, 1880-06-05

Q0fQIU4SN1 III 1Vmd CbScb3 do uloHy 90 cVs
cAfAb4SinGlSQ OGhesejwafdsn are for the lower
clEtsesy1 TT e9prisoners from 1.-THE upper
cbjses7are put intolrooms apart, but their
number 10 comparatively few. This might
belinferred from the educational statistics
Riyen me at Tiumen. from whichit appear
ed that on the day that we were there,
out Of 47O prisoners, only AZ could read
WELL. 922 could read a little, and 10 sign
their names. I9 We heard at Ekaterine-i
burg that the proportion of prisoners from
the upper classes would probably amount
I'd, BORA per cent. The Government allows
acertain sum per head for the prisoners
food. AtEkaterineburg tits 10 kopecks( say
3d. q day for the peasant criminal, and Is
kopecks for the upper classes. 10 the case
of the peasant prisoners the money is put
into a common purse to be laid out to the
best advantage by a body of persons out
side, which the Russian Government
allows in Siberia, in the form OF a prison
committee. Whether these committees
appeal to the charity Of the public for
funds I know not. We theard at Tomsk
that each of the members of the committee
there subscribed money from his pocket,
also that food and produce are brought IN
as presents from the neighbourlng villages
for the benefit Of the prisoners and / met
an ex-president OF q prison committee far
Their east, who told me that by reason of
the extra TODD they gave the prisoners, he
was, when in office, usually EGO a year
out of pocket. 10 the case, however, OF
prisoners from the upper classes, as well
as 10 that of nom Christian prisoners, such
as Jews, Mahomedans, &c. to whom to eat,
with the Russians would be an abomina-
ton. the money is given into their hands,
and they spend it upon food economically
approved. / was much struck at Tiumen
with the regard shown to the religious
convictions of the detained. There was
a,roon, for instance, in which during the
winter there had been II MahOmedans,
where they could cook their W food and
follow their own customs, Another ward
had been aapportioned TO Jews. OF whom
42ii had spent the winter there. There
were DIT feast three places of worship in
the overwhelmingly, for Russians, Ro-
mans, and Protestants respectively. There
was, no regular work exacted of the prison
ers, and the sick list indicated q good bill
Of health there being sick out of LILA
prisoners, only II men, one woman, and
six children. There was manifested IN
one aspect q considerable amount Of dis
cipline, ) inasmuch as when we entered
ward after ward there was marked silence
and attention on the part of the prisoners.
One could have head q pin drop. The
officer who was with US spoke OF this, and
told us that out OF the 8 $1,000 who had
passed through his hands during the past
fouulr. wears ars he had had occasion 10 fog only
one. Speaking generally, however, things
appeared to be going on In a very easy
fashion. The prisoners rose at five, and
as long as they behaved. themselves were
allowed to go in and out of their wards
into the yards, to talk as they pleased to
each other, to bask in the sun, and
In some cases even to smoke.
After Tiumen we next visited the three
hard labour prisons of To5olsk, made some
what familiar TO English ears by the the
story of "Elizabeth, or the Exiles of Siberia"
As. we were given to understand that in
these prisons we should end those con
demped, toaa.t traoaun f,cs,," we were
curious "a. see what this meant and. braced
our nerves for whatever it might be neces-
sarv to encounter. We found, however
no objects for 3 {" Chamber of Horrors"
..Iyapaur forces meant simply what |