. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. street; a short time previously the mail, carrying gold-dust, had been ambushed and three of its armed guards shot; andno respectable citizen would dream of passing alone through itssuburbs after dark. Indeed people often fire a revolver shot outof the window before going to bed, to remind whom it may con-cern that a strong man armed keepeth his goods. I do not know SIBERIAN CIVILISATION 149 how many police there are in this city of 50,000 people, butduring the week of my s
. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. street; a short time previously the mail, carrying gold-dust, had been ambushed and three of its armed guards shot; andno respectable citizen would dream of passing alone through itssuburbs after dark. Indeed people often fire a revolver shot outof the window before going to bed, to remind whom it may con-cern that a strong man armed keepeth his goods. I do not know SIBERIAN CIVILISATION 149 how many police there are in this city of 50,000 people, butduring the week of my stay I saw only two or three, and oncewhen I had to drive across the town at nine oclock at night I didnot see a single living thing out of doors. The principal shops and the best houses are all in one street,and as the side streets get farther from this they become poorerand rougher. There is something suggestive of China in longstretches of wooden walls and heavy gates. There are, of course,hundreds of Chinese about, and rows of Chinese shops, where thefurniture, the clothing, the tea, and the various culinary and. The Museum, Irkutsk. medicinal abominations dear to the Celestial mind are for Mongols, too, hung with silver, have come through withtheir caravans from China, and every now and then you see atired passenger stretched out in a tarantass amid his hetero-geneous luggage, who has probably been driving day and nightfor a week or two, for Irkutsk is the focus of five great post hotel is a trial to mind and body, but a new one, the Metro-pole, is just completed and will apparently offer more civilised ac-commodation. Living is, of course, very dear, as everything,except meat and flour and beer—an enterprising German is coin-ing money by brewing excellent lager—has to be brought so far I50 ALL THE RUSSIAS by rail. One of my most interesting visits was to the Govern-ment Gold Laboratory, where the director was kind enough tohave a special operation
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