among the commercial
places of Russia. At the head of all then was St. Petersburg, whose
harbour was frequented by 1,500 to 2,000 vessels, the exports being
100,000,000 to 120,000,000 roubles, and the imports 140,000,000
to 160,000,000 roubles. Next in importance came Riga, with 1,000
to 1,500 vessels, 35,000,000 to 50,000,000 roubles exports, and
15,000,000 to 20,000,000 roubles imports; and Odessa, as third,
received 600 to 800 vessels, her exports amounting from 25,000,000
to 30,000,000 roubles, and her imports from 20,000,000 to 25,000,000
roubles. The relative commercial importance of the three ports
was, therefore, as twenty-five to six and five.

Matters have undergone a considerable alteration since then. St.
Petersburg, whose imports and exports doubled in amount those of
all the other ports of the Empire put together, has been gradually
declining, the ports of Esthonia, Livonia, and Courland threatening
to deprive her inconvenient harbour of a great part of the Baltic
trade, and the centre of general business being rapidly removed
from the present seat of Government to the old capital, Moscow.
Riga, also, has been and is slowly sinking from its high position
in the Baltic, and may, perhaps, eventually succumb to the active
rivalry of Revel and Libau. Odessa, on the contrary, has been looking
up for these many years, absorbing nearly all the Russian trade in
the Black Sea, and rapidly rising from the third to the second
rank as a seaport.

The main cause of the rise and progress of Odessa was owing to the
development of agricultural enterprise in the provinces of what
is called "Little" and "New Russia," or the "Black Earth Country"
the granary of the Empire and for a long time of all Europe.

Beyond the steppes which encompass the whole southern seacoast of
Russia, from the Sea of Azof to the Danube, there spreads far inland
a fertile region, embracing the whole or part of the Governments
of Podolia, Poltava, Kharkof, Kief, Voronei, Don Cossacks, etc.,
including the districts of what was once known as the "Ukraine,"
which was for many years debatable land between Poland, Turkey,
and Russia, and on which roamed the mongrel bands of the Cossacks,
an uncouth population recruited among the many tramps and vagabonds
from the northern provinces, mixed with all the races of men with
whom they came into contact, settling here and there in new, loose,
and almost lawless communities, organized as military colonies,