well guarded that smuggling is very difficult. In France and Austria both manufacture and sale form a state monopoly, and importation by individuals is prohibited; but in Austria private permits to import at a higher duty may be obtained, the license and duty together coming to a tax of 981⁄2 kop. per lb. Russ. on unmanufactured, and 1 roub. 30 kop. on manufactured tobacco of every description. Smuggling is carried on to a large extent in both countries, especially in Austria. The relative consumption in different countries presents, as far as we have been able to ascertain, the following proportions:

*

States of the Zollverein (of which 37 per cent. foreign)
Belgium (all foreign) -

Austria (12 per cent. foreign)

Consumption

per Inhabitant.

Russia, exclusive of Finland and the kingdom of Poland † (5 to 6 per cent. foreign)

England (all foreign)

France (all foreign)

2.00

1.10

We perceive from these figures that in the States of the Zollverein, where the home production is large and the duty on foreign tobacco very moderate, the relative consumption is much greater than in any other country. Belgium, without any home production, and levying a very moderate duty on importation, occupies the second place, with a relative consumption 10 per cent. in excess of that of Austria, where the home culture is extensive, but the price artificially raised by monopoly. The relative consumption is smallest in England and in France, both non-producing countries, in which the use is restricted in the former by a very high duty, and in the latter by prohibition and monopoly. Russia, with a heavy duty on the one hand, and an extensive home production together with free manufacture and sale upon the other, holds a middle place betwixt those countries in which the relative consumption is largest, and those in which it is smallest. The following table shows the importation of tobacco into Russia, by triennial periods, since 1828:

* Dieterici (Statistische Uebersicht, 4to Fortsetzung, p. 265.), 2.77 Zollv. lbs. = 3.28 lbs. Russ.

† Estimating the home production at 3 millions of poods, and deducting exportation. (See antè, Vol. II. p. 107.)

Previous to this date our official tables exhibit only the value, not the quantity, of the imports.

We here perceive that importation has been continually on the increase except in 1853, which presents a considerable decrease as compared with the year preceding. The last triennial period, as compared with the first, exhibits an increase of 107,200 poods, or 182 per cent. on the quantity, and 2,061,300 roub. or 316 per cent. on the value: the fact that the latter has more than quadrupled, whilst the former has increased only in the proportion of 10 to 28, indicates an increasing consumption of the finer sorts; and the large and continuous increase of importation, notwithstanding the high duties, shows that this branch of commerce may preserve its importance, independently of the more extended culture of the article at home. Our principal supplies are drawn from the Hanse Towns, the United States, European Turkey, and Asia. During the quinquennium 1847-51 the average annual arrivals from these countries or entrepôts were as follows:

The use of medicine is much more limited in Russia than in

*Without reckoning the importation into the kingdom of Poland, which amounted to 6586 poods in 1852, and 4405 poods in 1853.

Tais average includes the importation into the kingdom of Poland for the year 1851, amounting to 2384 poods.

other countries amongst the rural population, and apothecaries' shops are scarcely to be met with, except in the towns, which in most governments are situated very distantly from each other: still the importation of medical substances is of some importance; it amounted during the period 1847-51 to the average value of 862,200 roub., and, taken since 1824 by triennial periods, exhibits the following movement :

The last period exhibits, as compared with the first, an increase of 447,900 roub., or 91 per cent. The supply comes principally from England, Prussia, the Hanse Towns, Austria, and France. The importation of 1851 (previous to which we have no returns distinguishing countries) was drawn as follows:

II. Raw Materials and other Articles for Industrial Purposes.

Cotton, Wool, and Yarn.

We

Of our imports of raw material, cotton forms the chief. have seen from the table (Vol. II. p. 204.) that during the period 1847-51 the importation of raw cotton was to the average value of 8,310,800 roub., and that of cotton yarn to

*Including the importation into the kingdom of Poland, which represented an average value of 68,000 roubles.

the value of 3,702,500, making together an average annual value of 12,013,300 roub.* The average importation of 185153 represented a value of 11,990,800 roub., without reckoning the importation into the kingdom of Poland, which represented a value of 654,300 roub. Referring to what we have already said in a former part of this volume with regard to the progress of our cotton industry, which has raised the importation of the raw material to so high a figure, we will here confine ourselves to numerical results. The average annual importation was

We perceive from a comparison of these two periods that the importation of raw cotton has increased in the proportion of 1 to 22, whilst that of cotton yarn has diminished in the propor tion of 100 to 37; the latter attained its height in 1836-38, when it amounted to 626,713 poods, since which time it has fallen off by more than four-fifths. This is the natural result of the progress of our spinneries, which, being protected by an import duty of 5 roub. per pood‡ (equivalent on the common numbers 30 to 40 to a duty of 50 or 60 per cent. ad valorem,

an enormous impost on a semi-manufactured article), are safe from competition, except for the very fine numbers of which the use is exceedingly limited. In the importation of cotton, yarns dyed Turkey red formerly held a pretty high place, having been imported to the quantity of 30,000 poods, representing a value of more than 1,400,000 roub.; but since this dye has been perfected in Russia that importation has gradually declined to below 1000 poods. The importation of cotton yarn has little chance of re-attaining its former amount, unless the duty be considerably reduced; but on the other hand the importation of raw cotton cannot but go on largely increasing; for whilst the use of cotton manufactures is daily extending amongst the lower classes of the population, our

In this quinquennial average is included the importation into the kingdom of Poland in 1851, amounting to 741,300 roubles. Deducting this, the average value of the importation into the empire is reduced to 11,864,800 roubles.

Without reckoning the importation into the kingdom of Poland which averaged 72,512 poods of raw cotton and 10,460 poods of cotton yarn.

Before the introduction of the new tariff, the duty on white cotton yarn was 6 roub. 50 kop. per pood.

relative consumption is still far behind that of Austria, France, or Germany, to say nothing of England, where it is 10 or 11 times larger than with us. At our present rate of progress it would require but five or six years till the importation of raw cotton amounted to 3 millions of poods.*

It is chiefly from England that we draw our supplies, both of wool and yarn. Taking the average annual importation of 1847-51, as shown in the following table, it will be seen that we derive from that source three-fourths of the former and 17 of the latter:

We have already, in a former part of this volume, pointed out the importance and progress of our silk manufacture, which partly depends on the importation of foreign silk, the latter being indispensable for the manufacture of plain cloths of good quality. The average importation of silk, raw and thrown, during the five years ending 1851, amounted to 17,939 poods, representing a value of 3,795,500 roub., of which 10,319 poods, representing a value of 3,241,500 roub., were imported from Europe, and 7620 poods, representing a value of 554,000 roub., were from Asia; so that European silk represented 57 per cent. of the total quantity, and 85 per cent. of the total value, -the difference in the proportions of quantity and value arising from the higher price of European silk, which is generally imported thrown, whilst the Asiatic is imported raw. Of the whole average importation from Europe in 1847-51 (10,319 poods), 9337 poods, or more than nine-tenths, were thrown; in 1851 not more than 252 poods were imported raw, although the present tariff holds out a considerable premium to our throwsters, the duty on raw silk being only 2 kop. per lb.

*In 1852 the importation (kingdom of Poland included) attained 1,863,300 poods.

VOL. II.