I take pleasure in saying that these efforts have been
uniformly well received, alike by your Imperial Majesty s
Officials, the Clergy, and the people; and I trust they have
also your Majesty's approval and sympathy. I cannot doubt
that the good-will thus manifested towards the endeavours of
a foreigner, is in part the outcome o f that encouragement
to the distribution o f the Holy Scriptures which has been
shown fo r .many years by your Imperial Majesty s illustrious
predecessors; and I venture very humbly to express the hope
that what little I have been permitted to do in the hospitals
and prisons o f the vast realms o f Russia may be continued
and multiplied a hundredfold by your Imperial Majesty and
your fa ith fu l subjects.
I f I may add but one word, it shall be to express my
grateful appreciation o f the confidence reposed in me, when
unrestricted permission was given fo r the dedication o f this
book to your Imperial Majesty. Conformably therewith I have
treated my subject frankly and without reserve (in fact, I had
a ll but finished the work before the welcome permission arrived');
and though I dare not anticipate that no mistakes will be found,
yet I am hopeful that these pages will show that I have striven
to write impartially, and prove likewise that your Majesty's
confidence has not been misplaced.
It is with these sentiments, Sire, I desire to inscribe my
volumes. I pray that He who alone can bestow every good gift
may vouchsafe to your Imperial Majesty a long continuance
o f health and happiness, and
I have the honour to remain
Your Imperial Majesty’s very humble Servant,
TH E AU TH O R .
P R E F A C E .
f P 'H E S E volumes may be considered as a record
I I of the completion of the philanthropic object
|that originally prompted my first visit to Asiatic
■Russia as detailed in the work entitled “ Through
■Siberia.” My sources of information have been
|four : namely, personal observations, carefully noted
|on the sp o t; a series of conversations on a prearranged
plan with inhabitants of Central .Asia ,
■official statistics and unpublished documents; and,
la s tly , the general literature of the subject.
Not many Englishmen have preceded me in
■Turkistan, and not one, so far as I know, over the last
■portion of my journey. The only English writer
■who has covered the major part of the route is
■Dr. Eugene Schuyler, of whose “ Turkistan I can
■speak in terms only of the highest praise. He has
■treated many subjects so fully that I have thought
■it unnecessary to say much about them. This is
■notably the case with commerce and methods of
■war; and I have regarded politics also as not falling
■within my province. T he work of M. Ujfalvy de
■Mezo-Kovesd I have found quite the best on the