rof,
who served in the army as a common soldier, and describes only what she
saw. An anonymous work, written by an eye-witness, gives an account of
the Turkish war in 1828-29. The work entitled "Biographies of the Russian
Admirals" (1834), gives a history of the Russian navy.
In no department has Russian Literature remained more behind its age,
than in the treatment of foreign history, and especially European
history. The series of publications which have appeared relating to
it, consist almost exclusively of defective translations, or weak
imitations. For the Russian scholar this defect was less essential
than for the public in general, as all of them read foreign languages.
Pogodin has recently begun to give more attention to this subject.
In respect to several Asiatic nations we are almost entirely
dependent on Russian writers. The priest Hyacinth, honourably
mentioned in connection with this branch, continues his useful
activity. Chopin on the provinces of the Caucasus (1840); Nefedyef on
the Wolga-Kalmuks (1835); several articles in the Siberian Mercury, a
periodical; a History of the Mongols, from the Persian, by Grigoryef;
the Kirgises of the inner Horde, by Khanikof; and several publications
of the Geographical Society of St. Petersburg; deserve to be noticed
here. The works of two foreigners, one by Haguemaster on the Commerce
with Persia and Turkey, the other by Chaudoir on the Numismatics of
China, Japan, and Korea, may also be included; as they appeared
simultaneously in the Russian and French languages, and were both of
them occasioned by the Russian government.
The interest of the Russians for Law as a science has only recently
been excited. Prince Peter of Oldenburg, a cousin of the emperor,
founded a Law School in 1832. Since that time the nobility have
endowed several professorships of law in the universities; and the
names of N. Krylof and Manoshkin have become favourably known in this
department.
In Statistics the name of Arsenyef is an authority. Many valuable
contributions are to be found in Stepanof's Description of the
Government of Yennissci, and in various Russian periodicals;
especially in the annals of several Bureaus, which are from time to
time published by the government, and the Statistical Annuals edited
by the Academy.
The literature of Travels cannot well be very rich at the present day,
in a country where travelling to foreign lands meets with so many
difficulties; and wher
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