Tannu Uriankhai
By the late 1870s and in the 1880s the Russian presence included a political presence. In 1878, Russians discovered gold in eastern Uriankhai. There were rumors of fabulous wealth to be gained from this area, and the Russian provincial authorities at Yeniseisk received many petitions from gold miners to mine. Permission was granted. Merchants and miners petitioned the Russian authorities for military and police protection. In 1886, the Usinsk Frontier Superintendent was established. Its primary function was to represent Russian interests in Tannu-Uriankhai to Tuvan nobles (not Qing officials) and to issue passports to Russians traveling in Uriankhai. Over the years this office quietly began to unofficially govern at least the Russians in the region, managing taxation, policing, administration, and justice. These powers officially belonged to, but were effectively relinquished by, the Qing. Shortly after the office of Superintendent was created, the "Sibirskaya gazeta" brought out a special edition, congratulating the government on its creation, and predicting that all Tannu Uriankhai would someday become part of the Russian state.