Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-02-16

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ment had 10 overcome with regard % both,
am quite astonished at the edor.s il then
made, although believs them te.bs great.
" exaggerated. Catharine 1abored 70
spread an illnsipn on this subject, By the
bolslness and splendoe OF her undertakings;
but they seldom required more than one or
two. campaigns; and with, all the aids OF
absolute power, she was unable to collect y
revenue equal to that Of the secondary or.
der of states in Europe. Her armies were
drawn from the interior of the empire and
formed bv means Of slow and operose le.
vies. In weakening the inland population,
they exerted a most pernicious influence
over the general prosperity of country,
which, of all others, most imperiously, ex-
acts the s;rictest economy of the blood and
the steadies. application Of the ayr icultural
labor, of It's inhabitants. The military
strength of Russia was impaired by the
frequency of seditions among the soldiery ;
of court conspiracics, and of popular com
motions evils to which tn. Russian 90
vernment is still expoeed, and which must
always impede the execution of any regu-
lar plan Of warfare.
T. "DThe natural progress of her strength !;
the extension Of her commerce the d...4
sion of the arts of civilized life and an
improved. system Of internal administration
within the last thirty years, have undou5t-
edly placed her under more favorable cir
cumstanees, and greatly augmented her
resources. But when contrasted with
those of France, there is still an irremedia-
bic deficiency. Her financial means bear
no proportion in the comparison. hide
pendently of the positive fact, her infe,i.
GRITTY, in this respect, might be under
stood from calculation, admitted bv m os,
writers on political arithmetic, that a thou
sand inhabitants, collected within a square
league, will, when compared with five
hundred, spread over the same surface,
sustain much more than double the amour.
OF taxes, and cost much less trouble and
expence in gathering them. The product
Of private industry, and national revenue,
with no difference even OF soil or climate
is, within given space, uniformly in q
ratio much greater than that of the popula-
ton. / STATE this principles, however,
chiefly with view to illustrate the dil6sul.
ties, to which Russia must BE- subject, IN
relation to the concerns of her treasury.
| The amount OF her revenue is but of hide
. importance in an investigation OF her ability
to cope with France. The imposslbIisy,
rGder which she labours, of repairing with
promp,itute any severe Losses Of men = Ter
want Of good officers; and the defects Of
her military organization are the most
diseouraginS points of comparison.
War, as waged by her enemy, is not
now principally question Of finance, bat
of the resources of population. The strength
of assate opposed to France must be esti-
mated, by the sum Of lis population, ai-
vided by the extent Of its territory, aud by
the facility with which its institutions ena-
bic the government to WELD that popula-
ton. The first branch of this estimate is
SO far correct, that many writers compute,
that Population Of six millions, cnncen-
tra,sd within a small space, Is equal 10 one
of twenty. four, diffuscd over a large sur,
face. 1t is eh,nendy true as it relates to
the military operations OF country, wag'
ing defensive war. Whoever reflects On
tli~, sparse character Of the Russian popu-
lation, and considers that the Russian 60.
vernmrnt is under the necessity of main
tanning standing army at home, in order
to preserve domestic tranquility, will east
ly.undcrs,anG the application ID the ioreyo-
ing remarks, and must be satisfied, that, =
aitbouol, ENGLAND mich furnish Decuniary
supplies, Russia, after a few severe defeats
would he deficient in the number Of her
troops. .'..
81 The distance of Russia will not serve to
-pro,ect her, when the immediate powers
are subdusd. France will then press upon
her frontier, with all the accession OF num-
bers, oftreasure, and of influence, which
she must derive from an uniisnirsdt way
over the adjacent territories. The acqui-
sition Of Finland, of Gallicia, or of what
ever portion Of Turkey may be now prcmi-
ssd IN pratifv the blind ambition of Alley.