3t4 
passed, some 10 versts in length, and the wild beauty of these and 
the surrounding banks was frequently enchanting. The inhabi- 
tants of the banks are partly Russians and partly Buriats, the. 
latter offering sacrifices of deer skins on long poles, and to the 
Gods, hoping thereby to have their flocks and herds doubled. 
Fish in the upper part of the Angara were rare. They fish with 
a rope sunk by weights to the bottom, along which are short fish-. 
ing lines and thick iron hooks ; on these moving in the water the 
sturgeon or sterlet strikes and the hook fastens in the skin. ‘This 
tackle is called “‘samolor” or self-fishers. Besides this there is 
net fishing. 
In 43 days they arrived at Bratskoj Ostrog, about 20 versts 
from which are the largest Iron works in East Siberia, belonging 
to Herr Butin, at present under administration. They visited the 
works, and he gives along description of the great obstacle of the 
development of Siberia’s natural resources, and the existence of 
any industry being the difficulty of obtaining capable workmen, 
and the disastrous history of these works notwithstanding the 
excellent iron ore, coal almost on the surface, and immense virgin 
forests all within a short distance, the absence of competition and 
the splendid gross profits, but all in vain without intelligent labour. 
Some versts below they came to the first rapids called “ Poch- 
melnyj,” which they passed next day with some difficulty. The 
crew became frightened and struck, but at last they got a sufficient 
number of men for the work. Then they passed the “ Piannyj ” 
rapids. The weather became worse, and they had more trouble 
with the crew. They were obliged at last to hire people from the 
nearest villages. 
The next rapid was ‘‘ Podun,” the worst hindrance to naviga- 
tion on the Angara, before passing which they took a pilot and 
more people on board. They fortunately passed, however, with- 
out striking the ground. Just at the rapids the river narrows 
down to about a kilométre, falling 5 métres in a 1,000, with a 
velocity of 4:7 métres in the second. 
