The Press.
London, England, 1857-12-05 00:00:00

THE PRESS, DECEMBER 5,1857.

been his, though, indeed, tbey too contain a
false quantity—" sagax "—which Bowles has
passed over; nor the lines in the Guardian which
Pope has inserted in his essay upon gardening
without any reference, but which would pro-
bably turn out on inquiry to come from some
of the modern Latin poets with whose works
we know Pope to have been acquainted.
We should assign Mr. Carruthers a place in
the second class of biographers. He addresses
himself to his work in the spirit of a Chancery
lawyer. His book is admirable for matter of
fact, and his deductions, though not luminous,
are sensible and shrewd. As a book of refe•
rence, therefore, we should award the palm to
Mr. Carruthers over any of Pope's previous
biographers. But what we miss is sympathy,
life, and light. His style is heavy, and his
ideas purely editorial. As wo wind our way
through his long and impartial statements
and careful collations of authorities, we sigh
but for one little graphic touch that should
make all the wooden figures leap into life—
one breath that should " warm the dry bones"
of that noble intellectual company. We are
grateful, however, to Mr. Carruthers for what
he has given us, and we do not doubt that his
forthcoming edition of the Works will be a
highly valuable and useful addition to the
literature of the day.

Oriental and Western Siberia. By Thomas
Witlant Atkinson. London : Hurst and
Blackett.
WHO but an Englishman would have con-
ceived and carried out the notion of making a
"sketching tour" in Siberia? Certaialy we
retain and enjoy in a pre-eminent degree that
roving spirit of our ancestors which made
them the buccaneers of Europo. but which
takes us over a double fence, " in and out
clever," or now and then to Iceland and the
Pole, or round the Horn in a ninety-ton
schooner yacht, or, as in this instance, to the top
of the Oural range with a sketch-book and Win-
sor's colours under our arm. Of course Mr.
Atkinson's "tour" extended into travel, and,
from the time of starting, seven years elapsed
before Mr. Atkinson found himself fairly back in
the land of forks and civilisation. During
this period he traversed, mostly on horseback
or in carriages, frequently in the native river-
boats, nearly 40,000 miles of territory rarely
visited by Europeans. He passed over Siberia,
Mongolia, the Kirghis Steppes, Chinese Tar-
tary, and part of Central Asia, crossed the
chain of the Syan-shan, as well as a large
portion of the western part of the desert of
Gobi, over which the great conqueror Genghis
Khan marched his hordes towards the west.
In travels of such extent many incidents and
much adventure may belooked for,and thereader
of this volume will not be disappointed, for,
although Mr. Atkinson has not with his
pen such descriptive power as with his pencil,
yet ho has an eye for character, can tell a
story well, and has preserved many anecdotes
which will afford a. fund of entertainment to his
readers. Why, the very notion of a man visit-
ing (teals, living in yourts, sleeping on voilocks,
eating kish►nish, and drinking mare's milk and
brick tea in Chinese China, and all in Chinese
Tartary, is something so novel that we need
only mention the fact to stimulate the curiosity
of our readers, and carry them at once to the
entertaining pages of Mr. Atkinson. And
then the fearful storms he encounters in the
mountains, the risks he runs from robbers and
precipices, and the mass of adventure he
meets with among Kalmucks and Kirghis, and
Cossacks and Tartars ; how he hunts boars
and bears, and shoots bucks, and eats his
venison with salt and without currant jelly,
and climbs mountain peaks, and peers into
caverns, and sketches magnificent landscapes,
and crosses frightful ridges over yawning
chasms, at which Kalmuck and Kirghis, supple
in limb and active as panthers, laugh and
think excellent fun—in which we heartily coin-
cide. How he did all this, and much more,
will be found in his book ; but, for fear the
reader should be stimulated to the pursuit
of such " fun," Mr Atkinson observes, just
in time to check any fit of the rurals :
The traveller, who attempts to force his way into alsni
abounding with such striking scenery, must be prepare
► for many difficulties amid son►e risks. Perhaps before tu

1185

visit these scenes were never looked upon by European
eye, nor ever sketched by pencil. He who follows on my
track will find that his rifle will be required for more pur•
poses than obtaining a dinner. His courage and deter-
mination will be tested by men who seldom show fear, and
are ever on the alert. It is only by a steady hand, a
quick eye, and skill with his weapon, that he can remain
safe from acts of violence. Plunder is the common trade ;
and, what is still worse, the traveller, if not murdered, is
carried off into certain slavery.

