Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1901-09-14
BUY THEIR WIVES.
STRANGE CUSTOMS THAT STILL
EXIST IN MANcHuRIA.
That Little Known Corner OF the World,
which Is as Large a. sixteen Of Our
States Aboupds In Wild Animals
Primitive Means OF Transportation.

IL Is customary TO think OF Man
churia, that oriental province upon
which the paws OF the Russian bear
now rest, as little corner OF the
world. II is nothing OF the kind. If
IL could be lifted and set down within
the borders OF the United States it
would cover all the far eastern states,
together with New York, New Jersey
Delaware. Virginia, West Virginia,
pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio Indiana
and Illinois Its area is 100000 square
miles. II Is situated in the north
eastern part OF China, directly south
OF the Amur or Great river. Well does
that stream deserve its name, for,
emptying into the Pacific at the Sea
or Okhotsk. IL extends backward
through nearly one-third of the vast
extent OF Asia. On the east Manchu-
ria is bounded by strip OF Siberia and
| by the highland and solitudes which
separate IL from Corea, the hermit
| Kingdom. On the south Is the Yellow
sea and westward Il stretches away
toward Mongolia, without natural
frontiers. In Manchuria everything is
still primitive The mule carts. which
form the only means OF transportation,
have clumsy, nail-studded wheels, with
axles as big as kegs, and which bump
along over unseen stones In the same
ruts which have been followed for a
century. Wives are still bought In the
market place, like calves and dogs, and
are taken home, clad in gorgeous col
ored silks and wearing headdresses OF
tinsel and artificial flowers. There are
$4,000 900 people in Manchuria living
In three provinces. Sinking, Kirin and
Tsi-tsi -har The first is the largest
and best known. The chief city. Muk-
den. is known as the aftiuent capt
tai" and has a population as large
as Washington. IL is surrounded by a
low mud wall. ten miles In circuit,
within which is another wall, three
miles around. thirty-iiye or forty feet
high and fifteen feet in width. The
city IL like pekin on a smaller scale.
The streets are wide and clean and
the large, well-buIlt shops, with their
counters and other arrangements. in
dictate great trade. There are indica-
lions OF prosperity everywhere and the
city Is regarded MS one OF the best In
China. Over toward the Corean border
there is less civilization. II has been
the custom for many centuries 10 hold
fair in one OF the towns near the
Yaiu river, which commands the Co
rean trade. This fair Is under the
supervision OF officers and soldiers
The Manchurians sell dogs, cats, pipes
leather, stays horns. copper anc
horses. They take from the Coreans
baskets, rice, cooking utensils. corn
sgIne. paper mats and oxen. All the
trading must be done in FIVE hours
which gives the fair the appearance
OF a Dunnyhrook gathering. Just be
J fore the sun sets all the Coreans arr
driven back across the frontier. Man
churia Il said 10 resemble the prov
ince OF Quebec. except that within Ia
borders are enormous ranges Of noun
taIns which rise as high as 10000 fee
In the air. The larger part Of the ter
rltory Is covered with forests. which
abound in wild animals, the capture o
which affords employment, clothing
and food TO thousands OF hunters
There are bears, deer wolves AM
even tigers in the forest Businesses
while in the more open portions ar
myriads Of lark. pheasants and eve'
the familiar crow. The condor is tn
largest bird OF prey and rivals IT
brother OF the Andes In fierceness an
strength. So abundant Is the gam
that 2.40O stays are annually furnishes
10 the Chinese emperor that he ma,
eat simply the delicate bit of mea
found In the neshy part OF the tail
The rivers abound In carp, sturgeon
salmon and pike Down on the coas
there is tribe which clothes itself II
garments made OF fish skins. The ma
tives eat enormously, beef and porI
being their favorite meats. They ar
also said not TO be averse to eatin
dogs and horses, and among those VIII
raise silk worms the contents of tn
cocoons that have been boiled is Al
epicurean delicacy highly priced
Globe.