[Sidenote: Flag in _Salamis_.] Their mode of dealing is curious. A party of five or six walk into a room without uttering a word or appearing to take notice of anything. They squat down in an extended ring according to the size of the room, and commence smoking. After a lapse of some minutes one of them draws a sable from under his clothes with the fur inside, and chucks it into the middle of the circle. The owner of the house, who has been attending to other things with a studied indifference has (by accident of course!) to pass through the room, takes up the skin, examines the fur inside, and makes an offer, generally of cloth or tobacco. If it comes up to their idea they take it and walk off. If not the skin is returned to its savoury berth. They separate without comment. When back to my quarters there was another note from Madame Furnhjelm, inviting Conolly and Pusey to dine there every evening during our stay. Conolly went to answer in person, proposing that during the absence of the Admiral, her husband, we might be allowed to avail ourselves of the use of the club, dine at the _table d’hôte_, and wait on her in the evening. Such an arrangement this kind lady would not hear of. She is a fine handsome woman, of English parents, full of anecdote and information, with a family of three or four: a wonderful performer on the piano. Her husband had been Governor of Russian America, since sold to the United States. The tea she gave us was excellent, and, as I had often heard of Russian tea, superior to anything we got in China. The Governor of Eastern Siberia is General Korsakof, a young man who commanded at Petropauloviski at the time of our absurd expedition in 1855. He rode night and day to St. Petersburg, which he reached in an extraordinary short time, with the account of our defeat. He went into the presence of Nicholas I. a captain, and left it a general. I regret we are not to see him here, he having returned inland from Port Vladivostock. [Sidenote: July 29.] While dressing, my servant informed me that a fine ham and two eggs had been sent for my breakfast. The ham was of the wild boar, excellent, but of immense size. Pusey had sent the boats of the _Salamis_ about five miles down to the mouth of a small river on the north bank with the seines: a good excuse for a picnic. The Commodore, Conolly, Crosbie, Garnier, and self, were kindly mounted by the Commandant; we went by a tolerably good road. They had had two good hauls, taking about three hundred fish before we got there; after luncheon the net, a small one with a bag, was laid out a few yards higher up the river, and in less than ten minutes upwards of a thousand salmon and trout were landed, independently of about three hundred returned to the river, said to be spawning. They were distinguished by an extraordinary rounding of the back.