New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-19
SIBERIA.
A VAST REGION OF ENORMOUS WEALTH
AND FERTILITY SPLENDDk 81 ITS
MERCHANT PRINCES LIVES.
From The Pail Mall Gazette.

Some years ago IL was my Nt|".7' - w y
troduced 10 a mining engineer ID "'iS"gs
sa,,,ta,iar lie had travelled ana explored near
IL every corner of the globe. ana MS ha"e is =
separably associated with ''.'D' t09ssA
He had worked in America, Aus"a"9 ana
Africa. and Nas ia2iiua' I'm W, we, -.
az every country ore ccri3 name ""Vn ine'
him no :.d lust returned from ''s1s 70 sh
beria. whittier ne had been Sent .n {" 2'.,aens.
mission To report upon the !"h'l"' .,,,s,,s.,'
that vast region lie was nus ~
and told me that he had never 'n w., .oul 49,
~ ,ast oxnerienc, visited country more -
mar<a bile for it's mineral "ed''" ia" o'r'',A
MARK my words" he saId 10 III ."l y,
",yhen that country comes 10 pe w ~ ~
will be- boom there cohpd,,, ue ,oid 80, ~
Transvaal boom was nolhihb' -, -" ~
tbat tbs,e was practically no hl"n 81 mn
eral wealth which Siberia 1'u ~ $3.50 ,e1a... |"
abundance: there were codl d"I FuY.'s'H
there were iron ana copper, So RI. l,,i,io, y,
sides numerous other minerals w DP - y.
~, oxrert WAS all the more NaluaD'e ~Vause
- vas disinterested There was no Puesu'n "
bringing out a company ms -,
messed 10 me privately, "l'"'u' aug '''''"'
object. ~, Lo, learned N under.
s,and that siberia is an exceptionaly ll.h QUA
trv hut what it does not rea'"r .ha, =, ou
is also a very fertile country d,.u 10 -, ~ ~ Y,
braces within its confines eN'I ~ ,ha ,a,. "a
- what 10 Siberia II - really the arg.
&c, nor, ~ Asia Stretching lroh Tue O'1
Maintains to the Pacihc O''an II 80, $3.50. al
area i'm which Canada coulh ", oolt e'', nv
-, and ,vould never be heard OF asan' rec
IVo' ,his country do not know that siberia
paIIa ~ becoming the granary OF the "ora
In the southern parts OF the cou"u ~ ~. T., ~.
tatinn is tropical and luXurlah' VIZ ~ -, y.
extreme north the country - - hrnshwoo.
nous swamp covered with dense VI us ss'oOs
..h collad "tundre." In the cehtal leslVi
tbere are still dense primeVal iores 'nrp "'".A
the foot Of man has never pehtsi - ,,Is,,or
oions are Inhabited by spas 2 -.
go, ancestors were transported thlthet JOY
MIA offences; and m"ny cohFi'.s. VIZ n ~
nreferred to remain in TINS iru'.i u. .'.n :.
tho expiration Of their sentences ~ 10 ~
the inhospitabe country OF thelf "''H ""1 :,
suming their old lives under the e"s" e's ~
an unfrienGly police.
AN ELDORADo
ro..o,.oosld in one Of his novels. describes
cihoria as an Eldorado. The population Is rem
rad nv ESCAPED conVicts who are among NC
rost energetic ~ its constituents. VI sun
materials is the Russian popuiaton 'gI'p 49,,
fearless people mostly. hardneau'p "a III =,
h.,a nreferrod the deSolauOn ana "Hus "
ciLari, to the tyranny Of the ofhclalsm ol ~
rGnaan Russia For Siberia IS iar away 'n'
incubation is sparse. ana the "''i''dt9 az -
seGuentlv few and far between. ana h"' "e,
Jealous Into districts out I'D tne u'le'. .,". !,
communication ohicialism seldom pth,'' ' avA
borca the peasantry are prosperous ana ln1s
rendent They have escaped the S"N' ~ -"
dom from which Russia proper mas "n'S ''e
recently emancpated and they are ma -
very different stuff to the SOFT eher'a'ru ANY
L.sottad mouiiks OF Central Russia. BESIDE
these Russian yeomen. who own theiI ""h idn'
and a~e as democratic as th'y d., -. -
there are the descendants OF the aporls'"es Wv
Sar,ovads and other tribes. some OF whom SUI
nractise idoatry But they have al grove
m,,.vellously civilized and prosperous III 'h'
tov.rs We shall find wealthy merchant primes
leading lives Of luxury and splend9r. hete ~
shall find gorgeous winter galu"hs' pa"'
hnuses dollhouse fruit. and mashlnceh'e ="
nrivate life which the Engshman viii not eye'
susnect The houses are beautifully ana ere
gantly furnshed enormous mirrors inp"''
at great expense. adorn the walls iiaiDle 'V.
umns support the lofty ceilings. nor are @'
and music wanting. =,
In short life in Siberia is far from being I'M
sad and dreary business We are apt 70 imagh'
il There is society; there are theatres cor
certs and particularly intelligent people. AZ
Russian once told me: "All our cleVeres' me'
are in siberia" There is much truth IN ths
Russia has deported her frondeurs and orglnal
thinkers To this happy land, where they nav.
settled. prOSpered. and found that Dreacth ="
life which was denied them at home. II IS o,
lieVed that all this will shortly De- altered ana
that the lurid light Of an effete Western c'l.
ization will be let into this Utopia. and VIZ
show up the sothful lives ~ It's officials, us
luxury Of its middle classes. the prosperity an'
lawlessness Of its peasantry. and put an emo |"
them and that this will be- the result OF tAs
railway But Siberian merchants ana lneI
are shrewd fellows-to whom ! have talked 70
not share this view They do not think the ei'
isting Russian Government IL strong enough .
impose its yoke upon the siberian people am
break their proud and independent spirit an
moreover. they think that the expectations
which the railway has given rise 10 are n0'
likely TO be very rapidly realized.
WHAT WILL THE RAILWAY Do'
IA
After all it is hardly justihable 10 expect nv
slow and badly constructed single-line lgH'
railway. which will only run trains about W. W.
a week to do very much for the transfoImst''J,
and development Of 80 vast country TINS, v
course is perfectly true, and when we rehen,
Der how sadly Russia, by nef underpald az az
inadeauatey trained officials has misgovernss.
the Caucasus. one Of the richest jewels 10 ~,
Russian crown. We shall be forced 10 admit ln.'