80 FORESTRY IN EASTERN RUSSIA. 



With a view to introducing and establishing in Russia 

 the arts and manufactories of ■western and central Europe, 

 mines in this region and elsewhere were wrought, and manu- 

 factories of various kinds were established and carried on, 

 at Government expense, first, by Peter the Great, and sub- 

 sequently by some of his successors on the throne. Accurate 

 accounts of the expenditure and of the proceeds of these 

 were kept. These often, I may say almost always, showed 

 that there was less profit than loss resulting from them. 

 But notwithstanding this they were maintained in full 

 operation as being likely to prove remunerative by devel- 

 oping the resources of the Empire, and the energies of the 

 population even while continued at a loss. 



Some of them are still carried on at a great loss ; but 

 the policy adopted and followed now appears to be to 

 abandon them in favour of manufactories carried on by 

 private enterprise, with or without aid in the provision 

 of capital by the Government, at such rate of interest as 

 may be agreed upon. 



A friend and correspondent who resided in this district 

 for many years, and was well acquainted with the various 

 industries and works carried on on the Ural, wrote to 

 me: — 



' As I have heard from men born in the locality, and 

 from officials connected with these zavods, of their first 

 formation and establishment, I may briefiy refer to this. 

 There is a splendid monument erected at Nijni Tagil to 

 the memory of the first Ural Demidoff, who was a black- 

 smith, and sent up there by Peter the Great to teach how 

 to make iron. And, like his great master, he has created 

 for himself an imperishable name. It needs " no sculptor's 

 art or studied urn " to perpetuate Demidoff's fame on the 

 Ural. 



' He commenced his first operations at Neviansk. It is 

 the most quaint, grotesque, and interesting place on the 

 Ural, and has quite an antiquated look, pretty nearly as 

 he left it. I have been there, and seen them still making 



