26 SIBERIA 



of froia eighteen months to two years — the Russian 

 peasant *wa;s extremely loth to emigrate. 



What the exile system began the Great Siberian 

 railway is completing, for, since it was opened, the 

 banishment of convicts to Siberia — with the excep- 

 tion of m\irderers who are still deported to the island 

 of Sakhalin— has been abolished. Villages are 

 springing into towns, and Siberia is developing at 

 a rate that is only paralleled by a few of our own 

 colonies. The prorffiulgation, since the Siberian rail- 

 way was opened, of a host of new laws, the object 

 of which is to encourage by every possible means 

 the einigration of peasants to Siberia, shows clearly 

 enough, to ffly wind, that " the world's longest " 

 iron-way was built mainly with a view to promoting 

 the development of the vast agricultural regions of 

 Siberia and the interchange of commodities between 

 the Eastern and Western worlds. Nor have some of 

 the nations of Western Europe been slow to take 

 advantage of the facilities offered. The Russian 

 nation is, therefore, justified in regarding the new 

 railway as a very promising commercial asset. 



Since the line was opened the produce of agri- 

 cultural and dairy farms has increased from 

 insignificance to vast importance, and the prices of 

 such products, and more particularly of butter, on 

 the world's markets, including that of London, have 

 been revolutionised, despite the fact that Siberia 

 recently experienced a three years' drought. This 

 enormous development was the reason of my pro- 

 loaged visit to the innermost regions of Siberia. 



As members of a leading English firm of provision 

 importers, with an annual trade of about three 

 millions in dairy products from nearly all parts of 

 the world, it was only natural that my colleagues 

 and myself, having an eye to future trade relations, 

 should seek to incre."';Se our knowledge of Siberia 



