special grant of Alexander I. (renewed by his successors), the Swedish Constitution, dating from the year 1772, reformed in 1789, and slightly modified in 1869 and 1882. This charter provides for a national parliament, consisting of four estates, the nobles, the clergy, the burghers, and the peasants, convoked by the 'Grand-duke,' Emperor of Russia, for four months. They decide regarding schemes of laws proposed by the emperor, who has the right of veto. The unanimous assent of all four chambers is necessary for making changes in the Constitution and for levying new taxes. The schemes of laws are elaborated by the Senate for Finland which sits at Helsingfors, and is composed of citizens of Finland, and they are laid before the Emperor by the Secretary of State for Finland residing at St. Petersburg. The Senate, which is under the presidency of the Governor-General, is nominated by the Crown. It is the supreme administrative power in Finland, and consists of two departments, Justice and Administration. Foreign Affairs are under the Russian Chancellor. Finland has its own money and system of customs. Recent measures tend, however, materially to alter the political status of Finland. In a Manifesto of February 15, 1899, it was declared that Finnish legislation on any matter which may be deemed to have a bearing on the interests of Russia could be brought about without the consent of the Finnish Diet, and thus autocratically decided upon. By a decree issued in July, 1900, the Russian language, which is spoken in Finland by only 8,000 Finnish citizens, was ordained to be the official language in the more important public departments, along with, and in some respects above, the national languages, Finnish and Swedish. By an edict of July 12, 1901, the national Finnish military system was abolished and replaced by the Russian system, in consequence whereof the Finnish rifle battalions were disbanded. In a series of Ordinances issued in 1902, important changes in the administration of Finland have been brought about. A considerable portion of the powers formerly belonging to the Senate of Finland has been devolved on the Governor-General. Russians will have free access to public posts in Finland; all State functionaries, including judges, who were previously irremovable, except by judgment by a court of law, can be dismissed by administrative procedure. In 1903 fresh decrees were issued relating to various matters, especially the use of the Russian language in the Finnish senate and military service in Finland. None of the measures having for their end the Russification of the Grand Duchy have been brought about in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the Constitution of the country, or even in accordance with the principles laid down in the Manifesto of February 15, 1899. Poland.-Poland, which had a Constitution of its own from 1815 to 1830, and a separate government till 1864, was deprived at the latter date of the last remnant of its administrative independence. Finally, by ukase of the Emperor, dated Feb. 23, 1868, the government of Poland was absolutely incorporated with that of Russia, and the use of Polish language in public places and for public purposes (railways, signboards, wills, &c.), was prohibited. Baltic Provinces.-The Baltic Provinces have had some institutions for selfgovernment of their own. They have, however, been gradually curtailed, and the privileges of the provinces in police and school matters, chiefly vested in the nobility, have been taken away by a law of June 21, 1888, the judicial and police rights of the landlords having been transferred to functionaries nominated by the State. By a law of July 21, 1889, the last vestiges of manorial justice and of tribunals under the German-speaking nobility have been abolished, but the Law of Justice of 1864, which is in force in Russia, has been but partially applied to the provinces, so as to maintain the administration of justice under the central Government. The Russian language has been rendered obligatory in the official correspondence of all parish, municipal, and provincial administration; so also in the Dorpat University, which was deprived in December 1889 of its privileges of selfgovernment, and the gymnasia in 1890. The town of Dorpat has received the name of Yuriev, and the seat of the administration of the Baltic Educa tional District has been transferred to Riga. In April, 1893, new Committees for peasants' affairs were introduced, with the same powers as in Russian Governments. Area and Population. I. PROGRESS AND PRESENT CONDITION. The Russian Empire (exclusive of the new province of Kwang-Tung) comprises one-seventh of the land-surface of the globe, and covers, with internal waters, an area of 8,660,395 English square miles. There has been no general census of the population until 1897 (February 9), but various enumerations, chiefly made by the statistical committees, furnished an approximately correct return of the people. The rapidity of growth of the population of the Empire (its acquisitions being included in the figures of population) is seen from the following, the years being partial census years and 1897 being the year of a general census. The following table exhibits the details of the census which was taken over the whole of the Empire on January 28 (February 9) 1897, with the exception of the Grand-Duchy of Finland,-no less than 230,000 persons having been engaged to take part in it. Comparing the items of the census with the figures of the 1856-59, it appears that the population of the Empire has increased by 74 per cent. The largest increases took place in the capitals (270 p.c. in St. Petersburg); South Russia comes next (207 p.c. in Kherson, 170 p.c. in Yekaterinoslav, 137 p.c. in Taurida). The increase in other parts of the Empire appears as follows:-North-West Russia, from 56 to 73 p.c.; Baltic Provinces, 25 to 58 p.c.; White Russia and Lithuania, 77 (Kovno) to 130 (Minsk) p.c.; Poland, 117 p.c.; Caucasus (without annexations) 95 p.c.; Siberia, 130 p.c. 2 Calculated in proportion to the areas from which the inner waters have been excluded. The internal waters (lakes and estuaries) occupy the following areas, in square miles:-In European Russia, 25,804; in Finland, 18,471; in Siberia, 18,863; and in Central Asia, 19,855. The Seas of Azov, Caspian, and Lake Aral cover an aggregate surface of 210,067 square miles. The proportion of women in the population varies, in the Russian provinces, from 133 0 per each 100 men (Yaroslavl) and 119 4 (Tver) to 87·4 (St. Petersburg) and 898 (Taurida)-this disproportion being due to the male population temporarily moving to the capitals or to the shipbuilding centres during the winter. The average proportions are : Russian Provinces, 102.8 women for 100 men; Poland, 986 women for 100 men; Finland, 102.2 women for 100 men; Caucasus, 89.5 women for 100 men; Siberia, 937 women for 100 men; The Steppes, 894 for 100 men ; Turkestan and Transcaspian, 830 women for 100 men ; Russian Empire, 99-8 women for 100 men. The ethnical composition of the population will be shown when the results of the recent census have been worked out. In the meantime, the following rough estimates concerning the population of the Empire are computed from "Russia at the End of the Nineteenth Century " (see also YEAR-BOOK 1885, p. 416)-Slavs, 73 per cent.; (Russians, 66 per cent.; Poles, 7 per cent.); Finns, 5 per cent.; Turco-Tartars, 9 per cent.; Jews, 4 per cent. According to the census returns for 1897, the Jewish population of the Russian Empire was in that year distributed as follows:- The movement of the population in the Russian Empire, exclusive of Finland, is given for the last five years by the Medical Department of the Ministry of the Interior as follows: According to the last Report (No. lviii., 1904) of the Central Statistical Committee, the number of births, deaths, and marriages in European Russia was as follows in 1898 and 1899: There were The proportion of illegitimate births was 2.7 per cent. 1,054 male births to every 1,000 female, and 1,069 male deaths to every 1,000 female. Of every 1,000 deaths, 379 0 were deaths of children under a year old, and 218.2 were deaths of children from 1 to 5 years old. The increase of the population is as follows for the different confessions; Orthodox, 19.2 per 1,000; Jews, 16'4; Roman Catholics, 15'4; Protestants, 10·7; Mahommedans, 10.2. Average increase in 1899, 18 ̊0 per 1,000 (births, 49 per 1,000; deaths, 31 per 1,000). The movement of population from and into the Russian Empire in two years was as follows: |