ownership, and where necessary also fix the amount of the supplementary payment due from him (sec. 3) and his constant share in the lands divided on special bases (secs. 4 and 5). If in the course of the said term the community does not draw up such a decision, all the said operations shall, at the demand of the house owner making the above-said declaration, be executed on the spot by the rural superintendent, who shall investigate all the disputes arising thereby and publish his decision in the affair. 7. In the decisions and rulings of the rural superintendents, mentioned in section 6, must be accurately indicated (a) the number of single sections which become the lawful property of the house owner, and also the extent and nature of the lands included in each of them; (b) the amount and description of the lands comprised in the grant of the community, divided on special bases (sec. 4), and the constant share in these lands of the house owner adopting individual ownership; and (c) the lands subject to the common use of all the members of the community and which may not be divided (sec. 4). 8. The parties thereto and interested persons may enter complaints to the district assembly against the community's decisions and the rulings of the rural superintendent (sec. 6) within thirty days from the time of their declaration. Complaints against the community's decisions are entered through the rural superintendent, and are presented by him, with his statement, to the district assembly, after a preliminary investigation has been made on the spot. Both the decisions of the community and rulings of the rural superintendent which have been complained of, and those which have not, are presented for confirmation to the district assembly. 9. The rulings of the district assembly, made upon complaints of decisions of the community and rulings of the rural superintendent, as well as with reference to the confirmation of these decisions and rulings (sec. 6), shall be considered final and be carried out by the village elders or the volost elders. Against the rulings of the district assembly complaints may be filed with the government (provincial) council only in cases of excess of the limits of department or evident infringement of the law. 10. In localities in which the regulations of July 12 (25), 1889, have not been put into force, the obligations placed by the present rules upon the rural superintendents, district assemblies, and provincial councils, shall be carried into effect by the persons and institutions under whose duties they fall. 11. In those cases when house owners who become personal proprietors of sections of endowment land, or the community, desire to mark the boundaries of these lands and make a plan of them, the surveying work and drawing up of the plans can be done both by government and private surveyors at the expense of the party which considered it necessary to fix the boundaries. 12. Every house owner who becomes proprietor of sections of endowment land in the order established by sections 1 to 11 of the present regulations, has the right to demand at any time that the community should allot to him, in exchange for such sections, if possible, a section in one place. 13. In those cases when the demand for allotment of a single place does not accord with the general boundary and the allotment is inconvenient or impossible, the community may satisfy the said house owner by a money payment according to a mutual agreement, or failing such an agreement, by an estimate made by the volost court. On his part, the house owner desiring to withdraw, should he consider the estimate made by the court unfavorable to himself, may refuse to receive the money and continue to possess the sections which have become his property in the former boundaries. 14. In general distributions the allotment in single places of sections to house owners declaring their desire to adopt personal ownership before the decision regarding the distribution has legally gone into force, or before the sections of endowment land have become his property in the order established by section 1 to 11 of the present regulations, is obligatory, upon the demand both of the said house owners and the community, without the latter having the right to satisfy said house owners by a money payment. 15. Disputes arising in the distribution of sections to single places, shall be settled upon bases established in the supplement to section 12 of the general regulations regarding peasants, edition of 1902. 16. House owners changing from communal to individual ownership, as well as their heirs and assigns, shall make use of the sections which become their personal property on the basis of the present regulations, until their apportionment to one place, under the same rights as enjoyed by the owners of farm sections. The heirs and assigns also retain the right to participate in the use both of the lands distributed on special bases to the extent to which this right was enjoyed by the original owners of the lands, and of the undistributed lands on bases accepted by the community. 17. In the order and upon the bases established by sections 4 to 16 of the present regulations, sections repurchased before the term will be apportioned or become personal property on the basis of section 165 of the regulation on redemption, edition of 1876, and not apportioned to one place. 18. The operation of the present regulations (secs. 1 to 16) extends to peasants of all denominations, while sections of communal land may become personal property of individual house owners before its liberation from the redemption debt under the condition that that part of said debt be liquidated which falls upon the sections becoming personal property. II. In supplement to the existing legislation on the order of expropriation of endowment lands comprised in farm possessions, to establish: 1. The expropriation of section of endowment land comprised in farm possessions shall take place in the general order of title-deed transfer. (Notarial regulations, edition of 1892, sec. 66.) 