Mongolia by drawing the sympathies of the Mongol khans towards them, for the khans realize that in them they have a guarantee against the arbitrary economic exploitation of the Chinese.
(4) Mongolian Exports and Imports.
a. Cotton Manufactured Goods.—Cotton goods are among the most important domestic articles used by the Mongols. It is estimated by Siberian traders that each Mongol requires for his rough cloth tunic and linen underwear from four to five roubles' worth of cheap cotton manufactures a year. Until recent years Russian goods have had almost complete predominance. Thus the imports of Russian cotton prints and textiles into North-West Mongolia by the route from Biisk to Kobdo steadily increased after 1892, till in the year 1902 they rose to a maximum of 688,000 pouds, about 11,000 tons; from 1903 to 1910, however, there has been a steady decline, until now Russian cotton exports in Mongolia along this route are in the same position as they were in 1892. Along the north-eastern route via Khiakta, a similar increase and decrease can be observed in Russian cotton exports, which reached a maximum of 14,863 pouds in 1906, and have fallen rapidly since. Besides the competition of the Chinese cotton goods of recent years, the fall in the value of silver has hit the Russian trader in Mongolia very hard. According to Professor Soboleff, in 1890 silver was worth 1200 roubles (£310) per poud (36 lbs.) and the Chinese lian was equivalent to 1 rouble 90 kopeks (4s. 1½d.). A piece of cotton textile, however, which was formerly worth 1 lian 2 tsen in Mongolia, and 2 roubles 25 kopeks in Siberia, is now only worth 1 lian in Mongolia and
