Page:Letter from T.H. Barker to his wife Mary, 27 November 1903.pdf/4

 IRKUTSK - GRAND HOTEL 30th November, 1903

Dear -

I have just had my cup of “Chai”, and left Alexandrovski at half past ten yesterday morning, having spent the previous evening with the Director and his family, who had the Doctor and his wife in. The Director, M. Lyantoscovitch and his daughter played Mozart’s 12th Sonata, Raff’s Vavatina, Chopin’s Nocturne, Tchaicovsky’s Romana, all familiar pieces. He played the violin and his daughter the piano. He is an able musician, and got through Raff’s double notes better than anyone I have heard, excepting Leruda. He has a Band at the Prison of 11 men, and they gave a special concert for me in the afternoon in a handsome room provided for recreations. I have made ample notes of my visit, and will write all out in the train for the “Times”. The Director spoke only Russian as well as his wife (a most gentle kindly old lady, who is in trouble, having only just lost a son) and the daughter. The Director knew a little French and his wife German. She went all over the prison with us and translated everything the Director said, a very hard piece of work for her. I am getting quite flush in German; one necessarily picks up many new words. I spoke in that language to many of the prisoners, who do all the work of that vast establishment, for there are 1500 in the Central Prison, and the village of between 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants is also a prison. None but prisoners and officials and the 200 soldiers in charge are allowed to live in Alexandrovski. I slept in the Fort Stolovoya or Hotel, where my lodgings were free, but I hired the cook for food. However, I lunched and suppered with the Director in an adjoining house. My bedroom was beautiful, and I was attended to entirely by two convicts, both of whom were most patient, watching every want, and the elder one was a splendid