. All the Russias; travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, & Central Asia. of Siberia may be foundin every book of reference, but it is impossible not to reproducesome of them when describing a journey through the land. Itis, then, over 5,000,000 square miles in area, half as large againas the whole of Europe ; it covers 32 degrees of latitude, andno fewer than 130 degrees of longitude ; it possesses a magni-ficent series of rivers running with fan-like branches northand south, with a total navigable length of 27,920 miles; some 140 ALL THE RUSSIAS
. All the Russias; travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, & Central Asia. of Siberia may be foundin every book of reference, but it is impossible not to reproducesome of them when describing a journey through the land. Itis, then, over 5,000,000 square miles in area, half as large againas the whole of Europe ; it covers 32 degrees of latitude, andno fewer than 130 degrees of longitude ; it possesses a magni-ficent series of rivers running with fan-like branches northand south, with a total navigable length of 27,920 miles; some 140 ALL THE RUSSIAS ?of these rivers have been proved to be easily navigable with carefrom the Arctic Sea, and so astonishingly complete is this naturalnetwork of waterways that, with the aid of one canal, steamersof a considerable size have been built in England and taken undertheir own steam to Lake Baikal, nearly 3500 miles east of Mos-cow. The zone of colonisation lies to the south of 64 degreesnorth latitude, for above this is the zone of polar tiindra—a wilder-ness of marsh and moss, with stunted bushes for its only vegeta-. BUILDIXG A HUT IX THE TAIGA tion, frozen during the greater part of the year, and incapableof supporting any life except that of the scattered tribes of Arcticnatives who roam about and manage not to perish in it. Butsouth of this there is in Western Siberia alone a cultivable areaof six thousand geographical square miles. The landscape changes a third time between Moscow andIrkutsk. This is at Taiga, whence a branch line of fifty-fourmiles leads to Tomsk. The word Taiga means primeval couple of years ago this place was but a name and a stopping-place for the trains ; to-day it is a smart little town and growingfast. Beyond it the line plunges into the virgin woods. The SIBERIA FROM THE TRAIN 141 first passenger train left it, eastward bound, on New Years Day,ICS99, and the bridge at Krasnoyarsk was only finished in Marchof the same year, permitting trains to
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