"The Greco-Russian church differs from the Roman Catholic in denying the supremacy of the Pope, and in not prohibiting the marriage of the clergy. No priest can perform his spiritual functions before he is married, and he is incompetent to do so at the death of his wife. As he is forbidden to marry a second time, his occupation as a priest is gone, though he may go into a monastery, and be eligible to office in the church. There are important differences of doctrine also. Russia has five hundred cathedrals and twenty-nine thousand churches of the established religion, with two hundred and fifty-four thousand clergymen of all ranks. There are four hundred and eighty monasteries for men, and seventy convents for women. Peter the Great and Catharine II. confiscated the immense wealth of the church not required for the actual service, and the salaries of the clergy are very small, hardly sufficient to support them. Jews are not allowed to settle in Russia proper, but there is no other restraint on the non-Russian sects. The Russian cannot renounce his creed. The subject of education among the common people is receiving considerable attention at the present time, and there are over one million pupils in the schools. "There are in Russia fifteen cities having over fifty thousand inhabitants, four of which have over a hundred thousand--St. Petersburg, five hundred and forty thousand; Moscow, three hundred and fifty-two thousand; Warsaw, one hundred and sixty-three thousand; and Odessa, one hundred and ninety-two thousand. "The army of Russia is raised by conscription, by the adoption of the sons of soldiers, and by voluntary enlistment. The period of service is from twenty-two to twenty-five years; but of late years the soldiers are sent home after ten or fifteen years' service, to be recalled in case of war. The Cossacks of the Don are not taxed, but do military duty in payment for their exemption; and in case of necessity, every man among them between the ages of fifteen and sixty is obliged to serve. These are all in the cavalry service, and every Cossack is obliged to keep his own horse, and to arm, equip, and clothe himself, except when sent out of the country. The number in the service is fifty-six thousand, and more than double this number are available. On a peace footing the army has eight hundred thousand men, on a war footing over one million. "The navy of Russia contains two hundred and ninety steamers and twenty-nine sailing vessels, with sixty thousand seamen.