Jottings from Russia. 329 



we left Moscow. And still your letter comes to me from far off 

 California, your familiar address unaltered, as simply as though 

 I were in my room at Cambridge. Thank you for making this 

 connecting link for me. Monday we had a glorious day on the 

 Volga, starting from the big trading city of Samara, going up 

 stream with two landings — lunch on board and after a bath, re- 

 turning in ihe evening amid the most magnificent coloring I 

 have ever seen. During the night we went on again, and in 

 the morning made a short halt for an excursion, then on again 

 to Oufa where we arrived about three in the afternoon. . Car- 

 riages were here awaiting us, and we went off in long procession 

 through crowds of peasants staring with good natured curiosity, 

 through streets in which each house bore flags of welcome, 

 through a gaily flagged triumphal arch to the top of the hill, 

 where, escorted by hundreds of the inhabitants we saw the 

 geology. We were already in a country of Tartars — more 

 properly Tatars — fine strong fellows with distinctly Mongolian 

 features. Thence we drove to the Town Museum, where a 

 most hospitable reception awaited us from the local officers. 

 Champagne was passed and we drank the toast offered by the 

 President of the Museum, which was answered by our Ameri- 

 can, Dr. James Hall, the patriarch of our flock. Thence to a 

 bath in the river, tea in the station garden, (the omnipresent, 

 "tchai" which is always in order in Russia), and so to bed. 

 The next morning, Wednesday, found us at Acha, a tiny 

 station, but really in the Urals for the first time. From here 

 we walked along the railway some ten or twelve miles through 

 the very pretty valley of the Sim to Miniar. The scenery re- 

 minds one of the Santa Cruz Mountains, though not quite so 

 bold. It was a very hot day, and you may believe we were not 

 sorry to find half way a huge "deposit" of beer and soda 

 water (gift of the foundry and mine people of Miniar), cool and 

 good, with which to eat our cold lunch. Our meals were at all 

 hours that day, the main meal was eaten at about 4 o'clock on 

 our arrival at Miniar ; but not before having had a bath in the 

 river. After that we walked up to the town (the railway sta- 

 tions are nearly always from two to four miles from the town 



