The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-14

The Russian Embassy has an official
publication from the Government
Printing Office at st. Peters
burg. describing the wonderful de-
veIopment OF Siberia in the last decade
along the line CT the great TRANSFORM
mental Railroad. which, il It were not au-
lucrative and fortified by accurate statis-
tics. would have 10 be regarded as fc-ion-
The tremendous growth Of the Russian
Empire eastward IS shown to fairly rival
American progress westward, and IL me
respects TO have surpassed il, parIicu-
Iarly in the enormous areas recently
brought under cultivation and the almosf
incredible commercial eXpan5+-r 1hicA
mas resulted.
The rapidity with which the er p. steel
highway has been extended toy-s d IS a
cifc Ocean terminus, which eXcl-c1 world
vide establishment. appears by this pub
LEGATION to have been merely feature Of
the great imperial enterprise FOR making
use of the rich and varied resources OF Il
territory comprising One-ninth OF the
whole continental surface OF the globe;
over one-fourJh that of Asia and half as
large again as jhe whole Ct Europe The
yastness Of the area accounts for the
great variety in its nature
When viewed with reference to cOloni-
cation Siberia divides itself naturally into
TWO zones, extending east and west. and
differing essentially from one another.
The first of these embraces the region
traversed by the Siberian railway the
more popuIous southern portion of 81
IBERIA. in which the conditions q climate
and soil are favorable 70 the development
of agriculture and colonization The 9TH
er zone occupies the extensive. deserted
northern region. the land OF tundras, or
polar marshes, with constantly frozen
subsoil and a severe climate, dTeaTy
tract of land totally unfit for agriculture.
Between these two zones stretches a
broad belt of forests of tail trees. partly
primeyaI pine and hr partly Ieafy trees.
The wealth of these broad agricultural
and timber areas is. moreover. augmented
by mineral deposits Of every. conceivable
nature. as abundant and diversified as
those of America and into this WHO'S re
gion immigration is pouring in a volume
unequaied except in the history OF Amerf-
can colonization. Ever since the serfs
we're emancipated in 1861 they have
formed the bulk OF the emigrants from
the thickIy populated agricultural dis
tricts OF European Russia. but the great
tide OF settlers in the new territory is on
~ now assuming tremendous proportions.
During The twenty years period of 1860 TO
1885 about 0.O00 persons emigrated TO 81
IBERIA, while for the thirteen years from
1880 TO 1892 there were over 40 coo. and
for the suceessdIng years since the great
railway has been building the number OF
immigrants Of both sexes has been as fol-
lows: 1898, 60 900: 1894 5000; 1888. 1O9,-
600: 1896, 2O3, geo: 1897 81 600; 1898. 2G6 600;
1899, 225. coo. Total 971 600
According to the census of 1897, the
population OF Siberia had risen to S.I8S.-
3G8 inhabitants, of which the Russian
peasantry formed over % per cent.
The railway was begun in May. 1891.
and in nine years 3 1915 miles OF line have
been laid down, making 375 miles a year
Such results are considered as very IA
vorable especially taking into account.
first. the difficulty of laying the perma-
nent way in 4 country so intersected by
rivers as the provinces OF Tomsk and Ye-
nisol, and so liable 10 ,nundatiOn as the