24 SIBEKIA. 



Tlir I'.iM iiml llir Kiiloiiii iiliviiih iiiiili' ill III'' fiiDl III till- Altai ainl foiui tlii- 



lliajolir Olil. All lili- IIJIjHT l|llilllailr> 1,11 lllr l''ll i>\ t||r l}\)\ ||ii\i; lllfir Mri),Mll III tlic 



Altai higlilaiiiN, Ini iii>iaiirr, ilic Aiiniii, Cliaiy.>.li ami Ali-i, wliili- tliuM- on tlw rigiit li.iml 

 pron-cd I'll. Ill llir KiiMni>k Aliai, Inr cxjiiiiitlf, llic Cliiiiiiy>li, 'i'oiii and Cliuliiii. Iliil ilif 

 iipiMT .stivaiiis III' til"' Iilysli, llir (pIIkt iiiiiiH'iiM' liiaijfli of llic Obi, initiUtdU- mi tli'* 

 sdiillpiii ili'i'ii\ii\ uf III.' Altai liiKlilaiuls within llu- rruiilicr of the Cliiiieso Empire. The n's- 

 ('i\uir (•(illi'ciiii;.' Ilicsi' iijipiT slicaiiis i.s lakr /ai»aii wliidi lies oiitsitli' the limits of Wi'M<tii 

 Silirria ill tin' pioviiii'i- nl' Scmipalatiiisk, wliili' the rif/lit liraiidi ami largi; iippi-r striMiiis of 

 llir lilysli hi'lnw /ai,>s,iii, Midi as llir lliiklilaiiiia. i;i)ii ami Tlha, oii^'iiiat"' in iIh- Siberian 

 Altai lieiki uml I'luw tiiioii/^li Ilirir lini'st valleys. It is in these valleys, as wi-II as ovef the 

 wlinle ul' the mn tli-westeiii side nl' the Altai and of tablelands extending far into the Sibe- 

 rian valh'V, iiiaiiily the Salaiisk ami Kiisin'tsk Altiii, that the mineral wealth of the 

 eiMiiitiy iiniirs. 'Jiii'sc iiiiiit'ials roiisist nl' ai7-^i'iitirenjiis lead and copper ores, coloured 

 stuii'' I'rniii the sii-ralleil Kni-/zoiisl< ((Harries, in tlie Korirnnsk valley, and alluvial gold, 

 while vast deposits of rnal and iron mv neriii- In tlic sn-callrd Kusnetsk coal basin br-iweeii 

 the KiisiM'tsk AlalaiMi and Salaiisk iiiniiniaiii lidLii's. AlUiuiigli the larger half of llir Altai min- 

 ing region, owing to its height above the h'vd nf ihc sea and the chaiacter of its soil, r-uii- 

 sisting as it does of rocks ami rocky avalanches, is not habitabh', still the remaining area 

 which comprises not less than three thousand geographical square miles cd' the Altai lowlands 

 is composed of fertile plains, hilly iijilands ami spaeioiis valleys, and is exti'emely suitable for 

 cultivation and colonization. 



The remaining vast plain of Western Sitn'ria whirh presenis one of the most extensive 

 liiwlaiids in llie world is covered wilh alluvial soil and in no portion of it do any denuded 

 rock forinalious occur. 



Only fresh water shells (d' the upper teiiiai-y Innaalion liavr brm loinid in thr friable 

 strata whi<'li foiiiis the under-soil. These strata consist of sand and clay and are chiefly exposed 

 along the decli\ilies (d' the right and always slightly drvated banks of the rivers. Xo point 

 oi' these lowlands api)areiiily rises over 400 feet above the sea level. Nevertheless the western 

 Siberiau lowland is i)leutifully watered by the two high rivers Obi and Irtysh and their nu- 

 merous iiihiitaries which flow together to the far north. The Obi-Irtysh river system com- 

 prises one of the most colossal basins of the earth and can compete with the river regions of 

 the Yellow and Blue rivers and the Nile of the Old world, or the Amazon and the Mississippi 

 of the Xew, besides the neiglibouring river systems of Siberia. The area of the river basin of 

 the Obi within "Western Siberia and the Chinese Empire is over 60,000 geogTaphical square 

 miles aud the length of the river course, counting its source as either the Obi and Katoun or 

 the Irtysh, Zaissan and Kara Irtysh, gives almost one and the same lignre of 4,900 versts. 

 Moreover the navigable network of the river includes the whole of lln' Obi from its mouth 

 to the junction of the Beawith the Katoun and the Irtysh from its mouth to its rapids through 

 the mountain gorge, above Ust-Kamenogorsk and the tributaries of the two chief branches 

 of the system, the Tura, Tavda, ("liulym aud Tom to their lower courses, rnfortunately the 

 colossal water way of Western Siberia has the great disadvantage, that it is locked by the 

 ice of the gulf of Obi for the greater part of the year aud is almost inaccessible to the sea 



