152 MANUFACTUKES OF EUSSIA. 



tallic goods, especially- knives and tools, and therefore means should be employed to 

 propagate it as much as possible. 



As to hunting guns, they are mostly made in Tula and its neighbourhood by 

 the former Crown smiths, some of Avhich have regular workshops. These factories, 

 when turning out verj^ ordinary guns, give out the several parts to be made by 

 special smiths and these parts are merely put together at the factory itself. Hunting 

 guns are made by hand in the villages near the Izhevsk manufactory and in the 

 Eelomorsk Ivorelia, government of Archangel, as well as in Tula, the Archangel guns 

 being exclusively bought by the northern governments where, on account of the im- 

 mense forests, hunting holds a prominent place among the industries of that people. 

 Principally because the quality is not satisfactory the prices of hand made guns are 

 generally very low, varying from 3 to 10 roubles each, sometimes even falling as 

 law as 1.50 roubles; on the other hand certain well made and finely finished guns 

 are sold as high as 200 to 300 roubles each. 



There are few private gunmakers in Russia; they are mostly centred in 

 St. Petersburg, Warsaw and other large towns and in the Caucasus. The output of 

 these works is not large, although the quality of the guns is in many instances 

 not inferior to those of renowned foreign firms. The cause of the small production of 

 these hunting guns is due to the fact that they do not yet enjoy the confidence of 

 the general customer, and sportsmen prefer to pay high prices for celebrated makes. 

 It is stated that 500 hands are employed in the region of Tula in the making 

 of hunting guns and pistols to the value of 150,000 roubles; in the government of 

 Viatka the production of the principal workshops amounts to 13,000 roubles and with 

 that of the small makers it even reaches 30,000 roubles. Two such works in Warsaw 

 sell guns to the value of 22,000 roubles yearly. 



The production of the village industry of hand made hunting guns and pistols, 

 added to that of the town makers and to that of the Crown manufactories which, as 

 was already mentioned, also make hunting guns, amounts to 400,000 roubles per 

 annum. It is very difficult to state the amount of the import of hunting guns, which 

 are generally very expensive, as compared with the home production, for the reason 

 that the customhouses do not give any definite information upon the subject. 



The following table shows the general weight and value of the firearms brought 

 into Russia from abroad and from Finland, mostly for private customers, as well as 

 of the cartridges and different hunting accessories. The data of the customhouse 

 show, for example, that from 1890 to 1893 there were imported through the custom- 

 houses of Moscow^, Warsaw, St. Petersburg and Eeval, for private customers, 19,275 

 guns and 144,145 revolvers, most of which went to Moscow. As according to the 

 customhouse tariff the duty for the packing cases is the same as for arms themselves, 

 their weight is included in the total. The table shows the export of arms, firearms 

 as well as side arms side by side with the import, the customhouses giving only gen- 

 eral information relating thereto. 



