Irkoutsk  is  next  to  Yeniseisk  in  age,  having  been  found-
ed in  1680,  the  former  in  1618.  It  has  become  the  great-
est mart  on  the  overland  route  between  China  and  Rus-
sia, while  many  of  the  more  devout,  whose  minds  in-
cline constantly  to  sacred  things,  regard  it  as  a  holy  city,


34^  KUBAIAN  KIHILISM  A.KD

particularly  as  Siberia's  patron  saint  lies  buried  ther»^
The  climate  is  said  to  be  very  fine,  exceptinthe  fall,  wheu
heavy  fogs  prevail  that  are  infinitely  more  disagreeable  than
the  rainy  season  in  San  Francisco,  which  is  saying  a  great
deal.  My  experience  may  he  exceptional,  but  it  has  always
happened  that  in  visiting  a  strange  country  I  invariably
arrive  just  in  the  very  worst  season, — or  at  least  the  na-
tives tell  me  so.  But  I  have  suspected,  many  times,  that
these  assurances  of  exceptional  weather  proceeded  from
local  jDrejudice,  or  the  common  love  for  home  place.
Any  how,  I  struck  Irkoutskin  a  bad  spell,  for  it  was  not
only  snowing  with  great  violence  but  there  was  a  fearful
wind  blowing  which  seemed  to  gather  up  big  drifts  of
snow  for  the  sole  purpose  of  dashing  them  into  people's
eyes.  This  wretched  blizzard  put  a  temporary  stop  to
horse  racing,  but  during  the  night  there  occurred  a  great
change  for  the  better,  the  wind  ceased  entirely,  and  when
morning  broke  Aurora  burst  upon  a  beautiful  scene.  At
breiikfast  every  one  present  was  talking  about  the  races,
and  when  I  went  out  upon  the  street  nothing  else  seemed
to  be  thouo;ht  of.  In  fact  I  soon  learned  that  horse  rac-
ing  at  Irkoutsk  served  the  same  purpose  there  that  pool-
rooms and  market  quotations  in  exchanges  and  bucket-
shops  do  in  this  country — they  are  the  popular  resources
of  speculators.
