventeenth century the industry was well established as to its technic, as ■ 

 proved by the production in 1653 in Moscow of the celebrated bell, called the Tsar- 

 Kolokol. It is the largest bell in the whole world, is 18 feet in diameter and 

 19 feet high; about 11,000 pouds of copper were used in its manufactui'e. Owing to 



