Siberia and the Exile System/Volume 2

by George Kennan

A MARCHING PARTY OF EXILES PASSING A TRAIN OF FREIGHT-SLEDGES.

SIBERIA AND THE
EXILE SYSTEM

BY GEORGE KENNAN

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VOLUME TWO

 

 

NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
1891

Copyright, 1891, by
The Century Co.

 

The De Vinne press.

VOLUME II

CONTENTS

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chapter		page
I.	Prisons and Exiles in Irkútsk	1
II.	Under Police Surveillance	29
III.	A Visit to the Selengínsk Lamasery	60
IV.	A Ride Through the Trans-Baikál	98
V.	The Convict Mines of Kará	131
VI.	The Kará "Free Command"	166
VII.	State Criminals at Kará	191
VIII.	The History of the Kará Political Prison	223
IX.	The Silver Mines of Nérchinsk	278
X.	Adventures in Eastern Siberia	319
XI.	The Great Siberian Road in Winter	355
XII.	Our Last Days in Siberia	386
XIII.	The Character of Political Exiles	430
XIV.	Evils and Projected Reforms	457

APPENDIXES

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Appendix A.	List of Authorities Cited	475
⁠"⁠ B.	The Russian Press Censorship	484
⁠"⁠ C.	Revolutionary Documents	495
⁠"⁠ D.	Laws and Orders of the Government with Regard to Political Offenses and Offenders	507
⁠"⁠ E.	The Tomsk Forwarding Prison	510
⁠"⁠ F.	Condition of Prisons	524
⁠"⁠ G.	Reports of the Governor-general of Eastern Siberia to the Tsar	544

ILLUSTRATIONS

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1. page.

2. A Marching Party of Exiles Passing a Train of Freight Sledges ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   Frontispiece.

3. Irkútsk from the Western Side of the Angará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   2

4. Boats on the Angará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   3

5. Old Powder-Magazine and Bazar, Irkútsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   5

6. A Siberian Fire-Station ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   12

7. Village of Lístvinichnaya ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   66

8. Lake Baikál and Steamer-Landing at Lístvinichnaya ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   67

9. An East-Siberian Teléga ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   68

10. Selengá River and Valley ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    70

11. Khainúief Munkú and His Children ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    73

12. The Grand Lama ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    83

13. The Lamasery ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    85

14. Lamas and Their Musical Instruments ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    87

15. Sacred White Elephant and Shrine of the Burkháns ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    91

16. The Dance of the Burkháns ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    93

17. A Wealthy Buriát and Wife ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    99

18. Propitiatory Offerings of the Buriáts ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    100

19. A General View of Kiákhta, Showing the "Neutral Ground" ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    103

20. Bazar and Chinese Shops in Tróitskosávsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    106

21. A Street in Maimáchin ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    109

22. Types of Buriáts, Chinese, and Mongols in Maimáchin ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    111

23. Two Views of the New Vérkhni Údinsk Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    126

24. A Trans-Baikál Étape ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    126

25. A Part of Chíta from the "Hotel Peterburg" ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    129

26. The Shílka River and the Town of Strétinsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    132

27. Living-Room of Russian Peasant's House at Ust Kará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    137

28. Central Part of the Penal Settlement Known as the Kará Lower Diggings ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    139

29. Convicts at Work upon a New Government Building at the Lower Diggings ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    141

30. Major Pótulof ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    142

31. A Kámera in the Ust Kará Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    146

32. View near Upper Kará, and Houses of the Free Command ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    151

33. Old Hard-Labor Convict ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    155

34. Convicts Returning at Night from the Mines ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    161

35. Convicts at Work in a Kará Gold Placer ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    163

36. A Convict of the Free Command Surreptitiously Washing Out Gold ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    164

37. Telegraph Station and Part of Lower Diggings ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    167

38. Houses of the Political Free Command ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    167

39. Road to the Political Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    167

40. A Part of the Lower Diggings with the Political Prison in the Distance ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    172

41. The Cabin of the Armfeldts ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    185

42. Dr. Véimar ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    201

43. Madam Kavaléfskaya ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    213

44. Old Mill near Kará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    218

45. The Kará Political Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    224

46. Plan of the Kará Political Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    225

47. Interior of a Kámera in the Kará Political Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    226

48. Anna Pávlovna Korbá ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    247

49. Hypolyte Muíshkin ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    250

50. Madam Bogomólets ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    257

51. N. Shchedrín ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    258

52. Elizabeth Kaválskaya ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    265

53. Madam Sukhomlína ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    270

54. A Religious Service at an Orozhánni Encampment ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    273

55. Peasants Threshing Grain on the Ice ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    274

56. Returning from Kará on the Ice of the Shílka River ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    276

57. The Alexandrófski Zavód ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    284

58. Old Political Prison at the Mine of Akatúi ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    287

59. The Valley and Mining Settlement of Algachí ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    291

60. The Prison at Algachí ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    291

61. The Prison Corridor ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    291

62. Camels Grazing in the Snow near the Algachí Mine ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    297

63. The Pokrófski Mine ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    302

64. The Pokrófski Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    303

65. The Village Well at Algachí ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    306

66. The Village of Kadáiya ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    308

67. The Mountains Pierced by Kadaínski Mine ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    310

68. Górni Zerentúi ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    312

69. The Sávenski Mine ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    315

70. Bútin's House at Nérchinsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    322

71. House of Decembrist Exiles ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    335

72. The Political Exiles' Carpenter Shop, Chíta ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    335

73. A Meeting of the Political Exiles in Chíta ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    337

74. Siberian Freight-Sledges ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    342

75. Siberian Pavóska, or Traveling-Sleigh ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    344

76. The Alexandrófski Central Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    345

77. Convicts Grinding Rye in the Alexandrófski Central Prison ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    347

78. A Visit to the Alexandrófski Central Prison at Night ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    349

79. Through the Ice on the Angará River ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    351

80. A Storm at Night in the Mountains of the Angará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    353

81. Crossing the Ice Bridge over the Angará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    354

82. A Village on the Great Siberian Road ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    360

83. Snow-Waves, or Ukhábi, near Krasnoyársk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    362

84. Passing a Train of Freight-Sledges ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    367

85. Examination of Political Convicts' Leg-Fetters at the Prison Gate ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    369

86. Scenery of the Upper Yeniséi ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    382

87. Mountains and Palisades of the Yeniséi ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    384

88. A Street in Minusínsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    389

89. A Soyót ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    394

90. Prehistoric Burial-Places in the Valley of the Yeniséi ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    396

91. A Yurt of the Káchinski Tatárs ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    399

92. Distilling Arrack in a Tatár Yurt ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    401

93. Káchinski Tatár Woman and Child ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    403

94. A Káchinski Tatár ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    405

95. The "Plague-Guard" ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    414

96. Interior of a Peasant's House near Tomsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    417

97. Kírghis Camel Sledges ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    419

98. Merchants' Sleighs Coming from the Irbít Fair ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    421

99. Tobólsk—The Upper Plateau ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    423

100. The Convict Prison—Tobólsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

     425

101. The Exiled Bell of Uglích ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

     427

102. Yermák's Monument, Tobólsk ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

     429

103. Véra Phillípova [born Figner] ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

     433

104. Véra Figner as a Young Girl ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

     437

105. Gregórie and Heléne Máchtet ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

     443

106. Sophie Nikítina ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

     453

MAPS

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1. Route from Irkútsk to Kiákhta ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   61

2. Route prom Tróitskosávsk to Kará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   118

3. Our Route from Nérchinski Zavód to the Angará ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   319

 

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