endure the importation of competitive goods from Western Europe into markets where they at present enjoy undisputed monopoly.
These powerful interests, which the Russian Government is afraid to ignore, are opposed to lowering the customs duties at any Siberian port, or of admitting anything like the principle of Free Trade in the relations of Siberia with the outer world. The Siberians, on the other hand, are anxious to develop the new route, which would open up trade with some of their most fertile districts in the interior, and also relieve them from the domination of Moscow monopolists, who force them to pay high prices for inferior manufactures and goods. As, however, they have only eight members in the Duma, they have little influence at St Petersburg. This, then, is the political situation which dominates the economic relationship between Siberia and European Russia, and any large trade in general goods from Western Europe to the Yenisei can only be encouraged by the lowering of the Siberian customs duties. The obstacles, therefore, in the way of bringing about rebates on these duties are considerable under present political conditions in Siberia, and unless English shipowners and capitalists realize the position, they will meet with failure when they attempt expeditions to the Yenisei.
Certain goods, however, might be profitably imported by this route. Such articles are iron rails for the railway, mining machinery, certain classes of agricultural machinery on which the tariff is low, such as thrashing machines, reapers, binders, dairy implements, and in fact all classes of machinery which are not manufactured at present in Russia,
