The Portland daily press., 1866-05-12
SUPPLEMENT.
Saturday Morning. May IL, 1866.

Letter from the Russian Capital.
| THE FAIR OF IRBIT.
| Correspondence of the Press.
ST PETERSBURG, April 8, 1866.
Far away from the seaboard and from other
centers of trade, on the eastern slope of the Ural
noun lains, looking over Asia, on the frontier of
the most remote European province, is the
little town of Irbit where during the month
Of February is held the greatest fair but one
in Russia, aid probably in the world. Few
books mention it, and few travellers have WIS.,
miles north of the Siberian post-road, and is
only important during the winter month Of
February. But then during that one month
out of the whole year, it must be reckoned a
great emporium of commerce, where the whole
sale trade of year is chiefly completed for
the widely scattered inhabitants of Northern
Asia, and for districts covering more square
miles than all the United States of America.
The trade is conducted in the old-fashioned
manner of fairs. The articles of traffic are
brought to the place of sale, and disposed of
there and then, principally by exchange of the
commodities, and little is cone by giving Or
ders 10 be filled at another time, or by sell
ing distant merchandise by samples. Furs,
hides, skins, all sorts of leathern goods, hard
ware, wooden goods, cotton and silk fabrics
sugar and tea are the chief objects of trade
at the fair; but many minor articles, in less
quantities, but of much value and interest to
the dealers, are exchanged, among which of
those brought to Europe, are the beautifully
polished and finely cut Siberian beads, and
stones for brooches and earrings, of white and
yellow topaz, amethyst, jasper, and lapis lazuli.
Through this fair principally the world is
supplied with the richest furs of Siberia; and
through its means the Siberians receive most
of the few luxuries of civilization which they
enjoy. No doubt it is the event of or latest
importance to many of them, and most eager
ly looked forward to during the year; and
many an anxious thought must be given by
the traveller in the remote and cold and lone.
ly regions of Northern Asia, to the value of
his furs next February at Irbit, and how much
powder and lead (where he is so civilized as to
dispense with the bowl be will get for them.
The Siberian housewives and the girls must
eagerly look for the return of the retail traders
from Irbit, and the supply of needles and
thread and buttons and wooden and cotton
goods, and reports of the fashions.
The fair of this year which has just closed,
has been very successful, although it began
with the carnival or butter-week, during
which the Russians keep high-holiday, and
try to have as much fun and folly as would
suffice for an ordinary period of time equal
that of their very soberiy and strictly observ-
ed Lent which is to follow.
The sledge-roads were also not SO good as
usual from the mildness of the winter. 1t is
obvious why the fair of Irbit is held in Febru-
airy, to accommodate its dealers and to render
transportation Of merchandise easy in a vast
country where generally there are no roads
except when snow is on the ground. But
business was very active, and the transactions
extensive, and more than usual was doing for
cash payments, towards the close of the fair.
The merchants alone who came from the city
of Taschkaed, in the newly enlarged Russian
province of Turkestan, are said to have
brought with them and spent more than
million of roublcs in silver.
The Siberian merchants also put in circula-
ton good deal of silver. This is the more
worthy of note because in the transactions be-
tween Europe and Asia hitherto, the balance
OF silver has usually been largely transferred
to Asia, whence it never seemed to return.
A modern innovation at the Fair, Proyin-
cial Branch Bank of the Russian State Bank.
is said to have aided the commercial transac-
tons this year very considerably. The Fair
is now thing of the past, and the kibitkas
and sledges are scattering with fur-clad in
mates aud carefully packed bales towards
Kamtchatka, China and Moscow.
Irbit has usually a population of about
$500 inhabitants. 1t is in the province or
Government" of Perm, the greatest mining
district of Russia, about 400 miles east ofPerm,
the provincial capital, and about 1900 miles
distant from st. Petersburg. In summer one
can travel as far as Perm by steamer, that is
to say, by railway to Mini Novorogod, where
the greatest fair Of Russia is held in August,
thence by steamerup the beautiful river Kama.
But now one would have to proceed from Nil
nj Novorogod by the old Siberian post-road,
which he could do in the stagecoach, or what
would be better, in his own covered sledge,
(kibitka0 with post-horses supplied along the
road as they were in Western Europe during
that time before railways, which seems ages
ago. His kibitka would be his lodging night
and day, but he would use the tea urn at the
post-houses. He would pass through the an
cient Tartar city of Kazan, the lively govern
ment town Perm, and near the fiourishing
town Of Ekaterinburg, 2Omiles beyond Perm,
cross the ridge of the Ural mountains, leave
behind him the marble obelisk on one side of
which is engraved the word Europe" and on
the other "Asia," and at the post station of
Kamisklof turn north to Hbit. But sup
pose it is enough, or too much, perhaps, for
your readers to 60 to Trbit even in imagina-
ton. \ J.P.
Letter from Florida.
FEELING OF THE LATE REBELs-CoNDITIoN