354 ASIATIC JOURNEY. 



this place to Oust-Kamenogorsk, they found the 

 granite divided into nearly horizontal beds and over- 

 laying a slate-formation, the strata of which were 

 partly inclined at an angle of 85° and partly 

 vertical. 



From Oust-Kamenogorsk they went along the 

 steppe of the Middle Horde of the Kirghiz, by Semi- 

 polatinsk and Onisk and the lines of the Ichim Cos- 

 sacks and Tobol, to reach the southern part of the 

 Ural, where, in the vicinity of Miask, in a deposite 

 of very small extent and at a depth of a few inches, 

 were found three masses of native gold, two of 

 which weighed 18-36 and the other 28-36 pounds 

 troy. 



They next proceeded along the Southern Ural to 

 the fine quarries of green jasper at Orsk, where the 

 river Jaik crosses the chain from east to west. From 

 thence they passed by Souberlinsk to Orenburg, 

 which, notwithstanding its distance from the Cas- 

 pian Sea, is below the level of the ocean, and then 

 visited the famous salt-mine of Iletzki, situated in 

 the steppe of the Little Kirghiz Horde. They after- 

 ward inspected the principal place of the Ouralsk 

 Cossacks ; the German colonies of the Saratov gov- 

 ernment on the left bank of the Volga ; the gi-eat salt- 

 lake of Elton in the steppe of the Kalmucks ; and a 

 fine colony of Moravians at Sarepta; and, finally, ar- 

 rived at Astracan. The principal objects of this 

 excursion to the Caspian Sea were, the chymical 

 analysis of its waters, which Mr. Rose intended to 

 make ; the observation of the barometrical heights ; 

 and the collection of fishes for the great work of 

 Barou Cuvier and M. Valenciennes. 



From Astracan the travellers returned to Moscow, 

 by the isthmus which separates the Don and the 

 Volga, near Tichinskaya, and the country of the Don 

 Cossacks. 



Of the heterogeneous materials composing the 

 Fragm^ns Asiatiques, part only of which is from the 



