BYSK 261 



I believe the rest of the particulars comtnunicated 

 by him are equally reliable. The Russian merchants 

 of Bysk are decidedly more enterprising than those 

 of most other nations. Some of them will ride for 

 eight or ten days with little more to eat than a few 

 rusks, and dry manure to burn at their camp fires. 

 They travel through Mongolia, to Kobdor and other 

 places, visiting, among others, such towns as Ulias- 

 sutai. They take pieces of silver with them, which 

 they cut and weigh as required, to serve instead of 

 money. I cbuld not discover the prices they pay for 

 skins, but was able to ascertain the selling prices to 

 Moscow and Leipzig, and to some other German 

 towns. Mongolian wool that year was sold at 

 £2 7s. per cwt., ready washed, and packed in bales 

 of 3 to 4 cwt. each. The one firm of which our 

 friend was the representative had made considerable 

 sums out of the business, having exported 7,000 tons 

 of wool during 1902. They expected to ship between 

 10,000 and 15,000 tons in 1903. It is surprising 

 that this trade has not yet been directed to Great 

 Britain. John Bull is, obviously, behind the times 

 in this particular. 



The following articles are exported: Mongolian 

 sheep's wool, as already referred to, at £2 7s. per 

 cwt.; wool, £2 to £2 3s. per cwt.; camel hair at 

 £2 2S. per cwt.; goat's hair (Angora, sorted) at 

 £2 28. per cwt., and unsorted at £1 los. per cwt. 

 A big trade is also done in skins. A buffalo skin 

 fetches 2s. i|d.; maral, 2s. ifd.; goat skins 7|d.; 

 sheep skins, in four qualities, from 6d. to is. 6d. 

 each. Small curly kids (Astrakan or Caracoul), 

 rod. to 2s. i|d. ; bear skins, 17s. to £1, or if very 

 large, £1 15s. The market for these commodities 

 varies with the supply and demand. The smartness 

 and energy of the merchants of Bysk is exhibited in 

 every branch of business they undertake. The mer- 



