The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-29 00:00:00

OUR COMMERCE WITH RUSSIA.

The following extracts are taken from an inte-
resting paper in the Quarterly Journal of the Sta-
tistical Society :
The purposes of this paper is to afford materials for
answering the question—
What is likely to be the effect of the war we are now
engaged in upon our commerce with Russia ?
It will be observed, in the first place, that we have
taken the initiative in the war ; and that its immediate
operation, under the aspect suggested by this question,
is unusually simple in form. It consists only in a
blockade of the Russian ports, we having no access to
her land frontiers. And these ports all open upon
inland seas, egress from which must be extremely diffi-
cult in the face of a hostile fleet. In other words, we
have little more to consider than the effect of our own
acts upon our own share of the maritime commerce of
Russia.

Obviously, then, the first thing wanted is a clear ac-
count of the commerce of Russia in general ; then a si-
tnilar account of our share in it ; and, finally, whatever
authentic data may be available on which to estimate the
probable influence of the steps we have taken to put a
stop to commercial intercourse between the two coun-
tries.

At the very outset of the inquiry, however, it becomes
apparent that the commerce of Russia, as well as the
country itself, and the people, are marked by features
broadly distinguishing each from any other we are ac-
quainted with. And, if not at first sight equally appa-
rent, it may be reasonably suspected that these peculia•
rities have an important bearing upon the present sub-
ject. Hence it is necessary to a right understanding of
what we are about that they should first receive some
attention.

A great deal has been said of the enormous extent of
Russia ; but the extent of what now concerns us is not
greater than can easily be brought within manageable
limits. The area of Russia in Europe, according to M.
de Koeppen, may be taken, exclusive of Poland,
to be about 2,000,000 of English square miles. A large
space ; but not without parallel. The United States of
America, including their share of the Oregon territory,
as settled by the treaty of 1846, is supposed, upon data
at least equally sound, to contain 2,500,000 square
miles. And British North America, extending as it
does from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the nor-
thern frontier of the United States to the Arctic Sea, is
about as large as the United States, or about one-fourth
larger than Russia in Europe. Extent of territory is
hn+ "MA of the elements of national power and, unless
duly combined with the rest, is apt to prove a source of
weakness rather than of strength.
The Russian census of 1838, increased in its results,
according to the same authority, by about 1 1-3 per
cent. per annum, gives us, for the population of this
area, in 1854, about 62,000,000 souls.
The comparative density of the population in the three
groups of provinces, showing us how the people with
whom we trade are located, may therefore be shortly
stated thus :—The population per square mile (English)
was in Finland, 17 ; in the Baltic provinces, exclusive
of Finland and Poland, 52 ; in Poland, 103 ; in the
Black Sea provinces, 26 ; in the central provinces, 80 ;
throughout Russia in Europe, 31.
These details then conduct us to the important con-
clusion that the people of Russia, as we have now to
deal with them, are grouped round two main centres,
one of which is Moscow and the other Warsaw. Put-
ting aside all reference to despotic political arrangements,
we thus discover the natural centres of produc►ion and
consumption ; and in the connection existing between
these localities, on the one hand, and the nature of the
commerce carried on by sea between Russia and the
rest of the world on the other, we may hope to find
sure indications of the probable operation of a maritime
war upon the Russian people in a mercantile point of

view.

