SIBEKIA. 



SIBERIA. 



548 



ell u ooTtred with mow, except in m few place* where it is without 

 notation. There are many small lake*, generally well Blocked with 

 HC But the wandering tribe* which inhabit this country derive 

 their rabtUteooe partly from their large herds of tame and of wild 

 reindeer, and from the tea animal* with which the sea abounds along 

 their oowta, especially the moneind the wal. 



Central Siberia Uei between 85* and 105 E. long., and comprehends 

 the greater part of the ALTA! MOUKTAISB, the hilly country cart of 

 the Oby Hirer, ai far north as iU affluent the Kct, the vale of the 

 Upper YeneBri, the plain of the Lower Angnr* River, the wooded 

 plain, and the Tundra ; in all rix regions. The Hilly Country which 

 lies west of the AlUI Mountains, and extends to the eastern banks of 

 the rir*r Oby, by which it is separated from the Steppe of Barabinza, 

 is studded with hills near the Altai Mountains, but towards the north 

 it extends in a plain, which is slightly undulating between the Oby 

 and it* confluent the Tom. It is almost entirely covered with 

 coniferous trees, among which the Pinui cembra is numerous : the 

 cones are collected, and constitute an article of commerce with the 

 countries farther wort. Cultivation is however limited, the soil of 

 this tract being anndy and of inferior quality. East of the river Tom 

 the country is a table-land, furrowed by numerous rivers, along the 

 course of which there are many wide bottoms considerably depressed 

 below the surface of the plain. These bottoms have a fertile soil ; 

 cultivation is carried on in them to a considerable extent, and there 

 are numerous Tillages. The river Ket, which divides this region from 

 the forest region, must be considered as the limit of cultivation in 

 this part of Siberia. The Vale of the Yenetei ia considered the 

 warmest part of Siberia. It is perhaps also the most fertile. It is 

 inclosed by mountain ridges, which sometimes rise above the snow- 

 line. On the west of the vale, between 88 and 89 E. long., are the 

 Teletskoi Mountains, so called from the lake of that name, which lies 

 to the west of the range. On the south of the vale are the Moun- 

 tains of Sayonsk, which unite the Altai Mountains to the range called 

 Erghik Targak Taiga, and separate Siberia from the Chinese empire. 

 This range reaches northward to the vicinity of the town of Sayansk, 

 and the river Yenesei makes its way through it by a long and narrow 

 gorge. The vale extends about 350 miles from south to north, and 

 nearly 200 miles from east to west, but perhaps not less than one- 

 half of it is occupied by high mountains. The Yenesei flows through 

 a wide bottom covered with alluvium from 2 to 3 feet thick, and of 

 great fertility. Wheat, rye, and oats yield from 10 to 12 times their 

 seed. The higher ground is abundantly watered, and the water- 

 courses are fringed with trees, while the remainder is covered with a 

 rich turf of grass all the year round. Some of the bottoms of these 

 rivers are used as pasture-ground, and herds of cattle are sent from 

 this country to other parts of Siberia. The rearing of cattle ia 

 favoured by the mild winters. The cattle remain the whole year 

 round on the pastures, the cold not being intense, and frequently not 

 occurring before Christmas, with the exception of night-frosts. On 

 these plains many useful plants grow in a wild state, as the wild 

 hemp, the wild flax, wild Siberian buckwheat, which is collected and 

 used by the inhabitants in making a kind of porridge, and several 

 sorts of vacdnium and riles. The most eastern part of the southern 

 portion of Central Siberia is the Plain of the Lower Angara. It is 

 an inclined plane, which sinks towards the north, and in that direction 

 is traversed by several rivers which run to the Lower Angara and 

 Upper Toonguska. The surface is generally hilly, but in the direction 

 from south to north it is traversed by some extensive valleys which 

 are nearly level. The greater part of the elevated region is still 

 covered with forests of larch, fir, and birch, and at intervals there 

 are fields which produce moderate crops. Rye, oats, buckwheat, 

 hemp, and tobacco are cultivated with success. In a few places agri- 

 culture extends to the narrow valleys which lie between the offsets of 

 the mountain ranges, but these parts of the region are still inhabited 

 by some small wandering tribes, who keep no domestic animals except 

 camels, and this seems to be the most northern point of Siberia in 

 which these animals are found. Some of them however have a few 

 horses, cattle, or sheep. They hunt the elk, a large deer called marali, 

 the musmon, a kind of mountain-goat, lynxes, and especially sabl. a 

 and squirrels. This region is characterised by the dryness of the 

 atmosphere, owing to which only a small quantity of snow falls on 

 this region. The winters however are extremely severe, and the 

 mean annual temperature is only 31 '5, or a little below the freezing 

 point. North of the courses of the rivers Upper Toonguska and Ket, 

 of which the latter is a confluent of the Oby, lies the Wooded Region 

 of Central Siberia, and along the Polar Sea extends the Tundra. 

 They appear to be similar in character and products to those districts 

 of Western Siberia which bear the same names. Agriculture is only 

 carried on in the valley of the Yenesei River. At Yeneseisk several 

 kinds of grain and vegetables are grown. 



