ROUTES TO BAKU.

3

tour can be effected, with only a slightly increased expenditure of time, by proceeding by rail through Berlin, St. Petersburg, and Moscow to Nijni Novgorod, and then dropping down the Volga in a steamer to the Caspian; the return route being via Tiflis, Batoum, Odessa, and Vienna. This I should designate the best route of all. The Volga may also be struck at Tsaritzin by those who have less time to spare; or, one may journey by rail direct to Vladikavkaz, at the foot of the Caucasus, and thence post by road to Petrovsk on the Caspian, catching there the steamer to Baku, or, view the magnificent scenery of the Caucasus by proceeding through the Dariel Pass to Tiflis, whence the railway takes the traveller on to his destination. But these alternative routes to Baku, however attractive, are only summer ones. In winter-time the Volga is frozen to its mouth, the Caucasian passes are clogged with snow, and the traveller to Baku can hardly do better than take the direct route across the Black Sea. I myself travelled to Baku by this route, going and returning, but I had undertaken so many journeys through Russia previously, that there was little temptation to adopt a more circuitous road, even if circumstances had not been altogether hostile to any such

notion.

As for equipment, so little is needed beyond the ordinary requirements of home travelling, that one might really start from Charing Cross with nothing except a spare suit of clothes and two or three changes of linen, and pick up at the well-stocked shops of Odessa, Batoum, or Baku whatever subsequently seemed necessary. In summer, a helmet should be taken, not omitting some pipeclay to clean it, as helmets rapidly soil, and Russians in the south are very particular about the spruceness of their head-gear.

Or, better still, the traveller may leave behind the helmet and its inconvenient case, and purchase at Odessa one of those white caps which are universally worn by upper-class Russians and officers throughout South Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. These have linen covers, which can be removed and washed, and besides looking always spruce, they are easily stowed. away, are very comfortable, and provoke less notice than the helmet. A couple of white suits will be appreciated, and a light macintosh will be found useful at Batoum, where heavy rains are common all the year round. Any medicines the traveller may require may be easily obtained at the chemist shops in Russian towns, but as their drugs are sometimes dear and bad, it is as well to take a little quinine, some chlorodyne, a few pills, and above all a bottle or two of Eno's fruit salt-perhaps the best medicine in the world for the Caspian region, where the heat and the dust occasionally provoke symptoms needing a gentle and invigorating treatment. But, providing he carefully avoids drinking water, the traveller may disregard any fears of ill-health during his journey. Batoum is the only place seriously affected with malaria, and his stay is not likely to be long there. Keating, of course, should not be forgotten by those who have sensitive skins; although this advice sounds like recommending the carrying of coal to Newcastle, since Transcaucasia is the district where the insect-killing Persian powder is produced. Small revolvers are invariably carried in the Caucasus.

The pleasantest time for visiting Baku is in the autumn, when the torrid heat of summer is over, and travelling is rendered enjoyable by the abundance of fruit in the Caucasus. Not many persons are likely to visit the region in winter; but all that is needed by

TRAVELLING ADVICE.

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those who do is a fur-lined coat, such as have been fashionable in London of late, a fur cap, and a pair of flannel-lined goloshes. As I have before stated, anything else the traveller fancies he wants he can readily obtain en route. He will naturally not omit to have his passport viséd by a Russian consul before leaving, or he will be stopped at the frontier. During his travels in Russia the passport must be handed over to the keeper of every hotel he stops at, to be registered by the local police, and before quitting the country he must obtain a notification (sveedaitelstvo) from the police that there is no crime against him, without which he will again render himself liable to be stopped at the border. This notification is usually obtained by the hotel-keeper of the last town the traveller stops at before leaving the country.

Travelling direct first-class, the journey from London to Baku costs about £35, including ordinary hotel and every other expense en route. The cost second-class is about £25, which includes first-class fare across the Black Sea, the second-class cabins being too unsatisfactory on the steamers. The Russian second-class carriages are not so good as those on the German lines, but persons travelling to the limits of Germany secondclass can pay the excess fare and travel first on entering Russia. The money for the journey should be taken in English gold and notes, which may be readily changed at the principal Continental stations, or in the form of a letter of credit on a banking house at Odessa or Tiflis. In France 100 centimes make a franc, or 10d.; in Germany 100 pfennigs a mark, or ls. ; and in Russia 100 copecks (pronounced copeeks) a paper rouble, or 2s. The silver rouble is a myth; it disappeared from circulation years ago.

I have gone rather fully into these details, because

there are a very large number of people interested in the petroleum trade anxious to avail themselves of the resources of Baku. If they will accept my word that it is as easy to go from London to the Caspian by the route I traversed as from London to Newcastle, they will perhaps be tempted to do what more than one Englishman has already done-go straight to Baku and make arrangements on the spot with the firms there for the opening up of business relations. A splendid market exists at Baku ready to be exploited, direct communication between it and England has just been established, and all that is needed is that English men of business should avail themselves of the new opening before Continental rivals appear upon the

scene.

I left London at half-past eight on Wednesday night, August 15, bound for Baku, via Berlin. On previous occasions I had made for the German capital by the Calais route, but this time I thought I would try the way by Flushing. It is an advantage of this route that if you are a good sailor, and the steamer is not crowded, you have an excellent night's rest, while, in addition, the travelling through Holland is superior to that on the wretched French railways. On the other hand, it is a serious disadvantage that when you reach Berlin you have only a quarter of an hour to change trains, purchase your ticket, and register your luggage; hence, besides standing a chance of losing your train, you have no time for either a wash and brush up or a supper.

The night was so boisterous that at the last moment I was inclined to change the route and proceed via Calais. However, never liking to alter my plans once they are formed, I kept to my original intention, and after an hour and a half's rapid spin found myself on

ACROSS TO FLUSHING.

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the jetty at Queenboro', making for the steamer " Prince of Orange." The powerful vessels of the Zeeland Steamship Company are well adapted for service across the Channel on rough nights such as that on which I left England, and are certainly preferable to the older boats on the Calais route, on one of which I was last year ill from the time I left Dover until I reached Calais. On the same boat I should have probably been ill again, but in the case of the "Prince of Orange" I had a good supper while the luggage and mails were being hauled on board, and had already made myself snug and fallen into a heavy sleep before we were fairly in rough water. Shortly after midnight I was awakened by a deal of pitching and rolling, but with the exception of one particularly vicious jerk, which nearly deprived me at a stroke of what remained of my supper, I suffered no inconvenience, and slept again until the steward aroused me to to say that we were close alongside Flushing.

Proceeding on deck, I found the vessel already made fast to the quay, and the passengers hurrying across it to the rambling station beyond. This is only of a temporary character, and doubtless will be made more convenient when the traffic settles down. The refreshment room is very inadequate for the requirements of the place, and when the steamer arrives crowded with passengers it must be almost impossible to get a comfortable meal. Even at the best of times, there is a scramble for the eggs and rolls and coffee.

Breakfast over, there was plenty of time to dawdle over one's toilet before the train drew into the station. Then the doors were opened, and the passengers made an unnecessary rush for the carriages, in which there was plenty of room for twice their number. A few minutes later all were comfortably seated, and insti