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fish in tall piles from the Caspian, tea from China, cotton from India,
silk and rugs from Persia, heavy furs and sables from Siberia, wool in
the raw state from Cashmere, together with the varied products of the
trans-Caucasian provinces, even including droves of wild horses. Fancy
goods are here displayed from England as well as from Paris and Vienna,
toys from Nuremberg, ornaments of jade and lapis-lazuli from Kashgar,
precious stones from Ceylon, and gems from pearl-producing Penang.
Variety, indeed! Then what a conglomerate of odors permeates
everything,--boiled cabbage, coffee, tea, and tanned leather,--dominated
by the all-pervading musk; but all this is quite in consonance with the
queer surroundings which meet the eye, where everything presents itself
through an Oriental haze.

If any business purpose actuates the visitor, let him keep his wits
about him, and, above all, remain cool, for it requires an effort not to
be confused by the ceaseless buzzing of such a crowded hive of human
beings. Sharpers are not unrepresented here, but may be seen in full
force seeking to take advantage of every opportunity for imposition, so
that many who come hither thrive solely by dishonesty. It is a sort of
thieves' paradise--and Asiatic thieves are marvellously expert. Most of
these are itinerants, having no booths, tables, or fixtures, except a
satchel or box hung about their necks, from which they offer trifling
articles at low prices, a specious disguise under which to prosecute
their real design.

The period of great differences in prices at localities wide apart has,
generally speaking, passed away, and nearly everywhere the true value of
things is known. Circumstances may favor sellers and buyers by turns,
but intrinsic values are fixed all over the world. Nothing is found
especially cheap at this great Russian-Asiatic fair except such articles
as no one wants, though occasionally a dealer who is particularly
anxious to get cash will offer his goods at a low price to effect the
desired sale. The Tartar merchant from the central provinces of Asia
knows the true worth of his goods, though in exchange he pays liberal
prices for Parisian and English luxuries. Gems which are offered so
abundantly here can only be bought at somewhat near to their just value
in the markets of the world. All the tricks of trade are known and
resorted to at these gatherings. The merchant begins by demanding a
price ridiculously above the amo