The Letter about. Avvakuma fair from Beijing to Arkhangelsk. On June, 12th, 1834 // Russian archive, 1884 kn. 3, № 5, N.153-60.

OUR CHINESE MISSION HALF A CENTURY BACK

... Whether To tell now, what my life in Beijing? I went to Beijing as on a visit, and has arrived as to a hell. With impatience expected trip abroad, I in advance admired both the local nature, and a local historical life, and a variety of subjects for employment; but as bitterly was mistaken! No, was mistaken not so much, how many oshibilo me and all my comrades especially one circumstance, not predvidennoe neither us, nor the government.

... What the local nature, also what our life? The first resembles the prosperous stepmother, the second - on moving death. But to extend about it I shall not begin. The number ?occeeo the newcomers vanishing in Beijing, is known to you. My comrades, together with me rushed of Academy, you know; and about secular colleagues to write there is nothing, a part because they to you are unknown, and more because all of them kind people. For you, possibly, it is the most curious to hear something about our chief (archimandrite Veniamin (Morachevich) - and.), Under punishing which right hand you are no time doomed the golovushku. Archimandrite Peter, behind first our dinner in Beijing, pred whole light has proclaimed its phoenix what in Poccee did not happen and will not be and with a smile added, that it would not be solved in any way on any waste of the state sum (more 50-oe poods of silver), killed by this phoenix on the device of monasteries (i.e. without a permission of the government), on reduction of plans of that construction (born in a head of this phoenix) in the performance of. On this ingenuous response to admit, then nobody has paid due attention; but from four-year-old experiences of our short acquaintance to it, we have absolutely made sure, that really it is such bird who on validity can be named a unusual natural phenomenon. Within ten years before our arrival, by its own words, it was engaged only in constructions: broke, pochinival, destroyed and created again. One Uspensky the temple has born some revolutions, how long is not resulted in that condition in what now is.

Or at least educational employment it did not consider Scientists the duty and within ten years could not read through with teacher Chetyrehknizhija in the Chinese language. About other books it had no also concept. When it was necessary to approve for us a method of studying of the Chinese language, it has proclaimed, that nadobno to pass with teacher Chetyrehknizhie at least eight years then we are able to understand a little and other books. Uzheli it refers to as a method, and uzheli we so are silly, that eight years to be engaged in one chetyrehknizhiem? We have dared to assure it, that this nonsense if it is necessary, we can easily pass less rather than in three years; it has squeezed only a teeth and nothing answered us. This beginning of hatred to its missionaries. Concerning to distribution of employment, at least between monks, it has not wanted and to listen to us, having told, that will be made when you will pass chetyrehknizhie, i.e. in eight years. But absolutely understanding uselessness of employment by such trifles, ourselves have disposed as follows: I have incured research of religion of the so-called scientist, Feofilakt - research of religion daosov, the Polycarp-research of religion buddistskoj; employment by subjects by strangers have given to an arbitrariness of everyone. Secular members ieccee under the instruction have the purposes. But here one speaks the chief, that here by a mountain part there is nothing to do at all, and that instead of this it is much better to borrow in other any subject. The chief has slapped ears as late Kabud, and to it of a subject has assigned care of purpose to the Allah and on ingenuity of the missionary. Here another, not studying neither philosophies, nor jurisprudence, to destination instructions cares to learn in these subjects though something: rummages in library between Russian books, to find out about what the philosophy interprets and than the jurisprudence smells; Buys legal books and thinks, that all this bulk nadobno, at least, to translate into language Russian; and the chief will not guess neither to adjust, nor to correct, to encourage ready to destroy itself with a philosophical or legal dust, poeliku itself does not know, that is good, that is thin, that is necessary and that is useless. This last offer is proved to that it has again started to read chetyrehknizhie at a management of the silly and eternally drunk teacher, thinking, that little by little though from here will be scooped up knowledges and in due course itself will become Konfutsiem. If we have not advised it to read local newspapers and again leaving decrees sometimes to inform any news in Pocce? it and till now would read one chetyrehknizhie. In general it does not like to be engaged in that does not conduct it to an overall objective which was specified to it with the nature, too generously having presented with its organism nervously-irritable; and this purpose consists in execution of plans of its insatiable ambition. Plans these, its receipts fermented from time in the Beijing mission, now, apparently, in the strongest fermentation. As the teacher of Russian at local iaiu??o?nei-Russian school, it even before our arrival solicited a local grade of 6-th degree and a white ball and then still as narrates the legend, it as soon as did not take director of the mentioned school for a throat. But (so) as with reception of a grade and a ball the perfect citizenship to local emperor is interfaced, and without it it was impossible to give it anything director, being afraid of its threats, that at the first case missionaries will refuse to translate the manchurian papers sent from here in Poc??? on Russian, has agreed to petition at the government that it has communicated with the government Russian, and therefrom has asked to it decent rewarding. And it is made. The rich cross and a cloak are welcome to it from the Cabinet. But here to it the most extensive field for kinds of ambition and for hope for reception of similar or even greater awards from our government now has opened.

