........................ ?

After crossing the Ural mountains I noticed numbers of magpies, through
in European Russia I also saw a few.

_30th October._--Another beautiful day. In the morning we passed
Petrovski Zavod, a place historical in Russian annals as being the penal
settlement of the conspirators who early in the nineteenth century tried
to overthrow the ruling dynasty, and where numbers of the Russian
aristocracy died in exile. It is now a large village of log houses, with
wide, mud streets. Hills surround this spot, so that it could be easily
guarded, and escape made very difficult. A large, black Russian cross,
conspicuous on the highest peak, overlooks the valley. It marks the
burial place of one of the most noble exiles.

The scenery to-day has been very good, having at times a park-like
appearance, with rolling downs and scattered fir trees. In the
afternoon we climbed the Nertchinsk mountains, and by dark had reached a
considerable altitude, the air being very keen. At Khilok station, where
we stopped for a few minutes, I got out and ran up and down for
exercise, but found the cold so great that I was glad to get on board
again for fear of having my ears frost bitten, they having become
perfectly numb.

Since leaving Irkoutsk the houses have been better built, and the
country has looked far more pleasing than in European Russia. I saw
great piles of sleepers stacked alongside the line, and heavy metals
lying by the track for many miles, so that the present light rails are
apparently to be replaced, but so far, very few men at work. To-day we
passed a waggon-church in a siding at a small village. This
waggon-church moves about up and down the line to places where there are
no churches, and there it is stopped, and mass said for the inhabitants
by a Russian priest.

A few fat-tailed sheep were also seen. These animals have enormous tails
of solid fat, about as large, and of much the same shape, as a small
ham. During winter when the frozen ground is covered with snow and no
pasturage is to be found, it is said that they live on the fat stored in
these tails, in the same manner as camels exist for considerable periods
on their humps, seals on their blubber, and bears by sucking their paws.

Here and there I observed mobs of China ponies, some nondescript dogs
and a few ordinary-looking cattle.

Between Lake Baikal and Manchuria all food was much dearer, while only
American beer could be obtained and