ALTAI MOUNTAIN- 



ALTAMl-RA. 



to UM WiUm. sad here H is worked to 

 In the mountains on the east of the lake are 

 , of which contain Epsom sahe. In one place on 



UM oKrfintaina, not far from the lake, on the banks of 



a -" stream, i* found a quantity of lapi* lazuli of every shade of 



The mineral riches of the mountain* to the north of the river* 

 whkh form the Amur, or of the Da-uriaii Mountain*, are more 

 important The lower ridge, consist probably of the flotz-fonustion 

 of chalk, and contain abundance of litharge, which however u only 

 worked for the ailver and gold it contain*. There are twenty-one 

 mine*, the produce of which is said to be decreaing of late, not 

 because the mine* are exhausted, but because wood begin* to be *caroe 

 in the neighbourhood of the mine*. The lead i* not u*ed on account 

 of the difficulty of transporting it over the mountain*. \Vh.-n 

 Captain Cochrane viaited the country an iron-mine aUo wan worked. 

 In the mine* on the mountain*, the carnelian, onyx, amethyst, topaz, 

 quarU-crystala, and other *tone* are frequently met with. Some lake* 

 contain salt, and in one of them a great quantity u procured. 



The slopes of the mountain* about the Lake of Baikal are covered 

 with tree*. mo*t of them of the genu* Abie* and Pinus, of which the 

 larch (fimmt larir) occupies the lower part of the dope*, and the 

 Pmmi tfrntkra, the fruita of which are gathered and eaten a* a dainty, 

 the higher part, nearly up to the line of mow. Some species of 

 deciduou* tree* are found ; the most common U the birch (Krtula alba 

 and B. wma), the poplar, and aome species of willow. The tree* of these 

 regions do not much differ from those of the Egtag Altai. The shrubs 

 and plant* offer aome peculiarities. Palla* was *nrpriaed at finding 

 on the low delta of the river Selenga the plant* of high mountains, 

 and trie* to account for this phenomenon by the nhore* of the lake 

 being covered even in summer by cold and foggy air and backed by 

 high mountains 



In the mountain* around the Lake of Baikal wild animal* are very 

 numerous. The wolf in amaller and whiter than in Europe ; the 

 bear (Umi arrto*) is found in great numbers ; both these animals 

 produce an excellent fur. Beside* these there are found, though in 

 lea* numbers, foxes, lynxes, wild cat* (Pdit oneo), and the glutton 

 (b'nui yule). The rivers contain otter* and beavers ; but the latter 

 are not frequent, except in the Upper Angara. The musk-goat is still 

 abundant ; but itn musk has much less strength than that of Tibet or 

 India. Elks, stag*, and red-deer are frequent, but the rein-deer not 

 The wild rein-deer i* of an ash-gray colour ; but the domestic is 

 always white, rarely potted, never gray. Hare* are most numerous, 

 and betides the common hare, the mountain-hare (Leptu alpinui), and 

 the hare of Da-uria (Lepiu tfanrictu), are frequently found, especially 

 on the eastern range* of the mountain*. Casan marmot*, alpine 

 marmot*, and other animal* of that genus, a* also sables, al-..mi.l. 

 The akin of the sable however U not greatly valued, except it be 

 from the animal* killed on the Upper Angara. Of the squirrel, 

 which U exceedingly numerous, there are different specie* found ; 

 BOOM of them produce excellent fur, especially those of a dark gray 

 colour. 



The birds and fish of this region belong almost exclusively to the 

 Lake of Baikal and may be seen under the article BAIKAL. But we 

 nraat notice UM red salmon (Salmo erjrfAriniw), a flab found only here 

 in a small lake (the Lake of Folikha), not far from the Upper Angara. 

 It is two fret SOUK, and of UM most beautiful red colour, varying in 

 it* shades. 



The wild animal* of Da-uria differ greatly from those of the 

 On UM steppes bordering on the former, the 



(Cpnu ktmiomu) is met with, and in the narrow valleys 

 UM argali, or mountain g<t. Wolves and foxes abound, and likewise 

 tsjar-eata. Among UM haras i* observed a very small species, called 

 Ltf*t fmtOlut, c >vered with soft yellowish hair. ReB-deer are 

 abundant, and also UM d*eren (AniHop< amttuma). Among the birds 

 are Indian and Numidian cranes, a large kind of bustard*, tie bearded 

 vultars, rock pisyons, ruck-thrushes, rock-nightingales, common 

 cmekntm, and rock-ravens with red feet and beak. The lakes and riven 

 abound in flab, but not so much as those which fall into the Lake o 

 Baikal No carp is found a Siberia ; but in the Onon, Pallas 

 with two new special, CfpruHU Irptocfltaliu and Cyprituu labto. The 

 barbels are of lass six than those of the YVolga, and likewise the 

 h (SUurm **). Neither of these is met with in Siberia. 





The common 

 is sturgeon is 



smaller kind* of salmon, and other fish are abundant, bu 

 th* MM aryryiKAM U seldom met with. Crawfish are not known to 

 UM **M of the Krai . l.ut two or more specie, an caught in the 

 rtrsn of Da^uia. They are of a smallsr SUM however than those of 



Lastly, w. shall obssrve, that this country, like all those which 

 am etsjtjnoos to desert*, suffer* much from locust*, which often 

 destroy UM scanty crop. .,f the inhabitants. Serpents an not found 

 oa UM tabU-Unda, bat UMy are frequent in the valley* ; and some 

 are said to be vsoomotu. Psarl-oyXen of considerable size are f. ..in. 



