M. de Witte, the Russian Chancellor of the Exchequer, has
officially informed the Czar that the " Great Siberian Railway " is complete. This does not mean that permanent regular traffic can be opened, two more years of work being required for that, but "temporary traffic can from to-day (November 9th) be carried on along the whole system," that is, from Moscow to Vladivostook. Even this much, of course, will greatly facilitate the transit of letters, of special officers, and, we should suppose, of urgently required troops, the journey being rather slow in its later stages than actually impeded. The line as yet constructed is nearly five thousand miles long, and with all its imperfections reflects the highest credit on the perseverance both of the Government and the engineers. They have gone on steadily for ten years; they have had, says the Czar in his reply to M. de Witte, to face " incredible difficulties "; and now the end is fully in sight. We have dwelt elsewhere on the great addi- tibia which the railway makes to Russian power in the Far East; but after all, that is hardly so striking as the revelation the' work affords of Russian strength of will.
Previous page
