──────────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬──────────── │ │ │Natives and │ Area of │ Square │ Total │ other │Agricultural │ Miles. │Population. │ Asiatics. │Zone, Square │ │ │ │ Miles. ──────────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼──────────── Tobolsk │ 536,600│ 1,438,655│ 180,000│ 270,800 Tomsk │ 328,000│ 1,917,527│ 〃 │ 〃 ──────────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼──────────── Yenissei │ 987,400│ 567,807│ 45,000│ 193,400 Irkutsk │ 280,800│ 501,237│ 100,000│ 〃 ──────────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼──────────── Yakutsk │ 1,535,900│ 283,954│ 250,000│ Trans-Baikalia │ 229,800│ 669,721│ 200,000│ 139,200 Amur │ 172,900│ 112,396│ 18,000│ 104,000 ──────────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼──────────── Littoral │ 741,400│ 214,940│ 70,000│ 147,000 Island of Sakhalin│ 〃 │ 25,495│ 〃 │ 〃 ──────────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼──────────── Total │ 4,812,800│ 5,731,732│ 863,000│ 854,400 ──────────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴──────────── The southern agricultural region of Siberia, in contradistinction to the frozen zone to the north, is mainly inhabited by European settlers. The proportion of these over the native population is greatest in the west, and decreases towards the east, where, however, it still remains superior by about two-thirds, so that we need not hesitate to conclude that out of the 5,000,000 people living on this long strip of land, more than four million and a half are of European origin. Nevertheless, it must not be forgotten that the indigenous Mongol and Turki population, which is immensely superior to the poor tribes of fishermen and hunters who wander about the northern zone, does not diminish, but continues to increase, much less rapidly, however, than the Russians, who are constantly being reinforced by emigration. Fortunately the feeling between these two distinct elements is excellent; the Russians, being of Oriental extraction, do not hold those racial prejudices which are so marked among the Anglo-Saxons. The religious question, which is of course an obstacle to any attempt at a fusion between the Orthodox and the Buddhist population, is also not very intense or intricate. The Russian is essentially tolerant, in opposition to his Government, which is the reverse. The Orthodox emigrants have no objection to a Pagoda or a Lamasery being erected alongside of their own churches and monasteries. I remember seeing, while travelling, from Cheliabinsk to