May 28, I860.] RUSSIA. 197 



for our present knowledge of one of tlie finest rivers of tlie world — 

 the Amur, which M.M. Peschurof, Peiinikin, Eadde, and other 

 pioneers have so minutely described. Their narratives, translated 

 for us by Mr. T. Michell, appear in an English garb in our Transac- 

 tions for 1859, accompanied by an excellent map by Mr. Arrowsmith. 

 With these, our knowledge of the Amiir is pretty complete ; but 

 much interesting matter will yet be furnished by the exploration 

 still pursued, and by translations from other Russian accounts. Mr. 

 Maak's work on the Amur, alluded to by my predecessor in this chair 

 at our last annual meeting, has been published at St. Petersburg, 

 together with a map by M. Samokhvalof. 



But I would more particularly draw your attention to Central 

 Asia, as a country of permanent interest to every lover of geo- 

 graphical science. Since the days of Czomo de Koroes, the celebrated 

 Majar, of our lamented Moorcroft and Trebeck, and of Wolf and 

 Atkinson, much light has been thrown by Russian travellers on the 

 Steppes of Turkestan. 



The most recent scientific traveller in Central Asia is Captain 

 Golubef, of the Imperial Staff, who in 1859 explored the western 

 part of the country between the Tian-shan and Alataii chains and 

 the low valley of Lake Balkhash. That tract of country embraces 

 the Semirechni (Seven Rivers) and Trans-ilian districts of the 

 Russian Empire, and the provinces of Hi and Tarbagatai, apper- 

 taining to China ; and while it is one of the regions of Central Asia 

 least known to geographers, it is also one of the most interesting, 

 forming, as it does, the boundary between the elevated plateaux of 

 Asia and the Steppes, which extend from the Caspian to the lake of 

 Balkhash. 



The farthest point beyond the Russian frontier determined by 

 Captain Golubef, was the Budhist Monastery of Sumbe, which no 

 European traveller had yet visited. The hypsometrical observations 

 made by this 'gentleman are of the highest value. He has, for in- 

 stance, ascertained that the extensive lake of Issyk-kul, the most 

 central point of Asia, situated between the Tian-Shan and Trans- 

 ilian Alatati ranges, has an absolute elevation of about 5000 feet ; 

 while Fort Vernoe, a modem Russian fortification, about 55 miles to 

 the northward, lies 2700 feet below the level of the lake. 



A memoir on the Russian trade with Central Asia was read at the 

 last meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science by our associate, Mr. Michell, whose intimacy with the 

 Russian language has enabled him to consult the most recent 



