177 order, and has not the least idea of how improve it or bring it into a new to arrange either the one or the other.” 178 The detailed description of the operations of the karner-kollegiia chancellery provided by Kochius presents an even clearer picture of the college’s problems. He mentioned, for example, that: here in the kamer-kollegiia the notarius keeps (the minutes) according to the Swedish system . . ., but it is completely impossible to keep such minutes correctly in the kamer-kollegiia, since so many ukazes, memoranda, messages, memorials, supplications, and other matters come into the college that they usually number several hundred in any one day; is it possible for a person during the course of one day to put into the minutes (more than) fifty or even fewer such matters with their content and the decisions made on them? That is to say, during the meeting of the college, since such minutes as are written outside of the meeting of the college are not considered minutes anywhere and, in addition, no one trusts them. Not to mention the conversations about important matters and the other activities of the kamer-kollegiia. According to Kochius, the number of recording clerks had to be increased if the minutes were to be kept according to the Swedish method.^'® In conclusion, Kochius argued against what he felt was the common belief that the Russian empire was too large for it to be possible to introduce a foreign administrative system. He argued that the vastness of Russia’s territory presented no problem; what was needed was the systematic development of an administrative system out in the provinces. Kochius stressed that “if the system is established according to the foreign (system) in the provinces, one after the other, the farflung nature of this empire cannot in the end make it impossible to introduce a perfect order in this realm.” The opinion that Russia was too large for one central administrative organ to be able to collect its revenues—the opinion Kochius had criticized—was held by Heinrich Pick. Pick, too, wrote a memorandum in 1723 containing suggestions for the improvement of the administrative Pick’s report confirmed the situation in the kamer-kollegiia 181 apparatus, described by Kochius: 182 This college, as it is organized at present, can do almost nothing more than deal with the many ukazes it receives and reach decisions about many reports, messages. 178 Miliukov, 508. TsGADA, f. 248 delo 58 1. 76r-v. TsGADA, f. 248 delo 58 1. 82v. TsGADA, f. 248 delo 58 11. 49—63: “How the affairs of the Senate and the entire realm may be set up and managed more cleverly and easily and thus His Imperial Majesty’s high interest and a better direction and relief for his subjects may be forwarded.” IhO TsGADA, f. 248 delo 58 1. 50. 182 12 - Peterson
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