Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-06
IN OLD TRANSFERABLE
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF AsIATIC
TERRITORY.
Became Russian in 167O1Country Col
onized by Convicts From West
ern Siberia.

events which led up to the present war.
With an area of $4,000 square miles, it's
population is only three per square mile.
About 1910 Transatlantic was taken from
China by Russia. From the first it's scanty
population was exposed to continual at
lacks by the Mongolians. The Russifca-
ton of the Baikal territory, peopled it
was almost entirely by the savage Mon
golians. was thought then to be possible
by converting the natives to Christianity
and by cOlOniZing the country with con-
victs, for western Siberia had been tor
some years penal settlement. Reports of
the rich country in the far east found their
way into all the Siberian prisons. Strange
TO say, great numbers of convicts found
1t easy to escape to Transatlantic, and the
authorities, of course, did not fetch them
back. In 1851 twelve monks were sent to
Transbaikalia as missionaries; they found
ed two fortified monasteries The fugitive
convicts were welcomed by the monasteres
for the sake of their labor. Finally life
came about in rough and ready way;
convict stole Buryat woman or girl, had
her baptized in the monastery then mar
ried her, and settled down the Tnona5-
terry land. Every settler received from the
monks horse, COW, copper kettle, an
ak, scythe. two sickles and two lar
rows; he could build himself a hut where
he liked, and he could till as much lani AS
he was able. AS a return for this outfit
every convict had to till yearly nearly three
dCIcS VI lduu LOT Tic DGIlelL VI Tic
terry.
Descendants of Monaghan Type.
The descendants of these mixed marriages
are of Monaghan type. These settlers
formed a kind of irregular army for the
monastery. and they paid no respect to the
rights of the natives. for besides stealing
their women, they seized at will any other
property of the Buryats. The powerful
Ike rda ha unrirht and in
GuStrOuS Buryat a heather dog and
as being far from equal to the most des-
perate criminal who was Christian. Thus
the Buryats were compelled either to be
baptized and become SerfS of the monks.
or to leave their homes and seek new
abodes beyond the reach of the monster
les. Some fed northward beyond the Sc
lenga and Angara rivers, while others fled
southwark to the Chinese frontier. In the
middle of the eighteenth century the Bur-
yats organized form of self-defense: still!
the Russians managed to steal their daugh-
tiers. Then the Buryats resorted to cum
ming. for they began to clothe their daugI-
tiers exactly as their youths were clad.
This custom remains in force today, ana
the Buryat girls beyond the Selenga cut
short their hair and wear caps. shirts, ca
pacious trousers and high boots. By order
of Catherine II the land was taken from
the monasteries in 1874. and 1t was given
to the peasants under a form of common
ownership, while the mission churches be-
reform the settlers had complained that
the monks had made them serfs. The loss
Of their serfs led to the downfall of the
monasteries. from which everything mad
been taken except the fisheries on Lake
Baikal and Lake Turuntayef. In ITO an
attempt was made to restore the missions;
but the Buryats had learned a lesson from
the past, and they held fast to the rei1-
eious connection with their brothers, the
MongoIians even when the frontier sepa-
rated them. Russia was engaged so lu'iy
with European affairs that it could take no
Interest in missionary work IN the 1ar east.
The successful efforts of the monks in
colonizng Transbaikalia with convicts, and
the discovery of rich deposits OF gold and
silver, led the authorities on the Neva to
utilize Transatlantic as a penal settlement
for criminals from European Russia, and
it was resolved to develop that far-on re-
gion without the aid of missions. More
ever the head men of the Buryats COM
planned to the Russian government of the
way In which the convicts carried Off their
daughters, baptized them by force and then
married them. The complaint was success
full, and the command went forth that no
missionary was to baptize any person un-
less the latter had received the imperial
consent to a request to be baptized. This
was a deathblow to the mission. In 1909
three English missionaries went to Trans
baikalia with the permission of the Russian
government. This English mission worked
there until 1912. and from 1916 until 1861
II had its own house. library and printing
Office at Selenginsk. The English mission
aries translated the Bible into the Buryat
language, and distributed many thousands
Of copies among the natives. In 1861 Rus
sian mission was opened, and the English
missionaries departed, leaving the Russians
to carry on the work.
Transbaikalians Of Today.
The Transbaikalians of today still keep
the traditions Of their forefathers with re-
gard to their ideas Of morality and Justice
Of al hoy no fo
self-admnistration and self-defense, and
every man stands up for his own rights
and protects his possessions at all costs If
a farmer loses anything by theft he informs
the policeman, who does nothing more than
write statement describing the theft and
calling upon everybody to assist In recover
ing the stolen horse, or whatever it may be-
With this document the injured farmer be-
gins to search for his stolen goods. If he
finds them then the police investigate the
theft. But. in most cases Judge Lynch is
called in to settle the matter. Nobody
thinks of assisting to discover the criminal,
even if whole family has been murdered;
but every one Is very willing to take part
in lynching the thief or murderer. "Artels,"
guilds of labor, in which every man has
common interest are formed, as in Rus
STA, to carry out work on a large scale.
Thus. there came about the republic in
Sheltinga, where very rich gold fields were
discovered, and on which there were work
ing nearly 1000 men two years after their
discovery, until they were driven away by
the Chinese government.
The first hundred men to arrive formed
an "artel," divided the huge region into
districts. and afterward sold it to new
corners. This colony chose president and
three judges. There were no cases of MUIR
der while the system lasted; there were q
few cases of theft of money, when the thief
received 300 stripes, with warning that
next time he would be hanged. Jewess
who tried to introduce the white slave
traffic" received 100 stripes, and each of
the girls with her 80. and then they were
driven from the district. Terrible scenes
followed the dispersion of this republic"
The men set out for home in parties of
three. four or five. but they conspired to
kill each ether at night, until the survivor
of the party w>S left a prey to some other
band. and only very few of them reached
their homes in the west. Only the Jews
managed to escape with their earnings. for
either TINY Travelled in bands or, if in small
parties, they avoided the usual routes and
made their way through the forests.
Watson to Stump New JERSEY.
PHILADELPHIA. October 6-Thomas j..
Mt ict