English
Sq.  Miles. 
In 1505 the Tsardom of Muscovy contained about    784,000
" 1583        "          "       "        "      996,000
" 1584        "          "       "        "    2,650,000
" 1598        "          "       "        "    3,328,000
" 1676        "          "       "        "    5,448,000
" 1682        "          "       "        "    5,618,000

Of these 5,618,000 English square miles about 1,696,000 were in Europe and about 3,922,000 in Asia.  Peter the Great, though famous as a conqueror, did not annex nearly so much territory as many of his predecessors and successors.  At his death, in 1752, the Empire contained, in round numbers, 1,738,000 square miles in Europe and 4,092,000 in Asia.  The following table shows the subsequent expansion: 

In Europe and the Caucasus   In Asia. 
Eng. sq. m   Eng. sq. m. 
In 1725 the Russian Empire contained about 1,738,000    4,092,000
" 1770        "       "       "       "   1,780,000    4,452,000
" 1800        "       "       "       "   2,014,000    4,452,000
" 1825        "       "       "       "   2,226,000    4,452,000
" 1855        "       "       "       "   2,261,250    5,194,000
" 1867        "       "       "       "   2,267,360    5,267,560
" 1897        "       "       "       "   2,267,360    6,382,321

In this table is not included the territory in the North-west of America—­containing about 513,250 English square miles—­which was annexed to Russia in 1799 and ceded to the United States in 1867.

When once Russia has annexed she does not readily relax her grasp.  She has, however, since the death of Peter the Great, on four occasions ceded territory which had come into her possession.  To Persia she ceded, in 1729, Mazanderan and Astrabad, and in 1735 a large portion of the Caucasus; in 1856, by the Treaty of Paris, she gave up the mouths of the Danube and part of Bessarabia; in 1867 she sold to the United States her American possessions; in 1881 she retroceded to China the greater part of Kuldja, which she had occupied for ten years; and now she is releasing her hold on Manchuria under the pressure of Japan.

The increase in the population—­due in part to territorial acquisitions—­since 1722, when the first census was taken, has been as follows:—­

In 1722 the Empire contained about 14 million inhabitants. " 1742 " " " 16 " " 1762 " " " 19 " " 1782 " " " 28 " " 1796 " " " 36 " " 1812 " " " 41 " " 1815 " " " 45 " " 1835 " " " 60 " " 1851 " " " 68 " " 1858 " " " 44 " " 1897 " " " 129 "

So much for the past.  To sum up, we may say that, if we have read Russian history aright, the chief motives of expansion have been spontaneous colonisation, self-defence against nomadic tribes, and high political aims, such as the desire to reach the sea-coast; and that the process has been greatly facilitated by peculiar geographical conditions and the autocratic form of government.  Before passing to the future, I must mention another cause of expansion which has recently come into play, and which has already acquired very great importance.