, 1868-10-23
Winter Travel in Siberia.

September number of HarPer's Magazine a
very interesting account Of his journey
across Siberia, from which we extract the
following:
In winter travel in Siberia the general ar.
raDgemeut Of stations, drivers, horses and
passport Is the same as in summer. The
sleighs that carry the mail are changed at
the stations, but every traveler-with now
and theu an exception-has his own vehicle.
Changing carriages is bad enough in summer
and autumn but in winter, with severe cold,
and when snow storms prevail, it would be
many more times a nuisance. OF the traVel>
ing seighs there are several kinds, the best
of them being the vdshok and kibitkd, named
in the order of their value. The Udshok is q
contrivance shaped somewhat like common
hackney coach; it is about seven feet long,
with doors a. the sides, and is wide or mar
row, according to the taste of the builder
The driver sits on box in front, and there
is generally sheltered place for postilion.
The kiGitka is shaped much like the taran-
tass previously described, and though less
inclosed, and consequently colder than the
vGShOt, it possesses the great advantage of
enabling its occupants to look ahead. Inva>
lids and ladies generally take the vdshok, but
the other conveyance is preferred by the mas
jority of the masculine travellers. Through
out all Russia, the city of Kazan has the
reputation of building the best carriages for
country travel, whether on wheels or runners.
A tarantass or sleigh from Kazan will
command higher price than one of the SAME
apparent character constructed elsewhere.
l bought Kazan sleigh, said to have trav
eled more than six thousand miles, and when
bade it farewell it had carried me thirty six
hundred. For aught know to the contrary,
it was good for ten thousand more. The
shafts and some of the upper work sustained
occasional smashes of no serious character,
but the running portion preserved its integN
rity through the whole journey, notwith>
standing innumerabe jolts and tbumps that
would have caused the utter dissolution of
fancy cutter of the Broadway pattern.
Our party had three sleighs; my mascu.
line friend and myself occupied one vehicle,
while the ladies had udShok aud kibitkG to
accommodate themselves, two servants, and
great store of baggage and provisions
Verify VIC were not in light marching order
The supplies in the line of food and drink
we're enough for twice our number, and as
good as they were abundant. Everything
that could be frozen was in solid state.
Soup was in cakes like small bricks, and our
bag full of it reminded me of the days when
| used to assist an amateur geologist in gath
ering specimens Of metamorphic rocks
Roast beef looked like red granite, and was
usually carved with an ak, while chickens
and partridges resembled petri6cations from
the Silurian period. When we dined on the
second day out l brought bottle of cham
payne from my sleigh, and found it as hard
as the heart of Neua Sahib 1t stood half an
hour in the hot room at the station before it
thawed sufficiently to drip from the bottle.
Delmonico, in all his glory, never produced
better champagne froppe During the cold
est days of The sleigh ride bottle Of brandy
used to make very fair thermometer, as the
liquid showed tendency to crystalize, and
the lower the temperature the more numer>
Gus were the crystals. Winter is the best
time for travelling in Siberia. In summer,
one has clouds of dust, flies and mosquitoes
10 annoy him roads are often rough all the
rivers must be forded or ferred the cordu-
roy track in swampy land is very objections
able, and the temperature renders it imposi
sible to carry fresh provisions for more than
one or two days. In winter the snow fills
the holows aud smooths the road, while the
frost blots out dust, flies, mosquitoes, fords
and ferries. aud preserves ones edibles for
any convenient time. If any readers OF these
pages ever undertake journey through
Northern Asia, advise them to make the
principal part of it in the cold season.
We Jared sumptuously every day was
well provisioned, but the ladies insisted upon
supplying the table whenever we breaklasted
or dined. The servants thawed out the pro-
visions and prepared our meals with the ia.
cilities which the stations afforded. have
never at any railway dining room in America
found the food as paIatable as at our wayside
stopping places. Our toilets were not accord
ing to the latest modes, and would have been
sensational in Paris or New York but no,
body was fastidious, and we felt and acted
more like picnic party than would be ex-
pected of quartette of winter travellers in