Things Seen in Russia #249527

Rarely appreciated by the English. When it is remembered that the Central Govern ment in St. Petersburg controls an Empire which extends from the Baltic in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East, to the Arctic Circle in the North, to the Caucasus Mountains, Bokhara, Persia, Turkestan, and Southern Siberia in Asia, there is no room for doubt about the necessity for firm measures. About one hundred and sixty million people claim allegiance to the Tsar, and their number doubles every sixty years. The figures are stupendous, but accurate. There are no less than eight and a half million square miles enclosed within the vast borders of Russian territory. Forests, rivers, and the rich steppes or plains (covered with millions of cattle, horses, sheep, and other animals), go to make up the giant possessions of Nicholas II., the Little Father, as his loyal subjects affectionately call him.