Thomas Henry Barker

“ Around the square are fine buildings red and white, with roofs of a beautiful green. The ground is, of course, covered with snow. Inside the Church is magnificent with carving, gilding, paint and pictures, no plain wall; the style the richest Byzantine. It was crowded with people of all classes; all standing. The Chair was noble, I have never heard such chanting before. The priests were in cloth of gold and silver, and the Chief Priest wore a black hat of this shape ⁠ He was a beautiful man, with long golden hair moustache and long fair imperial. ”

“ It is the native gold that has provided so many large Siberian fortunes, and the winners give large sums away for educational and philanthropic purposes. The younger Russians are fond of wine and women, but the elder ones are many of them most devout and benevolent.
Siberia now is a great contrast in many ways to what our ideas of it were, and it is going ahead wonderfully fast, and the climate gives energy to the people. ”

“ I have never had anything so full of interest and variety before, and I am not the least tired of travelling I have a large and comfortable sitting and bed-room combined here, and people keep calling to see me. ”