RUSSIA. 



Ekaterinoflaf, to which may be added Caucafia. The po- 

 pulation of thefe provinces is, 



Males. Females. 



Cherfon - - 145,814 124,321 



Taurida - - ,102,826 88,864 



Coflacks of the Euxine 20,240 9>'55 



Caucafia - - 34" 8 49 29,240 



303,729 251,580 



As the Coflacks of the Euxine have very few women, 

 and ftill retain many cuftoms derived from their auceftors, 

 the famous Zaporogian Coflacks, fo called from za, trans, 

 beyond, and parogi, catara&s, (the Coflacks beyond the 

 catarafts,) the foregoing ftatement is probably correft. 

 We learn from general Oppermann, that in the Turkifh 

 provinces conquered in 1774, 1783, and 1791, there were 

 214,318 individuals of both fexes. This fmall population, 

 in a trad of country fo immenfe, has increafed undoubtedly, 

 in confequence of a more regular adminiftration ; but not fo 

 much as would at firft fight appear, becaufe we mull ftrike 

 off the Coflacks of the Euxine, Caucafia, and the Ruffian 

 and foreign colonies domiciliated in thefe regions. Befides, 

 if we confider the incompletencfs of a firlt enumeration, it is 

 but reafonable to fuppofe that general Oppermann's eflimate 

 is too fmall. 



Thus it appears that the population of the territories ac- 

 quired fince 1773 was, in 1804, 



Little Ruffia 

 Swedifh provinces 

 Polifh provinces 

 Turkifh provinces 



5,221,198 



1,520,463 



6,454,320 



555.309 



13,751,290 



According to the data above noticed, we are to fubtraft 

 from the aggregate population of Ruffia, for the provinces 

 acquired, 



From 14,000,000 in 1722 



i>°33>533 



12,966,467 



From i6j00o.ooo in 1742 

 1,355,110 



From 19,000,000 in 1762 

 1,696,586 



From 28,000,000 in 1782 

 8,678,857 



From 36,000,000 in 1796 

 13.751,290 



From 41,000,000 in 1806 

 13,751,290 



14,644,890 



17,303,414 



19,321,143 



22,248,710 



27,248,710 ' 



The laft column gives us the rate at which the population 

 of Ruffia proper has Increafed. 



Whence it follows, that the population of Ruffia, exclu- 

 five of the conquelts fince the reign of Peter I., gained in 

 20 years, between 1722 and 1742, 1,678,423, or 83,921 

 annually. In the 20 years between 1742 and 1762, 

 2,658,524, or 132 926 annually ; that is to fay, 49,005 

 more annually than during the firft period. In the 20 years 

 between 1762 and 1782, 1,676,253, or 88,812 annually ; 



lefs by 49,114 than during the fecond period. In the 14 

 -years between 1782 and 1796, 2,927,567, or 146,378 an- 

 nually; more by 62,566 than dur ng the preceding period. 

 In the 10 years between 1796 and 1806, 5,000,000, or 

 200,000 annually ; more by 53,622 than during the antece- 

 dent period. 



By the above table, it is obvious that the population of 

 Old Ruffia has more than doubled, or that it is at prefeat 

 to what it was in 1722, as 2^th to 1. It is apparent aifo 

 that the progrefs of population has not been uniform, that it 

 has had accelerations and retardations, that the moit favour- 

 able periods were during the reign of the emprefs Elizabeth, 

 between 1 741 and 176 1, and the years of the peace of Catha- 

 rine II. between 1782 and 1796. The population (till 

 advances in the later period,;, but the rate is flower. What 

 may be the caufe of thefe phenomena ? 



The population of Ruffia has more than doubled during 

 the laft century, though Smith fuppofes that the population 

 in civilized countries only doubles once in 500 years. It has 

 doubled in confequence of a better regulated adminiftration ; 

 of the fecurity the government has afforded to the nation ; 

 of the capitals belonging to foreigners placed in the country, 

 and which for a long time conftituted the foul of the inland 

 commerce ; in confequence of the progrefs of national in- 

 duftry, which was the refult ; of the increafe of knowledge, 

 by new commercial connections with other countries of 

 Europe, and by the means of inftruftion furnifhed by go- 

 vernment to the other inhabitants of Ruffia ; and, finally, 

 in confequence of the removal of feveral obftacles which 

 checked the progrefs of induftry, as the abolition of the 

 cuftom-houfes of the interior, under the reigns of the em- 

 prefles Elizabeth and Catharine II., the improvement of the 

 roads, and the multiplication of canals. 



What a di.mal pifture does Ruffia prefent to us in the 

 fifteenth, lixteenth, and feventeenth centuries ! Jofafa Bar- 

 barj, in 1436, reports, that from Mofcow to the frontiers 

 of Poland, the whole country wa3 one vaft defart ; the 

 villages, burnt and abandoned, offered no other accom- 

 modation to ftrangers than a place to kindle a fire. Con- 

 tarini confirms this ftatement in 1483. Meyerberg, in 1661, 

 found between Viafma and Mofaiik, a diftance of 1 30 verfts, 

 only a fingle village. The road between Smolenfk and 

 Mofcow was dangerous, according to Lyfeck, in 1675, °" 

 account of the wolves that attacked travellers. Ulfeldt, 

 the Danifli ambaflador, in 1625, found the country between 

 Mofcow, Novgorod, and Pfcove, laid entirely wade by the 

 inteftine wars under Ivan Vaflillievitch II. Poflevin, in 1581; 

 and 1582, travelled whole days in the interior of Ruffia with- 

 out meeting a fingle individual. The whole country between 

 Kazan and Aftrachan was a continued defart. Even the 

 cities had greatly fuffered. Poflevin eftimates the population 

 of Mofcow at 30,000; that of Novgorod was diminifhed by 

 the plague to 3000 ; and Kief, in the time of Herberllein, in 

 15 16, was almoft in ruins. Befides the davaftations committed 

 by the domeftic feuds and foreign invaders, the number of 

 imports, and the feverity of the commifiioners who levied them, 

 depopulated the northern provinces which had not fuffered 

 from thofe difafters. We learn from Fletcher, that in the year 

 1588, 50 villages were abandoned between Vologda and 

 Yaroflaf. At Uftiug bread was almoft unknown, and the 

 fame deftitution of that article of life was felt on the Dvina 

 in the time of Herberftein. Famine and peflilence often 

 committed their ravages among the melancholy remnants of 

 this unfortunate population, as in 1525, in 1601, and in 

 1615. M. Meiner informs us, that the city of Novgorod 

 loft in one winter no fewer than 18,000 individuals, confli- 

 cting nearly the whole of its population. 



It 



