T R A V E L S
I N T O
R U S S I A.
B O O K VI.
C H A P. I.
ConjeSlures on the population and revenues o f /¿«Ruffian « -
pire.— Bank o f ajfignation.— Paper currency.
book y F we recoiled the various publications lately put forth in
' England relating to the population o f Great Britain, and
the furpri-zing difference between the calculations o f Dr.
Price on one hand, and Meffrs. Wales and Howlett on the
other, in a country where the regifters o f births and deaths
are fuppofed to be-regularly kept, and where there are no
^impediments to our refearches ; we ihall not be furprized at
. meeting with a ftill greater uncertainty .in refpedt to the population
of Ruffia, coniidering the immenfe extent o f its
empire, the various nations which compofe it, the difficulty
so f procuring exadt intelligence, and the obftruaions which
® ' prevent
P o P U E A T I G hr
prevent a freedom o f inquiry ; nor can we think it extra- «
ordinary, that fome authors have eilimatedit at 28,000,000 v
inhabitants, and others at only 14,000,000.
Under this refledhon, it might appear prefumptuous in a
foreigner, who was only refident in the metropolis during a
few months, to attempt to lay down any pofitive information
upon fo intricate a fubjfedl.- Trailing, however, to the candor
of the reader, I fubmit the. following fketch, from which
fome general inferences-may be drawn with refpedl to the
number of inhabitants contained in this vait empire..
According to the lait numeration made in 1764, the males-
■sfho paid thè poll-tax amounted to 7,364,348. By
doubling *, therefore,, this- number for the females, we
-have for the inhabitants in thofe provinces which are af- Souls
feflèd with the poll-tax________ __ __ j 6 "
In the new governments of Mohilef and Polotfk, lately dif I ^
membered from Poland,, and which Contain 7,0 000
males paying the poll-tax, by the fame mode of eftima-
tton are_________ __ __
In the Ukraine f, which, according to the revifion of 1764- 1,400,000
contained 95.5,228 males, are________ __ __
Government of Revel in 177 4 _ *>9 10,456-
Riga’or Livonia ° _ _ 176.000
Wiburg _ _ ~ 447.3^ '.
117.998
18,83 8,510
l g tKiS ^*8 comp ute the p o p u .
nples the number, o f males pa yin'? th e
c r e a f c 'V 'F d whiIe comp utes the in - Males. 3s - 6 ,o Death«,
the^im g ir th s , makes no allowance fo r Fema les S H U ’ 6 ,H 6
'»e diminution by de aths. ( 3 5,501 24,238
t In the U k ra in e in 17 72 w ere th e fo l- 7 " f— --------
^ numbers o f births and d e a th s ,f rom 7 4 ’ IQ' .
c read er , who is v erled in ca lcu la - B u f .H i f . M a g . JX . p . 459) & c . ' i
As