PROGRESS OF PUB LICATION.
AFTER long looking at and much meditating upon the mighty pile of Books which the accumulations of three weeks had pro- duced, the heat merle of reducing the chaotic heap to something like order seemed to be, to adopt a mode of classification and arrange them in bibliopolic groups. Examining the mass with this view, that which at first sight appeared an indigesta moles seemed naturally to fall under three heads,—l. Publications whose nature or whose merit required them to stand alone ; 2. liouks which character or accident threw into something like elassee ; 3. Works whose examination has been prevented, or whose postponement has been caused by time, space, and politics, singly or in conjulle time
Amongst the first of the first class, we will take
Revert tot the Comelerre of the Ports of -Were Russia. Mot- dacia, and 11'allachia. It was undertaken by Justus in.: II AGE- :11 E I sTER , at the command of the Rossi:in Govereinent ; and gives. a tray fasourable idea of the qualities the autocracy requires in its emeloy t's, awl of the neater in which they fulfil the tasks itn- 1"'"e'l 11111111 [banns The Revert is an able and elaborate state paper, fell of tacos and sperific inferination, collected with holostry, arras and with oracle and very clearly and even agrecab'y pre- seeted, canside,.iies the nature and official character of lire work. The author first of all takes a survey el the vernal ies whose com- merce he has ha report tg:en; painting out the sites aial natural
advantages and disailvo tat s of their ports and emporiums, besides
slightly tracing their commercial history.. Ile then tnieutely coasiders the contused:ties they. expert ; describieg the places where they are produced, the processes of the inland trades, and the modes and lines of transport, with at,y other information he may deem necessary. The import trade is next reported upon,—less 'Minitel). of course; and we learn that the balance• of trade is in favour of Russsia : but whether this balance is paid by importations of the precious metals, or, as we suspect, by foreign goods sent overland front tile Millie, does not appear. The fifth chapter treats of the transit-trade Odessa carried on with Georgia and Persia through Tiflis, till the Russian inalinflicturers persuaded the Governineut to adopt a prohibitory system to get rid of foreign competition. The result, according to the reporter's own words, has been, that "Russia has gained nothing by this measure but the loss of the transit-lute, and of the profits derived from the transit-trade by all classes of inhabitants in the countries through which the caravans p assed." " It is for the benefit of Trebizonil, and the English w ho have formed considerable esta- blishments there, that Russia has closed the port of Redout Mali :" liar although the port of Trebizond is dangerous, and the inland communicati ns bail and far from safe, yet the r‘rt charges are slight, and 'Turkey levies no protective duties. The last chap- ter, en the Employment of Capital, chiefly describes the means and. modes of conducting busiiiess so far as the needkil is co:ice:riled.
To the statist, the economist, awl the reran whose affairs either directly or indirectly connect him with Russia, this Report will, we presume, be deemed indisiiensable ; and it will not be without interest to any commercial man. The translation is suflieiently good to pass without comment; and a map of the seas and ports referred to is prefixed to the volume. There are also a geed many elaborate tables of various kinds in the appendix.
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