Note 10 — Chapter XLVI · THE GILYAKS.

Before the Russian occupation the Manchu came down the river to collect tribute and dispose of their merchandise. These Mandarins are charged with abuse of power, and with having made extortionate demands upon the natives, who hailed the Russians as their liberators. On the other hand, the Mandarin was supposed to make a small present of tobacco or silk to every one paying him tribute; and among the Gilyaks this present appeared to be reckoned of greater value than the tribute demanded. The Gilyaks, however, living so far off from the Manchu, do not seem to have been much oppressed by them, nor indeed to have been very frequently visited. Sakhalin was visited still less often, but I heard among the Goldi that they decidedly preferred the Russian to the Manchu rule.