34 SIHKKIA. 



en A I'TKK iji. 



Eastern Original Siberia. 



Its Sayan hmdi'i laiiil: llii' livilinLiraiiliy dI' l'ja,>lciii Sihi'ii.i ami ils division iiitn tlin-i^ zoiii!> 

 or Iracls, iIh' ciiltivalfd ur amirnlimal. iiiiiiMiinii- with tlio Suyari I'ooliiills: tlic; zoiie of 

 lii^li stciiiiiiril livfs and fnivst iiidiistiirs, ;iiid tile polar liMidia; llic cliiiiatir foiiditioiis of ('ar-li 

 of tiicsc zones: till' NcL'ctatiM' rovrrin.i.^ of Kastciii Siiicria and its fauna: inaniinalia of tlir 

 polar ,ind Inivst zinn's; the popniation of I'^astci-n Siljf.'ria, its rllnio^'-rapiiii'al (;oia|)osition and 

 disposition; the distrilMition of Ilic tloincstir animals. 



EASTMliX Sihciia in tiir iiaiiuw sense, that is. the eastern half of tlio original pari 

 of Silieria inlialiiled |)rineipally l»y a llnssian pujiulation, in administrative relation 

 is made np of two governments, those (d' Yenisscisk and Irknlsk, and in geoirraphical 

 respects occupies the Lircater jtart of the hasin of the twin river Yenissei-Aiigara, and farther 

 (>mbraees the liveiine regions of the polar streams, Piassina, Taimyr, ami Khatanga, the 

 small ii|ii)ei- pari id' the basin of tln' liver fj'iia ami jjarts of the frontier basins (d' the rivers 

 Taz on the iKuth-wi'si. and Anabeia on the north-east. Even thus limited. Eastern Siberia 

 coviMs an immense area of si\ty-t\vi> thonsand square geographical miles, exceeding twice the 

 ext(Mil ill' (iermaiiy, Austria, and France taken together. 



The sonlherii bordeiland of Eastern Siberia is formed by the noi'thern chain of the 

 long and lofty Sayan laiige, which for a considerable i)art of its exteut bears the name of 

 Erghik-'I'aigak-Taiga and selves as the frontier between Iliissiaii territory and the Chinese 

 possessions. 'J'liis chain lollnws roughly a direction from west to east, but ileparts from tiie 

 paralhd by a wide bend to the north. South of this chain, between it and one further to the 

 south bearinu the name of Tannu-Ola and connecled at both its extremities with the Sayan 

 by mouiitaiii spurs, spreads a very wide valley shut in on all sides by mountains known in 

 the most ancient tinn's ])y the name of Ergheue-Koii or Iigana-Kon, and cidebrated in history 

 for having accoiding In tradition served as the ciadle of the Tinrk tribe, which it is said 

 expanded itsidf IVoin this point ov(!r all Asia. In this valley mingle the two great constituent 

 branches (d' the Yeniss(d, flowing IVom the southern slope (d' the Sayan, the rivers riukem 

 and IJeikem. Alter its confluence with three tiibutari(>s, the rivei- Rem so reinforced receives 

 the Kemchik on the left or western side of the valley, and taking the name of Yenissei, 

 bursts throiiiih the narrow defile of the Sayan and comes out on the Sayan slope of Eastern 

 Siberia. 'Within the limits of the Yenisseisk, and in the western part of the Irkutsk 

 government the Sayan range proceeds without subdivision, merely sending off a few spurs 

 penetrating deeply into the .southern part (d' the Yenisseisk government on the north. 