Nyneshneju zimoju the first local minister the Tub-eei of time three came in Sretenskoe a farmstead to our painter Legionovu for removal from of a portrait. soglasis, that for Russian mission so is a lot of this honour, as it is impossible more. But nadobno still to remember, that because of minister there came there some more persons rather important, somehow: its son, comrade Beijing the general-inspector of the Chinese armies accompanied by police officers and the whole flight budochnikov with whips; other comrade and the native brother of the same the general-inspector; also the president of chamber of foreign affairs ne-yes-wives which it was mentioned in " Northern Bee " and which, for the impudent report on the occasion of death of empress in the past to year, is degraded from imperial the general-lecturer and glavnoupravljajushchego by palace board; moreover the inspector of Russian farmstead the ayi-dignity, and tribunalnyj official Sun, the brother of vice-president. The old man minister stayed hour on three motionlessly, not smelling tobacco and not moving neither language, nor eyes; for that and its portrait is trimmed perfectly. Repeatedly it expressed the pleasure both in words, and in practice: approached to a portrait more close, looked at it from afar, came from sides, rose and, squating on kortochki, primerivalsja as it will seem from below. At last, it is rich otdaril both the painter, and the chief, and servants of a farmstead. If from such important acquaintance the chief will not have time to take for itself benefit on the future fifth anniversary hardly probable remains in Beijing: it will be resolute impact for its ambition. Kinds of the government and success of mission for it anything, the main thing it. When minister with extreme simplicity and kindliness expressed displeasure on the thin maintenance of the state ambassadorial house, with greater participation asked on our fatherland and about employment of missionaries, it could not get speech even about main our need more often to have cases for correspondence with fatherland, and assignments of the government not to it and to interpret! Whether To speak now what it addresses c missionaries? Izbavi the God and our enemies from the similar chief! About it I would tire with stories myself on empty, and itself would kill time for the description vopistsa, both the chief, and servants of a farmstead. If from such important acquaintance the chief will not have time to take for itself benefit on the future fifth anniversary hardly probable remains in Beijing: it will be resolute impact for its ambition. Kinds of the government and success of mission for it anything, the main thing it. When minister with extreme simplicity and kindliness expressed displeasure on the thin maintenance of the state ambassadorial house, with greater participation asked on our fatherland and about employment of missionaries, it could not get speech even about main our need more often to have cases for correspondence with fatherland, and assignments of the government not to it and to interpret! Whether To speak now what it addresses c missionaries? Izbavi the God and our enemies from the similar chief! About it I would tire with stories myself on empty, and itself would kill time for the description of nonsenses.

