170 FORESTRY IN EASTERN RUSSIA. 



divided into several divisions. First, as to the criminal 

 prisoners. The worst culprits only are sent to work in 

 the mines mostly in the silver mines of the Nerchinsk 

 district. As these are always the worst sort of criminals, 

 guilty of murder or other similar crimes, and as the work 

 in the mines is not particularly hard nor injurious to 

 health, and as, moreover, all the people working in the 

 mines now live above ground, they may be considered a 

 good deal better off than they deserve to be. 



' We hang our murderers ; the French guillotine theirs ; 

 the Russians, more wisely and humanely, in my opinion, 

 use theirs for certain kinds of labour, and take the greatest 

 care of their health. 



' Another class of criminals are those sent to various 

 kinds of forced labour above ground ; and the remainder 

 are only exiled to certain spots where they are obliged to 

 live under the surveillance of the police : formed into 

 little colonies among themselves. I have never heard 

 any reason why the Russians should be said to treat their 

 criminals worse than other nations. 



' As to political offenders, they are subject to no further 

 punishment than is involved in their compulsory residence 

 within a certain distance of some given centre. So long 

 as they do not go beyond their alloted circle they are in 

 all other respects perfectly free. Many among them have 

 entered the employment of Government entirely of their 

 own accord. Many of them also are now in a better posi- 

 tion in Siberia than they would be in their own country, 

 and have no wish to return home. Some, on the other 

 hand, are in indifferent circumstances. One miner told 

 me lately that in his works he was employing two men 

 who had been colonels in the army at 80 kopecs a day for 

 each [at that time from two shillings to two shillings and 

 eightpence say half-a-crown sterling]. I do not believe 

 that there is one instance of a political exile, properly so- 

 called, working in the mines, or doing any other kind of 

 forced work for Government account. 



' It has been too common a custom to mix up some of 



