EAILWAYS. 



469 



long. Yet, notwitlistanding- all these facilities, the Volga still remains unconnected 

 with the AYestern Dvina, Niémen, Dnieper, and Don, while the last named is also 

 isolated from the Dnieper. All these canals are, moreover, constructed with 

 locks, and have an extreme depth of scarcely 6 feet. 



Far more developed is the railway system, notwithstanding the prejudices of 

 Czar Nicholas, who, however, so far yielded to the pressure of puhlic opinion as 

 with his own hand to trace the rigidly straight line between St. Petersburg and 

 Moscow. Since his death in 1855 the total length of rails has risen from GOO to 



Fig. 252. — EussiAN Railway System. 

 Scale 1 : 247,000 000. 



500 Miles. 



14,117 miles in 1878, exclusive of the Caucasus and Finland, and representing a 

 capital of about £250,000,000. The system has thus proved far more costly than 

 might be expected from the nature of the land, where the only great engineering 

 works are the bridges over the rivers, and the causeways across the marshy 

 districts. Most of the companies, being protected by the Government security for 

 the interest or their investments, have been able to dispose of a lavish expenditure, 

 while about half of the capital belongs to the State. The Ilussian network at 

 present ranks fifth in extent, being exceeded only by those of the United States, 

 Great Britain, Germany, and France ; but t iking area and population into account, 



