4° 



The National Geographic Magazine 



general appearance of the country 

 through which we passed, not as a con- 

 nected diary, but as bench-marks, so to 

 speak, for future reference. Let me 

 read them to you, that you may judge 

 for yourselves what Siberia is along the 

 line of the Trans-Siberian Railway and 

 in the Amur Valley. 



Arrived at Vladivostok July, 2, 1901. 

 Left Vladivostok 9 a. m. , July 4. Very 

 soon after leaving Amur Bay the road 

 enters the valley of a. river, and, judg- 

 ing by the soil, grass, and flowers, we 

 seem to be transported into a rich river 

 valley of our own West. Here and 

 there is an apparently thriving village, 

 and prosperous farms are intermingled 

 with virgin prairie. A great change 

 has evidently come here from Russian 

 occupation. As we go north the coun- 

 try improves; magnificent stretches of 

 well-watered prairie, wheat farms, large 

 herds of cattle, and fine grass. The 

 depots are well-built, pretty wooden cot- 

 tages, and in each town, on the highest 

 point, the domes of the Russian churches 

 are seen. 



A Woodyard on the Amur River 



Friday, July 5. — The country has 

 changed, and we are in the timber. 

 Birch shows where pine has been cut 

 off, and the hills in the distance indicate 

 heavy timber. A train composed almost 

 wholly of cars loaded with 3x10 white 

 pine tells of pine trees somewhere, and 

 gnats and mosquitoes and flies tell of 

 timber. It is getting very warm, and 

 summer clothes will be in order. At 

 4.30 Khabarovsk came in sight. The 

 city here is to be fine. It is evidently 

 new. The streets are wide and straight. 

 It spreads over high bluffs, from which 

 one looks down on the Amur River, 

 which is a mile and a half wide here. 



Saturday, July 6. — L,eft Khabarovsk 

 at 6.30 p. m. 



Sunday, July 7. — Mosquitoes and flies 

 abound. The Amur is a wonderful 

 river. It is more than a mile wide 

 and seems like a great lake. Thus 

 far it flows through a prairie country 

 and splendid tillable land, which will 

 some day raise the world's wheat sup- 

 ply; Russia on the north bank, China 

 on the south. Russia holds Manchuria 

 and will never let it go. The 

 country is a splendid one. 

 Mountains are occasionally 

 seen in the distance, but here all 

 is prairie, and the river banks 

 show at least ten feet of soil. 



Monday , July 8. — Surround- 

 ings similar to those of yes- 

 terday. Occasionally, but 

 rarely, we pass a small settle- 

 ment. All through the after- 

 noon and evening we were 

 passing through the Kingan 

 Mountains. Here they are a 

 series of hills 500 to 800 feet 

 high. The scenery is fine, the 

 mountains coming boldly down 

 to the river. I am reminded 

 of the Fraser River, especially 

 when we come to a mining 

 camp, where the Russians first 

 attacked the Chinese and drove 

 them out. 



Tuesday , July 9. — This morn - 

 ing we are out of the mountains 



