216 



SIliKUlA. 



Tlie Commainlor Islamic lunuiii^ pait u\' Siboria fiuin an a'imiai.slrative point of view 

 do not present great commercial interest. Tlie exports thence are confined to skins, of which, 

 in 1891, 319,CKJ0 rouble-s worth were despatched, in 1892, 3G5,</J<J ronbles wortli in gold, Th<i 

 imports on tlie other liaiid do not exceed 50,000 roubles wortli, more than half of the goods 

 coming Imm Ameiica. 'Jhe figures given here for the value of the skins are calculated only 

 on tlir Ciowii i;ix accruing liom tiii-m. 



The tea trade: From the sketch just presented of the foreign trade of Siberia, it 

 appears that of all the foreign goods imported by land into Siberia or passing through in 

 truMsii, tea deserves the greatest altt-ntion, forming as it does by its value fully 98 per 

 cent of all the imports. And although, as will appear further on, the importation of tea into 

 the Empire via Siberia is declining with every year, yet by its value this article continues 

 even now to occupy the first place in consequence of which it is not out of place to examine 

 somewhat more in detail the routes by which tea travels from China through Siberia, and to 

 elucidate the causes of the decline in its transport through Siberia. 



The tea trade with China has existed in Russia fully two centuries. In 1802 only 

 45,000 ponds were imported of Bohea and brick tea. In 1S20 the amount was about 10<),000 

 pouds. In the middle of the present century this figure was trebled, and from the end of 

 the seventies the trade grew particularly fast, thanks to the direct communication estab- 

 ished by the Volunteer Fleet between Odessa and the Siberian ports of the Pacific Ocean. 



In the last decade however a certain steadiness has been observable, the figure of 

 the imports has fluctuated about two million pouds a year, the direction of importation only 

 changing, that is, overland or by sea. 



As tea in some cases is imported free of duty it follows that the consumption is 

 somewhat greater than above stated. The data on the importation from 1377 to 1891 inclu- 

 sive show that the imports across the European frontier are increasing, although unevenly. 

 In the quinquennial period 1877 to- 1381, 748,500 pouds were imported; in 1882 to 1886, 

 885,600 pouds, and in 1887" to 1891, 782,900 pouds. Brick tea was imported in the first five 

 years to the extent of 843,800 pouds, in the second five years to that of 972,100 pouds, and 

 in the third, to that of 1,171,200 pouds. .The total quantity of imports changed in the follow- 

 ing manner: in the first period, 1,593,00<3 poud, in the second, 1,890,(X)0 pouds, and in the 

 third, 1,982,000 pouds. 



