430 NOTES ON THE RUSSIAN TALLOW TRADE. 
Industry in Moscow. The only conclusion to be drawn from such an 
absence of tallow exhibitors, is that the art is still in its rude primitive 
state, and that no improvements have been made in it that would secure 
honourable mention or a medal. Since 1856, Russia has, to a great 
extent, lost the monopoly of supplying Europe with tallow. The 
Crimean War stimulated the exportation of tallow from South America 
and Australia, and at its close the tallow speculators of Russia, still 
thinking they held the old monopoly, kept up its price artificially, and 
while in many cases ruining themselves, drove the consumers of tallow 
still more into other markets. In these, improved processes of melting 
have been adopted, and particularly in America, greatly to the advan- 
tage of the important article of commerce, both in quality and in price. 
The tallow trade of Russia has in the meantime retrogressed. No atten- 
tion, or very little, has been paid to the improvement of native breeds 
of cattle, which have been left to the Steppes and the plague. Hundreds 
of thousands of heads have perished in this way, and the natural con- 
sequence is that the supply of tallow has been greatly reduced. While 
the cattle of the Steppes are still being swept off by disease in herds, 
the peasantry are not able to do much in the direction of improving 
their cattle, and the want of capital equally prevents the large landed 
proprietors from introducing a more extensive and improved grazing 
for cattle. 
The cattle raised by the peasantry of Russia never gave much tallow, 
being of the leanest kind, and the murrain has made great havoc even 
amongst these — the last resource of the tallow-melters. 
It is, therefore, not a matter of astonishment that the trade of 
Russia with foreign countries in tallow has fallen to nearly half its 
former extent, a decrease which is, of course, but little made up by a 
greater exportation of candles, which amounted in 1864 to 800 tons. 
The home consumption of tallow has been at the same time on the 
increase. The manufacture of stearine, tallow, and other descriptions 
of candles is greatly increasing in Russia, and with it the price of the 
raw material. 
The total quantity of stearine candles produced in Russia is only 
about 7,250 tons, or about 2,500 tons below the production of France. 
The total quantity of tallow candles manufactured in Russia is 
estimated at 95,500 tons. There were only twelve exhibitors of stearine 
candies at Moscow, of whom three were from Poland. The principal 
manufactory of stearine candles in Russia and in the world (the Neosky 
works, at St. Petersburgh), belongs to an English company. The prices 
ot stearine candles exhibited at Moscow ranged between 7d. and 9d. 
