158 SIBERIA. 



ol the iniiioiul wcalili ol in. i.pi.iu .,, ,i,. Aiiunir. At tliai lime this region was entirely 

 uriknovvii to iniliistry, ami was at a tjisiaiice (»(' 500 versts lioin the inhabitnl localities of the 

 TiHiisbaikal proviiiee. Diiiiii^.^ iIh' liist y<'ai-, 1^0^, rollowiii^/ ilic institiilion (if inM wuikinfrs in 

 this ilistrict, 50 pinids nf ;/u|(| were exiraeteil ami the avcraj^i- riehnoss of the ileposiis was 

 found to he over tiiroe zolulniks per hundred ponds of sand. The second ^rroiip of deposits in 

 tlic ijiM hearing region, is comprised hy Iho tributaries id' tin.' rivers Giliii and Rrianta which 

 lull int(j tli(! river Zea from the light side. This group comprises some of the richest 

 ili-posits now known, and was also discovered by Anosov. The exploitation of the gold depos- 

 its in this district, where over the whole area between the rivers Giliii and Brianta there is 

 no stream which is not in somi; degree gold i)caring, was bi-giin in JhTi;. and in IBi^S a vein 

 dejtosit was also discovered. 



The third group of deposits is siluati'd along the system of the river Selendzha, the 

 left tiibiiiiiiy ol' tlii^ liver Zea. In 1874 a whole series of deposits was discovered here after 

 the indication of Anosov. The fourth group, comprising the system of the upper courses of 

 tlie river Niinan, the right tributary of the river Bouroya, was also discovered after 

 the indication of Anosov, in 1875. A scries of deposits was disclosed here at a distance of 

 six hundred versts from the junction of the Boureya and Amour. These deposits proved to 

 be exceedingly ricli in gold, and the fame of their discovery soon penetrated into industrial 

 spheres and attracted numerous prospecting parties to this perfectly desert region. The same 

 niduiitain cliaiii that gives rise to the Selendzha and Nimaii, also forms the source, only on its 

 eastern siilo in the Littoral province, of the river Amgoun which falls into the Amour 

 from the left at about 90 versts distance from its mouth. In 1868, the fifth and most 

 eastern group of the deposits of the Amour gold bearing region, was discovered in the 

 system of the river Amgoun. The gold bearing beds in the Amour deposits are under very 

 favourable conditions for exploitation. They lie at an inconsiderable depth; the average thick 

 ness (d' the peat is about one sagene and the thickness of the gold bearing bed, half a 

 sageiio. Hence all the deposits are exploited by open workings, and only in certain of those 

 along the river Nimau, where the thickness of the peat exceed 20 feet and of the gold bearing 

 bed 9 feet, are underground minings carried on. Besides the actual localities belonging to 

 the system of the Amour within the borders of the Littoral province in its southern portion, 

 numeinus gold deposits have been found in many parts of the continent and also on the island 

 oi Ask(jlda, near Vladivostok, where the goM bearing seam forms the bottom nf the S(>a ami 

 whenc(! a gold bearing sand is extracted. 



The gold workings of all the above cited groups of the Amour system, have their 

 depot stations on the Amour, Zea, Boureya and Amgoun. There is a steamboat communi- 

 cation on the three last named rivers, for a distance up to 400 versts from their mouths. 

 The remaining distance of 200 to 400 versts Is partly traversed in boats and partly on horse- 

 back along paths leadiiii,^ through the midst of the taiga to the gold workings. In winter 

 only is there the possibility of a more convenient communication between the mines and 

 ihoir depot stations, whence they obtain all their provisions in the winter. Owing to 

 this circumstance the cost of labour along the system of the Zea amounts from 1,000 to 

 1,200 roubles per head, and on the Niman it even comes to l.oQC) and 1.900 roubles. Xotwith- 



