Organization by the Russian Emperor's Geographical Society of archaeological and ethnographical expedition into the South-Ussurian territory and the reverses of fortune of the field diaries of archimandrite Palladiy

The article is devoted to the circumstances of organization (by the Russian Emperor's geographical society and its department in Irkutsk) of the first-hand acquaintance of Russian leaders with history and culture of the aboriginal inhabitants of the South-Ussurian territory. In the second part of the XIX century it became a part of the Russian empire population. In 1870-1871, archimandrite Palladiy Kafarov (the head of the Peking orthodox ecclesiastical mission, the eminent Russian historian-orientalist, diplomat and traveller) led the first archaeological and ethnographical expedition in the Trans-Hangka region (at present the south of the Primorye), with the purpose of the first-hand acquaintance with relics of the past known there by that time, as well as of their identification in the information context of annalistic sources and description of aboriginal inhabitants of the littoral lands. The detailed information on the course of the field works was kept in Palladiy Kafarov's diaries, but, for a long time, the latter were considered to be the lost ones. A part of the materials which will be the supplement to the monograph devoted to the diaries of Palladiy Kafarov is represented in the historiographical chapter of the Russian Humanities Fund research project. A special attention is paid to the role of managers of Geographical society, as organizers of scientific enterprises directed at all-round study of the Cis-Amurian and Primorye (Maritime) lands. They carried out close co-operation with administration of the general-governor in Irkutsk, the ruler of eastern lands of the empire, those contiguous with steppe nomads of Mongolia, the patrimony possessions of the rulers of the Qing dynasty of China - with Man'churia, as well as Korea and Japan. The Geographical society of the capital acted accordingly with its Siberian department, co-ordinating its plans of scientific researches in the East with the Academy of Sciences and the Archaeological society of the country. This region was turned into the place of making every effort for knowledge and strength of topographers, geologists, geographers, botanists, archaeologists and ethnographers. The results of acquaintance with relics of the past were elucidated in press of 1850-1860 years. Palladiy Kafarov was going to bring into discoveries the definiteness of the connoisseur of the history and culture of China and Mongolia.