Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-10-19
9ailg Tirsiaiaa.
Siberia.

Now that Russia is marching with giant strides
of progress through tho vast regions Of tho
Amoor her nearer divisions of Siberia naturally
attract an additional interest. We arc therefore
glad to see that tho Government of Western Sibe-
ria has published nm official account OF that coun-
try, not only Us penal colony. bu, giving at the
same time n brief sketch of its previous history.
According to this document, it appears tlat in the
sixteenth century Siberia was inhabited by hordes
of Tartar origin, mud TINT in 1880 the ceebra-
ted Jermak, hetman of tho Cossacks OF the Don,
invaded it at the head of six thousand men. and
succeeded, after several bloody battles, in taking
Sibir, the chief city ofthe country. Tie hctman.
finding that his resources were too limited TO hold
80 extensive n country. ceded his conquest to
Ivan ", and Siberia hns ever since formed part
of the Russian empire. Tho first strangers who
settled there were Cossacks. Stre'itxos. and lew
gold-dggcrs; but after time it was selected as u
place of exile for Russian State criminals Peter
the Great sent his Swedish prisoners there, and
the Cxarina Anne had tho inhabitants of whole
villages transported there for refusing to work FOR
their lords On tho abolition OF tho punishment
of death by Elizabeth, in l745, Siberia WIS regu-
lary organized as penal colony. and transporta-
ton thither was tho punishment ofall sorts OF
crime. Tho exilcd nohles were generally sent to
Bcrezovc, to work in tho crown gold mines there,
and the names of the first families in tho empire
mav be'secn tombs of thecemetcry Of that place.
In 1882 an Office was established at Tobosk. where
the namo of every exile and his residence were
registered In 1872 more perfect rules were lait
down. according to whish every tribunal in the
empire regularly forwards to Tobolsk the name
aud ofonsos of all persons condemned 10 exileand
each ON his arrival was sent to the residence ap-
pointed for him. The Governor of Western Sibc-
rim sends yearly list t6 St. Petersburg of all tho
conviets that have arrived. The last published
return comes down to January lst 1899, accord
ing to which the persons who reached Siberia in
1874 wore seven thousand tiyo hundred aud thir-
tv of whom five thousand six hundred aud lorty-
nine were men. one thousand one hundred ana
thrtv-four women and seven hundred and forty
seven Children The condition Of cxiles in Sibc.
rim has improve within the Inst few years. In
deed We are enabled to assure our readers, from
the testimony ofinteligcnt travellers, that tn 80
of the refined classes generally who mny be exiled
tn Siberia, are seldom condemned to labor IN the
mines--but arc allowed to'liye in villages which
arc chiefly populated with families, whose chiefs
have fallen from similarly respectable position
with themselves. So with merchants and the mid
do ranks of conyc,s, and unless educated people
be convicted Of very grave crimes, only the lab'-
and serfs found guilty, n,e sent to toll IN tho
subterranenn diggings and sittings OF tho Oural
or Atai mountains. We append mn account =
| Some years ago Sir George Simpson travelled
through Siberia. and at one village whore the in
hahtnnts were evidently of high socinl degree. he
and his suite were treated with warm hospitality,
| On announcing that he wRs about to leave FOR
! Moscow his entertainers were delighted, ms they
were well acquainted and connected III the ancient
| cnnital Sir George then asked them for few
| letters of introduction. But the noble Barons and
Counts excused themselves, saying that under the
peculiar circumstances in which they were placed
they werc afraid of offending sho Car if they
wrote letters, "Mny |, without being obtrusive,
inquire the natnrr of thosc circumstances 2"
"Oh--certainly," said one of the pnrty--"Ihe
fact ia. the Emperor aud ourselves could not agree
nbGnt a mntcr OF account - and We have no desire
to rnke him angry"
Ga arriving at Moscow, he mentioned his noble
Siberian friends, and thought it hard case that
they could not correspond with old acquaintances.
True, bnt the gentlemen you describe, however
hosptabc and kind TO you, had been convicted
of tho greatest lorgcros ever rerpeirated in kus
81, -