264 SlllKItlA. 



Uio borders of (Jliiiiu, tu slait, (liiccl roiiiiin ici;il inleicliaiige willi tin- lliickly pupulatud 

 internal pruviiicos ol (Jhiiiii; in tliat, <ase iIh- Uiissian trade with China wouhl extend very 

 rapiiily ami tlic icvcnnc id' tlic main linr of the Siberian railway wouhl jiiaterially increase 

 as well as the importance (d Russia in the int(;rnalional trade with Cliina. Takinf: also into 

 consi(h,'ration the prcdominaling chiss of floods in the intfjrnational tnule of China, it is 

 evidrni lh;il Ihf lallhT imirt! expensive railway fri'if.^hts CDmpan'il with those hy sea, to sonn* 

 extent (Miualiz(;d hy the smaller insurance chaige-s, would not Ix- an obstacle, hindering t!ie 

 transfer oi Chinese goods from the s(!a route to the overland: and 58 pi-r cent of the Chinese 

 export trade is composed of two liii-'hly expensive article-^, namidy tea and silk. Besides 

 i|uickhiss of liansport and other conveinences, assuring the preference to railway transportation, 

 theie are yet particular circumslancos, wliich in the mutual interests ol' China and Russia, 

 will conduce to the transfer ol the transport of lea to the railway route. In the present 

 export trade of China, Mutihiml plays the most iuiportant pait, IhiI at the ^aine time she is 

 striving to compete with China in the production of tea and iia^ met with some success as 

 the tea plantations in the Asiatic colonies of l-jigland, in India and Cisylon, supply the 

 greatest amount nf tea to tlii^ whole of (ireat IJritain. There are many favourable conditions 

 in the English colijuii^s which contribute to the success of tliis competition: ain(jng others the 

 network of railways in India is of great advantage in conveying the tea to the ports which 

 are twice as near to Eui'ope as the Chinese ports. On account of tlie above mentioned 

 circumstances the export of Chinese teas to London and to otliei' countries is rapiilly declining, 

 and this is not only a great loss to a large part of the population of China, but for the 

 Chinese treasury also, as tea is subjected to a high export duty in China. In all probability 

 the continued decline of the tea trade will be a very serious question lor China, and in this 

 respect the Siberian railway may serve as a gi'eat support to the Chinese tea trade, by 

 delivering Chinese teas much quicker in Europe, not only compared with the sea voycige from 

 Cliina through London, but much quicker than the transport of Indian teas. Therefore not 

 only Russia, hut China also, is most anxious that Russia should tak(i an active part in the 

 carriage and sale of tea in Europe, as Russia is cue of the largest and continually increas- 

 ing markets for the consumption of tea. 



This tangible analogy of the interests of the two countries in the export of tea can 

 but conduce to the gravitation of other Chinese exports towards the new route to Europe, 

 especially as the other principal article of the Chinese export trade, silk, will not only be 

 capable of bearing the expense of a long railway journey, but can also be woven in Russia. 



Russia on the other hand, through the agency of the Siberian railway, will be able 

 to take a much more active part in supplying China with those goods which are now imported 

 thither from other countries, and in this respect Russia may meet with particular success in 

 exporting cotton and woollen goods, and even metals, which together compose about one-half 

 of the whole Chinese import The former on account of their high value compared with their 

 weight, may be conveyed from Moscow^, or even from bi^yond Moscow by rail, and the metals 

 may be brought to China from the Ural, or better still from the nearer mining distiicts of 

 the Tomsk and Yeidseisk governments, the region of Transbaikal and part of the govern- 

 ment of Irkutsk, where the mineral wealth is but little inferioi' to that of the Urals and pos- 