2. The fact of ownership of sections of land mentioned in section 1 by persons expropriating them may be certified in notarial institutions by one of the following documents: (a) Title deeds; (b) deeds of possession and other agrarian acts issued by peasant institutions; (c) the decisions of court statutes as well as Volost courts and district assemblies which have legally gone into effect and been carried out relative to the right of possession of real estate comprised in endowment grants, and to the inheritance of such property (general peasant regulations, sec. 125, pars. 1 and 4, and secs. 142, 159, and 161); (d) settlements in expropriation made prior to January 25 (7), 1883, in Volost administrations (general peasant regulations, sec. 110, par. 1, and remark 1); (e) communal decisions confirmed by the district assemblies or rulings of the rural superintendents regarding transfer of endowment sections at disposal of commune to personal property of individual house owners (division I of the present regulations, secs. 6, 7, and 9); (f) decisions of village and settlement assemblies which have legally gone into effect and been carried out regarding the granting of sections from the communal lands to individual house owners for farming purposes, as well as the exchange of lands for communal use to farm land, and regarding the division of "mir" lands into regular inheritance sections and into farms, as well as decisions regarding the transfer of whole communities with the farm system to ownership in separate sections (general peasant regulations, sec. 62, par. 8, sec. 66, pars. 1 and 2; redepmtion regulations, sec. 111; peasant ownership regulations, secs. 20 and 21, and government peasant regulations, secs. 32 to 34); and (g) in communities with the farm system, but in connection with farm sections, and in communities with communal cultivation of land, the decisions of village and settlement assemblies confirmed by rural superintendents, or persons having the same authority, to the effect that the expropriated section actually belongs to the person expropriating it by the right of property. 3. The decisions of the village and settlement assemblies, mentioned in point "g" of section 2 of the present (FI) division, are made at the solicitation of owners of farm sections, and confirmed in accordance with the following rules: (a) Said decisions shall be established by a simple majority of votes in certification of the fact of ownership by individual house owners not only of complete farm sections indicated in agrarian acts, but of portions of same forming the indisputable property of individual persons; (b) it is obligatory that there be included in the decision data as to the extent of the section, number of subdivisions of which it consists, dimensions of each subdivision, and nature of land, as well as exact description of locality of section and its boundaries; (c) in those cases when an exact description of the boundaries is impossible, a plan of the section should be attached to the decision, the same being made at the expenses of the owner; (d) it is obligatory that the decision be entered in the book of the village assembly for the inscription of decisions (general peasant regulations, edition of 1902, sec. 69), and a copy of it should be hung up for public notice in the Volost administration and in that village where the section referred to in the decision is situated; (e) the Volost elder is obliged, within a week from the drawing up of the decision, to verify, on the spot, the contents of the decision in the presence of three experts, and immediately present the decision, with his statement, for confirmation by the rural superintendent; (f) within a month from the day of the verification by the Volost elder complaint can be entered against the decision by the parties interested to the rural superintendent, and (g) the decision is not subject to confirmation if it is found to be incorrect in form or if in its establishment those demands have not been recognized which are set forth in the present section, or if the civil right is contested and must be decided by a court. 4. Extracts of notarial acts relative to endowment lands, and subject to confirmation by superior notaries, may be sent by mail by the notaries to the superior (elder) notary. III. In addition to the existing legislation defining the rights of peasants to sections of endowment land, comprised in farm possessions, to establish: 1. Farm sections, both those that have been placed at the disposal of peasants for farming purposes when their land was divided, and those subsequently made the personal property of individual peasants from communal lands, as well as farm sections under communal cultivation, form the personal property of house owners to whom these sections are allotted by agrarian acts, communal decisions, rulings of peasant institutions, acts relative to expropriation, and decisions of courts. The heirs of these house owners also enjoy such rights to the sections in question. 2. In those cases when the sections indicated in the preceding paragraph (1) are in the indivisible possession of several persons, not relatives to one another in direct descent, the same form their common property. IV. In supplement to sections 62 and 66 of the general peasant regulations and section 15 of the regulations on land distribution for peasants and settlers of various classes, settled upon owned lands (Collection of Laws, special supplement to Vol. IX, edition of 1902), to establish: The change of whole communities, both from the communal and farm systems to individual ownership is accomplished under decisions made by a majority of two-thirds of the peasants who have a right to vote at the assembly. The ruling Senate will not fail to make the necessary dispositions for the fulfillment of this. Original signed by H. I. M. personally. At TSARSKOE SELO, 9/22 November, 1906. NICOLAS. STRIKES, RIOTS, AND POLITICAL DISTURBANCES. Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State. [Telegram.] AMERICAN EMBASSY, St. Petersburg, January 1, 1906. Consul Smith in Moscow reports to-day by telephone that everything is quieting down; barricades being removed; streets regaining normal condition. American consulate has not been disturbed. MEYER. No. 391.] Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN EMBASSY, St. Petersburg, January 4, 1906. SIR: I have the honor to inclose, for the information of the department, the French text of an imperial ukase dated the 14/27 of December, 1905, providing that in case of mutinies or strikes on Russian railroads the managers of the lines may proclaim martial law over all the property belonging to their division, and enacting measures for enforcing this provision. G. VON L. MEYER. I have, etc., • Not printed. Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State. [Telegram.] AMERICAN EMBASSY, St. Petersburg, January 4, 1906. Following telegram, dated January 3, just received from consulate, Warsaw: "Workmen's union ordered resumption work; factories reopening; extreme socialists' influence weakened; no great trouble anticipated." MEYER. No. 397.] Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN EMBASSY, SIR: I beg leave to inclose copy of a report from the American consul in Moscow, giving in detail an interesting and daily account of the disturbances from December 20 to 31, inclusive, a brief digest of which I gave in my cable of to-day. I have, etc., G. VON L. MEYER. [Inclosure.] Consul Smith to Ambassador Meyer. AMERICAN CONSULAR SERVICE, Moscow, January 2, 1906. SIR: I have the honor to report to you regarding the riots which took place in Moscow, commencing the 20th and continuing until the 31st of December, giving each day separately: December 20.