118 
THE TBANS-SIBEBIAN BAILWAY. 
this country and it is a well known fact that convicts often counsel 
their friends in European Russia to commit some crime which will 
ensure their transportation. 
A lower class of exile is the et exile settler.” He is sent to Siberia 
on the petition, generally, of his fellow villagers in Europe, as being 
a worthless wastrel, who expects the village commune to support him. 
He is not kept in confinement. 
The most interesting class of exiles is, of course, that known abroad 
under the head of “ politicals.” The term is a misnomer , for the 
number of political prisoners is now exceedingly small, as a matter of 
fact. But there are some thousands of “ administrative ” exiles. 
These are people who have committed some offence or other against 
the laws but not of an actual revolutionary nature. A good many 
enthusiastic students fall into this category, but Siberia, it must be 
confessed, cools their ardour and they generally become useful and 
respected citizens. 
Time does not permit me to disprove at length the false 
allegations so often recklessly made concerning Russian cruelty. The 
Russian nature is an essentially kind one and now let us see what 
happened to Poles exiled for taking part in the rebellion of 1863, and 
who might reasonably have been expected to suffer accordingly. 
Some of them have told me that, after being captured in action, with 
arms in their hands, they were sent to Siberia. In those days, the 
journey was very different to what it is now, when about a couple of 
thousand miles of rail, in that country alone, help the traveller 
on his way. Then the march was indeed of appalling length. 
The military escort was strict, but it was obviously desirable to pre¬ 
vent the prisoners from holding communication with others. The 
inhabitants, however, were uniformly kind. Many of these Poles have 
since regained their civil rights and are at liberty to return to their own 
homes or to go wherever they like. Some of them, ex-revolutionists 
as they are, occupy to-day posts under the Government. This instance 
will, I trust, induce you to believe, what is the truth, that political 
or administrative exiles are not harshly treated; they suffer no 
greater hardships than do others who live in the same district; after 
a brief probationary period they are free to live where they choose in 
Siberia, and in many cases they became wealthy and much esteemed 
men, doing a great deal of good. 
The coloured map before you, to turn now to another subject, shows 
graphically how Russia has advanced, in spite of herself, from Europe 
towards the Far East. 
She long ago commenced to have relations with China, and at one 
time some Russians formed part of the Chinese EmperoFs body-guard. 
Gradually, by very slow degrees, an advance into what is now Siberia 
but was then China, was made, but not without the white men, whose 
resources were of the scantiest, suffering reverses from time to time. 
The Russian struggles had always ended in their gaining some ad¬ 
vantage, but, in those days, their efforts were desultory and without 
any definite aim. As we all know, great changes come slowly and 