Menneiia?u are engaged in languages, read some books with teachers, and others pomalenku assort and without their help and as required to it tell both about books, and about subjects, in them described; and it takes away it for heart and even enrages, poeliku it thinks, that such stories make a fun of it and especially to prick it in superficiality of assumptions of impossibility to learn a little on-eeoaenee in continuation of three years. By it, we doubt, that it understood, that honour is interfaced to successes of missionaries and its own. Four missionaries together with it sit at advice and often destroy with what its incompatible inventions, for example about construction of any Babel tower on a cemetery, about section of the table sum by rules of late Shemjaki and so forth; And it so strongly acts on its liver and bile, that it, at each formal reply in fatherland, the most black paints soils us before the government, exposing however absolutely other pretexts to our charge and thus for the lack of cords entangles us at least pautinoju. Without an especial appeal or dispatch any of missionaries does not go to it, being afraid to die of boring and its tiresome conversation, and even for punishment consider to meet it in a monastery or in a garden; for its ambition it is such impact which it hardly transfers. But whether missionaries when it has averted from itself(himself) everything, a part the ignorance, a even more foolish and sumatoshlivym the character are guilty?

For the lack of interlocutors-missionaries, it ordinarily spends time as follows: rises at 7 o'clock, and sometimes and earlier, half an hour washes, half an hour prays Aiay for a hedgehog posobiti and pokoriti under noze its everyone iecceoiepa; about a hedgehog vozzheshchi in them ardent love to it and vozroditi in hearts their absolute obedience to its commands all despotic and incompatible to the instruction, about a hedgehog vozmoshchi naplesti on them to the government of any nonsense and a fable and so forth At 8 o'clock drinks green tea until itself will become green; calls the teacher and till 9 1/2 o'clock assorts with it the Chinese newspapers; having released it, sends on kitchen to warm up the so-called tin little man, containing two wine-glasses of raw vodka, has a snack and till a dinner reads Russian newspapers. After a dinner sleeps till 3 o'clock; drinks so-called pur, tea or a boiled ginseng with milk, and leaves to walk on a monastery or on a garden. Here whom has caught, will tell by all means last year's news, vychitannye it in Russian newspapers, it will be imposed to iecceoiepy to sit in a room and till the supper will mill the wind: all right to stay with it of hour for four without business in the most insipid and tiresome conversation! You will run from it necessarily and even to be locked!

Now it would be necessary to something to write about its hypocrisy, skrjazhnichestve, about its reference with Chineses and negotiations with police officer of a farmstead, about its transactions with muzhiks-owners of ours caieeu and about duty-free import to Beijing some merchant oiaapoa, left by them, on a preliminary condition with it, on our cemetery; but I have extremely got tired... This main circumstance which poisons the best days of our life and of which we can get rid only in seven years. About influence of this planet actually on me also I shall write subsequently.

In Beijing I also cannot boast of the Physical life. I here have arrived with a small arrangement to cold. In 1831 the chief has enticed me on warm waters and there has forced me to catch a cold even more, immediately after a bath having dragged off me to walk in a garden, contrary to all my excuses. Local cold oc¬opN has addressed in rheumatism, and I now at the slightest movement of air am afraid to leave a room not having shrouded in a warm dress. Here there will come June, and I put on still a warm jersey and woolen stockings. I am finished to such condition especially silly device of my rooms. The chief before our arrival studied above them to be under construction: here the reason why they do not protect from heat in the summer, and zimoju from a cold. On the southern party aianoo a brick wall the wooden lattice is made and pasted over by a thin paper. In language of fools all this wall refers to as a window. You enter into a room, as in a hell or seni mortal; Think neither to read, nor to write, you will see nothing, how long eye pupils will not extend as at an owl and not posolovejut as at a cat. In some intervals of a lattice I have inserted glasses and have got rid of the melancholy attacked me from influence of is pale-dead light, passing through a paper. Whether it is necessary also for you how our chief, to prove, what this paper in the winter at all does not protect from a cold? I think, you will believe and without proofs. From lack of the necessary heat of rooms ordinarily you order to heat up more strongly the underground furnace to not freeze; but this prokljataja the furnace as on a trouble at me one that is made near paper o¬?a where it is necessary to sit and be engaged constantly; for in other places either it is dark, or it is too cold. Imagine now, that you sit above the heated furnace as on a hot frying pan and besides about a paper wall through which eight Chinese winds freely pass all and walk about on rooms in the winter. To legs it is constant zharko, and to a back and shoulders it is cold. How now you will order to be protected from cold? One means: pereklast the furnace and instead of a lattice to make a brick wall with windows. But I asked about it the chief three times, and poeliku I do not die yet to satisfy to me in this need it postpones till future time. The ego circumstance sooner or later, apparently, will force me to put here the bones. I pochel itself too happy if alive could come back sometime in fatherland. You see now as the life depends on one circumstance physical here, both political, and intellectually-practical! All other inconveniences of a local life, at least, are tolerable, the it is more, that they at all do not upset spirit and do not prevent to be engaged in the business.

