With some account of the Eiver Anioor. 237 



rock Malaja Nadesclida (Little hope, Ion. 125° 45'), to the mouth of 

 the river Kamara. Close by the rock just named there is a bar in the 

 river, in which there are three feet of depth when the water is low. 

 The chief strata observed between Albasin and the mouth of the 

 Kamara are sandstone, syenite, and amygdaloid ; the sandstone in many 

 localities being carboniferous. One of the most noticeable geological 

 features on this part of the river is the sandstone hUl (lat. 52° 25' N.), 

 Zagajan, extending along one of the bends for about a mile, showing a 

 steep white colom-ed cliff, about 250 feet high, towards the stream. 

 At the foot of this hill are strata of conglomerate, in the debris of 

 which agates were found. About half way up the cliff, and running in 

 a slanting direction over the top of the hill, is a dark black streak, in 

 some places of which funnels have been found from which ascends a 

 black smoke, but whether this smoke arose from the coal having taken 

 fire underground, or from some other cause, none of the reporters had 

 an opportunity of ascertaining. At Albasin, the vegetation changes 

 considerably. Pine trees no longer exclusively cover the heights, nor 

 do they grow so thickly. The larch is replaced by the oak and the 

 black birch on the southern slopes of the hills, at the foot of which 

 grow the hazel and the elm, with a border of willow, ash, and wild rose. 

 The nomades here still bear an unexplained enmity to the pine trees, 

 dozens of which were seen lying cut every mile. On approaching the 

 river Kamara, which joins the Amoor on the right, the scenery changes 

 considerably. Larch and pine trees become seldomer, oak and birch 

 more frequent, with poplar, ash, pear (Pyrus spectabilis), sand-willow, 

 and sweet brier. The wide spread meadows are covered with magni- 

 ficent grass which could depasture numerous flocks and herds, but all 

 animated existence as yet is here in a state of nature. 



The Kamara is a very important affluent. At its mouth is the most 

 northern Chinese post for the surveillance of the tribes subject to their 

 power, and here the nomades assemble during winter. According to 

 native accounts, it maintains a depth of seven feet for about 160 miles 

 upward from its mouth, to which distance it is navigable by boats. The 

 valley of the Kamara forms a fine hunting ground, elks, sables, wild 

 goats, rabbits, &c., being plentiful. , 



From the Kamara to the Seja the islands continue much as in the 

 upper river. Granite is seen on the left bank, and both sides of the 

 stream are hilly. The vegetation continues in like manner much the 

 same, only pine trees are more plentiful. About latitude 50'^ 26', on 

 some flooded shallows and islands on the right bank, pieces of coal were 

 found. This point is about 130 miles, direct distance from the smoking 

 hill Zagajan, near which carboniferous sandstone was seen. On the left 



