RUSSIA. 



Ruffian merchants vifit the markets of Poland, and the fairs 

 of Germany ; Orenburg, where a confiderable trade is 

 carried on with feveral Afiatic nations ; and Kiachta in 

 Daouria, where a great mercantile intercourfe is held with 

 China. 



Hermann ftates the Ruffian commerce, in all the ports, 

 which may generally be termed the Baltic trade, as amount- 

 ing, in 1790, to a fum of 35,750,000 rubles, of which the ex- 

 ports make 21,200,000, and the imports 14,550,000 rubles. 

 From all the ports belonging to Ruffia in the Euxine or 

 Black fea, the exportation is reckoned at about one million, 

 and the importation at one million and a quarter. The 

 principal articles that find a vent here are, cannon, furs, 

 falted beef, butter, cordage, fail-cloth, caviar, corn, and a 

 variety of Ruffian manufactures, efpecially iron, linen, cot- 

 ton fluffs, &c. The imports are, wine, fruit, coffee, filks, 

 rice, and all kinds of Turkifh commodities. The exports 

 over the Cafpian are ftated to be about 1,200,000, and the 

 imports 1,000,000 rubles. The articles of exportation 

 are nearly the fame with thofe that find purchasers on the 

 Euxine, and in return fcarcely any thing is taken but filk. 

 See Caspian. 



The commerce by land with the Poles, Pruflians, &c. 

 is confiderable. From thefe countries Ruffia takes com- 

 modities for about 2,000,000 of rubles, and carries to 

 them for fcarcely 500,000. The principal objefts of im- 

 portation are fcythes, cloths, linens, hemp, flax, &c. the 

 two laft of which produfts are fent off again from Riga. 

 The commerce by land with Perfia paffes over Kitzhar 

 and Mofdok, and Ruffia receives principally, by the fame 

 courfe, filk. The exports amount to about 100,000, and 

 the imports to 200,000 rubles. The commerce with the 

 Kirghifes is moftly carried on in the way of barter, and 

 chiefly in the Siberian fortreffes of Orenburg, Troitzk, 

 Peterpavlovlk, Yamifheva, Semipalat, and Uftkamenogorfk. 

 Goods to about 1,500,000 of rubles are exported, and 

 imported to the fame amount. The Kirghifes bring prin- 

 cipally horfes, horn-cattle, fheep, and very coftly fhcep-fkins, 

 receiving in return from Ruffia woollen cloths, iron, and a 

 great quantity of houfchold goods and other European 

 commodities. The Chinefe commerce is merely a barter*, 

 but very confiderable. Ruffia, it is faid, lias of late years 

 received thence articles for 2,000,000 of rubles, and returned 

 them for nearly as much. The chief articles that come to 

 Ruffia from China are, tea, filk, and kitaika (nankeen), and 

 of thofe that are carried thither, the valuable Siberian furs. 

 The total aggregate of the commerce of Ruffia by land is 

 ftated at near 9,800,000 rubles, which gives a balance of 

 about 1,600,000 rubles sgainft the empire. 



In 1790 the trade of Petersburg and Riga amounted to 

 as much as the trade of the whole empire in the year 1762, 

 which was then more than twice as much. According to 

 Hermann, the aggregate of the commerce of the empire 

 then amounted to about 50,000,000 of rubles, by which 

 Ruffia gained near 5,000,000 annually. The returns thus 

 made by the Ruffian fubjefts, reckoning exports and im- 

 ports together, amounted to 15,000,000, among which thofe 

 commodities are to be underftood, which are imported and 

 exported in fhips either built or bought in Ruffia. The 

 fubjefts have accordingly a (hare of nearly one-third. The 

 total of the imports and exports of Kiachta may be fairly 

 ftated at 4,000,000 of rubles. 



In an empire that has 30,000,000 of inhabitants, the in- 

 ternal trade muft be much more important and valuable than 

 the external commerce. The Siberian commerce, that is, 

 the commerce of the governments of Irkutfk, Kolyvan, 

 Tobol(k, Perm, and Ufa, is of great confequence. All 

 the produfts of thefe parts, not confumed in the country, 



9 



or not difpofed of to China, or to the Kirghifes, go by 

 the interior diftrifts and ports of Ruffia. The major part 

 at leaft of the heavy commodities is brought almoil en- 

 tirely from the eaftern regions ot f Siberia to St. Peterf- 

 burg. Molt of the return or barter of European com- 

 modities againft Siberian furs, and againft Chinefe com- 

 modities, is carried on in the town oi Irbit, in the govern- 

 ment of Perm, where a famous fair is held in the months of 

 January and February. The produfts carried every year 

 from Siberia to Ruffia are eftimated at 12,000,000 of ru- 

 bles, which are thus drawn annually by Ruffia from Siberia ; 

 fo that Siberia has not unjuftly been called the Ruffian 

 Peru. The interior commerce of the Ruffian provinces 

 with one another, and their traffic in the ports and frontier 

 places of the empire, are of ftill greater importance. This 

 kind of lucrative intercourie is facilitated by the many large 

 rivers with which the whole empire abounds. Several con- 

 fiderable fairs that are held in various towns and cities ot 

 the empire, contribute in a very great degree to aid the 

 profecution of traffic. The moil confiderable of thefe fairs 

 is that at Makarief, a monallery and city in the government 

 of Nifhnei-Novgorod, at which the Siberian and Ruffian 

 merchants affemble from all parts of the country. Among 

 the trading cities of greateft note, the principal are St. Pe- 

 terfburg, Riga, and Mofcovv. The latter is the central 

 point at which all the affairs of the interior commerce of 

 the empire flow together and unite, and it contains a nume- 

 rous and opulent body of mercantile men. Mr. Tooke 

 eftimates the aggregate national wealth of Ruffia in the 

 following manner : 30,000,000 of inhabitants of both fexes, 

 making about 6,000,000 of families, each family confiding 

 of five perfons, confume monthly at leaft 48,000,000, in 

 the whole therefore 576,000,000 of poods of all kinds of 

 meal, grits, &c. each pood, on an average, at 25 kopeeks, 

 makes a fum of 



Rubles. 



Confumption of brandy, 5,000,000 of eymers, 1 



each at 3 rubles - - - -j 



Salt, 12,000,000 of poods, at 35 kopeeks - 

 Gold, filver, lead, copper, iron, &c. - 

 Fine and coarfe furs - 



Hemp, flax, tobacco, linens, hemp-oil, lin-"} 



feed-oil, &c. - - - - - j 



Fire-wood, timber, charcoal, (hip-timber, tar, 1 



pitch, &c. - - - -J 



Cattle, leather, wool, milk, pulfe, garden 1 



vegetables, &c. - - - - -j 

 Produft of the fifheries • 



Total 



144,000,000 



15,000,000 



4,200,000 

 8,750,000 

 5,000,000 



30,000,000 



20,000,000 



58,050,000 

 15,000,000 



300,000,000 



Of this capital, there comes to the annual (hare of each 

 individual 10 rubles. 



By commerce, the annual exports of this capital are, 



Rubin. 



In metal wares about .... 3,000,000 



In hemp, flax, and articles prepared from! 



them- - - - - - -j I0 >° 0O ' °° 



In leather, tallow, furs, and all other produfts 1 



r .' . j r > 8,000,000 



irom the animal kingdom - - - j 



In corn, wood, and other petty articles - 4,500,000 



To this add the tranfport at 

 which together make out 



Total 



25,500,000 



2,000,000 



27,500,000 

 The 



