348 



SCmNGB, 



[Vol. VI., No. 141. 



pegs thrust into the ground, and a huge stone is 

 often placed on the pipe to keep it firm. After the 

 iron has been heated white hot in the charcoal, it 

 is taken out by the iron pincers and beaten on a 

 stone anvil. The Chaga smiths not only make spear- 

 blades and knives of apparently tempered steel, but 

 can fabricate the finest and most delicate chains. 



THE INDUSTRIES OF SIBERIA.^ 



In the region of the Amoor, the industries are 

 of very small extent, chiefly on account of lack of 

 means of transportation. The only possible com- 

 munication at present is upon the rivers, and is 

 completely closed during a great part of the year, 

 w^hen the rivers are impassable for both boats and 

 sledges. This is unfortunate, for on the borders of 

 this immense territory lie important industrial 

 interests. 



At the sources of the tributaries of the Amoor 

 are gold mines ; Kamchatka and the neighbor- 

 ing islands produce valuable furs ; the island of 

 Saghalin has rich and excellent coal deposits. 

 Moreover, in the southern part, in the so-called 

 Usuri region, are rich timber-lands and some 

 land even capable of cultivation. The pursuit of 

 these industries, v^^ith the fisheries and coal-mines, 

 would make this Usuri region a valuable source 

 of revenue ; at present, however, they are very 

 sHghtly developed, and that mostly by Americans 

 and Chinese, rather than by Russians. The latter, 

 however, are making strenuous exertions to colo- 

 nize the territory, and thus avail themselves of its 

 resources. 



The industries of the two western provinces, 

 Tobolsk and Tomsk, are somewhat farther ad- 

 vanced '; these two provinces contain over 80 per 

 cent of all the manufactories of Siberia. Accord- 

 ing to the ofiicial reports there are 2,300 of these, 

 of which 1,460 are in Tobolsk and 660 in Tomsk. 

 In aU 12,500 hands are employed, and 14,000,000 

 roubles value produced annually. The most im- 

 portant class of manufactures is that which uses 

 raw animal materials, — dyeing and tallow render- 

 ing establishments, etc. The class next in impor- 

 tance includes the distilleries, breweries and flour- 

 mills. Besides these there are numerous soap, 

 candle and glue factories, carriage factories, rope 

 walks, felt -boot making establishments, etc. 

 These latter can scarcely be called factories, but 

 are rather of the nature of small work-shops. 

 Except the mines and the smelting works closely 

 connected with them, there is very httle manu- 

 facture of mineral products in Siberia. There is 

 one exception in the case of considerable glass 

 works, which produce 200,000 roubles worth annu- 



iConderised from an article ia the Oesterreichische monat- 

 schrift filr den Orient. 



ally. There are also small potteries and brick 

 kilns. The only textile manufacturing worthy of 

 notice is done at a single establishment in Tjumen, 

 which produces annually 200,000 roubles worth of 

 army cloth. The needs of the people in this line 

 are almost entirely supplied by household manu- 

 factures. Many knit and woven woollen articles 

 prepared in this way flnd a market even in 

 European Russia. 



In all the Siberian manufactures, there is almost 

 no national division of labor or management of 

 capital. The same person is often both capitalist 

 and laborer, and the production of the raw ma- 

 terials goes hand in hand with the manufactures. 

 The manufactories are distributed here and there 

 about the country, where the raw material is to 

 be had to the best advantage, for transportation is 

 difficult and costly. 



Many products, even those which have a wide 

 demand, produce a bad impression on account of 

 their clumsiness and tasteless execution. The low 

 standard of living and education among the peas- 

 ants, who are the principal customers, is the 

 main cause of this. For instance, in a town of 

 Tobolsk are produced coarse, clumsy muskets with 

 flintlocks, which, nevertheless, find a ready sale at 

 a good price, even as far as East Siberia and Amoor. 



In general, however, manufacturing has taken 

 many steps in advance in Siberia within the last 

 fifteen years. In many places machinery has taken 

 the place of hand labor, better processes in tanning, 

 dyeing, etc., have been introduced, and a general 

 improvement is noticeable in the quality of all the 

 the productions. With better means of transpor- 

 tation and an infusion of European enterprise, 

 Siberia will yet contribute an important share to 

 the resources of the world. 



— According to the Indian papers Dr. Aitchi- 

 son has made an extensive botanical collection in 

 Badghis and Khorassan, in Persia, and when last 

 heard of was at Turbat, on the Perso- Afghan fron- 

 tier. He is said to be very anxious to transfer 

 his collections, which number 600 species, to Kew. 

 His researches have been directed, not merely to 

 the collection of plants, but to ascertaining the 

 uses to which they are put locally. 



— The rapidity with which stalactites are 

 formed under favorable condition is well shown 

 in St. John's Gate, Quebec. This old gate in the 

 waUs of the city was rebuilt in 1867 of a greyish 

 limestone, and the constant dripping of water from 

 the crevices has made deposits of rather dirty 

 hmey matter. In many cases regular stalactites 

 have been formed, some reaching a length of a 

 foot and a half, and being at least three-quarters 

 of an inch in diameter at the base. 



