alone at the tail of a cavalcade that raises clouds of dust. It is only in mounting or dismounting that any attention is paid to him. One or two men hold his horse, while a third helps him to mount, often with such energy that he very nearly falls off on the other side.
The lowest local authorities of the Kirghiz are the bash for io yurts, illik bash for 5o, »kundö» and zangi (judge) for too and the »akalaktche» and his assistant for woo. The akalaktche's district apparently often fails to reach the figure of i000, as prescribed. The cause lies in the greed of the officials. In order to secure a better income, i.e., bribes, they agree to divide a district. The akalaktche alone is paid by the Government at the rate of 6o roubles a year. From the districts which they administer they collect 2, 15, 20, Go, 8o and too sheep annually. The pay seems to be higher than among the Kalmuks, probably owing to their being liable to military service, whereas the Kirghiz are entirely released from it. A feeble effort was made by one of the recent Dzian Dziuns to impose this burden on them by forming a Kirghiz company of a couple of dozen men to keep order in a district. But the company was soon disbanded. The Kirghiz pay a tax to the Government which is apportioned by the local authorities among the yurts according to the property they hold. As a rule it amounts to i per cent of their capital; according to another informant to 5 per cent. I was assured here that in Russia heavier taxes were imposed on the Kirghiz.
The prosperity among the Kirghiz is striking. They are tidy, well dressed, not badl. mounted, their vurts are in good condition and their cattle and horses mostly very fine. In contrast to the Kalmuks, whose wealth consists almost entirely of cattle, the Kirghiz often sell sheep and horses and collect ready money in the boxes that line the walls of their vurts. The expression of a Kirghiz face is often rather sly. You find good heads among them that would certainly attract attention among Europeans, not only for their prominent cheekbones and frequently slanting and narrow eyes, but for their fine features that testify to their ancient race. There is something incomparably coarser, but often humbler in the expressions of the Kalmuks.
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