The Powers of Europe and Fall of Sebastopol

by A British officer

AREA AND POPULATION OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

Natural Divisions	Area in English Square Miles.	Population in		Mean Population in 1852, per Sq. Mile.
		1846.	1852.
Great Russia,	328,781	19,220,900	20,403,371	62·
Little Russia,	150,141	11,093,400	11,775,865	78·4
New Russia,	96,636	3,070,700	3,259,612	33·7
White Russia,	70,399	2,767,200	2,937,436	41·7
Western Provinces,	47,076	2,704,300	2,870,667	60·9
Baltic Provinces,	36,616	1,659,800	1,761,907	48·1
Northern Provinces,	536,226	1,338,300	1,420,629	2·6
Ural Provinces,	447,788	10,146,000	10,770,181	24·
Cossack Districts,	123,776	1,089,700	1,156,736	9·3
Poland,	49,230	4,857,700	5,156,543	104·7
Finland,	135,808	1,412,315	1,499,199	11·
Total in Europe,	2,022,477	59,360,315	63,012,146	31·1
Caucasian Provinces,	86,578	2,850,000	2,850,000	32·8
West Siberia,	2,681,147	3,500,000	3,500,000	1·3
East Siberia,	2,122,000	237,000	237,000	·11
American Possessions,	371,350	61,000	61,000	·16
Total Extra European,	5,261,075	6,648,000	6,648,000	1·26
Totals,	7,283,552	66,208,315	69,660,146	9·5

In respect to Race, the population of the Russian Empire may be classed approximately, as follows;—

Sarmatian Race.	{	Lithuanic Branch	{	Lithuanians and Letts,			2,000,000
	{	Slavonic Branch	{	Russians	49,000,000	}
				Bulgarians and Illyrians,	5,000,000		56,000,000
				Poles,	6,500,000
							—————
							58,000,000
Germans,					650,000
Dacian Romans,					750,000
Tshúds,					3,400,000
Tartars,					2,150,000
Mongols,					250,000
Munshús,					100,000
Hyperborean Races,					200,000
Caucasian Tribes,					2,750,000
Greeks,					70,000
Jews,					1,600,000
Gipsies,					30,800
Miscellaneous,					50,000
					————
							12,000,000
							—————
	Total,						70,000,000

In respect to religion, there are probably in the Russian Empire 50,000,000 belonging to the so-called Greek Church (i. e. Byzantine Catholics); about 7,000,000 Roman Catholics (chiefly Poles); and upwards of 3,000,000 Protestants (Germans and Tshúds).

Relative proportion of the dominant race to the other races in the Russian dominions:—Slávs to non Slávs, as 29 to 6, or 4·8 to 1: Russians to non-Russians, as 7 to 3, or 2·3 to 1.

No other state in Europe possesses so numerous a population belonging to one nation. Even France contains but 32,000,000 of Frenchmen out of 35,000,000 or 36,000,000 of inhabitants; and Great Britain about 19,000,000 of Englishmen out of 30,000,000 of inhabitants. The 36,000,000 inhabitants of Great Russia speak identically the same language, from the highest classes to the lowest, from the Emperor to the peasant. The dialects of the White Russians and of 7,000,000 of Little Russians are slightly different, but still comprehensible. To this complete unity of language must be added, among the Great Russians, the most surprising uniformity of manners and customs.

Another still more important element of political strength is the unity of the Russian Church. This unity is complete amongst the Little Russians and Ruthenians, a few of the latter only being in communion with the Church of Rome. The Great Russians are divided by a schism, but the Staroverzi (or members of the old faith) have seceded from the Established Church, not on the grounds of doctrine, but of ceremonial usages.