ALTAI MOt'HT.US- 



ALTAI MOUNTAINS. 



m 



mini M ralM by UM Russian* Tha ynaya S..nka. the ' Tea-Mountain.' 

 TW lailhstj foogr \tn of thi plant fall off in the fourth year, 

 V^VB UMM oajyare fathered which arc quite black. They require 

 e (Tlhsr iiniUnn tobe need. The infusion i* raddith ami of an 

 Ulntini tuM. -'"*' to that of tea, but the arounUc flV 



ArrH-ult urr was introduced into the valley* of tiii* uiountain-rangr 

 boat l0 yu ago. and it progress ha* not been rapid. The best 

 xltivatsd placet art Mar the mines, or the town* which hare sprung 

 i their neighb 



ri 



rhood. Bat in no part U cultivation carried higher 

 4000 feet above the level of the sea. Rye, spring-wheat . 

 wheat, barley, oata, and millet, oabbagM, onions, rbrrkin*. poppies, and 

 pumpkin* are the chief grain* and vegetable* cultivated. 



The native* of thi* mountain -region are altogether occupied with 

 tiwir cattle, which they conduct in spring to the high table-land*, 

 which then give good pasture, and in autumn to the bank* of tho 

 riven. Their cattle are chiefly horses, cheep with fat tail*, and a few 

 eamei*. From the milk of the mare* they make an intoxicating 

 h>traga. called nmut. 



The wild animal* of these mountain* are niimerou*. Bean abound 

 fa every part, a* likewise elk*, (tag* of a large die, red deer, wolves, 

 fciea, lynxes, sloth*, mountain-hare* (Lfjxa alpintu), and aqnirrel* ; 

 ad on the river* beaver*, which however at present are lea* frequently 

 mot with, and otter*. The beat fun are obtained from the fables, 

 which here are email and have short hair, but their black akin* are 

 much valued; and also from martin*, and from kulonkix (Muiirla 

 9iMrita). The higheat parti are inhabited by the mniimon, and the 

 argali, a kind of wild goat It i* not aacertaiued whether the wild goat 

 of the Alp-, the dshiggetai (t'q**t kemioniu}, and the wild ass are to 

 be included in the zoology of theae mouutaiuii : the chamois docs not 



The variety of bird* i* not great The most remarkable bird i. the 

 mountain swallow (Uitimda alprilru, or daurica, Pall), which makes 

 Hi nea in the hollow* of rock*. 



The moat important fisheries are in the river Irtish ; and the Russians, 

 by the connivance of the Chinese governor in these parts, extend them 

 over the lake of Zaiiang up to the sources of the Irtish. In the lake, 

 and the small riven falling into it, some kinds of salmon (Salmo nelmn, 

 ML, sad Salmo Jlunaliu), quab* or eel-pout* (Gadta lota), and pike 

 re taken. Pike are also found lower, where also the sterlet (A ccipenter 

 mkrutu) and the sturgeon (A etipauer sfuHo) are very abundant The 

 sterlets are often S feet long, and the sturgeon* weigh sometimes 2 or 

 S poods (at about M pounds English each). Of the former about 

 000, and of the Utter about $0,000 are annually taken. Isinglass is 

 made from their air-bladder. 



Mosqoitoea in summer are so numerous in many places that they 

 torment both men and animals, especially in the low-land*. When 

 Pallas travelled in this country, he found no bees; but they were 

 soon afteiwai'd* introduced, and have ao rapidly increased, that many 

 peasants) along the Irtish and other riven now possess from 50 to 

 100 bee-hives, and consider them the best part of their property. 

 The introduction of these insect* is the greatest benefit the Russians 

 have oonfciied on these countries, next to the introduction of 



No mountain-chain, run from the Egtag Altai to the north, but the 

 Chins** ' Geography ' describe* very long and high mountain, which, 

 parting from the south-western end of it, traverses a great part of the 

 country betwwn the Altai Mountains and the Thian-shan-Oola. It 

 is ao name to it, probably because it considers these mountains 

 tn> Altai, sod the system which we have till now been describing 

 most northern extremity. 



The Great Altai than joins the Egtag Altai at the source* of the 

 Varym (which, as already observed, forms for some distance the 

 boundary between the Rnasian and Chinese empire*), and runs for a 

 eaaaMsrabl. distance to the south, or south-east, with some bends. The 

 chain then turn, to the east, till it arrives at about 9V or 93* E. 

 lone, "hers It divide* into two branches, which form the boundary- 

 edfe* of the desert of Gobi, or Sham... Hare they do not anptmr like 

 mountain range*, but are only black rook* of inconsiderable height, 

 whoM ooatinuHy is often broken sad Interrupted. The chain of rock* 

 which ran* to the north-cart i* called Kook* State Oifla, and joins the 

 Balkaleaa Mountains. The other chain running to the south-east bean 

 several names and s*MM to cams* not vary far from the place where 

 tSMTUan-ahan-Oots joins the Great Dnatrt 



Aecordins; to thi* description, the Great Altai, before it loin* the 

 Ms*, ran* for many degree, of longitude parallel to the Ulangom 

 9ela; aad as they are com* degree* of latitude distant from one 

 - * valley of gnat extent u formed between them, which is 



This valley i* watered 



Ms 



k* two sonsMsf.bl. riven, of which the larger, Zahgan, rise* where 

 IfeaKooke flirk* O8U join* the Balkaleaa Mountains, and n 



t-*, reosrring the water, of many riven 

 the Onat Altai and the Liang, m OBla. It then 

 to the north-west, and after a ronsidorabls couna 

 *'* ^ * * Kirgbis), which, according to 

 ' ha* a circumference of upward* of 100 mile*, 

 UnfW OBIs, Thi other river U the 

 ch taksalu rise in th* Egtag Altai, and after 



_ _ 



Battv or Kb 



running to the south-east along the eastern declivity of the Great 

 Altai, fall* into the Yke Aral Nor, or Kkaral Nor, a lake not inn. li 

 leas than the Kirghia VT and situated probably not far from the 



'hrrti declivity of the Kgtag Altai This country ha* never been 

 visited by European* and i* not further known. 



