Siberia

A MOST íuteresling contri bution to secret nistory will ba the iliustralcd papen on " Siberia and tha Kxilo System," by Oeorga Konnan. which begin in the faft.V Cmttry mapazine. They will embody 1 ha rcsults of what 1 be lieved to bo the flrst sur cesaful atlonipt by a oom petent. ín vostigator to makt? a thorough study oí the Kussian exile systeui. Hofore undertakine nis ardu ous journey of 15,0(X miles in the interest of Ttit t'miw ry, Mr. Kennan, author 01 Ttnt Life in Siberia, etc., had spent foui yoars ia Russia and Biberia, was tliorough ly conversant with the peole and the Jan iruage. and had reached the conclusión tual the Kussian Government had boen miroi rosentod, and that tho exilo systom of Siberia was not o terrible as was supposed. Knowine that Mr. Kennau beid these view, the Uussian Government gave him every íacility for a thorough IS8PECTIOS OF MISES ASI) PRISOXS of Siberia- the most thorough that had ever boen made by a traveler. Armed with letters from the Kussiau Minister of tho Interior and other high officials. Mr. Keunan went every where, inspectingminesand prisons, convict barges and hospitals, and travelingr with chained exile along tha great Siberian road. He made the intímate personal acquaintance of moro than three hundred exiied "liberal" and Nihilists, many of whom wrote out their histories tor bis use. The actual faets, as revoaled by thl scarchine investigation, were far removod from Mr. Kennau's preconccived ideas, as thi thrilling narraU ve of flfteen months' privatlon and adventure will show. As is already known, the publication of Mr. Kennan's preliminary papers has resulted ia nis bemg placed ON THK BLACK LIST by the Rusaian Oovernment, and copies ol Thé Cmtury containing them have the l jectionable article torn out by the custom officials before benig allowed to enter the Czar's dominions. "Iexpected, of course," says Mr. Kennan, in a recent interview, " to be put on the Kussian black list. I am only thankfui that I succeeded in Crossing the frontier with all my material and papen coming thia way. I. became satisfied before I Kut hall through Sibena that I should never be permitted to go there again, and that after tha publication of my papers no other foreigner would be allowea to make investigations there, and I lost no possible opportunity to secure accuracy ui thoroughness. I brought back more than flfty pounds of noto, papers and original docnments, many of the latter from secret Government archives, besides flve or stz hundred foolscap pages of manuscript, prepared for me by poliUcal ezlles In all parts of Biberia, and covering the most noteworthy episodes of their Uves. I can regard the black listing, therefore, with a certain degree of complaoency. Tbe stable-door is locked, but the borse has been stolen- and I've got him." Mr. O. A. Frost, artlst and photographer, ¦ccompanied Mr. Konnan, and it is ezpected that the results of his work will forra the most interesting series of pictures of Rus¦ian and Siberian Ufe and scenery eve made.