in the same way as follows, namely, Dungans, Sarts,
Russians, Chinese, Taranchis.*
In the vestibule of the Buddhist temple lived the
Chinese police-master, upon whom, in company with
the Russian officers, we called. He gave us pale
yellow tea, with oval leaves, about i j in . long and ■§ in.
wide, and what looked like blossoms of the plant, in
the cups. It was no doubt thought very choice, but
for me had little flavour. Looking about the room,
I observed a guitar-like instrument with three strings,
the drum being covered with snake-skin, such as I
remembered seeing in 1879 in Eastern Manchuria.
* More particularly they were : —
Religious Profession. Males. Females. Total.
Orthodox . 1,044 1 II9 1,163 ■
Romanists 7 1 47 118
Protestants 1 3
Mussulmans 3.65° 3,507 7>I 57
Pagans . . 809 802 1,611
5.577 4,475 10,052
Races. Males. Females. Total.
Russians . . . . . 1 ,153 ' 148 1,301
Taranchis 2,980 ,2,978 5,958
Chinese . . . . . 841 846 1,687
Sarts . . . . 3 91 2 4 4 535
Dungans . . . . 274 259 533
5,577* 4,475 10,014
* Wrong, but correctly copied.
The Russian population of Kuldja at the same date was made up of
hereditary nobles, 26; personal nobles, 32; clergy, 2 ; merchants, 26;
mechanics, 88; peasants, 5 ; peasants on leave, 18; free Cossack
families, 18; troops, '•1,014; soldiers’ and Cossacks’ wives, 71.
There was also in the police-master’s room a flute,
about two feet long, with ten holes. Before leaving I
offered our host a copy of the Bible in his native
tongue, which he accepted ; and we were then taken to
call upon another Chinese official, an officer of commissariat,
who welcomed us with a smile to his rather
dirty house, and, when asked to accept a Bible, said he
had heard of it as a book, the reading of which would
do a man good. I showed him my Chinese passport,
and he said it was well that I had it, as without
it I might be liable to interference. Looking round
his room, I perceived an important-looking package
wrapped up in yellow silk. I learned it was his seal
of office from the Emperor. He had also a flat box,
two inches square, with a compass and lid, which,
when opened, distended a string intended to throw
a shadow on the box, and thereby act as a pocket sundial.
The officer was dressed in silk, and his manner
was unusually ga.y for a Chinaman. My companions
at once recognized his. condition, and told me that if
he took only a little wine he very soon became
intoxicated, but that the cause of his present hilarity
was opium smoking. On his divan stood an opium
lamp lighted, so that our visit had disturbed him before
he had reached oblivion. One object we had in calling
upon him was to ask him to inform the Chinese
Governor-General at Suidun that I hoped to have the
honour of calling upon him on my return journey in
two or three days, and when this was arranged we
returned to the Consulate to dinner.
W e had now visited some of the religious buildings
of the town,'and I had distributed my books and tracts
as opportunity served. Mr. Sevier took some to the
Russian hospital, whither I did not accompany him,