, 1877-07-29
iNISHNT-NOVGOROD.
The Only Market Of Its Kind in
The World.
What Can Be Seen and Bought There
During the Next Two Months.

| Ntfo FORK Er<afn1 !uSf
| This years great annual fair of Nishni-Novgoro
the only market Of its kind in the world-will b
officially opened for business by divine service an
| tho hosting Of flags the 18th Of July, and clos
! On the 10th OF September. From an interestin
| description By German writer, Dr. H. Linder
! mann, who attended tile great fair last year, ~
| translate some particulars which are Of genera
| interest:
As early ae the middle Of the fourteenth century
| under the reign OF the khans OF the kasan Tar
tars, great annual fairs were held in midsummer Il
the north Of the many -p;nnacled. picturcsauely
situated Tartar capital, fairs to which merchant
from north aud south, from cast and west, can't
to hlrtcr the products Of the Orient and occldcn
Of Central Asia and Western Europe, But thu
| Russian Grand Dukes determined to extent
the supremacy of the sclavc over trade and com.
merce, and Wa%ili W., 1vanowitch established ar
annual fnir on his own territory, the right bank
of the yolga, near its confluence with the Szora,
ut the same time forbidding all his subjects to at
tend the fair at kasan. In later years, after the
Greek Cross had displaced the Crescent
in Kasan, the two fairs were consolidated
and held near the burial-placc Of Russia's
patron saint, Makatie1, some distance below
Nishni. Noygorod, on the bank Of the Eolea. In
1916 fire destroyed the booths Of the fair. and
the Government determined to remove the great
Noycorod a point which is nearly the mathcmat-
icai centre of European Russia, and lies between
the two most important cities Of Central Russia.
Moscow aud kasan.. It lies: too, ln the centre
Of the great water-sytcm Of Russia, lakes and
rivers being navigablc from here for more than
2, 900 miles.
AS soon US the melting snow in sprin. swells the
streams that flow from the Crai into the plains the
movement Of goods toward the great fair begins.
mainly in clumsy, ungainfy vessels that slowly
make 1he,r way to the volga. where they are taken
A4-& Hn+ %1xA$~
lug. between 7oo and 500 steamboats, are
employed on the yoIga alone in towing
the baFges that arrive from the tributary
Sea, too. great numbers OF steam vessels are en-
gagged in transporting the products OF TFanscaucas'a
and of Persia.
THE MARKET TOWN.
The fair is not held within the limits Of Nishn-
Novgorod, but on the opposite shore Of the Eolea:
on fiat point. of land at The the confluence OF
the Aka and the N9lsa The market Town
terror" The interior town consists OF sixteen
streets crossing each other at right angles, aud
and two stories it, height. The buildings are not
attractive in appearance, but all have covered
brick footway III front OF theu1-a necessary con-
as IN wet the s a.
are Gn the outside, however, their contents are IN
the main very valuable. 1t has been estimated
5, the soSs te
four -dfths Of them being Russian products, the
Western European and colonial wnres forming but
s o. S the s fnte nnse aaEe owe
has has 'ai Spared sdi'pcn no expense in providing
eonvenienees for tue great t thrones :na @ who
number at times l50. 600 persons. The place is
thoroughly severed and il well provided with
water The whole number Of buildings devoted to
the business Of the fairis ), 000 many OF these arc
wooden structures which need to be rebuilt every
as the spzing Hoods inundatc the place
and sweep away Ill movable property
The moet Interesting display is found at the outer
fair The immense masses OF goods piled along
the tank OF the Nolga and filing the huge ware
brought ul his stock with him, and not merely
the buyer can inspect his pur
chases ana sec that they arc delivered to him
1ian Landing is the ea-nlarket. Tea, the
daily drink OF nearly all Russians, is with them
que IF the most important articles OF commerce.
oftcn OF greater yalne than the grain exported from
Russia.
PERSIAN PRODUCTS.
In the Persian division Of the market are
y M dried peaches: VIII many eesstieulations, tas
bright coiorcd SLIPPERS Offers these edibles, to-
,etfsr with hand worked carpets. cloths. and ell
broideries,. at retail: But the Pcrsians buy
1rght- -colorcd cotton goods, linens, woolcn cloths
copper, drugs, gold brocade. and frinres.
TEA IN RUSSIA. I
dMspo %ass;
German restaurants, Persian inn. and resorts OF
,thcr nationaiIties, are to be found in the market
ons g. Of Tooecn buildings contain
'oFtation. 'oft 'se Sear ont of these buildings
3 the warehouse OF an 1rkutsk tea merchant: Here
he wayfaser can obtain cup Of the best kiachta |
chai, with piece Of lemon peel in it. ''Tchai"
8 the Russian fos the Chinese 'scha" and En- |
,ish ''tea.'' Thousands Of chests OF tea covered |
round the building, and purchases are made By
amplcs taken from the chests. Black tea is the
ayositc in Russia.
Previous to the year 1856 all tue tea for sale in
sishni was brought overland from China. Since
hen, however, OWN. to reduction Of the cus-
oms duties on seward importations, a change
t present the Kantonski tea, as the tea brought
n ships is called, has driven the Kiachta ten
early ont Of general nee, IN consequence Of It
and tea is still of the staple articles at the
reat fair. a single firm in Russia has the control
t the entire overland kiachta tea trade, which
the point of departure in China, whence IL trans
orted to TicnTsin and thence to kalcan,
oinmercial town Of some prominence, situated
ear the Chinese wall and tho Monaghan frontier
INC camel can carry four chests OF tea through the
esert. At Ma;matchin rhe Mongols deliver the
"a into other hands for its further Transportation
!
trapped in moist skins. It is asserted that the
tea 1o.cs none OF its flavor in transpora-
ion. white the tea tha undcrgoes- IN ocean voyage
caches its destination III dctcTiorafcd stale; |
cnce better tea ia drunk in Russia than in any
ther country outside Of China
Tietea, or tea pressed into cake, is also brought
verlanl- 1t is AL important article OF trade in
tongoiiA. in Siberia, and nuong the inhabitants OF
he steppcs in Asiatic and European Russia; in
money in the purchase OF other commodities.
ONE Of the noEadic tribes buy the cheapest kind |
tile tea and boil it with mutton-fat and milk. |
he value Of all the tea exposed oc sale ut the fair
ast year Was estimated at ), 500 900 rubles- |
THE ISLAND MART.
In one OF the rivers near the main fair grounds Is
sandy island, which is connected with the nnr-
ct town by several bridges and tramwaJs. This
slanu is, during the lair, the home OF two imnor-
nd saltcd fah. Long rows Of sheds are filed With
he various products Of the mines and furnaces of
iuss1a: riron. iron wire, copper bars horseshoes,
alls, stoves. cooking utensils, portable cooking
pparatus for the nomaus. monuments. and other ]
ri:lcs OF cast iron, cutlery, and the like. Twen-
two establishments represented at the last years.
mir had iron and iron ware on sale weighing 4,
10 0U0 pads. and valued at 10, 600, 600 rub1cs. |
'he establishments belonging to the Crown were
lsc represented but to much smaller amount.
Inch Of this iron ware ia brought by water from
rest di3tanccs
The fish market is mainly afoat. Barges with.
nd in the hold with dried and ealtcd fish-thc
orner in bales covered with bark the latter in
al article Of food during The fail, as
eli an important item in the cou-
,cIce Of The place, They come from