-At 12 o'clock noon a general political strike was ordered by the deputies of the workmen and it was resolved to turn the strike into an armed revolution to upset the present existing Government, to attack and arrest the officials and proclaim a temporary government, and to call an assembly to elect representatives. It was recommended at the meeting of the workmen that no demonstration should be made until all were armed and to withhold from attacking the military forces. At 12 o'clock the strike commenced and all works, mills, and factories stopped work and the strikers congregated at different parts of the city and marched around to every manufacturing establishment and made the workmen join the strikers. All workmen in the employ of the Moscow municipality joined the strikers, excepting the workmen of the city water and gas works, who were allowed to continue to work. The strikers held a meeting at the large printing establishment of Sitin & Company and decided to issue a newspaper called "News of the Union of Russian Deputies." This paper was published for seven days and contained proclamations to the workmen, orders to the chiefs of the several revolutionary militia forces, reports about meetings held by the different unions, and reports about progress of the strike. Revolutionary militia forces were formed in large numbers and ordered to parade the streets, carrying red flags and singing the Marseillaise anthem. The chief of police ordered out at once the dragoons and cossacks to disperse the mob, but as soon as one mob would be dispersed another would gather in another part of the city. In these charges of the cavalry several were wounded and killed. Toward evening the policemen were ordered off their posts and replaced by soldiers armed with guns and bayonets. All the railways stopped operations with the exception of the Nicolai Railway, and the workmen joined the strikers. All restaurants, club houses, theaters, and other amusement places were closed for an indefinite time. The same evening a mass meeting was held at the theater in the city, called the "Aquarium," where nearly 10,000 men congregated and while the meeting was in progress a cordon of cavalry and infantry were ordered to the place and surrounded the same. The strikers were, however, informed in time of this movement and made good their escape by climbing over the fences of the adjoining houses and only 70 men were arrested. At this meeting it was resolved to capture the governor-general at any cost. December 21.-Life in the city seemed to be extinct, as all business offices, stores, and banks were closed, no newspapers came out, the schools were closed and the post and telegraph offices worked, but only in a confused state until approximately 2 p. m. Several leading delegates of the workmen committee were arrested this day. December 22.-A meeting of the revolutionary party, consisting of about 500 men, took place in Mr. Fielder's house, located on Lebkevsky Péréoulok. The police ordered the revolutionists to leave the building and to surrender, but they refused, and military force, consisting of cavalry and artillery, were ordered to the place. The revolutionists were given two hours to do so, but they refused, fired at the military forces and threw several bombs into the street. Then the artillery opened fire on the house and bombarded same by shells. The casualties were, two officers and several soldiers killed and a number wounded, several of the revolutionary party were killed and a great many wounded, and 120 of them arrested. The police confiscated a large quantity of rifles, revolvers, knives, and 13 bombs. During the night the revolutionists commenced to construct barricades in different parts of the city, from all sorts of rubbish, using wooden and iron gates, bricks, and cutting down telegraph and lamp posts and using the telegraph and electric light wires for making all kind of entanglements to stop the quick movement of the cavalry. December 23.-During the night of this date two bombs were thrown into the detective department, a tremendous explosion took place, and the building was almost demolished. A sergeant of the police, one policeman, and one soldier were killed. Barricades were again constructed in several parts of the city, but soon destroyed by the soldiers. The revolutionary committee issued a proclamation in their paper, prohibiting citizens to be on the street after 6 o'clock in the evening, and ordering the cab drivers to retire after 2 p. m. Three gun stores were ransacked and all the guns and ammunition carried off by the revolutionists. Several skirmishes took place between the revolutionary mili tia and the military forces. December 24.-Barricades were continually built during days and nights. The revolutionists were in hope that about 20,000 or 30,000 workmen from the factories in the suburbs would enter the city and join them, but this was not accomplished, as the military forces were sufficient to prevent this. The revolutionists spread a rumor amongst the workmen that the soldiers were in sympathy with the strikers and that they would not fire on the mob and would join their ranks, but this rumor turned out to be untrue as the troops were loyal to the Government. They also circulated another rumor to the effect that a large party of revolutionists from the Baltic provinces was on the way to Moscow, all well armed with guns and cannon, but this also turned out to be untrue. A squad of gendarmes were ordered to destroy the barricades on the Sadovaia street and Karetni Riad, and while at work in demolishing the barricades was attacked by 400 armed revolutionists, who demanded the gendarmes to surrender, and when they refused fired on them and wounded all but one. Such attacks were made on the military forces in different parts of the city. Late at night the Nicolai Railway station was attacked by a large number of revolutionists, but the military forces dispersed them by using Maxim quickfiring guns, field guns, and making cavalry charges. By order of the police authorities all local telephone communication was stopped. My telephone was kept intact, but was only to be used for official business. December 25.-One of the largest printing establishments was taken possession of by the revolutionists for the purpose of holding meetings, and to issue from there orders to their detachments for further attacks on the authorities. The soldiers were ordered to surround the building, which was accomplished, but |