Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 75 (Color Image)

0075	Among the Celestials : vol.1

CHAP. II.]

RUSSIAN COLONISATION. 51

Chinese inn. The whole place, barracks, shops,

church, and everything, was not so large, and

certainly not so well built, as the barracks of

my regiment in India.

We were close here to the Corean frontier,

so there were numbers of Coreans about.

Many are settled in this valley, and seem to

flourish, and to be looked upon with favour by

the Russian authorities. They appeared to me

to be rather a dull, insipid race, but they are

said to be quiet and orderly, and as the

Russians want population to cultivate and

improve the land, so much of which is now

merely run to waste, they are welcomed to

Russian territory to carry out the work of

which the Russians themselves seem incapable.

Colonel Sokolowski told us that his govern-

ment were extremely anxious to have all this

Eastern Siberia colonised by Russians. They

gave every encouragement they could to

settlers ; free farming implements, horses, and

cattle, and brought them out from Russia free

of expense ; but the settlers had no energy or

vigour ; they accepted all that was given them,

and set to work to produce enough to live on,.

but nothing beyond. " If you English," said

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