The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-10-27

ulsr the unknown land De%ofu tIf mum
tains Descending. with a few hundred
followers. the river Tiura, on whose banks
now stands the city of Tiumen, he came
TO the Tobol. then 10 the Irtysh. where ne
defeated the Tartar ruler. kutcnun,
and captured his capital Sihir. or siberia,
which has given its name 10 the immense
region stretching from the Trials TO the
Pacific Although the whole OF this
territory has not been acquired
till recent times, If il has Vet
entirely, Ermak is justly looked
upon as Cortes who added new
and mighty empire 10 the dominions OF
the ear This empire has, until very
lately, been of slight value, place from
which furs have been brought and TO
which criminals and Migrants were sent.
Even 70 Russians ii seemed the ends or
the earth, where no one would go Will
ingly This may appear extraordinary
enough when We consider the untold
sources of wealth in Siberia. the richness
and number of its mines. many OF which
have never been explored the fertility OF
the soil in vast tracts. whose climate Is
no more severe than that of MOSCOW or
Minneapolis. We must remember how
ever. that the distances are so great as
70 render communication difficult and
transportation far more so. in the absence
of railways. The need of new country
has been little felt by the Russians. Near
or home, TO the south. there was long an
abundance of land where colonists could
settle. and the nation, which has still but
small accumulated capital, is not noted
for industrial enterprise. After all, IT is
only within a few years that we have
thought of Western Canada as more than
a profitless wilderness
At the present day new era for Siberia
has undoubtedly begun. The Perm-Tid-
men railway first made il easy TO get
from Europe by rail and boat TO Tomsk,
in art - kufa TrDtl 81
herian must give great impulse TO activ-
ity of many kinds indeed, although only
a small part OF it is completed this i'm
pulse is already widely felt. Enormous
quantities of mineral wealth and extents
of good land viii soon be easily accessible
while in European Russia population is
beginning to press on the means of sub
sistence. With present government en-
couragement. immigration has got to he
over 100000 year, and may soon reach
dimensions hard TO estimate. Nor is the
country so uninhabited as TO be unable
TO supply the first wants of the settlers.
Not TO mention smaller places, Omsk.
Tomsk and Irkutsk, with each from $1,000
TO 5000 inhabitants are important Centers
of distribution and growing rapidly.
Tomsk. the largest and busiest of these
is situated on the river Tom, some twenty
five miles from its junction with the OBJ.
The city impresses one at once as an act
handsome buildings, mostly official or
schools; there are also presentable shops.
some good houses the best Of them owned
by Jews, and building and repairing are
going on in many places. giving general
air of life and prosperity. The fine I'M
finished cathedral resembles on a different
scale the Church of the Savior in Moscow.
There are two newspapers. a public gar
den, with a very fair little theatrical
troupe, whom l saw at a clever take-off
on the doctrines OF Tostoi. and, above
all. there is the university
The University Of Tomsk. an institu-
ton unique in Siberia and with but few
rivals in all Asia, has as yet but a med
ical faculty. Her twenty-seVen instruct
ors hold forth to little less than 400 stu
dents. more than half of whom are from
Europe. az, I'm order to attract scholars,
graduates from the ecclesiastical semi
naries are accepted here, whereas they
are not permitted by her sisters in Rus
STA proper. | happened to visit the uni
versity on her seventh birthday, an UNI
fortunate date for me. as il was also that
OF a public holiday, when everything vas
shut IN; hence I was able to see less than
j could have wished The fine large
building with two or three small depend
encies is surrounded with birch trees.
TWO professors who CHANGED to be on
hand showed me what they could. The
laboratory instruments. most Of which
came from france or GERMANY. seemed.
as far as an ignorant layman could Judge
to be OF the latest kinds, though not nu-
merous. The small geological collection
IS chiefly made up OF native animals and
birds. / was particularly sorry not to
see the library, for Ii has about 200 900
volumes, among them number of valu-
able books from France at the time of
the Revolution, also rare editions Of
Shakespeare, etc, given by various peo-
ple-all OF which one hardly expects TO
md in the depths of Siberia in an ins.i-
tuition seven years old. IN general the
accounts / got We're optimistic. There
were many difficulties at first but they
have been overcome TO a large extent. the
students are poor but hard-working
while the professors are better paid and
get pension earlier than their brethren
in European Asia. The government has
just decided TO add a second faculty for
physics and mathematics.
Another interesting sight in Tonlsk is
the temporary home for fmmier ants, who
have come either by river or with their
carts overland on their way further east
ward. At the time OF my visit there
were about 200 of them, and there have
been as many as 5000 a once Few ar
rive in the winter. but in the course of
last summer 4o000 received hospitality
there, the great majority Of them Rus
slams, with a sprinkling OF Poles. Estho-
mans, TartarS. etc. Most OF them To-
main about a week, some much longer,
then depart-some settling in the gov
eminent OF Tomsk. others going 20 the
region Of the Altai mountains-tnough
the government is said not to favor this
and latterly increasing numbers, espe-
cially of the large contingent Of Little
Russians, have sought thu dista1 Amur
province where special inducements are
offered and where the settlers are said
- grow so lazily well off in lew years
that they hire Cinnamon u Do their work
in theory. every cmigrsnt must bring
with him passport with permission 70
leave his home. otherwise. instead Of ra-
Cetviug al allotment II land he viii "a
arrested and sent hack In practice, hum
dreds and thousands come without pa pers,
and. II sent back az much expense. they
would return again and again with that
Patlert ObstinaCv 50 characteristic " the
Russian peasant. The only thing left 30
the authorities is TO make continual eT-
ceptions % thei- rules. merely trying -
do IL as quietly as possible in order -
uphold the principle. The premises or the
temporary home arc kept perfectly clean.
which is Cretitah,e. for this - enforced
with difficulty The buildings include
hospital with CoUrartmeut Tor lying
in. another for eontaE ious diseases. and
an apothcoary SION. Tyahus. particular
IL Is not uncommon Each man. woman
- black hread-and Russian bread is
goc8-als3 "A meal Of meat. or en- last
DAYS % other warm food.
The Journey FROM Tomsk ~ Tiumen the
gate - Europe takes six Or seven DAYS
on the passenger steamers, 81 which there
are tuo or three "A week thu better 81 them
hefnF .-or~ F0r-s bio heats lighted by cleo