GOVERNING RUSSIA'S PROVINCES 257only for Siberia proper. Speransky thought that even before Russia
had developed her own industries she could play the role of middleman
between Western manufacturers and China. He therefore suggested that
the import duties on tea be refunded when the tea was re-exported to
Western markets. This would permit Russian merchants to invest the
proceeds of tea sales abroad in purchases of Western machinery for
export to China. He was impressed by the fact that China had 200 mil-
lion people with whom Russia could trade directly across a single
border.l
Along the same lines he showed great interest in the Russian pos-
sessions on the Pacific Ocean. He envisaged a great future for them andbelieved that they could playa very important part in Siberian life.
Siberia was still deficient in foodstuffs; agriculture was very primitive
and its yield quite unreliable because of the harsh climate and lack of
proper techniques. Transportation difficulties made for exorbitantly
high prices on all goods brought from European Russia. Access to the
interior of Siberia was much easier from the Pacific by way of the river
system. Speransky therefore wanted to make the coastal area into a cen-
ter for the distribution of foodstuffs and other articles to the interior
regions of Siberia. He thought that the Russian colonies in America,
especially California, would become the source for foodstuffs and other
products to be consumed in Siberia. He pointed out these facts and
possibilities to Zavalishin -the future Decembrist - as the latter took
leave from him in Irkutsk on his journey to California for the Russia-
American Company. Hoping to include Russian America into the eco-
nomic domain of Siberia, Speransky actively supported the Russian-
American Company. In drafting the regulations for the administration
of the coastal areas, he suggested that the Company be given a say in
the nomination and supervision of the local officials. In this connec-
tion it might be of interest to note that Speransky was quite wary of
the Americans, especially of the whalers and traders in the Northern
Pacific. He feared that their energy, spirit of enterprise, and better
commercial and organizational talents would create unfair competition
for the Russians. He did not object to Americans carrying on trade
on the high seas between Manila and Okhotsk, for instance. But he
feared that if American whalers were permitted to establish stations on
the coast or islands of the Sea of Okhotsk, they would eventually settle
permanently, extend their influence, and threaten Russian control over
Eastern Siberia. Speransky gives the impression that his distrust and
fear of America was motivated by the feeling that Russian institutions
1 Letter to Count Gur'ev, May 1820, in Pamiati, pp. 321-323.