55 



" Looking at the floating timber, I was struck with the activity with 

 which the men employed maintained their footing, each standing on 

 a log and holding in his hand a long pole or boathook, with which he 

 balanced himself, and with which, in floating down the timber, he 

 cleared the obstacles encountered ; and these on this river are very 

 numerous. 



" For this purpose it is generally inhabitants of the district who are 

 employed, these being very skilful and accustomed to the work. 

 They are here known as ' Onejan,' or Onega men, and I am under an 

 impression that under this general name such workmen pass in St. 

 Petersburg. 



Proceeding onward to the north, on both sides of the road there 

 were to be seen forests and forests, and nothing but forests. I 

 can affirm that the person who is acquainted with the extent of these 

 forests by knowing only the number of desatins which they cover, 

 has no idea of what that extent is. To obtain this, one must travel 

 through them travelling continuously through forests for five hundred 

 versts ; and he must experience personally the depressing influence 

 produced by the forests and forest-covered mountains of this forest 

 region to enable him even partially to comprehend what is implied 

 in the easily pronounced statement about so many millions of 

 desatins. Such numerical statements are required for the production 

 of a national tax, or estimate and prescription of what fellings should 

 be made to secure a sustained production of wood, and charge to be made 

 for trees ; and the latter is a matter which is not so easy of accomplish- 

 ment as to many at first sight it may appear to be. Those who are 

 in the trade do not make known what is the cost of preparing the 

 timber for the market, or the prices obtained by them, being afraid of 

 the* charge to them being raised. If there be made but a simple 

 allusion to the subject, they begin to complain that they are carrying 

 on their operations at a loss, and that the demand for timber is 

 diminishing from year to year. And to arrive at a knowledge of the 

 truth, the forest officials must solve the problem for themselves, with 

 such data as they have at command. 



" In connection with this subject the following statement may show 

 approximately what are the proceeds of the* sawing of timber. 

 From four logs are produced three dozen of boards of different 

 measurements. Four logs, according to the present charge, cost 

 1*80 rs. ; the transport to the river and flotage, sawing, shipment, and 

 freight to Cronstadt of these cost 10 rs. ; so the total cost is 11 '80 rs., and 

 the three dozen boards at Cronstadt are worth 1 8 rs. But the calcu- 

 lation, it must be borne in mind, is only an estimate approximately 

 correct. The total number of saw-mills in the 'government belonging 



