New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-06
R~uSSfd.

Russia embraces one-sixth OF the land sur
face OF the world II is more than fifty times
larger than Japan, and has a total area Of s.
650O00 square miles. half OF Europe and the
whole OF Northern Asia are included within its
boundaries 1t has a greater continuous area
than any other nation in the world. The Arctic
Ocean lies TO its north and the Pacific 10 its
east On the south lie Manchuria and Corea.
over which Russia is now battling with Japan:
China Afghanistan. Persia. Turkey, both In
Asia and Europe. and Rumania- On the west
Russia adjoins Austria Hungary, Germany the
Baltic Sea and Sweden.
There are four distinct parts to the Russian
Empire which mark it's growth and develop
nent These are % Russia In Europe. including
Poland and the Grand Duchy OF Finland. CO
the Caucasus provinces. including Northern
Caucasus and Transcaucasia; CD Siberia, and
"a Russian Central Asia The extreme southern
latitude Of the empire is the same as that OF
Charleston. S. C., and its northernmost parallel
passes through the unexplored regions Of North
ern Greenland European Russia has an area
OF 2O95610 square miles about thirteen times
greater than that OF Japan.
In population the Russian Empire SURPRISES
Japan nearly threefold. According 10 the census
OF 1897 the empire had 129. Ji2.T1S Within
the last half century the increase in population
has been tremendous. IN 1915 il was estimated
at 100000 At the present time it is nearly
15OOO0OOo. According to its different divisions
the population was distributed 10y the census Of
1897 as follows: European Russia 100000
Oncluding $4,000 Poles and 100000 Finns);
Caucasus governments. 100000; Siberia, 5.13s,-
90; Central Asia. 100000. In European Rus
eia the average annual increase Of births over
deaths, according 10 the New international En-
cyclopsdia- IS 100000 souls. The empire has
seven cities with a population OF over 100000
and they are: St Petersburg. 14S9.57O; MOSCOW,
l147.245: Warsaw. G41.936; Odessa, 4l4.2le.
LODI. 316145; Riga, 2G0.717, and Kiev. 215CS9
The Russian navy at the beginning OF
The war with Japan consisted Of eighteen
battleships Eve armored cruisers. nineteen
cruisers protected or otherwise, seven tor
pedo eunboats twenty-sx destroyers hfty-three
torpedo boats Quilt building) and several
submarine torpedo boats A certain portion OF
the feet is confined 10 the Black Sea. 50 that
Japan viii be opposed by only eight battleships,
five armored cruisers and eight protected cruis-
ers, representing a total tonnage Of 13llI3. o.
seven-tenths that OF the japanese fleet Russia
also has "a Eastern waters few torpedo boats
and destrOyers- The Russian ships 90 mol
throw as great a broadside as DO the japanese.
Russia has no dockyards in the East where she
can repair her ships, except at NladiFostok-
which Is still locked IN ice In the Russian
navy there are 10 admirals. Is vice-admirals
81 rear adnirals, 102 captains. % commanders
1912 Junior officers, SOB engineers and other
officers and men 10 bring the total Up 10 sixty
thousand or nearly twice the war footing o.
Japan
Russia has always boosted Of her army II
has been estimated that the total war footing
Of the Russian army after calling out al the
reserves amounts to 100000 men, or more
than ten times that Of japan In times OF
peace 100000 young men are annually Liable
20 military service For military purposes ne
empire is divided into thirteen districts. each
under a high general officer. The soldiers are
drawn from the ignorant peasant class and
the officers from the governing ranks OF society
Should Russia call out all her troops she VII
have 1887 officers. 5.1SO.95S soldiers. 613.4OO
horses and 1000 cannon Germany Is the only
nation Tat exceeds Russia in its military equip
rneut The German war footing being 60.oOz
eBcers snd 55S5.0O0 men In case Of dire
necessity, however. Russia could call on the
remainder Of her male population. and thus
produce an army that would be the greatest
the modern world has even seen
The wealth Of Russia has Increased most
rapid1y n the last twenty years The CHEZ
financial institution Of the Russians Is