245 
specimens of the Musk Animal, and the skulls and horns of 
the Argali, and other animals. Of minerals, there were 400 
species, i 
From the first volume of these “ Travels,” we extract the 
following 
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS 
ON : 
THE FLORA OF THE ALTAIC MOUNTAINS, 
AND THE NEIGHBOURING STEPPES. 
Tue southern and western part of the country, which it was 
the object of the present journey to examine, consists of 
wide steppes, whose soil is partly sand and partly clay, con- 
taining more or less of saline principle. It is watered by 
the Irtysch River, which, above Buchtarminks, changes its 
northern direction from the mouth of the Narym, to west- 
North-west, and continues thus to Ustkamenogorsk, then 
runs nearly north-west till below Semipalatinsk; but from 
thence, constantly resumes its northerly course. Besides 
this, the Alei must rank as a principal river in that part of 
the steppe, situated to the north of the Irtysch; while the 
Uba, on the contrary, has only a short course through it, 
and the Ulba, rising out of a mountain, pursues its way 
along the foot of it to the Irtysch, into which it empties 
itself near Ustkamenogorsk. . a ety e 8 jns P 
In the north-western part of this steppe, many lakes are 
Seen, some of which are very strongly impregnated with 
salt, and none perhaps are quite destitute of it. Farther 
south, particularly in the eastern part of this steppe, situated 
near the mountain north of the Irtysch, and through the 
Whole district south of this river, the ground rises, partly 
into separate hills, and partly into ranges of little eminences. 
These extend from Barnaul to the village of Sauscka, situ- 
ated at the foot of the mountain, rising in the form of 
terraces, from 360 to 1,156 Parisian féet in height. Large 
i forests stretch from Barnaul, close by Loktewsk, tó 
the outpost of Schulbinsk, on the Irtysch ; the banks of the 
