V 



182 American HodicuUnral Society. 



The arclied gateways of the outer walls of the city, and the liuge wall 

 surrounding the Kremlin and the main public buildings, are studied next 

 in order. The ancient wall surrounding the Kremlin, with its towers of de- 

 fense, in dinien-sions and style of building, is said lu be much like the great 

 wall of North China. Our next peculiar views are the gayly painted chim- 

 neys and roofs in the residence portions of the city, where they peep through 

 the thick green foliage of carefully i)lanled and well kejit gardens. 



A drive through the streets on the way to the fair grounds shows them 

 to be wider, cleaner and better paved than those of most West Europe cities 

 of this size, but the business blocks have an oriental, toy-shop expression, 

 and are rarely more than two stories in height. As we pass the street corners 

 the great number of trifk-i)erforining jugglers of the east, and fortune-tell- 

 ing and singing gypsies, reminds us of fair times at home, with singular varia- 

 tions. But we were told that pocket-picking and petty thieving are hardly 

 known at fairs in the "land of the east." As we enter the fair grounds the 

 first impression is that of Babel-like confusion of tongues, people and products. 



On the streets nearest the railroad stations, and the ten miles of wharfage, 

 the merchandise for exhibit and sale is on the move on the heads of men 

 and women, the backs of horses, asses, oxen, cows, camels and dogs, or loaded 

 on two and four-wheeled vehicles of styles of construction such as we had 

 never dreamed of. But after getting through this transit region 



TO THE BAZAAR AVEXUES, 



we find that horses and vehicles are excluded during the day, and even the 

 centers of the wide streets are occupied with the merchandise of humbler 

 dealers. We also soon discover that the exhibits are mainly in sections or 

 groups. For instance, if we wish to specially study the people and products 

 of Persia, we find them on certain avenues of the grounds, indicated on the 

 plats conspicuously posted in the languages of the east and in French and 

 German. In like manner the people and exhibits- of China, India, Thibet, 

 Bokhara, Afghanistan, Beloochistan, Siberia, and even the tribal divisions of 

 Asia and East Europe, may be separately studied on difTerent parts of the 

 spacious grounds. This division of the people and products of nationalities 

 and tribes of the east and west gives an opportunity for critical study of 

 habits, customs, dress, crops and handiwork of the people of Ea^t Europe 

 and Asia which could only be equaled by travel in their native lands, in- 

 volving months of laborious, expensive and even dangerous exploration. 



The next general observation of the grounds is that rain is not expected 

 at this time of the year, as the fronts of the miles of thops are open to the 

 weather, and the centers of the hundreds of wide avenues are literally piled 

 with goods for wholesale, retail or exchange. Our encyclopaedias give many 

 of the facts and figures of this historic fair, which has come down from a 

 by-gone age, but they do not, and can not, give a clear idea of its influence 

 on the trade and commerce of a large part of the eastern continent, nor of 

 the queer medley of tongues, people, dress and products which is here 



