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But there is another band of men who should still less
be forgotten—heroes and martyrs, who under the most
adverse circumstances have done noble service in the cause
of scientific research within the vast regions of the province
of Yakutsk. I mean the scientifically-educated political
exiles, who have been sent to different parts of that remote
and inhospitable country. A full description of their work
in the cause of science, not to speak of civilisation in
general, both in Yakutsk and throughout Siberia, would fill
several volumes. The scientific services rendered by the
political exiles have indeed been unique. The official work,
however valuable, has always had this drawback, that
scientists have gone out on the expeditions as officials, of
whom the natives are afraid, and almost invariably without
any knowledge of the native languages. Both these
circumstances are, of course, great hindrances in the way of
scientific travel. The “politicals”, on the other hand,
coming among the natives as their equals and friends,[1] have
the immense advantage of at once being en rapport with the
people among whom they live, and, knowing their language
like their own, they have thus been enabled to study the
everyday life and customs of the natives in a way that the
Russian official traveller could never have done. Many
prominent politicals have used these opportunities for
studying the languages and traditions, the habits and ideas,
the social and religious organisations and so forth of the
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