Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-11-24

| had left England on April 80, and,
/ on reaching St. Petersburg, saw the
last of the ice floating down the Neva.
Spring advanced so rapidly that, Oh
May 90 on the banks of the Kama, we
saw strawberry blossoms and violets,
but as we decended the eastern slopes
of the Urals the weather changed, and
there came occasionally snowstorms.
From Tobolsk our course lay north
wards on the Irish, as far as the sixty
second parallel, where we returned to
leafess trees and comparative winter
Alternate snow and sunshine succeed
ed On the Obi my minimum ther-
mometer on June 8 fell during the
night to $50 Fahr., but by nine O'Clock
next morning it had risen to 750. At
ter reaching Tomsk fine weather set
in, and continued all across Asia. The
heat was rarely oppressive, and when
sleeping in the carriage at night with
an overcoat it was not inconvenlenSly
cold
On the Obi we passed through the
territory of the Samoyedes and Ost-
jaks. In driving from Tiumen to To-
bolsk we had passed through a coun-
try inhabited by Siberiln Tartars, to
the northwest of which lies district
which comedies pretty closely with the
ridge of the northern Urals, inhabited
by the Voguls, who were estimated in
1876 at FIVE thousand in number. Their
country makes them hill-man and for
esters, for they live within the north
ern limit of the fir and birch, in the
country of the wolf, the bear, the sa-
BILE, the glutton. the marten, the beav-
er, and the elk; all which they hunt,
for they have no plains for the breed
ing of cattle, and no climate for agri-
culture. Their villages are scattered
and small, consisting of from four to
eight cabins. They usually dress like
the Russians, live by hunting, and are
said to use no salt Obdorsk is their
trading town. To this town, on the
Arctic Circle, at the mouth of the Obi,
come also the Samoyedes and OsUaks.
These latter, too are both nomads, and
live in tents. The Samoyedes inhabit
large tract of country between the
Obi and the Yenesei, stretching along
the shore of the frozen ocean from the
northeast corner of Europe. all across
the Tobolsk government to the Yene-
sci, dccending to the region of the Ost-
iaks, and on some parts of their south
ern border to Tomsk Their riches
consist of herds OF reindeer, which they
pasture on the mosses of the vast bogs,
or tundras, from which the animals in
winter scrape the snow with their feet.
and thus find their own sustenance. To
the Samovede the reindeer is every
thing. When alive the animal draws
his sledge, and when dead the skin is
used for tent and clothing. When at
Archangel in 1878 bought Samove-
de soy'k or tunick, and wonderful
pair of boots, and as their manner of
dressing resembles in its main features
that of other northern aborigines in
Siberia, may as well describe it par
ticularlv. In winter. then, to be in
the (Samoyede) fashion. one should
proceed to dress himself (or herselD as
follows: first. pair Of short trousers
made of softened reindeer skin, fitting
tight and down to the knee; then
stockings of pishki, the skin of young
fawns. with the hair next the uearer's
body; next come the boots, called
pouneleepte, which means boots
stockings, perhaps, because mine are
lined, reaching almost to the thighs,
the sole being made Of old and hard
reindeer hide, the hair pointing for
ward to diminish The possibility of
slipping on the ice or snow. Common
boots have the hair only on the out
side. Mine are a gay Gladys" pair,
lined inside with the sofest fur. and
made of white reindeer skin without.
sewn with stripes of darker skin, and
ornamented in front with few pieces
of colored cloth The clothing of the
lower limbs being completed, one has
to work ones way from the bottom to
the top of the souik, which has an
opening to put the head through. and
is furnished with sleeves The one |
have has high straight collar, but in
some brought by Mr. Seebohm from
the Yenesei this collar rises behind
above the top Of the head. The cos
tune is completed by cap Of reindeer
hide. with strings on either side orna-
mented with pieces of cloth The hair
of the soDik is worn outside in fine
weather, and inside when it rains but
when prolonged exposure to cold ls APP
LII NJ a
goose" is worn with the hair outside,
and n close-ftting hood. leaving ex.
posed only small portion Of the face.
The Ostjaks are said to have at the
end of the sleeve glove or mitten
made Of the hardest hide Of the rein
deer, and suitable for heavy work. and
also slit under the wrist to allow OF
.he fingers being used for finer work
A girdIe is worn round the lions, over
which the soUik laps a little. and thus
forms a pocket for small articles. The
only route to which. be it remembered,
is Uin the transverse slit through the
wrist. We heard some pleasant ac-
counts Of the honesty and docilitv of
the Samoyedes and Ostiaks. Their
honesty may be exemplified. The
merchants of Tobolsk when they 90
north in the summer to purchase fish,
take wish them -four and salt, place it
in their summer stations. and on their
return leave unprotected what remains
OF it for the following year Should a
Samoyede pass by and require it, he
does not scruple to take what he wants;
but he leaves in its place an ! 0 U,
in the form of duplicate stick duly
notched to signify that he is debtor,
and then in the fishing season he comes
to his creditor. compares the duplicate
stick he has kept with the one he left
behind, and then discharges his obli-
CATION.
The difficulties Of educating and