Overland through Asia; Pictures of Siberian, Chinese, and Tartar Life

AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY.

F. 6. GILMAN & CO., CHICAGO, ILLS.; NETTLETON & CO., CINCINNATI, OHIO.

H. H. BANCROFT & CO., SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.

1871.

PREFACE.

Fourteen years ago Major Perry McD. Collins traversed Northern Asia, and wrote an account, of his journey, entitled “A Voyage Down the Amoor.” With the exception of that volume no other work on this little known region has appeared from the pen of an American writer. In view of this fact, the author of “Overland Through Asia” indulges the hope that his book will not be considered a superfluous addition to the literature of his country.

The journey herein recorded was undertaken partly as a pleasure trip, partly as a journalistic enterprise, and partly in the interest of the company that attempted to carry out the plans of Major Collins to make an electric connection between Europe and the United States by way of Asia and Bering’s Straits. In the service of the Russo-American Telegraph Company, it may not be improper to state that the author’s official duties were so few, and his pleasures so numerous, as to leave the kindest recollections of the many persons connected with the enterprise.

Portions of this book have appeared in Harper’s, Putnam’s, The Atlantic, The Galaxy, and the Overland Monthlies, and in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. They have been received with such favor as to encourage their reproduction wherever they could be introduced in the narrative of the journey. The largest part of the book has been written from a carefully recorded journal, and is now in print for the first time. The illustrations have been made from photographs and pencil sketches, and in all cases great care has been exercised to represent correctly the costumes of the country. To Frederick Whymper, Esq., artist of the Telegraph Expedition, and to August Hoffman, (Photographer,) of Irkutsk, Eastern Siberia, the author is specially indebted.

The orthography of geographical names is after the Russian model. The author hopes it will not be difficult to convince his countrymen that the shortest form of spelling is the best, especially when it represents the pronunciation more accurately than does the old method. A frontier justice once remarked, when a lawyer ridiculed his way of writing ordinary words, that a man was not properly educated who could spell a word in only one way. On the same broad principle I will not quarrel with those who insist upon retaining an extra letter in Bering and Ohotsk and two superfluous letters in Kamchatka.

Among those not mentioned in the volume, thanks are due to Frederick Macrellish, Esq., of San Francisco, Hon. F.F. Low of Sacramento, Alfred Whymper, Esq., of London, and the many gentlemen connected with the Telegraph Expedition. There are dozens and hundreds of individuals in Siberia and elsewhere, of all grades and conditions in life, who have placed me under numberless obligations. Wherever I traveled the most uniform courtesy was shown me, and though conscious that few of those dozens and hundreds will ever read these lines, I should consider myself ungrateful did I fail to acknowledge their kindness to a wandering American.

T.W.K.

ASTOR HOUSE, N.Y., Sept. 15, 1870.

