THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY. 
115 
Having saved a very few pounds, during their period of service in 
the ranks, they subsequently started small general stores, with the 
result that they to-day are worth many hundreds of thousands of 
pounds, and are highly respected and deservedly influential members 
of the community. 
During my residence of five years in Russia, I travelled all over 
that Empire both in Europe and in Asia and at all seasons of the year. 
I was often struck by the neglect, shown towards it by English capit¬ 
alists, engineers, merchants and others. In days gone by many of 
our compatriots rapidly made enormous fortunes in European Russia, 
but the time for that has passed, too many other people desiring 
also to participate in the advantages which she offers. There are, 
however, numerous other regions where success unquestionably awaits 
those who will work, who know the language, and who understand the 
Russian national character. Foremost among these regions stands 
Siberia. I have no hesitation in saying that, granted the conditions 
just stated, any young man possessed of very scanty capital, can be 
worth, in less than fifteen years, a hundred thousand pounds. A man, 
with more means originally at his disposal, can naturally accumulate 
riches still more rapidly. It is not to be doubted that, if people in 
England would learn some facts about Siberia, that country would 
then, probably, be appreciated at something like its real value as a 
field for enterprise. 
Some people allege that there is no proper security for investing 
capital in the Russian Empire. Nothing could be further from the truth. 
If capitalists will only take the trouble to study the laws of Russia, 
they will find every possible security everywhere in it. I know that 
the Ministers of State wish for foreign capital in order to develop the 
resources and they will see that it is properly protected. But, in 
return for this, they require that the Russian laws on the subject 
should be obeyed. Not long ago a great industrial company was 
brought out, not in Russia, and backed by men of the highest stand¬ 
ing, financial and other. As they had not, however, taken the trouble 
to comply with the Russian law, which they had not consulted, the 
shareholders were liable to lose the whole of what they had believed 
to be their property. This could have been legally taken from them 
without compensation. As a matter of fact, however, the Russian 
Government in its desire to encourage foreign enterprise, was obliging 
enough to allow the error to be rectified. One has only to know of 
the large number of Belgians, engaged in profitable undertakings in 
Russia, in order to learn that those astute men of business find the 
conditions sufficiently liberal. At any rate they amass wealth. 
Even during the Crimean war Russia paid the interest on her bonds 
to those Englishmen who held them and many of the latter remained 
in the country during the struggle, under the personal protection 
of the Emperor Nicholas I. For a lecture of this description, I can¬ 
not, I confess, think of any better evidence to prove that ample 
security for foreigners and their capital are to be found in Russia, 
and it is amazing, to those who know the country, that we do not avail 
ourselves of the advantages offered. 
