THE CITY OF TOMSK. 



have an eye for business. He treated us courteously, and 

 transacted the business of our road passes very promptly. 

 The improved appearance of most of the stansea or stations 

 in Western Siberia over those of Eastern Siberia arc eviden- 

 ces of a more energetic administration. 



Tomsk is a post and telegraph station. The inhabitants 

 show the Jewish characteristics to a considerable extent, 

 many of the tradespeople being of this class. The stores, 

 though containing many varieties of goods, were not as 

 spacious or of as good architecture as are seen at Irkutsk. 



Owing to the fact that very many of the buildings in Sibe- 

 rian towns are of wood, and also because the fire departments 

 are very poor and inefficient, fires are generally disastrous 

 and extensive. Such was the case in 1x78 at Irkutsk, 

 and Krosnavarsk, Tomsk, and Omsk have heen similarly 

 visited. 



The country surrounding Tomsk was fairly wooded, but. 

 from what I could see it was young soft wood ; the first 

 growth apparently having been cut off. About the common- 

 est bird is the magpie. In weather when the snow is dry 

 and granulated from extreme cold, these birds take a snow 

 bath as a hen sifts dirt among her feathers; they use both 

 wings and seem to enjoy it much. I saw one perched on a 

 pig's back, possibly performing an act of charity by relieving 

 piggy of other and less welcome guests. 



We left Tomsk April 4th, and after making 156 versts 

 stopped for the night. The roads between Tomsk and 

 Omsk were much better than we had traveled over coming 

 from Krosnayarsk. < )n the morning of April 7th our lead- 

 ing yemstehik or driver had his nose frozen. " March winds 

 and April showers" (conspicuous by their absence) Vere 

 not bringing forth May flowers very numerously at this time 

 with us. In fact, it was smart winter weather with heavy 

 drifts of snow, often ten feet deep, so that on entering and 

 leaving stations our sleds were higher than the eaves of the 

 dwellings. 



The women of Siberia crochet and knit very skillfully, and 



