The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-06-12
A REMARKABLE CONTRAST.
CROSSING FROM THE RUSSIAN TO
THE CHINESE EMPIRE.


Boundary Commissioner, Mr.. Sulkofski,
to call upon the Chinese Governor of
Maimachin. The Mongolian town of
Maimachin is separated from Kiakhta by
a hundred and fifty or two hundred yards
of neutral ground, through the middle OF
which is supposed to run the boundary
line between the two great Empires.
Maimachin is further separated from
Kiakhta by high plank wall and by
screens, or pagoda-shaped buildings, that
mask the entrances TO the streets so that
outside barbarian cannot look into the
place without actually entering it, and
cannot see anything beyond its wooden
walls after he has entered it. II would
be hard to imagine amore sudden and start
ling change than that brought about by
walk of two hundred yards from Kiakhta
to Maimachin. One moment you are in
Russian provincial village with its
characteristic shops, Lighthouses, golden
domed churches, droshkies (drosh-kees),
soldiers and familiar peasant faces; the
next moment you pass behind the hlgh
screen that conceals the entrance to the
Mongolian town and find yourselfsap-
parently in the middle of the Chinese
Empire. You can hardly believe that
you have not been suddenly transported
on the magical carpet of the "Arabian
Nights over distance of thou
sand miles. The town in which
you find yourself is no more like
the town that YOU have just
left than a Zuni pueblo is like avillage in
New England, and for all that appears to
the contrary you might suppose yourself
to be separated from the Russian Empire
by the width of whole continent. The
narrow, unpaved streets are shut in by
gray, one-story houses, whose windowless
walls are made of clay mixed with chopped
straw, and whose roofs, Ornamented with
elaborate carving, show tendency to
turn up at the corners; clumsy two
wheeled oX-carts, loaded with boxes OF
tea and guided by swarthy Mongol driv-
ers, have taken the place of the Russian
horses and telegas; Chinese traders in
skull-caps, loose tapping gowns and white
soled shoes appear ut the door, instead OF
the Russian merchants in top-boots, loose
trousers whom you have long been accus-
toned to see; and wild-looking, sun
burned horsemen in deep orange gowns
and dishpan-shaped hats, ride in now
and then from some remote encampment
in the great desert of Cobb, followed,
perhaps, by a poor Mongol from the i'm
mediate neighborhood, mounted upon a
Il nd
in whatever direction you look, China
has taken the place Qf Russia, and the
scenes that confront you are full of
strange, unfamiliar details.
We drove with a Russo-Chinese inter
prefer to the residence the "surguhce'
(soor- goo-chay), or Chinese Governor
which was distinguished from all other
houses by having two high poles tipped
with gilded balls erected in front of it
and after being introduced to his EX-
cellency by Mr.. Sulkofslli were invited
to partake of tea, sweetmeats and
''maigalo" my-ga-lo), or Chinese rice
brandy. We exchanged with the Gov
ernor n number of ceremonious and not
at all exciting inquiEies and replies rela-
tive to his and our health, affairs and
general well-being, drank three or fouI
saki-cups of maigalo, nibbled at some
candied fruits, and then, as the hour foI
his devotions had arrived went with him
by invitation to the temple and saw him
say his prayers before a large wooden
idol to an accompaniment made by the
slow tolling of big deep-toned bell.
The object of the bell-ringing seemed to
be to notify the whole population of the
town that his EXcellency tho Governor
was communing with his JOSS. When we
returned to his house Mr.. Frost drew a
portrait of him as with an amusing air of
conscious majesty he sat upon tiger skin
in his chair of state, and then, as we had
no excuse for lingering longer, we took
our leave, each Of us receiving a neatly
tied package in which were the nuts,
sweetmeats and candied fruits that had
been set before us but had not been
eaten.
We wasted the rest of the afternoon in
trying to get photographs of some of the
strange types and groups that were to be
seen in the Maimachin streets. Again
and again we were surrounded by forty
or fifty Mongols, Buriats, and monde
script natives from the great southern
steppes, and again and again we set up
the camera and trained it upon a part of
the picturesque throng. Every time Mr..
Frost covered his head with the black
cloth and took it off the brass cap that
concealed the instruments Cyclopean eye,
the apprehensive Celestials vanished with
as much celebrity as if the artists We're
manipulating a Gatling gun. We could
clear whole street from one end to the
other by merely setting up the camera
ON its ripod and getting out the black
cloth, and seriously thought of advising
the Chinese Governor to send to America
for Photographic outfit TO be used in
quelling riots. He could diSperse a mob
with it more quickly and certainly than
with battery of mountain howitzers. If
l remember rightly, Mr.. Frost did not
succeed in getting pictures of any ami
mated objects that day except a few
Mongol ox-teams and two or three blind
or crippled beggars who could not move
rapidly enough to make their escape.
Nearly 200, 600 sheep have been
guaranteed to frozen meat company Of