VIII.] THE RIVER SYSTEM OF SIBERIA. 283 



of Siberia, which accompanies this work, shows, but a small part 

 of these enormous territories lies north of the Arctic Circle, and 

 only very inconsiderable portions of it are occupied by woodless 

 tundra, which is explained by the fact that the greater part of 

 the coast-land bordering on the Arctic Ocean is drained by 

 small rivers of its own, and therefore cannot be considered to 

 belong to the river territories now in question. If we draw the 

 northern boundary of the land that may be cultivated with 

 advantage at 60° N.L., there remains a cultivable area of 

 90,000 geographical square miles. Perhaps a third part of this 

 is occupied by rocky country which is wooded, and probably 

 capable of being cultivated only with considerable difficulty, 

 but the rest consists for the most part of easily cultivated 

 grassy plains, with little wood, and covered with the most 

 luxuriant vegetation. The soil, in many places resembling 

 the black earth or tscheroio-scm of Russia, recompenses with 

 abundant harvests even the slightest labour of cultivation. 

 Notwithstanding this, these regions now support only an exceed- 

 ingly sparse population, but many, many millions may without 

 difficulty find their subsistence there when once cultivation has 

 developed the rich natural resources of the country. 



It is a circumstance specially fortunate for the future develop- 

 ment of Siberia that its three great rivers are already navigable 

 for the greater part of their course. The Ob is navigable from 

 Biisk (52|° N.L.), and the Irtisch at least from Semipalitinsk 

 (50'' 18' N.L.). The Yenesej, again, wdiicli, after leaving the 

 region of its sources in China, crosses with its two main arms 

 the whole of Siberia from north to south, from the forty-sixth to 

 the seventy-third degree of latitude, and thus traverses a terri- 

 tory which corresponds in length to the distance between Venice 

 and the North Cape, or between the mouth of the Mississippi 

 and the north part of Lake Winnipeg, and is already navigable 

 by nature from the sea to Yenisejsk. To this town goods are 

 already transported doum both the main arms from Minusinsk 

 and the region of Lake Baikal. It is said that the Angara 

 might be made quite navigable during its whole course at an 

 expenditure trifling in comparison with the advantages that 

 Avould thus be gained, as well as its continuation, the Selenga, 

 in its lower part between the Chinese frontier and Lake Baikal. 

 In this way a river route would be opened for the conveyance of 

 the products of North China and South Siberia to a sea which 

 an ordinary steamer would cross in five or six days to the White 

 Sea or the North Cape. A similar communication with the 

 Atlantic may be opened on the double river Ob-Irtisch with 

 Western Siberia and High Asia as far as to Chinese Dsungaria, 

 where the Irtisch begins its course as a small river, the Black 

 Irtisch, which falls into Lake Saisan, and rises south of the 



