In Russia the Custom House agents fix the values of imports and exports, either on the basis of declarations of interested parties and documents in support of them or by refer ence to experts when the declarations are untrustworthy and erroneous. They are assisted also by price lists. The values of exports are determined at the point of shipment exclusive of cost of transport, insurance, &c. The quantities of goods imported are determined by weighing or other effective means, as are also the quantities of goods exportedwhen subject to export duty. The declarations of shipping are sufficient in the case of exports duty free. The gross weight is always recorded except in those cases for which the Customs regulations have provided official_tares. The Customs officials never require the true country of origin or of destination. They register the port where the bill of lading is dated, for imports-and proceed similarly in the case of exports.

The chief trade of the Empire is carried on through its European frontier, which does not include the Caucasus. However, as the exports of naphtha and grain from the Caucasus to Western Europe became of late very important, the Ministry of Finances began to include, since the year 1894, into the exports through the European frontier, the exports through the Black Sea frontier of Caucasus and the trade with Finland.

The exports and imports from and to the different frontiers for the last five years, are given in the following table :

1 Inclusive of Black Sea frontier but not of trade with Finland.

2 Famine year.

With the exception of the year 1894, when 37,528,000 roubles in gold (=56,292,000 paper roubles) were exported, the exports of gold are insignificant, the chief export being silver to Asia. Of silver from 10 to 21 million roubles were imported, the remainder being gold.

The following tables, giving the value of exports and imports, in thousands of paper roubles, to and from Europe (European frontier, including Caucasus since the year 1895) will better show the character of the foreign trade of Russia :--

Total.

1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 roubles roubles roubles roubles roubles

400,493 349,400 382,517 381,524 413,478

222,274 232,300 258,408 257,833 254,506 12,597 14,200 15,138 15,144 17,092 17,843 12,200 11,196 12,906 19,146 661,206 607,900 667,259 667,412 704,222

52,952 63,800 67,652 69,805 64,071

230,246 261,500 282,373 306,656 283,729

535 1,700 2,883 2,278 1,619 64,007 101,500 136,403 161,528 159,097

347,740 428,500 489,401 540,267 508,516

1 Including trade on Black Sea frontier of Caucasus and with Finland, but exclusive of trade with Russian Manchuria.

For the last six years grain has formed, on the average, 55 per cent. in value of the aggregate exports to Europe, 58.7 per cent. in 1888, and 51 in 1889.

The official figures of grain exports being now given in units of weight the exports from European Russia, Caucasus, and to Finland in 1897, as well as during the two preceding years, are given in the subjoined table :

The export of naphtha for the last five years (from Russia and Caucasus as well) will be seen from the following table :

The export of eggs (chiefly to Germany, France, and Austria) is acquiring every year a greater importance, as seen from the following figures of exports for the last five years :

Alcohol and gin

The export of oil cakes attained 12,769,000 roubles in 1897; 58,300 horses and ponies were exported the same year.

The following table shows the relative importance of the chief exports from European Russia and North Caucasia, including exports to Finland, during the last three years :

Exports

Corn, flour, buckwheat, &c.

Fish and caviare

Dairy produce and eggs

2,459,000

Sugar

10,315,000

Various articles of food

9,786,000

1 Besides, to Vladivostok, 19,005,000 roubles worth in 1895, and 24,552,000 in 1896,

The principal imports into European Russia nd North Caucasia are shown in the following table :

1 Moreover, 19,214,000 roubles' worth through Asia in 1895, 20,253,000 in 1896, and 3,362,000 in 1897.

2 Moreover, 2,622,000 roubles' worth from Persia in 1895, 2,775,000 in 1896, and 18,940,000

in 1897.

The exports and imports by the frontier of Asia (exclusive of the Black Sea coast of Caucasia) were :

The main items of the exports and imports by the frontier of Asia (inclusive of Caucasia) were in 1896 :—

The amount of customs duties levied in the Empire, chiefly in gold and partly in paper roubles, appears as follows, the year 1897 having yielded the highest customs revenue on record :

The following table shows the value of the imports from, and exports to the countries named, through the European and Asiatic frontier, including the trade with Finland, in thousands of roubles :