Being sold into slavery among a set of
ruffians who are in the habit of sowing peas
in your instep to prevent your escape, and of
skinning you alive before roasting, if you make
the attempt, is not a pleasant prospect for a
tourist. Meanwhile, let us seek for some of
the incidents of this entertaining book of

travel.
The first place of any importance Mr.
Atkinson stopped at was Ekaterineburg,
the principal city in the Garai district.
Here are the Government iron works,

which we find " built upon an enormous
" scale, and fitted up with machinery and
" tools from the best makers in England.

" Here are found Nasmyth's steam-hammer,
" large lathes, planing-machines, with punch-
" ing, drilling, grooving, and slotting machines
" for every purpose. The entire arrangement
" of this establishment has been carried out,
" regardless of expense, under the superin-
" tendence of a good practice.' English me-
" chanic." Here, also, are the works for the
cutting and polishing of the precious stones
found in the Oural. Jasper, porphyry, orlite,
malachite, and other valuable precious stones
are found more or less in abundance. As the
works are under Government, and Govern-
ment labourers are plentiful, wages to superior
workmen are not extravagant. " I have seen
" a man," writes Mr. Atkinson, " engaged
carving foliage on some of the jasper ♦ases,
" in a style not excelled anywhere in Europe,
" whose wages were three shillings and eight-
" pence per month, with two ponds, or thirty-
" six pounds, of rye flour per month, to make
" into bread,—meat he is never supposed to
" eat" :

---- -
I have watched men cutting the emerald, topaz,
amethyst, aquatnarina, and other stanes into different
shapes ; which they do with perfect accuracy and in good
taste. Some of these brilliant gems have no doubt ere this
adorned Imperial Majesty. These men also receive a like
remuneration.
- -

Occasionally a robbery is effected of some
valuable stones Here is a good story apro-
pos of emeralds :
About twenty-five or thirty years age, several fine
crystals of emerald were discovered by some children,
while playing near the village of Takovaya, and were
tossed about in the cottage for a considerable time before
their character was recognised. At length they were sent
to Ekaterineburg, and were most splendidly cut in the
Granilnoi Fabric. They proved to be gems of rare beauty
and great value. As all precious stones wherever found in
Siberia are the property of the Emperor, these ought to
have been sent to the Imperial Palace in St. Petersburg ;
but they never reached the Imperial jewel-case. They
were sent into Germany, where they were bought by a
Prince of one of the first reigning families. Some years
afterwards his consort, on some great occasion, visited the
Emperor of Russia, and while staying in St. Petersburg
wore these magnificent and rare gems. They were of such
surpassing beauty as to attract the notice of the Empress,
who admired them very much, and inquired whence they
were obtained. To the great astonishment of Her Imperial
Majesty she was told they came from Siberia. This caused
a great sensation; without giving time for any communica-
tion to be made to Ekaterineburg, the Emperor sent an
officer to search the works, and the houses of all persons
connected with the Granilnoi Fabric. He found in the
house of the Director several gems of great value, which
the latter declared were there for safe custody. This was
thought somewhat strange, as other gems and valuable
works were lying at the museum in the Fabric. The Di-
rector was, without any investigation, sent to prison, and
after many years' confinement died there ; nor is it known
to this day by whom these emeralds were stolen. In
Siberia it is still believed that the man was innocent, but
that, for the safety of persons of more consideration, it was
absolutely necessary he should be imprisoned ; in short, it
has been hinted that the offence was committed by parties
much nearer his Imperial Majesty.
" Since that period," adds Mr. Atkinson,
" very few emeralds of value have been dis-
" covered !"
The artificers, however, be admits are well
and cleanly lodged at the expense of Govern-
ment, and the people, he says, look "healthy
" and comfortable." The society of Ekaterine-
burg is principally that of the Government
ii officials and their wives and families, and
some leading merchants. The town itself is
handsome, the people live expensively, their

