The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-11
ENCLISHNAN TELLS
OF LIFE IN RUSSIA
Mining Promoter in Siberia
Writes of CossaCks and
CensOrS.

The following letters, written at the
beginning CT the war in the far East
by G. B. A. Akinolisk, the business
manager Of a large mining syndicate
recently started in Siberia, have Just
been received by a St. Paul friend:
1t looks indeed as if all our bright pros
poets with regard to mining in this coun-
Try were ended, and that we shall have
70 get out with little accomplished un-
less the war clouds roll over. We have
been hoping, continually that something
might have been arranged to avoid war,
ana now l expect we shall no longer be
able to work at the mines and shall
probably have to get out.
We all expected the business in Lon
don would have been finished ages ago.
but the London money market has hardly
ever been worse, and the scare of war be-
tween Japan and Russia does US a great
zeal Of harm. Personally, I don't see
now war is to be avoided unless Russia
chooses to climb down and get out Of
Korea.
This seems to be by far her wisest
course. Leave Korea now, lie low for
enotner ten or twenty years, and then
strike a blow for it.
You can never make me believe that
Russlas time is not coming. You have
only to take a trip through this vast
Siberia to realize her tremendous power
and her splendid way Of opening coun-
Her people. acclimated to great cold
and hardships, make ideal colonists in
this new country. The government gives
them money, horses and cattle to Start
with, and they are now building up great
little villages all through here. The
houses are made with mud brick walls
about three and one-half feet thick and
are wonderfully warm, a contrast to the
1ce-cold houses of the Northwest ter
rltory. They make splendid roads, with
pOst-houses situated at intervals of about
fifteen or twenty miles, telegraph poles,
etc.
The government has, and indeed is,
spending great deal of money through
here and wisely. The people from the
crowded districts are being brought in
by thousands, and Russia is not filling the
dOne-with foreigners. No, they are keep
ing it for their own people-and sensibly.
A Russian need never be ashamed of his
own country.
So much money has been spent on rail-
roads and the opening up of this huge
district that one cannot conceive the ma
ton ton VIII be foolish enough to go to war
with Japan, especially if England intends
backing her up. I hope to goodness we
shall know soon one way or the other,
as personally l can stand anything better
than this forced inaction, particularly as
| am living in a Russian house which
has storm windows and absolutely no
ventilation, added to which we are al
most entirely cut off from news.
Fresh War News Arrives.
Fresh war news has arrived. and there
Russian soldiers, who, feeling very anti
English, have broken the windows in my
house and otherwise are making things
extremely unpleasant. I can tell you. to
be the only Englishman Cor American)
among such a crowd drinking heavily
and opposed to ones race, is no snap,
especially when one is 200 miles by road
from ones nearest compatriots. One has
only to see this mobilization to realize
how cruel and terrible war is. All our
papers are censored. and 1 wish we were
Well out of it.
Apart from these present disagreeabIes
however, l am sure you would love the
Oriental side of the life out here as
well as we all do. There is something
most wonderfully fascinating about it.
and 1t would be a thousand pities did this
war put an end to our work The Kirgez
who inhablt this section Of the country
I get on splendidly with them. TheiT
home lives are an object lesson to all who
call themselves civilized. The old people
are taken care of in a marvelously ten
der fashion, which is also true Of the
attention given to the young
| have Just returned from K-some
thirty-f1ve miles from herewith Kir