Khrebsi, or that range of mountain* which, from the 

 it and the oe%hbonrhood of Nsrtahinsk, run* to 



the Pacific Ocean and terminates on it* shores opposite to the island 



f Taraikai, ought only to be considered a* the southern extremity of 



the Aldan Mountains, which, with their lateral rioges, fill up Che 



mmense space between the Sea of OkhoUk and the banks of the 



river Lena up to the town of YakuUk. At this place or rather at the 



mouth of the river Aldan the Lena withdraws from the mountains 



which fill up the whole region to the eastward of that river and 



extend to the sources of the Yana, Indighirka, and Kolyma, accom- 



lanying these river* the greater part of their courses, so that only 



. flat coast of about 100 mile* extends along the Arctic Sea; but, 



owards the north-eastern promontory of Asia, which terminates at 



Wiring Strait, in Cape Tshukotakoi, the mountains draw nearer the 



Arctic Sea, and occupy the whole promontory and the sides of the 



river Anadir up to it* embouchure. 



The highest part of this mountain-range, and that which separates 

 the waters, runs along the shores of the Sea of OkhoUk, and at so 

 small a distance, that all the streams descending to that sea from the 

 eastern declivity of the mountains are mere rivulets. Only where 

 the town of OkhoUk is situated, and to the east of that town, a few 

 small river* descend, among which the river Okhota is the largest and 

 is even navigable for a short extent Towards the west and north the 

 mountains descend, like all the ranges of the Altai, in terraces and 

 ong-extended broad plains, overtopped by a few elevated summit* of 

 no great height Few of them rise to the line of perpetual snow, but 

 a summit ha* been observed which rises to upward* of 6000 feet 

 The valleys run here likewise mostly in the direction of the uiountain- 

 chain, from south-west to north-east and are joined together by a few 

 transverse valleys, which carry the waters to the west But this 

 observation holds good only for the southern portion of the range up 

 to the sources of the Indighirka, for thence to Cape Tshukotakoi 

 the mountains in all their length seem to be cut by long transverse 

 valleys. 



The Anadir, which falls into the Sea of Kamtchatka, the most 

 northern portion of the Pacific Ocean, traverses a very mountainous 

 country, and makes so many bends to every point of the compasa that 

 it is difficult to indicate its course farther than by stating, that in the 

 upper part of it* course its general direction is from north-oast to 

 smith-west, und in the lower from west to east Its whole length 

 exceeds 600 miles. 



The distribution of the plants and animals on this extensive range 

 is almost entirely unknown ; at least, not so far known as to enable us 

 to form a proper enumeration, but both gradually disappear towards 

 the north. In no part of the world are sables BO numerous as here ; 

 Imt they arc much inferior to those of the Upper Angara. The wild 

 rein-deer, which forms here the principal object of the chace, has a 

 spotted skin. 



Wo cannot leave this region without observing, that in the low 

 country, which extends between the northern extremity of this chain 

 and the Arctic Ocean from the west of the mouth of the Lena to tho 

 oast of that of the Kolyma, innumerable heaps of fossil bones of 

 elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and other animals of the torrid 

 zone, and also antediluvian remains are imbedded in a soil which 

 apparently is alluvial. [SIBERIA.] 



The chain of mountains which traverses tho peninsula of Kamt- 

 chatka may be considered as an appendage to the Aldan Mountains, 

 but as its description is closely united with that of this pcuinsnla 

 it -i-lf. it will be found under the article KAUTCHATKA. 



The Altai Mountains are situated between two regions, which by 

 their nature are unfit for agricultural purposes except in n few 

 isolated places, and which therefore from time immemorial have 

 been inhabited by wandering nations, who draw their subsistence 

 from herds. The mountains however contain many valleys well 

 adapted for agriculture, and there exist some indications that these 

 valleys have once been cultivated, very probably by the same nation 

 that has worked the mines all over the range to a great extent This 

 nation, which is known under the name of the Tshudes, is not named 

 in history and ha* entirely disappeared, though the immense number 

 of ancient tombs found everywhere, but especially on the mountains 

 of Sayansk, evidently prove that this region was once better peopled. 

 The nation probably was destroyed by its nomadic neighbours, and 

 with it agriculture disappeared from the valleys. But since the two 

 most extensive empires of the world, the Chinese and tho Russian, 

 have taken possession of these ranges, and peace has been established 

 in a region which doubtless for many centuries had not enjoyed it, 

 agriculture ha* again been introduced, and a* it would seem with 

 better success by the Chinese than by their more northern neighbours. 



(Humboldt'i Fragment Aiiatujtu* ; Klaproth's Tableau. Hitioritjue 

 dt tAiit; TVare/* of Timkowsky, Pallas, and Ledebour; Kilter's 

 KnU-mndt ran Alien ; Captain Cochrane' s Pedal rian Journey ; Maps 

 in the work* ..f llnnil-.Mt. Kln]>rntli, and Ledebour.) 



ALTAMUKA, a town i.f tin- km.-.lom of Naples, in the province of 

 Beri, near the borders of Basilicata, 30 miles S.W. from the city of 

 Bar! : population about 18,000. It was a baronial estate of the 

 Parnese family, after the extinction of which it devolved on Charles 

 Bourbon, infante of Spain, and afterwards king of Naples. The town, 

 which is well built, i* situated on a hill at the foot of the Apennines, 

 and i* defended by a castle. It has a fine cathedral, founded by 

 Frederick II., and ornamented with pictures. In 179U it was a 



