The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-01-10
4 UnEA1 rAIR.
kHE BIG RUSSIAN MART AT
NIJNu-NovGoRoD.
Il Is Attended by Two Hundred Thou
sand People Snnually-0oods
That Are CHIEFLY Dealt in
Caravsns OF Beats

That Are Chiefly Dealt in
Caravans OF Beats.
Nijnii.Noysorod, situated at the con-
lAuence Of the rivers Okla and the Folga,
1875 miles by rail east of Moscow, the
lanciept capital Of Russia, is composed OF
three parts, the upper city OF lAfemlin'
lbuilt on three rising hills, rising to
lheizht>of some 400 feet; the lower town,
along the right bank Of the Okla and
Volsa; and the Fair and Kpnayino sub
urb, on flat. sandy tongug OF land be-
tween the Okla and Vega, connected ed
/ with the town by brbAge Of boats sOO
metres long and Is bead The position
Of the town Is most picturesque. In the
upper norton is % alley VI trees, the
ktl-os ~ terrace rom which may be OBJ
tained \ naenieent view of the mighty
Volga and 4, plains through which it
fows. Thj is the Mother yolga, Of
which va. hear so much in Russia; and
indeed hen we follow its course on the
n I'D wien We examine the products
II - concentrates at Nijnii-Novgorcd,
3can understand why the Russians
speak q Il so affectionately, and why the
annual fair at this point has become so
important in Russian commerce. From
its source to its mouth in the Caspian Sea
the Volga runs a course OF 2300 miles,
and BY various systems of canals 1t IS
connected with Moscow and st. Peters
burg. Above Nijnn-Novgorod the river
is navigated by some l., goo boats, en-
ploying 800, coo men; below Mimi it i
nayigated by 5000 ships, manned by
225, 600 hands; while on the lower Nolga
immense fishing and fish-euring enter
prises are carried on.
Although it numbers only GO, 600 in
habitants, Njnii-Novgorod beasts more
than fifty churches and chapels.
From time immemorial Russian mer-
chants were won't 10 meet in the summer
with the merchants of the East at various
points on the Yoiga between the con-
duences Of the Okla and the Kama. In
1924 the greatest fair was located on the
ground Of the monastery Of Jeltovodsld,
near Makarielf, where If remained until
1917, when it was transferred iiity-tve
miles higher up the stream 10 Mimi
Novgorod. In order that we may re-
heve our minds of too serious thoughts
before veutuing to explore this famous
fair, let Us plunge once for all into the
most recent statistics, and sum up briefly
its commercial importance. First of all,
the reader must bear in mind that the
Jahrmarka, as it IS called, which takes
place annually from August 5th TO Sep
TENDER 18th, is wholesale fair. The
goods chiefly dealt in are cotton, woolen,
linen and silk ssuffs, which constitute
about forty per cent. OF the wholei next
In importance come iron, corn, tea, furs.
salt, wine, iish, pottery and manufactured
goods. About four-ffths Of The whole
goods brought to the fair are Of Russian
origin. Tils basiu Of the Okla River
sends agricultural aud manufactured pro-
ducts; the basin Of the Kama sends metal
wares; corn and salt are produced in the
southe8s kgrovinces; fish comes up from
the lowdt solga and the Caspian; Siberia,
this Caucasus. Central Asia aud Persia send
a variety Of wares; and about ten per
cent Of the tetal amount OF goods are
imported from Asia, namely, tea, via
Kiaehta, Canton and suez, raw cotton
and silk, leather wares, madden and
other manufactured goods. The chief
article Of trade Is cotton, of which the
prie IS fixed at this far; the prices of
raw wool and silk are also fixed here.
Economists will also readily demonstrate
that the whole iron production of the
Ural depends on the fair of Nijnii-Nov-
gorod. The caravans of boats laden
with iron start from the UraI WORKS M
the spring, stay al the fair Of LaisheY,
which supplies the lower Volga, and then
proceed up to Novgorod in August. The
purchases Of iron made at this fair for
consumption IN Asia and middle Russia
determine the amount Of credit that viii
be granted for the next years business
to the owners Of the iron-works, who are
largely dependent on this credit The
corn and salt trade, and still more the
whole trade Of Siberia and Turkistsn,
are influenced by this fair, their success
depending entirely on The conditions Of
credit which the merchants are able 70
obtain at Nijni-Noygorod. It thus ap-
pears that the fair exercises a direct IN
faeHce on all the leading branches Of
Russian manufacture. During the SIX
weeks that it lasts It attracts daily some
200, coo people from Russian and Asia:
the river is literally laden with thousands
Of boats; the quays, extending over a
length of ten miles, are covered with
merchandise; on the lair ground proper
and around it 5000 shops are occupied;
and although no exact and absolutely
trustworthy statistics can be obtained, #
Is safe 70 reckon the total business trans
acted at the fair at the sum Of four hun
dred millions Of rubles, or forty million
pounds terling.--Halpsg's Mlgazine.