256 GOVERNING RUSSIA'S PROVINCESHe aided expeditions to explore the region by all the means at his
disposal. In reward for his efforts on behalf of science, the Academy of
Sciences elected him to honorary membership. 1 Assisted by Batenkov,
Speransky initiated the proper surveying and exploring of the Iakutsk
province, which until his time had been a neglected part of Siberia.
For reasons of intellectual and scientific curiosity, as well as political
and administrative grounds, Speransky was very much interested in the
natives. He studied - from the material available to him - their social,
political, and religious customs. He also was much concerned to estab-
lish good personal relations with their chieftains. He invited them to
his receptions on an equal basis with the Russians and visited their
encampments and festivities. His interest and concern for them earned
him a good name among the natives. It also permitted him to secure
some immediate benefits to the Empire, as he was 'able to persuade
some Kirghiz tribes on the border to recognize the overlordship of Rus-
sia during the interval between the death and election of their khans.
In this manner, at no financial or military cost to Russia, he spread
the Tsar's influence over a very appreciable territory which later be-
came a springboard for further Russian expansion into Central Asia.
The studies, explorations, and observations he made of Siberia, con-
vinced Speransky that the real wealth of the territory had been barely
touched and was still largely unknown. He suspected that the eastern
sections of the country were harboring great mineral and agricultural
resources which only awaited exploitation. He tried to stimulate and
channel the spirit of enterprise of the Siberian merchants in this direc-
tion, but met with little response. He h~lped to organize a trading com-
pany for Iakutiia (with the help of his friend and admirer, the merchant
Basnin). But except for a couple of trips, nothing came of the venture.
Speransky's and Basnin's enthusiasm was not shared by others and
Iakutiia had to wait..for the discovery of gold within its borders before
it became of interest to the Russians. Speransky wanted also to give
more variety to Siberia's limited trade with neighboring areas. He be-
lieved that Russia's desiny was to open up the Chinese market, At the
time, Russian trade with China was conducted only at the border post
of Kiakhta and was quite limited and one-sided. The Russians were
mainly interested in Chinese tea (and a few costly silk textiles). The
Chinese in turn, were taking very few Russian goods, as they cared
mostly for manufactured products which the Russian could not supply.
Therefore, with the exception of the tea trade, Kiakhta held importance
1 Letter to Count S. S. Uvarov, 17 September 1819 from Irkutsk, Russkaia Starina
113 (March 1903), p. 444.