nationalities residing in the province, I shall have
occasion to refer hereafter.
A census of the population of Semirechia had been
taken four years before, but not printed. I was
favoured, however, with an official copy of statistics in
manuscript (though apparently incomplete so far as the
Taranchi settled population is concerned), from which
it appears that in 1878 the inhabitants num ere
609,000, of whom the males exceeded the females by
36,000 ; the most populous districts being those ot
Vierny in the south, where the Russians form 8| per
cent., and Sergiopol in the north, where they form 2^
per cent, of the entire population.*
The occupation of the nomads of course is ehietty
connected with cattle, but necessity has compelled
some, and opportunity induced others, in certain p aces
to cultivate wheat, barley, and millet, to which the
* In the districts of Tokmak and Issik-Kul, the Russians form less
than 1 per cent, of the population. I f next we take the social stand-
ing of the settled population, we find the landowners numbe 7,39 ,
Cossacks, 21,085; peasants, 14,128; clergy and
nobles or upper classes, 960; merchants, 3,203 ;
craftsmen, 1,166 ; agricultural labourers, 5,628 ; and of other labo «
2 055 The upper classes among the nomads are ranged as¡ follows J
Sultan, or ruling families, 1,884 ; Telengutes, 1,139 I Igmchis, 35,858 ,
and of mullahs or priests, 1,639. The great disproportion between^the
settled and the nomad populations will be apparent when it is observed
that the former live in 8,000 houses, and the latter in i.^ o o o tents
Whilst, therefore, the nomads roam over the whole provmce. divid
into 78 volosts, the settled population is found m a f ewt o vms o fwh i c h
the principal are Viemy, Tokmak, Kopal, Sergiopol, and Karakol, each
the chief town of one of the five uyezds into which the province is
divided, also Lepsinsk and Iliisk, whilst my statistics give the names
besides of 64 villages and hamlets. The houses are of stone and wood
hi about equal proportions, and, apart from dwelling-houses, there are.
throughout the province 9 caravanserais, or native inns, 33 schools,
^ Muhammadan colleges, 24 churches and monasteries 8 mosques
(also 6 hospitals in 1869). There were besides of industrial buildings
341 windmills, 24 stamping mills, 2 tanneries, 3 tallow and 2 soap
settled agriculturists add rye, oats, and clover.* The
seed sown in 1878 all over the province amounted to
5,300 tons, and the harvest to 47,000, thus yielding on
an average nearly a ninefold crop. O f this amount
the nomads raised only 7,211 tons, the major part
being produced by the settlers ; but when we come to
factories;. 1 match factory, 3 wine factories, 1 brandy distillery, 1
brewery, and 13 bazaars.
The following details I give in full, as, I believe, they have not
appeared elsewhere:—
SETTLED
POPULATION.
Houses.
Males.
Females.
Kirghese.
Sarts.
Tatars.
Kalmuks.
1
Dungans.
Russian
Colonists.
Viemy uyezd 3,328 12,452 11,252 539 1,202 1,034 231 20,698
Issik-Kul „ 713 2,84t 2,372 28 506 162 170 ¿19 3,728
Kopal ,, 1,454 4,983 4> 102 10 141 r,4ir 327 7,196
Sergiopol ,, 1,833 5,635 4,705 442 23 229 to 9,636
Tokmak ,, 675 4 ,9 0 6 2,541 500 772 3,256 2,919
8 ,0 03 30,817 24,972 1,019 2,372 3,608 738 3,875 44,177
55,789 55,789
NOMADS. Kibitkas. Males. Females. Kirghese.
Tatars,
Kalmuks,
etc.
Viemy uyezd .
Issik-Kul ,,
Kopal ,,
Sergiopol ,,
Tokmak ,,
34,136
14,909
26,337
24,515
26,559
102,707
32,396
62,590
48,734
45,221
96,142
28,497
56,09t
39,724
41,065
195,258
56,751
118,643
88,073
86,286
3,591
4,142
38
385
126,456 29t,648 261,519 545,011 8,156
553,167 553,167
* The sowing and reaping in Semirechia for 1878 were (in ton s ):—
Sowing. Reaping.
! >V»
Wheat. '
Barley
and
Oats.
s
4>) O
G
«>x
Wheat.
Barley
and
Oats .
Millet. |
Clover.
Settlers . 498
Nomads
1,949
428
2,215
53 136
27 3,659 15,919 14,761
2,1091 233 4,870
5,418
Total . I 498 2,377 2,268 136 27 3,659 18,038 14,994
I1^' oo 11^ O
00
5,306 tons. 46,979 tons.