C 18 ) 



Notice regarding the Salt Luke Indcr, in As'iuth: Russia. Coin- 

 municated by Lieutenant J. E. Alexander, 16th Lancers, 

 K. L. S. M. R. A. S. Corres. Mem. S. A. E., &c. 



±HE country and desert of the Kirgiiis, in which is the Lake 

 Inder, is very imperfectly known, owing to the great danger at- 

 tending travelling in that region, from the Nomade tribes of 

 Kirguis and Tartars, who move about like the Arabs, plunder- 

 ing caravans and travellers. A German botanist of the name 

 of John C. G. Herrmann, who, some years ago, left St Peters- 

 burgh for the south of Russia, and has never since been heard 

 of, once visited this lake : from some memoranda of his *, and 

 other sources, I have been able to collect what follows. 



On descending the River Ural, formerly known by the name 

 of the Jaik, and in the direction of the Military Cordon, there 

 is situated the advanced post called Gorski or Inders-Koigor, 

 about 800 versts distant from the town Uralsk, capital of the 

 Ural Cossacks. The Gorski post is singularly situated on the 

 right bank of the river, and faces the Lake Inder, which con- 

 tains such an abundant supply of salt of the first quality, that 

 it would suffice for the consumption of all the Russias, if the 

 difficulties attending the carriage of it were not almost insur- 

 mountable ; and this is the reason why the preference is given 

 to the salt of the Lake Geldon or Elton, where those difficulties 

 do not exist, though the salt of this lake is very inferior to that 

 of Lake Inder. 



This great magazine of salt is situated at about 26 versts in 

 the Kirguis desert, in lat. 48° 30^, and long. 69°. It is elevated, 

 above the level of the River Ural, and the shores are surrounded 

 by low hills of sandstone, on which there is scanty vegetation, and 

 a few shrubs. The lake, which lies as in a basin among the hills, 

 is twenty versts in length, and nine broad, and is an oval in appear- 

 ance. The bottom is an immense stratum of salt, covered to an 

 inconsiderable depth with water. The saline stratum has several 

 orifioos in it : down one of these (sixteen inches in circumference), 



• My iriend ISfr Prescott of St Petersburgh, well known to the botanical 

 world, jnircliased some time ago tlie Herbarium and ]\rSS. of Hermann. 



