246 GOVERNING RUSSIA'S PROVINCES
aries on the one hand, and the physiocratic belief in the primary value
of agriculture and trade, on the other, combined to produce a more
positive evaluation of the region's economic possibilities. As furs were
no more of major economic importance, Siberia began to be thought
of as a mining center, a granary, and a cattle ranch. From the reign of
Catherine II, the Russian government took various steps to promote
trade and agriculture. Agricultural migration and settlement were
planned, but the projects failed because of the incompetence of the of-
ficials and the defects of the administration. The authorities in Siberia
were not ready for the task the central government wished to set them.
The territory was not surveyed; agicultural techniques were poorly
known, and local administrators used the money and implements sent
from Europe to line their own pockets instead of helping the establish-
ment of prosperous farmers. Trade, however, was successfully promoted
by the abolition of various internal customs dues, the bettering of rela-
tions with China, as well as a general relaxation of guild restrictions.
Parallel to these changes, Siberia's native populations were also under-
going a transformation in their way of life. The transformation was
perhaps less profound at first sight, but in the final analysis, it was of
great importance to the future of Siberia.
At first, in the 17th century, the Russian government had tried to force
its agents to leave the natives alone, provided tribute in form of pelts
was delivered regularly. The local officials, however, desirous to make
their own fortunes, collected the tribute (iasak) quite ruthlessly, and
oppressed the natives. As a result, many of the smaller tribes of trap-
pers had moved away to less easily accessible districts in the North and
Northeast. The more advanced populations, however, were slowly being
drawn into the orbit of Russian administrative requirements and civili-
zation. Since the reign of Peter I, the natives had been more and more
frequently employed for various government services, such as providing
postal relays or doing guard duty on the border. These services were
sometimes quite onerous and destructive of the original ways of life of
the natives, and also led to a change in their outlook. Some of the
tribes, the Buriats for instance, were becoming more and more interested
in agriculture. The reasons for this change were principally that they
had less land than before for extensive cattle raising, and at the same
time there was a greater need for foodstuffs, both for themselves (to
feed those engaged in government service) and for sale to the numerous
Russian soldiers, officials and merchants. The Buriats were among the
first to engage in agriculture successfully, and some other tribes follow-
ed suit.