The Portland daily press., 1894-08-25

uous line will be established from
Cnelablns to Co]tas. From Coltas to
tne Wnlte Sea is easy transportation by
the river Dwina to the great port of
Archangel, the outlet for Siberian
grall on the White Sea. Thus the grain
Whlch Is now carried round about by
way Oh London to Norway and Sweden
may be supplied to those countries di-
rect; Wheat and rye will be the great
pr0ducts of Siberia in the future.
Inc Russian government has in mind
several other schemes for the develop
meht OF Siberia. 1t proposes to estab-
ilsh steam navigation on the RIVER sys-
TENS lntersecting the great railway
help will be given to the mining in
dustries of the Ural region. Here are
mined gold, platinum and great quanti-
Ties OF iron, as well as gems. Ia that
part OF the country 1000 people make a
living by seeking for and cutting pre-
clous and semi-precious stones. They do
certain kinds of work not done any
where else in the world. They carve
art objects out of rock crystal. They
make vases of fruits which are admira-
grapes of amethyst, cherries of onyx.
raspberries of rhodonite, mulberries Of
yellow chalcedony, white currants of
rock crystal and green leaves OF SER
! pentlne. The emperor has factory in
the Urals, where such things are turned
out for his private use. In that neigh
borhood are Obtained green garnets,
which have play OF color like dia-
| monds. They are used by jewellers for
constructing brooches and pins in the
likeness of grasshoppers, katydids,
frogs and fishes.
A GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISE.
I =
The great trans-Siberian road is being
built blythe government and will berun by
the government. No extra tax has been
levied for constructing it and no loan
has been raised to pay for it at home or
abroad. It is being built out of the.
surplus income Of the nation. Russia
is an enormously rich COUNTRY. Its in
come exceeds its expenditures every year
by S25, 200, 600 to $50, 900. 600. Today it
has surplus Of $l4O, 900, 600 in it's treas
ury Ibis money does not belong to the
car. Though an autocrat, he hardly
could and certainly would not touch it.
Ihe royal income from the civil list is
Us, ZOO, 900 per annum. The population
is 100, 900, 000 Russia exported last year
$50 900, 600 worth of oats, $50, QUO. 600
worth of barley $1,000, 600 worth of corn
and $40, 000, 600 worth of wheat. Ordina-
LILY SaC cOAdo Out VI Juo COuutfI lOE Sale
about $40, DOC. 600 worth of rye, but this
quantity was reduced to ST., 900, 600
worth last year by tariff war with Ger
many. The enormous surplus thus re-
maining unsupported was purchased by
the government for military stores and
for the national supplies, which are
Kept In every town as precaution
inc the government spent $4,000, 600 for
the support OF eleven million people who
needed assistance.
Russia has always been Uncle SANS
best friend among the nations. 1t is a
comfort to know that we shall have SO
wealthy and SO formidable an ally in the
inevitable conflict Of the future, when
will together tackle the rest of the civil
lied world in a deadly struggle The
trans-Siberian railway has for it's main
object the opening OF Siberia, its settle
ment and development. 1t is at the
same time military road. By its
means it will be practicable to transport
troops across Asia to the Pacific coast in
ten days, whereas now three or four
months would be required. There is
constant friction between Russia and
China, and nobody knows when it may
give rise to war. England. always sus-
plciouss of Russia, regal dis the railway
as war road beyond all Things else.
L Hc Dcdr Ol Gue uOrCD is steadily and
persistently encroaching upon southern
Asia. The Chinese boundary used to be
far north of where it now is An enter
prising Siberian governor declared that
the great Alti mountains were the nat
ural geographical boundary, and that
pange was made the line. Later Russia
claimed that the Amoor river was the
natural boundary, and the line was low
cred to that stream. Now the govern
ment of the czar wishes to grasp Corea.
This accomplished, it will probably be
urged that the fortieth parallel Of lati-
tude is the natural boundary, and the
upper half of the Chinese empire will be
merged in the Russian possessions.
ADVANTAGES TO THIS COUNTRY.
Owing to Russia's friendly relations
with the United States great advantages
are. likely to be offered to American
commerce in Siberia by way of Vladio-
stock. 1t would seem not unlikely that
some day continuous railway line may
connect the tarns-Siberian road with
San Francisco by way of Behring strait,
which would become sort of lntercon.
tinental ferry, being only few miles
wide.