Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-13


out after him. This drove the pirates up
the stream until they reached the territory
of the Stroganoffs in the Ural. The Strog-
anoffs themselves were descended from
Tartar race, but held that part of the from
tier under compact with the car.
Jermak and his band promised to be ex-
ceedingly annoying to them. so they did
what the Muscovite-Tartar diplomat did
then and does now-they hired the outlaws
and started them across the Ural and into
Asia to make conquests
Jermak went as far as he could by boats.
dragged the craft over the gentle slopes Of
the UraI, took to the river again on the
other side and swept through Siberia as
far as the Obi river with his band which
then numbered several thousand men.
By 1882 he had taken the town of Siblr,
which was the key to practically all the
western part of Siberia. Its importance
may be estimated from the fact that tho
the conquerors. was based on that Of the
town. Tobolsk Is built near the site of this
old city.
In 1854 Jermak was drowned in the
!rtisch river. He was no outlaw when he
died. The car had granted him amnesty
and had sent him money and a coat which
had once graced his own shoulders.
Tribute Hunters, Not Settlers.
Adventures and traders pushed in after
him. They had comparatively little fight
ing to do. and most Of 1t was because they
tried to enforce tribute and not because Of
any resistance offered to exploration or set
Element by the Tartars and Mongols. These
races had fought themselves to a stand
still during the generations of the Tartar
invasions of Europe. and theyhad most of
the war knocked out Of them. In addition,
what fighting they still did was done among
themselves, and the Russians were quick,
then as now, to take advantage Of these
internecine feuds.
The Russian government now began to
encourage its Cossack hordes to enter
Asia, and the Cossacks were not 10th.
They were the most independent of the
many races and tribes of Russia-so in
dependent that the Russian government
was always glad when they found fields for
their wild activities.
So. when they padded out into the Black
sea in dugouts and climbed aboard Turkish
ships to loot them, the government said
nothing. even when there was peace be-
tween the two nations. But, having rob-
bed Turkish ships one day. the Cossack
of the fifteenth century. was somewhat
blind about flags. and was just as likely to
loot Russian ships entering the Don the
next day.
Siberia and the Cossack.
Siberia was welcome field for the Cos
sack Soon Cossacks appeared on the
Yenesei, then on Lake Baikal, then on the
Lena. SlDlr, or lSKer, as IL came to De
called, was their base. In and out Of 1t
flooded the troops Of Cossack LEVERS of
tribute. Cossack fur hunters, Cossack
scouts.
Then came the gold hunters, and at last.
but never in troops. the merchant. Such
merchant. Chabaroir. led an expedition
down the Amur in 164S. and had the first
hostile encounter that the Russians had
with Chinese. The city of Chabaroffsk. or
Khabarovsk, now one OF the important
places of Manchuria. was founded by him.
His fight with the Chinese began the long
and wearisome history of fighting, in
triguing and mutual swindling between
Russia and China.
In 1865 one of the Russian conQuerors es-
tablished strong frontier post and held 1t
against the yellow men. to the great ad-
vantage of Russia. This particular con-
queror was. like Jermak. an outlaw. His
name was Niktor Tschernigoffski He had
murdered the governor Of Ilimsk and had
escaped to the Amur with a band Of con-
yicts. To defend themselves they erected
the first Russian colony on the Amur and
called it Albazin. 1t proved so valuable In
the contest with China that the founder
was pardoned and rewarded with high
hOnOrS
From that time on the history of Siberia
is mere catalogue Of land grabbing petty
fighting and constant intrigue. But of true
and beneficial exploitation there is little
or none.
History has no Winning Of the East like
our Winning OF the West