126 M. Kupff'er's Account of the Russian Steppes, 



passed on through Huanuco, to Pampayaca, the most remote 

 estate on the river Hualluga. Previous to leaving Chili, this 

 accomplished and enterprising naturalist had spent eight months 

 in exploring the interior of the province of Concepcion, and had 

 examined the Flora of an extensive district in the mountains ad- 

 jacent to the volcano of Antujo, where no botanist had ever be- 

 fore penetrated. Dr Poeppig's Chilian collections are among 

 the most extensive and valuable ever made in South America. 

 In Peru, his intention was to examine the productions of the 

 country bordering on the river Hualluga, and then to endeavour 

 to descend by that stream to the Amazons, and return by way 

 of Para to Europe. 



" On the 24th of July, I made an excursion for a single day 

 to Huayllay ; and, on the 28th of August, I set out on my re- 

 turn to Lima, where I arrived on the 2d of September." 



Art. XIV. — Account of the Russian Steppes, with Geognosti- 

 cal Observations made in a Journey to the Environs of Mont 

 Elbrouz, in the Caucasus, undertaken in 1829 by order of 

 the Emperor of Russia. By M. Kupffer of the Imperial 

 Academy of Sciences. 



Towards the north the chain of Caucasus gradually descends 

 into the immense Steppe which constitutes the middle of Rus- 

 sia. From Voronetz to Stavropol we scarcely meet a single 

 hill or tree. Houses become more and more rare, and are col- 

 lected on a small number of points where the action of some 

 river interrupts the uniformity of the soil, and renders more 

 fertile the black soil of the steppe, which is sterile by excess 

 of strength, by diluting it with sand. In passing through these 

 villages, we are equally surprised with the sight of a few trees, 

 and sometimes we see in the distance sites crowned with wood. 

 In these countries it would appear that the inequality of the 

 soil is a condition necessary to the formation of forests ; the 

 cause of which probably is, that the rocks which have never 

 been overturned, present too few discontinuities to allow a suf- 

 ficiently free passage to the waters necessary for the support 

 of a considerable vegetable mass. 





