from the post-master to the station-keepers, which
helped me famously. I was unable to get everything
in readiness until the morning of the 19th, when we
learned that our interests were being looked after by
postilions, who came to tell us that Cossacks had more
than once been sent to them by the police-master to
see that we were not delayed. Some of our acquaintances
called to bid us farewell, and Mr. Kossa-
govsky, in Russian fashion, accompanied us on horseback
for some few miles out of the town.
W e had now before us a drive of nearly 500 miles
to Semipolatinsk, in the course of which we expected
to change horses 31 times at a like number of stations,*
the first two introducing us to Cossack life. The
Cossack population of the provinces of Akmohnsk
and Semipolatinsk in 1879 was located in 149 settlements,
and made up of 87,723 combatants, and 99,139
other persons, t About 25,000 combatants, and a
further population of 28,000, were living in 54 settlements,
called the “ Irtish line.” They were originally
settled along the river, to serve as a protection against
the inroads of the Kirghese, a plan similar to one I
* The following are the stations, with distances between, in versts
1. Omsk—
2. Ustzaostrovsk 28
22
19
1
18
26
26
25
28
24
18
3. Achairsk
4. Pokrovsk
5. Izylbashsk
6. Salyansk
7. Cherlakovsk
8. Tatarovsk
9. Urlyutyupsk
10. Jeliezinsk
11. Piatoryijsk
12. Bobrorsk
13. Osmorijsk . 18
14. Peschana . 29
15. Prasna . . 24
16. Chemorietsk 16
17. Chemoyarsk. 26
18. Paylodar . 26
19. Podstepna . 22
20. Yamyeshevsk 30
21. Cheraa . . 22
22. Lebyaj . . 31
23. Podpuskna . 25
25. Semiyarsk . . 29
26. Grachevsk . .2 6
27. Cheremkhovsk ; 33
28. Dolonsk . . 20
29. Bielokammena . 23
30. Glukhovsk . . 20
31. Starosemipolatinsk 16
32. Semipolatinsk . 16
Total Versts, 727
24. Kribinska . 24
+ The Cossacks of Western Siberia, which add to the above 20
settlements about Biisk, were divided for military purposes into 5
saw in 18 7 9 along the right bank of the Ussuri. The
approaches of the Kirghese are now no longer to be
feared, so that these Cossacks have practically lost
their local raison d'être, but Russia has by their means
colonized a fruitful terrain, and planted a succession of
villages, many of which have upwards of 400 inhabitants,
some of them even possessing churches. The
male inhabitants of these Cossack villages are bound
to serve in war, and are instructed in the handling of
arms by Atamans, who are drilled for the rnost part at
Omsk, and who sometimes preside over the Cossack
communities. The Cossacks have themselves to provide
for the erection of their houses, their uniform and
horses, receiving from the Government only weapons
and munitions, and a pay so small, that for a captain it
amounts to only 283-. a year. On the other hand all
Cossacks are exempt from taxation, and every head of
a family has a grant of about 10 0 acres of land for
cultivation. Should more be required a small rent is
charged, which doubtless is more than recouped by the
sums for pasturage paid by the Kirghese to the Cossacks,
to whom the land for about 20 miles 011 either
side of the line belongs. These warrior-farmers culti-
“ lines,” located in 1879 in 169 settlements, made up of 94,462 combatants,
and of 107,945 other Cossack population. Their agriculture
is represented as follows ¡¡MKÊ
Sown Reaped Ratio of harvest
Rye, wheat, oats, I o ^ r
barley and prossa > 42’° 83 ^ I50’6 l° . 3 7
Potatoes S,5i8 „ 25,488 „ 5-8
And their possessions in cattle :—
Absolute number Average to each family
Horses 81,260 4*3
Horned cattle 82,916 4-4
Sheep and goats 98,490 5-2