219 



changes of vegetation may testify, and the mountains are 

 found to be formed of micaceous slate. The Columbia 

 appears to flow through a country exactly similar, as at least 

 one-third of its sand is composed of mica. I observed one 

 large vein of secondary limestone, containing fossils, when 

 crossing the Assinaboyne River, near a considerable water- 

 fall, about 60 miles above its junction with Red-Deer River. 

 The mountahis which I explored north of the Smoking 

 River are principally conglomerate sandstone, and below 

 these, the country appears to be sandstone, containing coal, 

 for at least 200 miles to the eastward, as far as Edmonton 

 House on the Saskatchawan. At the eastern extremity of 

 Lake Winnipeg, which is limestone, the primitive rocks 

 again occur, and these probably continue to the sea. 



LEDEBOUR'S ILLUSTRATIONS OF RUSSIAN 



PLANTS. 



This work, which is so much desired by the scientific 

 botanist, we are happy to learn from the author himself, is 

 in a state of considerable forwardness, and will, under the 

 title of " Icones Plantarum 'Novarmn vel imperfecte Cognitarum, 

 Floram Rossicam, imprimis Altaicam Illustratayites" together 

 with a complete Flora Altaica, and an account of the journey, 

 speedily be published. 



The Altaic plants were collected by the Counsellor of 

 State, Ledebour, assisted by Dr. Bunge and Dr. Meyer, 

 during a journey undertaken at the expense of the Russian 

 Government, with the view to examine the natural produc- 

 tions of the Altaic Mountains, and a portion of the Chinese 

 dominions bordering upon them. During the period that 

 Ledebour was engaged in investigating that part of the 

 Steppe situated between the Ob and the Irtt/sch, in crossing 

 the lofty mountains to the west and south west of the Altaic 

 range, the valley of the Tscharysch, the Koksmi, the upper 

 Katunja, and the Buchtorma on the Russian frontiers, the 