You, certainly, will wish to know, what would be with you if academic your intentions to go with me to China were executed? I shall tell to you frankly, that then I would consider myself as the happiest in a view of; and you, the hunter to be engaged, at least, would be free oto all troubles and from any influence of a burdensome comet. In the same way, as in Arkhangelsk or in other place, you would have here again rather good comrades, and, if not two, that, at least one sincere friend who would divide with you happiness and misfortune. Under that condition under what I at last invited you, both of us would be happy and would not envy any »pooN??opy. Rooms in which would get to you to live with me at Uspenskom a temple, in severovostochnom the Beijing corner (in six or seven versts from Sretenskogo a monastery) incomparably it is more convenient than mine; poeliku on northern party it is made three Russian windows, and, hence, in the winter you would not be obliged to sit on a hot frying pan about a paper wall. Instead of curls you would carry a tail on the head trimmed by circle, and only one your teeth would not be afraid tsirulnika. During cool time you shchegoljal in spacious Chinese caftans, and in heats would go everywhere in a white long silk shirt without a belt, without a hat, with one fan, and with horror would recollect close cloth dress coats.

About the Beijing you can read through in zapiskah travellers; all of them recommend it equally. I obelsja a dirt if began to praise it. For the European considered in the physical attitude, it is the perfect hell. That here is not present? Whether Disgusting subjects for sight, hearing and sense of smell? Step only for a gate, and you will involuntarily close eyes the : five do that, desjatero another that I cannot and utter. Here to one comb kosu as a tail ulanskoj horses, wash another as a pig, and the third shave as the clown about a pancake week; here a heap poor, polunagih, rastrepannyh, soiled and addressed in nopyi with a death voice, will surround you, and you obomresh for horror; here the cloud of dust is born along the street and is continually ready to strangle both silly the gaper and the clever observer; here wild and continuous groan of messengers all day long torments ears to everyone orthodox; here torn off budochniki water street - than, it is not necessary and to affect! So, it is necessary to be an aspen block to walk across Beijing. But, living near the most city gate, we with you at any time could leave for city and walk on zasejannym to fields and set derevami to cemeteries. My monastery from three parties is surrounded by water and has a decent appearance. The small garden delivers to us annually set to grapes of five grades, also jablokov, pears, dates of a special sort and the Indian figs.

I wished to write to you about all in detail that is why has started to interpret a scourge shortening our life; but for you it will be more entertaining to hear o our employment, about teachers, about albazintsah, about ?oe? school, about Chineses and manchurians and so forth I shall write about it after, poeliku now we hurry up to send papers and letters in the Tribunal. To Skvortsovu, Koposovu and Troitskomu to write nothing yciae. The day after tomorrow I shall go to Northern mountains, otstojashchie oO Beijing versts in 35-oe, and I shall stay there days 10 or 15; poeliku now there have come heats. Feofilakt lives for a long time there at one Chinese monk; bednjazhka, it it is severe strazhdet a breast, and if not now in the future to year hardly probable will not come back in fatherland. It and the Polycarp testify to you the respect, and I with all the heart and from heart testify to you everything that you will wish. Be healthy, do not forget me, write to me to Beijing though once at summer; address letters to Irkutsk, addressed to it prevosh. Irkutsk civil aoae?iaoi?a Item B.Tsejdlera for dostavlenija to me. Yours Avvakum.