182 SIBERIA. 



bent clay contains numerous remains of leaves, rrmi- .lu.i uiljer portions of plants, which 

 often are very like the now existing plants; from which it may be concluded that it is of 

 very recent formation and bci<jngs to the tertiary system. Seams of brown coal also occur 

 at several points along the lower course of the Amour at a short distance from its mouth. 

 These seams occur in strata of sandstone and clay slate, exactly similar to those in the 

 upper course of the Amour. A dc[)osit of brown c(jiil has been disc<jvered at a distance of 

 IGO versts from the town of Nikolacvsk, near the village of Novo-Mikhailovsk, up the 

 Amour. The thickest of the seams in this deposit is 5' /a feet. Seams of brown coal, u[t 

 to 1 foot thick, also occur at several points along the lower course of the Amour. The 

 South-Oussouryisk region also contains beds of coal in many places. The first discovery of 

 coal in this region was made at the time of its occupation by the Russians, at the Possietsk's 

 gulf, where there are three seams of coal, the thickest of which is 4 feet. Coal was extracted 

 from these deposits in the sixties to supply the Siberian flotilla. The following coal beds 

 occur to the east of Possietsk's gulf. 



Beds of coal have been discovered in the basin of the Amour along the rivers Sedima, 

 Mangougai and Ambabira and at the mouth of the river Souifouna. Moreover coal seams 

 are also known up the river Souifouna, on its right tributary, the Chingoouza, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the village of Xikolsk and in the upper courses of the river near the stations 

 of Konstantinovsk and Fadeevsk. The exploitation of the coal in various localities on the 

 mouth, Souifouna, was begun in the sixties and is being continued to the present day. In 

 the Oussouryisk gulf, coal beds have been discovered on the river Tsimou-khe, at the mouth 

 of the river Kangoouza and on the river Shite-khe. Coal is also known to occur on the 

 island of Poutiatin and on the north-eastern shore of Strelok bay. Vast deposits of coal have 

 been discovered 40 versts up the river Souchan, which falls into the gulf of America. In 

 1886 a special mining expedition was sent there and the exploratory workings conducted by 

 it showed the presence of three coal seams from V''2 to 1 sagene thick and having a consi- 

 derable extension. From trials made by the fleet it was foun<l that this coal is a semi- 

 antliracitc resembling Cardiff coal in its properties. A mine was laid out there by the 

 expedition, and it is proposed to offer the exploitation of this mine to private enterprise. 

 Lastly a deposit of coal has been found in the gulf of St. Olga on cape Xizmen. 



There are rich coal fields on the island of Saghalin. The coal became known to the 

 Russian sailors in 1859, when they began working it in the bay between cape Zhonkier 

 (Doue) and cape Khoindzhe. From that time the coal beds in the neighbourhood of the station 

 of Doue have been worked uninterruptedly. Since 1875 these mines have been in the hands 

 of a private company, who has now increased their output to a million pouds. The coal lies 

 in a whole series of beds from two to live feet thick; it is of excellent quality and quite 

 equals the best sorts of Welsh coal. It contains from 74 to 84 per cent of carbon, a very 

 small amount of ash and it gives up to 60 per cent of coke. The coal is chiefly consumed 

 by the Russian vessels navigating the shores of Siberia, but it is also used by foreign 

 vessels coming to the Russian ports of the Pacific. A number of coal beds have been discov- 

 ered to the north and south of the Done station, but only one of these, situated between 

 the mouths of the rivers Sertounai and Xayassi, has been worked. The quality of this coal 