1186

balls are " elegant " and conducted with great
propriety, their dinners are equal to the best
in Europe, the only drawback being "the
" quantity of champagne you are obliged to
" drink." But, as no city is without one pro-
minent social vice, Ekaterineburg, so fashion-
able in everything else, has its pet vice. It is
fond of cards. True, they have no other in-
tellectual amusement. "In England," said
one of the sinners, "you have the daily papers,
" the monthly periodicals, a literature un-
" equalled, and the liberty of discussing every
"subject with freedom; if we had such things
" to occupy our minds, we should not care fur
" cards." There is a vast amount of political
philosophy here. And so they expend their
pent-up energies atwhist. Young and old, they
are all alike. Officers overdraw their pay, and
blow out their brains; and old dowagers an-
ticipate their quarter's salary to enjoy a good
night at cards.
It would be impossible here to detail at any
length the incidents of travel Mr. Atkinson
met with on his extended journies through
the wilder districts into which he passed after
leaving Ekaterineburg. The description of his
adventures is given with great vivacity—there
is a warmth, a reality about it which brings
the picture vividly before us. We follow him
eagerly from the Altai, across the Kirghis
Steppes, down to the confines of China, and
enter into the spirit of the writer with
gel-wine gusto, so well and naturally told are
the incidents of his wanderings. His descrip•
tion of the pastoral Kalmucks is especially in-
teresting. They are a set of hospitable cut-
throats, at perpetual war with one another,
and after entertaining you overnight with
roast sheep and brick tea, will strip you naked
in the morning before you are two miles from
their nod. Mr. Atkinson has preserved some
capital stories of bear-hunting. On one occa-
sion, two men, one a bear-hunter of skill and
repute, tracked a huge black bear to his lair.
While searching cautiously, the bear crashed
out from the thicket within a few feet of
them :

The hunter fired, and the ball struck. but not in a vital
part. In an instant the wounded animal charged,—the other
man, who was less experienced, reserved his shot until
within twenty paces. The rifle missed fire,—at once the
brute raised himself on his hind-legs, and, tearing the
earth beneath him, rushed on nis first assailant, striking
him down with a blow that stripped his scalp, and turned
it over his face, then seizing his arm, he began to gnaw
and crush it to the bone, gradually ascending to the
shoulder. The man called to his companion to load and
fire; but the fellow, when he saw his friend so fearfully
mangled, ran away and left him to his fate.

The cowardly fellow immediately ran off to
the nearest gold-mine, and next morning a
party of men set out on a search for the miss-
ing hunter:—

By the state of the grass it was evident that the man
had been carried off into the :hick forest. A most dili-
gent pursuit was therefore made ; sometimes the track
was lost, but the pursuers of the bear were too well skilled
in woodcraft to be foiled, and at length diecovered his
larder. He had dragged the hunter into a dense mass
of wood and hushes, and, to render the place still more
secure, had broken off a great Quantity of branches and
heaped them over his body. These were quickly stripped
off, when, to their great surprise, they found the man,
though frightfully mutilated, and quite insensible, still
living!

The man was carried home, tended with care,
and after two months spoke. The first sen•
tence he uttered was about " Michael Ivanitch"
(the bear). As he gained strength, so irre-
sistible was his desire to seek out his old
enemy that it became a chronic insanity. For
some months he was kept under restraint; he
watched his opportunity, seized his rifle, and
evaped

When it was discovered that he had escaped, people
were sent out in various directions to seek him ; but they
returned without success. More than a week passed over,
during which nothing hail been heard of him, when one
day he walked into the hospital, carrying the skin of a
huge black beer on his shoulders, and throwing it down,
exclaimed, " I told you I would have him." This man was
a fine old hunter—it was not a spirit of revenge which
prompted him to this daring act; tae fact was be could not
brook the idea of a defeat. Now his reputation was
re-established he was happy ; his health was again re-
stored ; nor was this the last bear that fell before his deadly
rifle.

An instance of daring courage is related of
a Cossack officer, who, suddenly coming upon
a she bear and two cubs in a hollow tree, de.
termined to capture the cubs. He armed
himself with a stout sapling, and moved warily
towards the tree. When within a hundred