Evening star., 1900-09-25

| some distance within. two or three hundred
yards of high water mark. The country is
hilly and covered with forests. The trees
on the whole are very English-looking-
oaks. alders, ashes, hazels, willows, birches,
lines and so on Very few of them are
well grown. In some valleys the larger
trees are all dead, and stand up like naked,
white skeletons above the rest. giving
very weird and curious look to the woods.
could not ascertain the cause.
The land seemed extremely fertile, ferns.
dergrowth, while bright-colored wild flowers
are fairly numerous. lovely purple iris be-
ing conspicuous among them. The soil
cut through is mostly clay. sand, or rotten
rock q only noticed single blast-hole),
of which considerable part is a conglom-
crate, largely composed of rounded pebbles.
The course is very winding. and the coun-
try, with constantly changing views over
timbered hills and an island-dotted sea. is
extremely pleasant. We passed a few
brick kilns and some very imperfect coal.
face. Horizontal shafts, shored up with
timber. are driven into the hill side in
order to mine It, and in one place the rail-
way cutting is dug through 1t. few cot
tages are passed, and some tolerable roads
have been cut through the forest, but the
country is very thinly peopled, almost the
only inhabitants being the navvies en-
ployed on the line, both Russian and Chi
nese.
I had expected to find my destination
quite fair-sized village at least, as 1t was
printed in elaborate capitals in the time
table, but on arrival 1 discovered 1t to con-
sist of one railway station, one water tower,
one engine house. one wooden cottage, two
log cabins and eight graves among the
forests. There was no train back the same
evening Cthough thought 1 had found out
most convenient one), SO there was moth
Ing for 1t but to spend the night where l
was. 1t was very pleasant in the cool
night air to stroll through the fragrant
woods. watching the lights of lumber trains
through the trees. and studying the stars
In the clear atmosphere. In the station l
found a bench to rest on, though as the
room was full of rough Russian peasants,
1t seemed hardly safe to go to sleep. As
matter of fact, however, l received moth
ing but the utmost courtesy at their hands.
Soon after the next morning L got
train back to Vladivostock, and went on
board the steamer (Which 1 made my home
during her stay In porD in time for break
fast One of the first persons / met was
a fellow passenger, who announced his In
tention of spending the night on shore, but
who had come on board again late at night
after he had made an inspection OF the
accommodation provided by the hotels.
Vladivostock is at present rapidly In
creasing in population, but it is probable
that the ST. Petersburg government attach
less Importance to 1t now than they for
merly did, as it's position the terminus
of the railway is likely to be usurped by
the recently acquired Port Arthur, an Ice
free port the Gulf of Pechiii. to which
a branch is being laid down with all poSsl-
BILE speed. In spite of the fertility of the
district round Vladivostock the city is still
dependent on Japan for almost all It's sup
plies, and Its exports are confined to SAT-
fish and timber in very small quantities.
There seems no very immediate prospect
of the immense natural resources OF this
part of the Russian empire being developed.
and in fact, the enterprise and intense de-
sire for progress which form the chief
charm OF a young British or American city
seem to be conspicuous by their absence in
this outpost of Muscovite civilization In the
east