The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-15

1
gees built houses amid forests and swamp,
made so-eallsd "ssimkss" or enclosures
cleared woods. and introduced tillaes. Til
voevodes or governors. on discovering suc
settlements did not destroy them. but msrel
levied upon them State taxea With the open
ing Of the nineteenth century, however. an,
the establishment Of q thoroughly organize,
administration in Siberia. IL became extrem el
difficult to wander freely over the country o
to conceal oneself The passport system an,
the prohibition, Of unauthorized settlem emit
checked voluntary emigration. On the othe
hand. when emigration was formally sane
| toned BY the Government IL poured II
like a torrent. Before the Crlmean wal
the inflow to Siberia was very strong; then ia
1855 II declined. but after the close OF the
contest IL reRsined volume. just before the
liberation Of the ssrfs the stream Of immi-
grants began to dwindle. but after the eman-
cipation ukase was issued Il attained to yery
large dimensions. From that date the peasant
population OF Russia has increased in an un-
precedented way. and eastward emigration
has come to be regarded as q necessity. Be-
tween 1860 and 1880 the emigration into the
two Western Siberian Govern m ents was com
puted at 10000 souls. and later returns show
that during the six years ending in 1885 over
$4,000 people passed into Siberia In 1892,
after the famine in European Russia, about
ninety thousand newcomers were registered
at Tiumen. The Inflow to the Altai mining
district has been particularly strong about
$4,000 emiRrants having settled there be-
tween 1884 and 1880.
Since 1851 special advantages have been
offered TO emierants to the Amour and Lit
toral provinces. Crown land to the amount Of
not over 270 acres per family is allotted on
the condition u the free use Of this land for
h. 0~,N A. III
seauently Of either buying It or Of paying rent
fixed by the State Where an emigrant desires
to acquire more land than that allotted to
family. he cnn do so By paying about rubls
an acre. This Is In general the price fixed for
the purchase OF lands In the districts thrown
open By the Government to emigration. the
pioneers being allowed to choose their place
Of settlement We should add that emigrants
are freed from the payment Of rural taxes
for three years. from military service for ten
years and from the payment OF imperial taxes
and from State service for twenty years. In
1888 the Government started the peoplnR OF
the south Ussuri region. whittier the peasants
OF European Russia were transported at the
cost OF the state by steamer from Odessa
through the Suez Canal. The result Of q three
years. experiment was the settlement OF over
4. 500 souls In that district. at an expense
OF moro than million rubles to the Govern
mont.
Any review Of the colonization Of Siberia
must needs include glance at the outcome
Of sending criminals to that country. The
distribution OF ccnvicts 10. Il seems. extreme
~ uneven. In certain localities they are
crowded; In the Kainsk and Marinsk dis
tricts Of the Government OF Tomsk they form
almost ons-sixth OF the population: In other
districts and even provinces there are none.
for fnatanNA In aaufnalaNnak Kamahaf-
ka. the region OF Okhotsk. and the province
Of Akmolinsk. There are no accurate data
respecting the multiplication Of tho convict
through marriage. but according
to the book befofe Us their increase 10 insig-
niflcant. The people transported for crim-
inal offences are. In the majority OF cases.
single; husbands without their wives.
and wfves without their husbands; and
~. moreover. the number Of males
transported to Siberia Is ten times that OF the
females. the number OF marriages between
convicts must bs comparatively small. Be-
sides this. the indisposition Of the vagabond
sxiles to . dom este life. the unwillIngnsss Of
The few settlers to enter into marriage with
he criminals. and the prevalence OF prostitu-
lion and syphilis among the latter tend to |
,heck the multiplication Of the convict class
The historical sketch OF the conquest and |
colonization Of the vast area known under the |
general name OF Siberia 10 brought down In |
he book before us almost to the present time. |
Whom. during the second half OF this century. |
{ was discovered that the population OF Eu- |
'opean Russia was fast outgrowing its arabic |
erritory. colonization was recognized a. one |
" the most important duties Of the State. The |
government resolved to come to the aid Of the |
rational movement and to regulate It By .
eries OF measures The process was begun |
" the law OF 1880 respecting the voluntary
migration Of peasants and burRhers to State
ands wherein they previously had no right of
ettlemsnt Under this law the Minister Of |
tate Domains makes special allotments of |
'tate lands to settlers. and communicates
them to the Minister Of the In
erior. who. after Investigating the local
'osition OF the families DESTROYS Of emil |
rating, accepts those who satisfy the
Prescribed conditions Emigration was also
lowed to the Southwestern Siberian prov
noes peoplsd By the Kirghiz. from which
russians were formerly excluded. and In 1892
his permission was extended to the two Gov
OF eastern Siberia. those OF Yenis-
eisk and Irkutsk. The general result OF the
migration movement eastward has been the
ettlsment OF Russian colonists over the whole
4 the southern belt extending from the Urals
cross western and eastern Siberia proper
nd beyond the Baikal through the basin OF
he Amour to the Sea OF Japan. The necessity
uniting all this extensive colonizsd zone Of
iberia By an uninterrupted railway was felt
D be urgent. and on March IL. 1901. an i'm
erial rescript was issued authorizing the con-
truction OF such an iron road.
1t 10 not expected that the expenditure Of
Sc. 100000 rubles imposed By the building
fhia FRA In kaI In Ill k... |
rove remunerativs In the ordinary meaning
the word Not the less will It be productive
great economical As well ~ stratsgical ben
ats. The principal obstacle to the develop
lent OF industry and trade In Russian Asia
A. been the lack Of regular COMMUNICATION.
a the one hand. between the important indus
'ial and administrative centres OF Siberia
nd. on the other hand. between Siberia As .
hole and European Russia. With the removal
this barrier to progress will disappear the
fuses which hitherto have retarded the peop-
Of - -N-N.N- a. 1