Page:Letter from T.H. Barker to his wife Mary, 3 December 1903.pdf/5

 gentlemen, a Mr. Keating, who is here, says this is the richest country for gold in the world: that American is not in it. He is managing a gold mine on one of the Rivers near Krasnoiyarsk. All the gold being got at present is being washed out of the River beds. Dust, fine gold and large nuggets. I saw specimens of it at Irkutsk The Russian Government are now becoming more liberal; they need to stipulate that all gold should be sold to them at full price, but now it can be sold to anyone provided full returns are made. It is the native gold that has provided so many large Siberian fortunes, and the winners give large sums away for educational and philanthropic purposes. The younger Russians are fond of wine and women, but the elder ones are many of them most devout and benevolent.

Siberia now is a great contrast in many ways to what our ideas of it were, and it is going ahead wonderfully fast, and the climate gives energy to the people. I shall miss this beautiful pure air when I get back, and long to return. Violence, however, still prevails in many parts, there are many lawless and cruel inhabitants from the escaped and disbanded criminal class, but these are being quickly outnumbered, The first question I was asked on returning from Alexandrovski was whether I had a revolver and whether I was "shot at" I said no, and never thought of such a thing though I had been sleighing two hours in the moonlight. Mr. Karaouloff says that crime in the country is common, but the worst people are soon captured and send to Saghalien. They are not hanged, but they are worked hard for the good of the community, and if reformed they are allowed a measure of freedom, as at Alexandrovski. I am now tired, but my little finger is slowly healing. In the morning I must write and.