quite literally, though it appears that the income of the
Brotherhood in 1878 amounted to .¿jib 5 only, and in
the following year further decreased to £ 120, out of
which latter amount a small sum was sent to Sarkan
for poor D,ungan apprentices. I heard, during my
stay in Semirechia, of no existing church missions.
Archbishop Alexander told me, however, that they
had in contemplation the establishment of a mission
at Lake Issik-Kul. The missionaries were to be
monks, who ate no meat, and their efforts were
to be directed to the nomads, who ate no bread ;
and thus the neighbourhood of the lake had been
chosen that these spiritual pastors might largely
subsist on fish. A t first their mission was to be
of a scientific character, and afterwards religious ;
the Kara. Kirghese, according to the Archbishop,
being not real Muhammadans, and not knowing the
Koran, though they register themselves as good
Mussulmans.
I have no further details concerning the religious
and educational affairs of the province in general of
a recent date, but observe that, in 1869, there were in
the Kopal uyezd 8 raskolniks. Perhaps they were
Dukhobortsi, for I observe a statement in the pamphlet
about Taranchi emigrants at Sarkan, that a
Cossack who had become one of the Dukhobortsi had
destroyed his ikons, and told the newly-baptized
emigrants that in them they worshipped demons, and
not God. Also in the town of Karakol, in 1869, there
were 5 Romanists and 1 Armeno-Gregorian ; but
otherwise all the Christian population appear to have
been of the orthodox faith. Further, from the Turki-
stan Annual for 1872, it appears that the schools of
the province were of three kinds, and kept by the
communes, by religious houses, and for the poor.*
Having thus treated generally of the “ Land of Seven
Streams,” I shall proceed to describe my journey
through it.
* In 6 town schools 20 teachers instructed 333 boys and 82 g i r ls ;
whilst in 11 district schools 16 teachers instructed 326 boys, but only
6 girls ; giving for the province 17 places of education, 34 teachers,
659 boys, and 88 girls.