_1st November._--A bright morning, but more snow on ground and not so cold. Saw many Mongols and Chinese. The country was hilly and sparsely wooded with silver birch and bushes. At Irekte the Russians have quite a colony, and the line apparently has a branch running South. From Irekte to Boukhédou, a distance of about 25 miles, the line passed over some very steep hills. Two engines to haul us up, and coming down the descent was made in gradients, the train first running a mile or so one way, then stopping, when the engines were shunted to the other end, when we ran about a mile in the opposite direction, and so on, so that we described a perfect zigzag. A tunnel through this range of hills is being bored, and a colony of 150 Italian mechanics, together with their wives, has been imported to do it. Boukhédou is already quite a large place with numbers of substantial Russian houses built of wood, and many more, as well as a station, in course of construction. Sentries armed with rifle and revolver were stationed every here and there along the line. A fair amount of rolling-stock. Saw several long-haired goats, also some Chinese pedlars. Evidently a good deal of ground game in this locality, judging from traces in the snow.
_2nd November._--We arrived at Harbin (or Kharbine) towards noon. I could see tall factory chimneys for some time previously, and then we crossed by a fine iron bridge over the Sungari River, whereon I saw about a dozen river-steamers, of say 1,000 to 1,500 tons, laid up for the winter, and a score or so of barges of perhaps 400 to 600 tons. A large paddle steamer was towing a barge under the bridge against the swift current as we passed over.
This large town, which has entirely sprung up since advent of the railway, looked almost wholly Russian, there being a population of about 64,000 Russians and not so many Chinese. Russians here were even working as labourers, drivers of droskies, etc. Many European houses and several large brick-built factories in course of construction. The Russians are here with the intention of staying, and are making good their hold as quickly as possible.
The station is perhaps a mile from the river and of considerable size, though still in a rough stage, for Harbin is the junction of the line to Vladivostock and the line to Dalny and Port Arthur. Here was a great deal of rolling-stock--scores of cars and many engines.