110 SIBERIA 



and seven bakeries, while one is a confectioner's shop, 

 owned by a criminal exile, who, by the way, makes 

 first-class confectionery. This man was banished 

 for the murder of his own mother. 



A fair amount of business in agricultural produce 

 is done at the market ; the goods are brought from 

 distances of 150 to 200 miles, and the annual 

 turnover amounts to about a quarter of a million. 



The fireman's watch tower is a; very prominent 

 landmark. A fireman is in attendance day and night 

 on the look-out for fires. One hundred common 

 hackney coaches, without springs, ply for hire, the 

 fares being 20 kopecks a drive (sd.), or 30 kopecks 

 per hour (6|d.). One of the most important and 

 most completely-equipped stations at which settlers 

 bound for Tomsk, the Altai Mining District, and the 

 lands of the Cabinet of His Majesty are able to 

 obtain food and medical treatment is situated near 

 this railway station. 



My friend expressed great faith in the future of 

 the town. He had brought his wife and family from 

 St. Petersburg and had been settled there for about 

 two years. He owns several factories and a tool 

 shop. He told me that great difficulty was experi- 

 enced in procuring from English firms the particular 

 description of tools which the peasantry needed ; 

 he therefore made many in his own workshop. The 

 ice-axe which I had brought with me was copied 

 by his Russian smith, but he failed to harden the 

 steel sufficiently. In other respects the workman- 

 ship was splendid. My friend's was the only tool 

 shop in the town, with the exception of that in con- 

 nection with the railway station, attached to which 

 there was also a carriage -building shop, a black- 

 smith's shop, and a foundry, employing a total pf 

 450 workmen. 



After a visit to the local butter merchants, there 



