OS SIBERIA. 



two principal streams of the islaml, the Tym and the Poronai. Th<! extremity of the eastern 

 ridge, altainiiij,' in Mount Tiara a hei^dit of 3,000 f(.'et, decliuing a little from the meridiiin 

 line to the south-east, beyond the month of the Poronai, forms the hroad Bay of Patience. 

 The western crest as far as the very extremity of the island falls abruptly into the Sea of 

 Japan, risinji above it to 3,00f) ami even 4,000 feet, and does not present on this side any 

 convenient harbours, but exhibits near Due splendid deposits of coal. Those coal fields, as also 

 the pclrdlciiin springs discovered recently in Sakhalin, together with the fine fisheries of the 

 Bay of Aniva, the bottom of which is luxuriantly covered with weeds going by the name of 

 sca-cabbaf:e, promise an economical futuie to this otherwise inhospitable island. 



In what uiiravdurahlc climatic conditions, notwithstanding a comparatively not very 

 northerly situation, the island of Sakhalin is placed, thanks to the current flowing down from 

 the bleak Okhotsk Sea along the eastern littoral, bringing with it huge masses of ice, is evident 

 from the following data. The mean temperature in the principal settlement of the island, Due. 

 abuiil 5P nortli latitude upon the western and warmer coast, isO.S^.the winter temperature — 15", 

 that of the coldest month — 16", of summer + 14", of the hottest month 16.5". Moreover the 

 mean temperature of the five-months vegetative period, less than 12", is insufficient for the 

 development here of permanent agricultm-t'. Little better is the climate in the Muraviov post 

 lying 4" furtlier south in the extreme south-eastern corner of the island. Here, it is true, 

 the mean annual temperature is higher, 2.3°, the winter more moderate; the mean temperature 

 is— 11", coldest month — 12"; but on the other hand the summer is colder, the mean summer 

 temperature being— 13", tliat of the hottest month -|- 16", so that the average temperature of 

 tlie five-months vegetative period, less than 12", is equally unfavourable to the raising of grain. 

 This is explained by the circumstance that the eastern coast of Sakhalin, along which polar 

 glacial currents descend to the south is in summer considerably colder than the western. As 

 for the rainfall, it is much less considerable on the western littoral of Sakhalin than on the 

 Bay of St. Olga, and amounts during the year to a little more than 509 millimetres, of 

 winch only 184 fall to the tlu'ee summer months, while the autumns are almost as rainy as 

 the summer. In a word, Sakhalin is unfit for agricultural colonization. Eijually unfit is the 

 whole nortliern half of the Sikhete-Alin and the corresponding part of the littoral, so that 

 there can hardly be found more than 3,000 square geographical miles as an area for coloni- 

 zation in the whole Ussuri-Littoral country, after deduction is made of the too swampy ami 

 too damp spots, which so severely hamper the development of colonization in the Ussuri zone. 



In the vegetable growth of the Ussuri country little difference is observable from 

 that of the Amour. The greater part of the characteristic plants of Amouria cross 

 over into Ussuria. It is however noteworthy that the proportion of European Russian forms 

 is higher in the Ussuri country than in the Amour, namely 47 instead of 38 per cent, which 

 is a direct indication of the less continental nature of the climate. The species of trees are 

 identical with those in the Amour country. Only one new tree appears, a hard-beam (car- 

 pinus cordata Bl.) and two shrubs, the wild vine crossing from North China (cissus humuli- 

 folia Bge.) and the common European berberry (berberis vulgaris L.). Only a little over 80 

 species of herbaceous plants are found in the Ussuri Country, and not met with in Amouria, 

 among them being species common to North China, Japan and America. Only 17 local plants 



