Siberian Prisons.
17
that these men were free, and the chief of from their appearance, the great majority of police told me that they were only awaiting them were criminals of the lowest and most the coming of one of the regular convoys to degraded category. I could not conceal my start for home, free men, having paid their surprise at the smallness of the guard that stood watch over them, and the absence of debt to society. A prison-ship arrived from Odessa in fear that seemed to be entertained of the Vladivostok the day before my departure. It possibility of an outbreak. With the excep was the Voronzoff, a magnificent Clyde-built tion of three men, who, as punishment for ship, with airy and roomy quarters. She was misconduct during the voyage, were chained the finest-looking ship I saw in the far east, to the deck, the convicts were free to move and yet I was assured that she was not an about, it appeared, pretty much as they exception, but rather the type of the Russian pleased. The guard of soldiers certainly did not number twenty men, who went about volunteer fleet. I went on board of the prison-ship well generally unarmed; and the sailors of the before she came to anchor. Though in from ship, who were not armed at all, seemed to be on the best of terms with the convicts, a voyage of nearly fifty days, and after ex periencing severe weather continuously for with whom they sat and talked, and even the past two weeks, I found the vessel and played cards. The convicts, judging from the convict quarters as clean and as sweet their faces, seemed all to belong to one and as are the steerage compartments on our own the same class of confirmed and hardened Atlantic steamers at the end of a voyage of criminals, but ethnically it was the most less than a week. Of course I would have varied assortment of types of the races of the these adjectives to be understood in a relative human family that I remember to have seen. — From "The Convict System in Siberia," sense only. There were no "politicals" on board. by Stephen Bonsal, in " Harper's Maga There were about 1100 convicts, and, judging zine" for August.
