KAMKATKA.
It is impossible to look at Siberia, without being struck with the shape
of Kamkatka, which juts out like a short arm. It is a peninsula. A
beautiful country it is; full of mountains, and rivers, and woods, and
waterfalls, and not as cold as might be expected. But there are not many
people dwelling in it; for though it is larger than Great Britain, all
the inhabitants might be contained in one of our small towns. And why
are there so few in so fine a country? Because the people love brandy
better than labor. They have been corrupted by the Russian soldiers, and
traders, and convicts, and they are sickening and dying away.
A traveller once said to a Kamkatdale, "How should you like to see a ship
arrive here from China, laden with tea and sugar?" "I should like it
well," replied the man, "but there is one thing I should like better--to
see a ship arrive full of _men_; it is men we want, for our men are sick;
of the twelve here, six are too weak to hunt or fish."
But the ship that would do the most good to Kamkatka, is a missionary
ship. The Greek church is the religion; but _no_ religion is much thought
of in Kamkatka; hunting and fishing only are cared for. Yet I fear if
missionaries were to go to Kamkatka, the emperor of Russia would send
them away.
Where there are few men, there are generally many beasts and birds; this
is the case in Kamkatka.
One of the most curious animals in Siberia, is the Argalis, or mountain
sheep.
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