Der Handel des Russischen Reichs.

Mitau and Leipzig, G. A. Reyher, 1844. 8vo. Contemporary dark green calf, ornamented in gilt, spine lettered in gilt, inner dentelles ornamented in gilt, pink watered endpapers, all edges gilt; pp. [iv], 330, [2, errata], tables in the text; light wear to extremities, a little spotted in places; provenance: duplicate from a Latvian library (1920s stamp), crossed out earlier German stamp of the Society for Antiquities of the Baltic Provinces of Russia. Verty rare first edition of this picture of Russian economy, trade and manufacturing at the time, written by an English lecturer in Dorpat (Tartu, Estonia), who later wrote a book on the impact of the revolutions of 1848/9 on the Austro-Hungarian economy and administration. In the preface he obliquely points out that he wanted to include more statistical tables and material but was stopped by 'important voices' (i.e. the Russian authorities). Divided into six chapters the book opens with a geographical and statistic survey of the Empire, the national wealth, primary production, and industry. This is followed by the trade, the situation of the merchant class and their restrictions, ports, im- and export. The fifth chapter is on customs and tariffs, and the final one deals with trade companies, steam navigation, transport companies and trade agreements. Goldsmiths'-Kress 33720.