TOMSK 126 



horrors which are sometimes so graphically de- 

 scribed ; but the majority of American people are 

 far too enlightened to encourage such stories." 



I said : " Probably the American people are so 

 used to hearing tall yarns of home manufacture that 

 they are suspicious of reports from other countries." 

 " I guess you have just hit the right nail on the 

 head," he said ; " anyway, we Americans have the 

 pull everywhere in Siberia. I have noticed it re- 

 peatedly when travelling with Englishmen through 

 the country. Can you expect anything different? " 

 he added. 



" No," I replied, " I am" quite convinced that we 

 are making one of the biggest political and com- 

 mercial blunders possible by not cultivating the 

 friendship of the Russian Empire, whose people cover 

 one -sixth of the Continental surface of the globe and 

 have such splendid resources, and I quite believe you 

 when you say that American capitalists enjoy the 

 preference in the matter of gold mining." 



That very large quantities of gold exist in Siberia 

 is no recent discovery, it was announced by the 

 early Voyevodes ; but no systematic mining was 

 undertaken until about 1830. At present Russia 

 is the fourth gold-producing country in the world 

 and, although the methods employed are most primi- 

 tive and the long winter interferes very much with 

 the working of the mines, she holds that position 

 easily. As soon as capital and improved machinery 

 appear in sufficiency in the country she will become 

 of much greater importance. I hold that there is 

 more gold to be obtained in Siberia at present than 

 in any other country in the world, principally because 

 the resources have as yet been scarcely touched. 

 Two-thirds of Russia's output comes from Siberia. 

 The annual yield of gold for the Russian Empire from 

 all sources is 5.18 cwts., 70 per cent, of which come 



