MANGAZE 285 



made to remove the annual fair which used to be held at 

 Mangaze a degree or two to the east. The village now 

 known as Turukansk was founded under the name of 

 Novaya Mangaze. The relics of the patron saint of the 

 monastery of the old town were mostly destroyed by 

 fire. The monastery was rebuilt a little to the south 

 of New Mangaze, opposite the junction of the Nishni 

 Tungusk with the Yenesei, and hither such of the relics 

 of St. Vasili as survived the fire were removed. They 

 consist of an iron belt with iron shoulder-straps called a 

 Tikon, and a heavy iron cross, which it is said the saint 

 wore as a penance. In a small building outside the 

 church is a cast-iron slab covered with Slavonic inscrip- 

 tions, which is said to be his tombstone. Such is the 

 story, at least, which the Bishop told us through the 

 medium of my thick-headed interpreter. At the station 

 where we changed horses, close by the monastery, we 

 were shown some samples of graphite, which was said to 

 come from the Nishni Tungusk river, and appeared to 

 be of excellent quality. 



When Captain Wiggins came through Turukansk 

 the previous autumn, he had the misfortune to pick up 

 as a travelling companion an adventurer of the name of 

 Schwanenberg, a Courlander who spoke German and 

 English. Schwanenberg's great object was to secure a 

 monopoly of the trade by sea between Europe and 

 Siberia for his master Sideroff, and so to twist every little 

 success of Captain Wiggins that it might redound to the 

 honour and glory of Sideroff. The consequence was 

 that he caused Captain Wiggins to commit a grave 

 indiscretion. The cargo which Captain Wiggins had 

 picked up in Sunderland was landed from the Thames 

 packed on sledges, and the caravan, headed by Schwan- 

 enberg, commenced a triumphal march up country. Un- 



