unavailing, another method was tried. Russian subjects were permitted to settle in the Ili district, but the Russian authorities kept a sharp eye on them and made their agents levy taxes from them. They had therefore to pay at least treble taxes: to China, to her grasping officials, to Russia and finally to the agents or the Russian authorities, who extorted whatever they could by means of threats. As a natural result Russian citizenship is now something to be avoided rather than coveted. — Those who have to pay this additional tax through the consulate are said to do so regularly, while those who are pursued by the agents, often try to shake off their torturers by fleeing into the depths of the country. A Torgut-Kalmuk lama called at the Russian consulate at Qulja one day and stated his intention of visiting the Kalmuks in the neighbourhood of Astrakhan. He had let it be understood that the Torguts kept up a regular connection with these Kalmuks and that the Khan had not only assented to this, but wished it personally. He was, he said, very dissatisfied with Chinese rule and was in terror of his life on his coming journey to Peiping.
A call I paid on the acting Dzian Dziun is scarcely worth mentioning. The ceremonial was exactly the same as in the case of the most insignificant Shenguan. The affable old general seemed effeminate. He was said to be quite uneducated. Thanks to the kind offices of the consul I was given night quarters in the house of Fushan, a Sibo-Solon officer, who had been attached to the Dzian Dziun for various correspondence. He had lived in Vernyi, where his son was being educated. He spoke Russian fluently. His residence, Khui-yu-an-tchen, is the cleanest and most beautiful Chinese town I have seen. It was built after the Russian occupation and is well planned with straight streets, two of which that cross each other in the middle of the town, are broad and beautiful. The main street is occupied almost entirely by official residences, »yamen», with the Dzian Dziun's in the centre. Besides there are some shops and a couple of temples, one of them very beautiful, the roof being covered with glazed brown tiles. The other main street consists mostly of shops, restaurants etc. At the point where they cross, a tower had been built like those you see above the entrance gates of Chinese towns. Four doors in the shape of a cross
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