1. FRONTISPIECE, THE AUTHOR IN SIBERIAN COSTUME 2. CHARACTER DEVELOPED 3. ASPINWALL TO PANAMA 4. SLIGHTLY MONOTONOUS 5. MONTGOMERY STREET IN HOLIDAY DRESS 6. SAN FRANCISCO, 1848 7. CHINESE DINNER 8. OVER SIX FEET 9. STEAMSHIP WRIGHT IN A STORM 10. A SEA SICK BOOBY 11. WRECK OF THE SHIP CANTON 12. ALEUTIANS CATCHING WHALES 13. BREACH OF ETIQUETTE 14. UNEXPECTED HONORS 15. RUSSIAN MARRIAGE 16. RUSSIAN POPE AT HOME 17. A SCALY BRIDGE 18. RUSSIAN TEA SERVICE 19. CHANGE FOR A DOLLAR 20. COW AND BEAR 21. A KAMCHATKA TEAM 22. REPULSE OF THE ASSAILANTS 23. VIEW OF SITKA 24. PLENTY OF TIME 25. RUSSIAN OFFICERS AT MESS 26. ASCENDING THE BAY 27. TAKING THE CENSUS 28. LIGHT-HOUSE AT GHIJIGA 29. TOWED BY DOGS 30. KORIAK YOURT 31. DISCHARGING A DECK LOAD 32. REINDEER RIDE 33. TAIL PIECE, REINDEER 34. WAGON RIDE WITH DOGS 35. YEARLY MAIL 36. DOGS FISHING 37. TEACHINGS OF EXPERIENCE 38. BOAT LOAD OF SALMON 39. AN EFFECTIVE PROTEST 40. NOTHING BUT BONES 41. TAIL PIECE—NATIVE WOMAN 42. SEEING OFF 43. LIFE ON THE AMOOR 44. A GILYAK VILLAGE 45. ABOUT FULL 46. TAIL PIECE—A TURN OUT 47. ON THE AMOOR 48. CASH ACCOUNT 49. WOODING UP 50. BEAR IN PROCESSION 51. PRACTICE OF MEDICINE 52. MANJOUR MERCHANT 53. GILYAK MAN 54. GILYAK WOMAN 55. PEASANTS BY MOONLIGHT 56. TAIL PIECE—THE NET 57. TEN MILES AN HOUR 58. GOLDEE HOUSE AT NIGHT 59. THE HYPOCHONDRIAC 60. “NOT FOR JOE” 61. TAIL PIECE—SCENE ON THE RIVER 62. RECEPTION AT PETROVSKY 63. ARMED AND EQUIPPED 64. GENERAL ACTIVITY 65. TAIL PIECE—FLASK 66. MANJOUR BOAT 67. A PRIVATE TEMPLE 68. FISHING IMPLEMENTS 69. CHINESE FAMILY PICTURE 70. MANJOUR TRAVELING CARRIAGE 71. TAIL PIECE—TOWARDS THE SUN 72. THE AMMUNITION WAGON 73. FINISHING TOUCH 74. EMIGRANTS ON THE AMOOR 75. SA-GA-YAN CLIFF 76. RIFLE SHOOTING 77. TAIL PIECE—GAME 78. PREPARING FOR WINTER 79. TAIL PIECE 80. STRATENSK, EASTERN SIBERIA 81. A SIBERIAN TARANTASS 82. TAIL PIECE 83. FAVORITE BED 84. CONCENTRATED ENERGIES 85. PRISONERS AT CHETAH 86. ON THE HILLS NEAR CHETAH 87. BOURIAT YOURTS 88. A MONGOL BELL 89. A MONGOL BELLE 90. CATCHING SHEEP 91. A COLD BATH 92. TAIL PIECE 93. OUR FERRY BOAT 94. EQUAL RIGHTS 95. AMATEUR CONCERT IN SIBERIA 96. CHINESE MANDARIN 97. INTERIOR OF CHINESE TEMPLE 98. THROUGH ORDINARY EYES 99. THROUGH CHINESE EYES 100. LEGAL TENDER 101. RUSSIAN PETS 102. PONY EXPRESS 103. A DISAGREEABLE APPENDAGE 104. SUSPENDED FREEDOM 105. PUNISHMENT FOR BURGLARY 106. CHOPSTICK, FORK, AND SAUCER 107. CHINESE THEATRE 108. CHINESE TIGER 109. CHINESE PUNISHMENT 110. PROVISION DEALER 111. CHINESE MENDICANTS 112. THE FAVORITE 113. FEMALE FEET AND SHOE 114. A LOTTERY PRIZE 115. A CHINESE PALANQUIN 116. A PEKIN CAB 117. PRIEST IN TEMPLE OF CONFUCIUS 118. COMFORTS AND CONVENIENCES 119. FILIAL ATTENTION 120. TAIL PIECE—OPIUM PIPE 121. A MUSICAL STOP 122. NANKOW PASS 123. RACING AT THE KALGAN FAIR 124. STREET IN KALGAN 125. IN GOOD CONDITION 126. LOST IN THE DESERT OF GOBI 127. MONGOL DINNER TABLE 128. CROSSING THE TOLLA 129. THE SCHOOLMASTER 130. TAIL PIECE 131. WILD BOAR HUNT 132. A WIFE AT IRKUTSK 133. NO WIFE AT IRKUTSK 134. A SOUDNA 135. AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE 136. LAKE BAIKAL IN WINTER 137. A SPECIMEN 138. TAIL PIECE—THE WORLD 139. GOV. GENERAL KORSACKOFF 140. VIEW—IRKUTSK 141. A COLD ATTACHMENT 142. QUEEN OF GREECE 143. EMPEROR OF RUSSIA 144. TAIL PIECE—TWIN BOTTLES 145. HOME OF TWO EXILES—REAL, IMAGINARY 146. TAIL PIECE—QUARTERS 147. TARTAR CAVALRY 148. SIBERIAN EXILES 149. TAIL PIECE 150. A VASHOK 151. A KIBITKA 152. FAREWELL TO IRKUTSK 153. OUR CONDUCTOR 154. JUMPING CRADLE HOLES 155. VALLEY OF THE YENESEI 156. WOLF HUNT 157. HYDRAULIC MINING 158. TAIL PIECE 159. DOWN HILL 160. DOGS AMONG ICE 161. JUMPING THE FISSURES 162. THE TEAM 163. TAIL PIECE 164. IN THE MINE 165. STRANGE COINCIDENCE 166. TAIL PIECE 167. THE ELOPEMENT 168. THE FIGHT 169. THE CATASTROPHE 170. TAIL PIECE 171. THE POLKEDOVATE 172. MAKING EXPLANATION 173. AFTER THE BATH 174. TAIL PIECE 175. THE DRIVER’S TOILET 176. WOMEN SPINNING 177. FLOGGING WITH STICKS 178. TAIL PIECE 179. LOST IN A SNOW STORM 180. FATAL RESULT 181. TAIL PIECE 182. EXCUSE MY FAMILIARITY 183. FROSTED HORSES 184. VIEW OF EKATERINEBURG 185. EUROPE AND ASIA 186. A RUSSIAN BEGGAR 187. BEGGARS IN KAZAN 188. THE IMMERSION 189. RUSSIAN PRIEST 199. TAIL PIECE 191. GREAT BELL OF MOSCOW 192. VIEW OF THE NEVSKI PROSPECT, ST. PETERSBURG 193. TAIL PIECE—MEETING AN OLD FRIEND 194. MAP TO ACCOMPANY THOS. W. KNOX’S “OVERLAND THROUGH ASIA”