The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-12-30
RUSSIA AND AMERICA.
A Defensc of siberinn Omccra

| DeIeuSc Oh SlDeFfnu Ouuccfa.
Mr.. George KEENAN,, of the Assoc ated
Press, who spent several years in Siberia,
has written the following interesting letter
for publication:
notice In all the New York papers of
December 81 the following telegram from
London:
| LONDON, December 26.-According to ntelli-
| genco from st. Peteraberg great Indignation
prevails there at the reprehensiblo conduct OF
| the president OF the administration OF Eastern
Siberia, who refused to telegraph an announce
ment Of the arrival OF the survivors OF tho
Jeannettc because they were without funds.
The first news OF their escape was consequently
delayed ten weeks.
| If the people of America were at all ac-
quainted with the people of Russia, or with
the character of Russian officers in Siberia,
IL would not be necessary to point out the
improbability, not to say the absurdity, of
this story. Since, however, IL has already
had wide circulation, and may obtain q
certain amount of credence, beg leave to
subject it to brief criticism.
In the first place, there is no such execu-
tive officer in Siberia as the president of
the administration" Eastern Siberia is
under the direction and administrative
control Of q encouragement, who is re-
sponsible directly and solely to the Empe-
ror. He, or the vice.g0vernor general, in his
absence, would receive the news and dis
patches from the governor of YakoutslS,
and he alone would have the right to decide
whether they should be telegraphcd or not.
TIE idea that he held these DISPATCHES ten
weeks because Lieut.. De Long had not
sent money to cover the expense of their
transmission to st. Petersburg is preposter-
GUS for ut least half u dozen reasons.
The telegraph line from Irkoutsk to
st. Petersburg is an Imperial line, built,
operated and owned by the Russian govern
ment. The officers of that government in the
Siberian provinces do not pay tolls on their
kilograms any more than the Postmaster
General of the United States pays postage
on his official letters. But, even If they
did, is 1t for moment conceivable that an
officer occupying the position of governor
general Of Eastern Siberia, an officer in re-
ceipt of an income of perhaps 10000 roubles
q year, would refuse to expend the five
roubles which it would cost to telegraph to
st. Petersburg the news of the loss of the
Jeanette? If the Russian officers in
Siberia were so parsmonious, how did the
dispatches from Lieut.. De Longs party get
so far rs Irkoutsk. The journey of the
courier from the mouth of the Lena cost at
least 300 roubles Is it likely that after
spending 300 roubles to get the news half
way across the country the Russians would
begrudge five roubles more to send it the
| ObnCl IltlS ndhc ~ Vi SOIlt uSt
The question is too absurd for serious dis.
cussion. But apart from considerations of
probability, the story carries with it its
own refutation. According to the tele-
gram from Engineer Melville
the first boat from tho Jeanette
reached the mouth of the Lena on the 18th
of September. The second boat did not re-
port itself until October 90, so that, unless
this last boat is an error, the messenger
can hardly have started before November 1.
The interval between the starting of the
messenger from the mouth of tho Lena and
the receipt of the news in New York was
thus fifty-one days; and yet we are told by
the correspondent at Vienna that the news
was detained seventy days ut the first tele-
graph station Urkoutsk) for want of funds.
In other words, the dispatches began to be
detained at Irkoutsk nearly three weeks
before Engineer Melville wrote them at the
mouth of the Lena. Even if, however, the
second date mentioned by Engineer Mel
vile is an error-if it should be September
90 instead of October 90, and If the mes
senger left on the 1st of October instead of
the LIST of November-the interval between
his departure and:the arrival of the news
in New York is only eighty-two days.
Deduct ten weeks for the alleged detention
of the dispatches in IrkOutsk and there re-
mains only twelve days for the journey
Of tho messenger to that point from the
mouth of the Lena-a journey of fully
$500 miles through an almost uninhabited
Arctic desert, in the worst months of the
winter, and at u season when the sun in
that latitude is above the horizon only
about two hours out of the twentyfour. To
make this time the messenger would have
had to travel up the Lena as faras Yakoutsk
without changes of dogs or horses at the
rate of nearly two hundred miles a day,
which is more than five times the speed
ordinarily attained on such journeys. As
far as the disposition of the governor-gen-
eral of Eastern Siberia to assist Americans
is concerned, l can only say in conclusion
that when the Russo-American telegraph
line was abandoned, and we, its officers,
were left in Siberia almost without money,
Acting encouragement Sheashnikotf,
: of Irkoutsk, who still holds the po-
sition he then occupied, learning accident
ally of our situation, voluntarily came to
us and offered to lend us 1000 roublcs to
defray our expenses to st. Petersburg. We
took 500 roubles, giving him therefor q
simple receipt. And this is the man who,
according to the Vienna correspondent,
held the dispatches of party of ship.
wrecked and destitute Americans ten
weeks rather than run the risk of losing
five roubles.
AS lonS US INC Interests Vi OUncr European
powers are opposed to the interests of Rus
sa in the East we may expect from Berlin
London and Vienna prejudiced statements
and misleading kilograms with regard to
Russian affairs. But the fact that Russia /:
misrepresented byIher enemies is not o suf.
ficicnt reason for allowing her, without d
protest, to DO wounded in the house of hei
friends.
Military Hebrews.
1t seems to be forgotten by the Russian
| lnIo L,