Evening star., 1901-12-26

every second carriage containing at least
one officer in uniform, immedia tely arrest
the attention. There is the horse trotting
along in the shafts with quiet dignity, and
then there is the prancing, galloping,
proud-stepping, loosely harnessed animal
on the outside, that seems to have all the
fun and do none of the work. Even the
poorest teams are strongly harnessed In
bands of leather, thickly studded with
brass, and from these bands depend jim
Cling brass chains, suggesting chatelaine
loaded with ornaments. The drivers are
strikingly costumed The jehu who had the
privilege of driving us from the steamer to
the home Of our host in a pelting rain wore
a green velvet petticoat and waist, the
bright red wool sleeves Of the latter dotted
in blue and yellow. A red ST. sash encir-
cled his ample waist and was knotted at one
side. He wore the usual high and crum-
ping boots peculiar to the Russian, and
weather-beaten black velvet cap. His skirt
impaired feminine aspect to his person.
ality, viewed from the rear, but the illu-
sion was dispelled when one saw his cop
perry face and heard the language he appar-
emily used to those who got in his way on
crossing. Judging by his angry looks,
and equally angry responses, 1t seemed to
me that in tone and talk he was the peer of
his prototype In the land OF the brave and
the home of the free.
Kaleidoscope VladfvOstock.
The driver of a private carriage in Vladi-
vostock is thing Of frontier beauty. Our
hosts driver wore a long dark blue coat,
volumnous as to skirt, padded in thick
lengthwise ridges about the hips and back,
with a broad velvet collar and silver but
tons. He had high shining boots and a
black bell-topped beaver hat with a broad
velvet band decorated with large silver
buckle in front. The Hveries Of the private
drivers vary In color and ornamentation,
according to the various tastes Of Vladi-
vostock swell society. The Chinese, big,
and {pIn ~ rp,on nf how
standing six feet and over, and wholly diff
ferent from the meek and lowly Cantonese
of America, and the effeminate Coreans, in
| dress intended for white, contribute to the
novel coloring Of the streets, and so with
soldiers, in all sorts Of uniforms including
the dashing and dandy Cossack, private and
public teams, Chinese, Coreans, civilians
in European dress peasants from all parts
Of the Russian empire, the streets Of Vladi-
vostock are kaleidoscope.
VIadivostock to Khabarovsk.
The distance from Vladivostock to Kha-
barovsk is Tie versts, approximately 516
miles. The trip is made in twenty-nine
hours. The fare is 10 roubles so kopecks
{$9.75) first-cass, and our excess baggage
cost US 0 roubles so kopecks ($4.9O). The
latter charge surprised. A single ticket
allows a passenger one pood of baggage
free, a pood being forty Russian and thirty
six English pounds and on the excess you
kopeck per pood per verst-one-eighth of
cent for thirty pounds every five-eighths
of mile. The road leads through a rolling
and partially titled country for 200 miles,
then across coal belt (coal of only fair
quality, then through forests, mountain
meadows, rough gulches and jungle. At
Podgorodnajai station, one mile from Vlad-
| livestock, Is fuel Of the coke variety. The
whole country between Podorodnajai and
| Nadeshdenskaja is one vast coal field, and
| the area is nearly all in one owner. My
| stay in the Vladivostock region enabled me
| to pass semi-professional judgment on min
| ing and agricultural resources.
Where Hedge Roses Bloom in Siberia.
Khabarovsk, the capital Of eastern ST.
| IBERIA, a garrison city of from 10000 to
| sc. 900 people, and the official home Of Major
| General Grodekoff, sits on wooded hills at
| the junction Of the Amur and Ussuri rivers
| The larger portion OF the city is on the
south bank of the Amur, which here over
looks the green, bushy iowlands to the
| north. east and west, the intersecting U.s.
surf and the distant mountains. It covers
| q large area, and has staring brick build
| ings. one. two and three stories high. and
| neat and even pretty one-story log houses
| running to bright blue trimmings. Every
house. however humble. has its thriving
window garden of begonias, fuchias. gera.
NUNS, arbutelans and palms. Out of doors