Yl j'i;i;iA' i; im iiii. i.m.i i^ii 1 1; \\>j.aii<)N. 



of l-'iiiancc to cilii and supervise its translation into l-n_i;lish. In lull 

 realization ol its unquestionable interest and value to tlie Amer- 

 ican i^eople I ha\e labouretl hard to make this lidition as laithlul 

 to the ori_i;inal as the \ery limited time and cxii^cncics ol the case 

 wouki permit. 



Together with an historical account ol tlie conquest ol .Siberia, 

 of the subjui^ation ol the petty princedoms and nomads, with a 

 glimpse of the colonization going on up to the present day, and 

 with a re\iew ol the efforts of the Governmcni to induce the various 

 Siberian tribes to adopt settled modes ol lile and engage in regular 

 industrial pursuits, will be iound a lull and scientific resume of its 

 flora and fauna, of its mineral resources, its possibilities of agriculture 

 and trade, and oi its climatic and physical characteristics. 



This work contains also numerous official tables and statistics 

 covering the several industries ol the country, and is accompanied 

 with a general map, showing among other matters oi interest the 

 various railway surveys that have been made, examined and rejected, 

 as well as the line which now, in process oi construction, winds its 

 way along the rivers, over the mountains and across the vast plains 

 on its way to the eastern shores, thus to form a tiirough raihvay 

 route from ocean to ocean in the Old as in the New W^orld, to the 

 mutual advantage of the two great and friendly nations, the Empire 

 of Russia and the Republic of the United States of America. 



To His Excellence, Mr. \'. 1. Kovalevsky, Director of the De- 

 partment of Trade and Manufactures, Actual Councillor ol State, 

 and President ol the Imperial Russian Commission, World's Colum- 

 bian Exposition, ably assisted by Senator P. P. Semeno\', Mce-Pres- 

 ident ol the Liiperial Russian Geographical Society, is due the well- 

 earned credit and honour of formulating and of carrying out the 

 original idea of His Excellence, Mr. S. J. \^itte. Imperial Minister of 

 Finance, with reference to the preparation of this work, and ol 

 editing and publishing the same in the Russian language. 



