b o o k p e rm ia , p r o d u c e d , in 17 7 2 , o n l y 13,868 p o o d s o f c o p p e r .
. 1 At Catharinenburgh the crown has eftabliilied a mint for
coining the copper procured from the imperial and private
founderies into that fpecies o f money which is current
throughout Ruffia, and which is tranfported by water to
Mofcow, Peteriburgh, and other parts.
Hi Private mines and founderies come next under conii-
deration. The greateft part o f thofe mines that fupply fuch
an immenfe quantity o f iron and copper, are moftly fituated
in the Uralian mountains, and the hills ftretching from them,
a few in the government o f Mofcow excepted, whofe produce
is but fmall.
The Uralian mountains contain 105 founderies, 56 ot
which are for iron, 37 for copper, and the remainder for
both metals. The peafants, part o f whom belong to the
proprietors, and part to the crown, employed in the mines
and founderies, amount to 95,000. In 1 7 7 2 * thefe works
yielded 1 30,169 poods o f copper, and 4,5 5 8,718 o f caft iron.
The duty paid to the crown from the private proprietors
is 4 copecs, or nearly id . for every pood o f caft iron, befide
5 copecs upon every pood for exportation.
With refpeft to the copper, the proprietors are obliged to
fell three quarters of the whole produce o f the mines to the
crown at Catharinenburgh, at the low rate o f ^ i is. per
pood t. The remainder they either fell to the crown at the
fame place, a t j f i . 14J. .per pood ; at Mofcow, for £ 1 . is . ;
or at Peteriburgh, for £ 1 . 4s.
* W e mull take this y e a r as th e average th ree qua rters o f the copp er to the crown at
ftandard, as b ein g previous to the rebellion £ i . 2s. p e r pood, are now o n ly obliged to
o f P u g a tch e f, who deftroyed feveral o f th e difpofe o f - h a l f at that p r ic e : this new re-
fou n d e r ie s ; b u t molt o f them h a v e been gulation mu ft have fomewhat reduced the
fmce re-eftabliihed, ' profits o f th e -Copper 'coinage. See Journ.
f By.an..edi£t o f the emprefs, dated J u ly S t . P e t . fo r 1780, p. 53.
1 , 1 7 8 0 , the proprie tors, inftead o f fe llin g
At
At Catharinenburgh copper money to the value o f CHAP-
¿400,000. is annually coined. The crown receives a pqod^—
of this metal, upon an average, at ¿ 1 . is . (sd.; and iffues
it when ftruck at ¿ 3 . 41.
From thefe data government appears to gain annually
from the mines, and duties upon iron, as follows.
Gain upon the copper coinage at Catharinenburgh ¿257,625 o
44,000 pounds of filver, and 1,200 of gold, the annual
produce from the mines of Kolyvan, when
coined, yield _ _ _ _ _ 282,164 4
16,3 20 pounds of-filver, and ifio of gold, from the.
mines of Nerlhinik — — — 71,194 8
Government iron works — - — _ 32,529 16
Duty on 4,558,718 poods of caft iron — _ 36,469 5
¿679,182 13
The iron and copper are tranfported by means o f the
Kofva, TchuiTovaja, Bielaya, and Kama, into the Volga:
fome o f the veffels defcend that river, in order to fupply with
iron the provinces fituated along its banks; but far the
greateft numbers are towed up the ftream to Niihuei-No-
vogorod, and Tver, and through the canal o f Vifhnei-Vo-
loihok to Peteriburgh. The veffels, which fet out immediately
upon the breaking o f the froft in the fpring, commonly
perform this navigation before,the end o f autumn; but they
fometimes are obliged to winter by the way, '
V o l . H. P P C H A P .