LEAVING BYSK 281 



portance to Siberia, as the saving of carriage on 

 goods, which would otherwise have to be sent by 

 rail, amounts to £3 per ton. Under these circum- 

 stances it would pay to continue to run the risk, more 

 especially if the Russian Government would lend 

 assistance by making a railway line from Tomsk more 

 to the centre, which would reduce the distance the 

 boat would have to come down the river. As far as 

 the wheat trade is concerned, the expense of the 

 land carriage destroys any prospect of Siberia supply- 

 ing the western nations of Europe at present, and 

 the proposed short route would probably encourage 

 the central trade, which otherwise must remain un- 

 developed for want of cheap carriage. The return to 

 Novo-Nicolaevsk and the welcome from an English 

 explorer of such high repute as Mr. Cattley made 

 me feel that Siberia was not so inhospitable a country 

 as most people think. We hired a drosky, and as we 

 pulled up at the front door we found we were not 

 mistaken in supposing that we should receive a hearty 

 English welcome. That evening all the merchants 

 and friends of the family gathered round a well- 

 spread dinner-table expecting to hear a little about 

 the unknown Altai regions. I hope they were not 

 altogether disappointed. I shall never forget the 

 great amount of comfort I felt on being able once 

 again to enjoy a good night's rest on a real English 

 bed, 



The road by which we went to Bysk was longer 

 than the road we returned by. The latter was 

 the post road reserved for the post sledges, whilst 

 the one we went by was the trade route, which I 

 trust no travellers will attempt to travel in winter, as 

 it is not fit for anything more sensitive than a load 

 of unbreakable Liggage. I give the best route to 

 and from Bysk for the benefit of any travellers who 

 may find themselves in that locahty, as even the 



