Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-14

has Il total area of S,650,000 square
miles. Half of Europe and the whole
| of Northern ASi;. are included within
it's boundaries. 1t has a greater con-
/ tinuGuS area than any other nation ir
the world. The Arctic Ocean lies tC
! its north and the Pacific to it's east
On the south lie Manchuria and Coraa
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 its
growth and development. These arc
ID Russia in Europe, including Poland
and the Grand Duchy Of Finland: ca
the Caucasus provinces, including
Northern Caucasus and Transcaucas ia
81 Siberia, and ~ Russian Central
of the empire is the same as that OF
, Charleston, s. c., and it's northernmosl
parallel passes through the UNEMPLOYED
regions of northern Greenland
, European Russia has an area of $685.
$40 square miles, about thirteen times
! greater than that of Japan.
| In population the Russian Empire
! surpasses Japan nearly threefold. Ac-
/ cOrding to the census of 1897 the en-
pire had 129.562,71s. Within the last
half century the increase in population
, has been tremendous. In 1915 it was
! estimated at 45.O0OGOO. At the present
! time it is nearly 15O00O.OO0. According
to it's different divisions the population
was distributed by the census of 1891
as follows: European Russia, 107, 000.-
! 600 Gncludne 9.5C0OOO Poles and $500
! 600 Finns); Caucasus governments,
| 93O0, 900; Siberia. $3.50 900; Central Asia,
, 100000. In European Russia the
average annual increase Of births
over deaths, according to the New In
tcrnatiOnal encyclopaedia is 100000
souls. The empire has seven cities
with a population of over 100000, and
they are: ST. Petersburg, 1,4S9,5,0;
Moscow, 1,147,245; Warsaw, Gal. 1856;
Odessa, 414.21S; LODI, 16,145; Riga.
, cfN717, and Kiev, 255.699.
The Russian navy at the beginning
! of the war with Japan consisted of
eighteen battleships, five armored
| cruisers nineteen cruisers, protected
! or otherwise, seven torpedo gunbOats
}twenty-six destroyers, fifty-three tor
pedo boats Quilt or building) and sew
e,al submarine torpedo boats. A GER
| tain portion of the fleet is confined to
| the Black Sea. so that Japan Will be
opposed by only eight battleships, five
armored cruisers and eight protected
t-"-'sers. representing total tonnage
O., 131.173, or seven-tenths that of the
Japanese fleet. Russia also has in
Eastern waters few torpedo boats
! ard destroyers The Russian ships do
| not throw as great a broadside as do
| the Japanese. Russia has no dock
yards in the East where she can re-
pair her ships, except at Vladivostok.
which is still locked in ice. In the
Russian navy there are 10 admirals. %
vice-admirals. 81 rear admirals. 102
captains. 252 commanders. 1.542 junior
officers. sos engineers. and other officers
! and men to bring the total up to sixty
thousand or nearly twice the war
footing of japan.
Russia has always boosted of her
army. It has been estimated that the
| total war footing of the Russian army
after calling out all the reserves
amounts to 5,250,0O0 men. or more than
ten times that of Japan. In times Of
peace 100000 young men are annually
liable to military service. For mill
/ tary purposes the 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 will have 1887
officers. 5.1SO.95S soldiers, 613. 400 horses
| and 1000 cannon. Germany is the only
nation that exceeds Russia in its mill
tary equipment, the German war
footing being 1867 officers and $685.
OCO men. In case of dire necessity,
however, Russia could call on the re-
mainder of her male population. and
thus produce an army that would be
the greatest the modern world has ever
| seen.
The wealth of Russia has increased
most rapidly in the last twenty years.
The chief financial institution of the
Russians is the Bank of Russia. which
has 113 branches throughout the cOun-
try. The paper currency of the en-
pire is issued by this bank. It's capital
is S26.600. 900. and it's total issue of pa
per in January. 1903. was s315.000,060.
with a guarantee fund Of nearly $780,
100000. The estimated stock of Rus
sian gold for last year was s746,000.O 900
twelve times more than that of JAPAN.
and of silver. s1O4.6OO,0OO (three and
One-third times more than Japan's).
The records of all the various banks
show 4.517.342 depositors; s491.317,622
in deposits, with an average deposit for
each inhabitant of $34S.
Much of Russia's internal trade is
still carried on at great fairs. of which
| seven are still held annually, at Mos
COW. Kharkov, Poltava. Yelizavetgrad,
Kursk, Irbit and Nishni Novgorod. The
exports and imports in 1900 amounted
to 1927 100000, or nearly three times
those of Japan. OF this trade the i'm
ports into European Russia amounted
to 100000, and into Asiatic Russia
to s24.000.000. The exports across the
European boundaries amounted to
1929 oiyO. 900. and the Asiatic 81 900 600