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́estimated, in 1901, at 1,898,846,622 roubles. (Nearly 20 per cent. represented the capital of foreign companies).

In 1901 there were in Russia 457,207 tobacco plantations, of 137,630 acres, which manufactured 72,485 tons of tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, &c.

The production of alcohol in the Russian Empire in 4 years (ending June 30) was: 1901, 88,775,000 gallons; 1902, 82,850,855 gallons; 1903, 77,566,103 gallons; 1904, 86,756,217 gallons.

There were, on July 1, 1904, 2,370 distilleries in the Russian Empire (2,341 in European Russia), as against 2,359 (Empire) and 2,329 (European Russia) on July 1, 1903.

There were 276 sugar works in Russia in 1903-4 (231 in 1895), and 1,331,645 acres were under beetroot (865,862 acres in 1895). The output of refined sugar was in 1902-3, 1,180,293 tons (684,721 tons in 1895).

Commerce.

The trade of the Russian Empire is carried on chiefly through its European frontier, through the Black Sea frontier of the Caucasus, and with Finland. Of the total sum of customs duties, 908 per cent. are levied at these three frontiers, and only 9.2 per cent., at the Asiatic frontiers.

The Russian import duties are all specific and cannot be briefly summarised, but as they seem to be in general heavier than those of any other country, a number of examples may be given. On wool the duty is from 198, 8d. to 2l. 198. 1d. per cwt.; on woollen yarns from 41. 38. 9d. to 5l. 128. 4d. per cwt.; on woven woollen goods, from 8l. 138. per cwt. on carpets, 10. 168. 3d. on coarse blankets, and 11. 158. Ild. on hosiery, to 267. 16s. 9d. on plain woollen tissues, and 587. 198. 7d. on shawls. Felt, cloth list, &c., for use in factories, are liable to duty of only 21. 118. 1d. per cwt. On cotton yarn and thread the duties range from 21. 178. 2d. to 5l. 188. 3d. per cwt., and on cotton tissues, from 77. 108. 9d. to 29l. 38. 3d. per cwt. On linen, hemp, and jute yarns and thread they are from 31. 48. 11d to 5l. 18s. 3d. per cwt.; on sacking, 1. 88. 2d.; on inatting, 21. 28. 3d.; on sail-cloth, 41. 63. 6d., and on linen tissues from 77. 178. 3d. to 30l. 138. 5d. per cwt. On machine-made lace, of whatever substance, the duty is 617. 188. 7d., and on hand-made lace, 132l. 148. 1d. per cwt.

On pig-iron the duty per cwt. is 28. 114d.; on bar-iron 48. 11d.; on sheet-iron 6s. 5d. to 158. 3d.; on cast-iron manufactures, from 58. 11d. to 138. 94d.; on wire, 318. 6d. Agricultural machinery, worked by steain, is free, but if worked by hand is liable to a duty of 48. 11d. per cwt. On locomotives the duty is 178. 9d. per cwt.; on tools and implements, 108. 10d.; on cutlery, from 31. 58. to 187. 188. 4d. per cwt., the duty on knitting needles being 7. 18. 7d., and on sewing needles 12. 158. 7d. per cwt.

Coal and coke are admitted duty-free at the White Sea ports, but at the Baltic ports and on the western land frontier the duty on coal is 1s. 113d. per ton, and on coke, 28. 11 d. per ton. At the Black Sea ports the duty on coal is 78. 11d., and on coke 11s. 10d. per ton.

On hides, on leather, on boots, shoes, and gloves, on paper and paste-board, lead-pencils, and pens, there are heavy import duties, but pictures and unbound books in foreign languages are (subject to the Censor's regulations) admitted free. Wheat is duty-free, but most other food imports are taxed. On butter the duty per cwt. is 48. 11d.; on cheese, 21. 138. 2d.; on cured herring, 48.; on fish prepared in oil, 27. 18. 10d. Living cattle are free, but on salt-beef, as well as on hams and bacon, there is a duty of 78. 10d. per cwt. On brick tea the duty is 8d. per lb. and on other teas 18. 10d., but in the case of Indian and Ceylon teas the rate is increased by one penny per lb. On coffee raw the duty is 17. 188. 5d. per cwt.; roasted, 2l. 198. 1d.; on sugar raw it is 298. 7d.; refined, 398. 5d. per cwt. tobacco raw the rate per cwt. is 111. 78. 7d.; manufactured, 381. 68. 9d.; cigars and cigarettes, 941. 78. 4d.

On

The treaty of Commerce and Navigation of 1859 between Russia and Great Britain (including British Possessions) is terminable on 12 months notice by the Government of either country. It provides that no higher duties may be imposed on imports from either country into the other than are payable on like articles, the growth, produce, or manufacture of any third country. The meaning of this stipulation was contested on the imposition of a countervailing duty on Russian sugar by the Indian government in 1899, and also in connection with the agreement between the parties to the International Sugar Convention in 1902-03.

The following table gives the average yearly exports and imports of Russia for 1892-96, 1897-1901, and for the year 1902, in the trade with Europe, Asia, and Finland (bullion not included, nor the external trade of Finland)::

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The exports and imports from and to the different frontiers for each of the years 1899 to 1903, are given in the following table :

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The exports of gold and silver for the last ten years, from 1893 to 1902, were as follows:-1894, 66 millions of roubles; 1897, 13 millions; 1899, 51 millions; 1900, 134.3 millions; 1901, 72 millions (the exports in 1893, 95, 96, 98, 1902, were insignificant-28 millions in all). The exports of silver (almost exclusively to Asia) varied from 1,757,000 roubles in 1895 to 17,944,000 roubles in 1900, the average export for the last ten years being 7,139,000 roubles.

The following tables give the value of exports and imports to and from Europe through the European and the Black Sea frontier of the Caucasus, and the trade with Finland. The exports and imports of 4 chief categories

of goods for the last three years and for the first nine months of 1903 and 1904 were :

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The grain exports from European Russia, Caucasus, and to Finland in the last three years were :

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Oats

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58.5

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Sugar was, in addition, exported across the Asiatic frontier in 1901, 9,692,000 roubles; and cottons, in 1901, 14,120,000; in 1902, 10,914,601 roubles.

The principal imports across the three above-mentioned frontiers were :

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Besides, tea was imported through Irkutsk in 1901, 9,499,000 roubles; in 1902, 8,548,000; in 1903, 5,336,000. Rice was imported from Persia in 1901, to the value of 4,200,000 roubles; in 1902, 3,032,000; in 1903, 4,419,000. Raw cotton was imported across the Asiatic frontier in 1900 to the value of 4,818,000 roubles; 1901, 6,490,000; 1902, 6,306,554.

The imports from and the exports to the different countries across the above mentioned three frontiers for the last three years and for the first nine months of 1903 and 1904, are seen from the following tables :

:

(The countries are arranged according to the value of imports from and exports to.)

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