We now )* to the description of the three mountain chains 

 which unite the Egtag Altai and the Balkalean Mountain*. Their 

 general direction U from west to east, and aa they are placed at a 

 oondderable distance from one another, the valley* which intervene 

 between them are extensive, and run In the saui< .n the 



mountains. 



The valley between the Ulangom Oiila and the more northern 

 chain, the Tangnu Odla, Is according to Chinoso authorities traversed 

 by a considerable river, the Tea*, which ha* ita source in the not 

 range, the Tangnu Obla, receive* many small riven from the 

 Mul from the south and falls, not very far from the place where the 

 Tiingmi (K>la join* the Kgtag Altai, into a lake of ronni.li-ntble extent, 

 called Upas Nor. This lake receive* likewise, on its western xidr, 

 other riven descending from the Egtag Altai Mountains. As we do 

 not know exactly the distance between the I'langom Odla and the 

 TaiiRiiu Oiila, we are not able to form a conjecture as to the breadth 

 of this valley, which in all other respects is entirely unknown to us, 

 being situated within tho limit* of the Chinese empire. 



The Tangnu Oola seems to extend chiefly to the south of the 50th 

 parallel of latitude, nnd the mountain* of Hnyantk occupy the country 

 between the 51st and the 53rd parall.l. I:i the valley between them, 

 which extends from 420 to 450 miles from east to west, the river Kmiari 

 ha* it* aourcea. They are at the north-eastern corner of the valley, where 

 the mountain* of Sayansk, here called Erghik Torgnk Taiga, join the 

 Balkalean Mountains a little to the north-west of the lake of KomogoL 

 Two riven here rise near one another, the IIun-Kimu and PcI-Hiimi. 

 'I'll.' former has the more eastern source, and runs along the mountain* 

 which separate the valley from the Lake Konogol toward* the suutli ; 

 but afterwards declines by degrees to the south-west and west, and at 

 last turns to the north and joins the other branch, tho Pci-Kiiini, 

 whose course is chiefly to the south-west from its source up to its 

 junction with the Hua-Kimu. Both rivers are increased by the waters 

 descending from both the mountain ranges, in which a (.; 

 of alpine lakes exist. After the junction of these principal branches 

 the river, flowing from east to west, takes the name of Ta-Kimu (the 

 Great Kimu or Kem), which is tho only name of the Yenisei 1. 

 in the Chinese empire. The Ta-Kuuu receives likewise many tribu- 

 taries from the south as well as from the north, till at last it unites 

 with the Kemitziki (or Little Kem, the Kemtshyk of. the Russians), 

 a river running from west to east, and having iU sources in the 

 Egtag Altai, at the point where this mountain joins the Ulangom 

 Odla, not far from the sources of the Tshulyshman. The course of 

 the Great Kem, from its source to its junetinn with the Little Kem, 

 may be upward* of '260 miles, and that of the ' . upwards of 



170 miles. 



The river formed by their union is called by the Russians Y< 

 and runs north, traversing the mountains of Sayansk in all their 

 breadth, and forming some considerable cataracts. It enters tho low- 

 lands of Siberia below the town of Krasuojank, and before it reaches 

 Yeniseisk it receives on the right a large river, the Upper Tunguska. 

 The riven which rise in the mountains of Sayansk and fall iir 

 Yenisei before its junction with the Upper Tunguska, run all of them 

 parallel to the principal river, and are not considerable, except tlu> 

 Abakan, which carries down the water of nearly all the riven rising 

 between the Tahulyahman and the Yenisei in the western chain 

 of the mountains of Sayansk. The Upper Tunguska is forn. 

 rivers rising farther to the east in the Balkalean range, to which, 

 therefore, its description belongs. After its union with the ! 

 Tunguska, the Yenisei having made a great bend to the east, r. 

 its northern course, and receives another great tributary, the Lower 

 Tunguska, who** source* likewise belong to the Balkalean range. 

 From this point the river continues its northern course till it i 

 the Arctic Ocean, forming at its outlet a large gulf. The whole 

 course of the Yenisei amount* to upwards of 1800 miles. 



The mountains of Kayansk have not been examined with the same 

 care as the Egtag Altai. About the middle of tho last century some 

 mines of silver and copper were discovered and worked ; but they 

 were soon abandoned, because the, veins of silver wore found to be 

 irregular, and the copper, though much more abundant, did not 

 promise great advantages. A few scientific travellen have visited the 

 outskirts, and the smaller branches which advance into the low-lands, 

 but none of its height* have been measured. 



The botany of the lower ranges lias been examined by Palla*. 

 The forests consist of birch, larch, fir of different kinds, and mountain- 

 ash. Among the shrub* there are bilberry-bushes and many kind* of 

 wild roses, especially Rhododendron cbrytanthrmum, which coven 

 with ita beautiful yellow flowen all the rocks of the mountain, and 

 Rhododendron rfaurtVum. Some of the plant* belonging more properly 

 to the Da-uriau region were also found, especially some kind* of 

 Ailrayattu. 



Among the domestic animals, tho rein-deer must be added to those 

 of the Egtag Altai. The wild animals are the same. The red wolf 

 and the table are very numerous. According to the statement of the 