Eaitern Siberia, or that part of it which lies east of 105 E. long., 

 comprehends about one-half of the whole surface of the country. It 

 contains a much smaller portion of land fit for agricultural purposes 

 than the other divisions, which is partly owing to the severity of the 

 climate, and partly to the greater elevation of its surface in those parts 

 which are south of 60 N. lat. Along the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, 

 between the Chinese frontier and the town of Okhotsk, the coast is 

 rocky and very high. The country rises with a steep ascent, and at a 



short distance from the sea the general level is from 2500 to 3000 feet 

 above it. This may also be considered aa the general level of the 

 immense tract which extends westward from the sea south of 60 N. lat. 

 to the meridian of the town of Yakutsk, and then west-south-west to 

 the northern and eastern shores of the Lake of Baikal, having in this 

 part the vale of the river Lena for its northern boundary. It appraro 

 that the surface is a succession of plains, separated from one another 

 by depressions, or by ridges of hills. The whole region is unfit for 

 cultivation, and it does not appear that any considerable portion of it 

 is adapted for pasture, as none of the numerous tribes of the Yakutes, 

 who live chiefly on the produce of their herds, have settled on it, but 

 the whole has been abandoned to the Toonguses, who get their sub- 

 sistence by the chase. The surface is generally covered with trees, 

 consisting chiefly of pines, firs, larch, and Pintta cembra intermixed 

 with birches. The number of lakes is said to be very great, and many 

 of them are surrounded by high hills : these lakes are usually covered 

 with ice nearly the whole year round. Among the wild animals found 

 in this region are numerous reindeer, and the argnli or wild sheep. 

 The climate of this part of Siberia is distinguished by the severity 

 and the length of the winter. At the south-western extremity of this 

 region lies the Lake of Baikal. [BAIKAL.] The mountain range 

 which constitutes the southern edge of the table-land separates the 

 streams which run northward to the river Lena from those which 

 flow southward to the river Amur, and constituted till lately tin; 

 boundary Hue between Siberia and the Chinese empire as far west as 

 119 E. long. The southern portion of Eastern Siberia is divided l>y 

 a mountain range into two parts, the basin of the Seleuga, which 

 falls into the Lake of Baikal, and that of the Shilka, one of the prin- 

 cipal branches of the river Amur. The basin of the river Selenga is 

 divided into two portions by the course of the river, which here runs 

 in a general direction from south to north. The larger portion lies 

 east of the river Selenga, and consists of three valleys, which extend 

 from the summit of the Yablonoi Khrebet westward, and open into 

 the valley of the Selenga. The upper portion of the valleys is too 

 cold for cultivation ; but in the lower part, which is generally from 

 three to four miles wide, agriculture has been attempted with suc- 

 cess, and in modern times it has been considerably improved by 

 Polish emigrants, who have been sent into this region since 1772. 

 They cultivate wheat, rye, buckwheat, flax, hemp, peas, and water- 

 melons. The wider valley of the river Selenga itself appears in many 

 parts to have an arid dry soil ; but it contains good pasture, and in 

 some plaees the soil is of considerable fertility, and cultivated by 

 Russian families which have been settled there for upwards of 150 

 years. About twelve miles from its mouth, the Selenga enters a level 

 plain of considerable extent, which may be considered as the delta of 

 the river, as it is traversed by four arms into which the river divides 

 on entering the plain. This plain extends for 22 miles on the shores 

 of the Lake of Baikal, above which it is very slightly elevated. The 

 western portion of the basin of the Seleuga comprises a wide plain, 

 which serves as a pasture-ground for the numerous herds of horses, 

 cattle, and camels of the Buriates, who are in exclusive possession of 

 that tract. The wooded mountains on the east of the Selenga are 

 haunted by wild beasts, such as bears, gluttons, elks, deer, musk 

 animals, wild hogs, ounces, lynxes, wolves, foxes, hares, sables, 

 squirrels, martens, marmots, and wild goats. Many sheep and goats 

 are kept, and their skins, especially those of the lambs, constitute an 

 important article of export to China, That portion of Siberia which 

 lies east of the basin of the Selenga, and is drained by the river 

 Shilka and its two principal branches the Ingoda and Ouon, is called 

 Da-uria, which is said to signify ' boundary-country,' or 'border.' 

 The whole, with the exception of a comparatively small tract along 

 the south-eastern border, is a mountain region, traversed by several 

 ridges running south-west and north-east, but nowhere rising to a great 

 elevation. The mountains and hills supply good pasture for the 

 greater part of the year. The valleys are flat and open, but most of 

 them are fit for cultivation. North of 51" 30' N. lat. most of the 

 cereals of Europe are grown. The most southern portion of this 

 region, or that which lies south of 51 30' N. lat., between the rivers 

 Onon and Argun, is part of the Gobi, or rather, of that portion of it 

 which is called the Steppe of the Kerloii, from the name of the upper 

 course of the river Argun. [AMUR.] The surface is level, and is 

 covered with numerous small stones, among which are jasper, agates, 

 beryls, and topazes. No part of this level country is cultivable. The 

 mountains of this region, especially those which lie between the Onou 

 and Argun, are rich in silver, lead, tin, and zinc, all of which are 

 worked. The Upper Vale of the river Lena is among the agricultural 

 districts of Siberia, corn being grown as far north as the town of 

 Yakutsk. Though the cultivation of corn and several vegetables 

 generally succeeds in this vale, the greater part of it is covered with 

 fir and pine trees ; whilst the numerous islands and the low banks of 

 the river are overgrown with birch, poplar, and willow. The wooded 

 country is used as pasture by the Yakutes. The country round the 

 town of Yakutsk may be considered as the richest pastoral tract in 

 Eastern Siberia, though the ground is always frozen for a depth of 

 400 feet below the surface, and only a small layer of two or three feet 

 is free from ice in summer. Its wealth is chiefly derived from the 

 almost innumerable herds of cattle which pasture on the low country 

 which extends from the river eastward to tho river Aldan. A still 