The productive powers of the Russians are yet small,
hence they have not much-to exchange with foreigners.
The population of the United Kingdom numbers about
29,000,000, and sends abroad, in exchange for foreign
commodities, British produce to an amount which can-
not now be stated at a value less than 90,000,0001.
sterling, or more than 60s. per head per annum. The
French people, numbering 36 millions, annually ex-
change a similar value of nearly 60,000,0001., or about
335. per head. The 62,000,000 of the Russian people
export produce to the amount, at most, of 14,000,0001.
a year ; say 4s. 2d. per head. In other words, their
foreign commerce, in relation to their numbers, is about
one-eighth of that of France, and about one-fifteenth of
that of the United Kingdom.
Its nature is exactly such as its amount would indicate.
While we export manufactured produce almost entirely,
and the exports of our French neighbours are also largely
of the same nature, the exports of Russia are, with
scarcely an exception, of raw produce.
The value of the principal exports from European Russia,
in the years 1847 and 1848, were—Grain and flour : 1847,
11,205,625/. ; 1848, 3,418,6911. Tallow, 1847, 2,332,7711.;
1848, 2,352,7262. Flax,' 1847, 1,439,159/. ; 1848,
1,445,5671. Linseed, 1847, 1,398,966/. ; 1848,
1,186,1161. Hemp, 1847, 1,199,400/. ; 1848, 1,013,0391.
Wool, 1847, 667,991/. ; 1848, 343,5171. Timber, 1847,
593,2091.; 1848, 389,1681. Bristles, 1847, 281,8451. ;
1843, 341,2961. The accounts for 1848 may be taken to
represent nearly the ordinary'state of trade, and that, of
1847 to show how it is liable to be altered by a large and
sudden demand for corn. . s
The value of the principal imports into European
Russia were in thesame years .—Sugar, coffee, tobacco,
wine and fruit, 1847, 3,257,876/. ; 1848, 3,388,689/. ;
salt, 1847, 340,516/. ; 1848, 361,9131. ; textile manu-
factures, 1847, 1,121,685/. 1040, 950,1471. ; textile
materials, 1847, 3,502,900/. ; 1848, 3,820,1551.
Speaking in general terms, it may be said that the
peasantry produce the exports, and the nobles and the
ht, her class of burghers consume the imports.
It appears that the Russian ships seen in our ports
form scarcely 2 per cent, of the whole; or, iu other
words, taking all vessels at an average size, about one in
fifty only are Russian.
The capital embarked in the conduct of the trade be-
tween the United Kingdom and Russia is well known to
belong almost wholly to British subjects.. England, how-
ever, in this instance, only acts upon a rule sufficiently
common to be applicable, more or less, to every nation
with which she has dealings.
Of the Russian tariff, I need scarcely say more than
that it is so framed as to keep out almost all our manu-
factures, except at such prices, duty paid, as prevent
their use by any class below that of the nobles, who, as
they travel much, and are accustomed to all the arts and
conveniences of civilised life in use among the corres-
ponding classes in England and France, habitually draw
from these countries the means of supplying them. To
the Russian people, as a body, the manufactures of other
countries are yet almost unknown.
What sort of customers for our produce we have
hitherto had in the Russian people may he gathered from
the following account of their purchases during the last
seven years :—The average of the declared value of
British exports to Russia during the last seven years was
1,557,9261., whilst, to all the world, the average value
for the same period was 65,281,169/.
It will be observed that, while the declared value of
our exports of British produce to all the world has in-
creased from 57,000,0001. sterling at the beginning of
this period to 78,000,000/. at the end of it, the value of
what has been sent to Russia has fallen off with similar
regularity, and in much larger proportion. But, as-
suming that this diminution may possibly have arisen
from causes of a temporary character, and taking, as a
broader and safer ground of comparison, the average of
each column for the whole seven years, we find that the
Russian demand for British produce is only about 2 1.3
per cent, of the whole ; or, in other words, that of every
1001. worth of goods we turned out for exportation dur-
ing the seven years in view, Russia bought only to the
value of about 2/. 6s.
The real extent of the trade between this country and
Russia, however, is greater than can be exhibited in any
accounts yet extant in either country. On the one
hand, much of what Russia obtains from other countries
is paid for in Russian produce sent -to this country, and
balanced by British produce sent either directly to the
country which thus becomes our creditor, or elsewhere
to meet bills drawn by us in favour of 'the creditor
country. On the other hand, much of the tropical and
other produce imported from other countries into Russia
is so imported under British orders and in British
vessels. From two-fifths to one-half of the vessels en-
tering Russian ports before the war broke out were
British—and, notwithstanding the restrictions placed by
the Government of St. Petersburg upon the action of
foreigners as merchants in Russian ports, it is well
known that the foreign trade of the country is almost
entirely in the hands of foreigners, among whom our
fellow-subjects are, and have long been, by much the
most numerous.
The following figures show the comparative im-
portance of the principal articles of Russian produce in
the English market:—
Articles imported from Russia into the United King.
dom, in 1850, in quantities so large as to constitute one-
tenth of the total importation of each were :—Bristles,
2,305,685 lbs • wheat, 3,738,995 qrs. ; oats, 1,154,473
qrs. ; flax, 1,822,918 cwts. • hemp, 1,048,635 cwts. ;
iron, 34,066 tons ; linen goods, 6,750/. ; linseed and
flax seed, 608,984 qrs. ; tallow, 1,240,645 owta. ; tar,
12,097 lasts.
From the southern ports we receive little besides
wheat, and some linseed, with small quantities of tallow
and wool. From the northern ports we receive the
larger quantity of linseed, some wheat, and a supply of
oats nearly equal to one-third of our average annual im.
portations— and flax, hemp, tallow, tar, and bristles in
quantitiessupply
so
of each.
large as to form the chief part of our
foreign
raiu.
meal, and flour
from
has
To the six important articles, grain; hemp, flax,
tallow, bristles, and linseed, of which the Russian
supply has hitherto formed more than half of all we
imported, it is necessary to give more par.
t i havec
It
u tl a
appearsre sa
ut
ta el nl yt
i ot nh
a. t
upon an average
a
ofim the
ets of gr
ain,
meal,
last
n
years, about 14 per cent. of o
per cent. came
remaining 6 per cent. from the northern ports.
In ports from
ißussia, our
the
loaofPkßsea which,
andaboutthBe t
—showin
only about 62 per cent.--showing
. g
in the last seven years
62 per
theo e firstnt.seven
of
f ourwyheoal ress wu
supply
poi, by t
oa
uend from
dress e
dhemp, Russia about
and,
ghat,while
portion
o
fllweto
n Russia
the total supply for which we are dependent o
have ewien
iciraevaes increased
reduced
di mtphoer
proportionsts i n th e pro.of
in the proportion of 7 to 6.
The average annual importation of flax from
cwts.,
Russia,
which, in the three years 1841-2-3 was 967,000
bad increased in 1851-2-3 to an average of 1,018,000
't
cwts., or by less than 5 per cent. And th
e quantity
imported from other countries increased, in the samet
period, from an average of 342,000 to one of
0f
477,000
cwts., or by nearly 40 per cent., an indication the
fertility of other sources of foreign flax, which the pre-
sent high prices cannot but tend further to develops.
The whole quaiitity, of tallow imported from passiN in