1897.] The Geological Congress in Russia. 955 



At Miass. also, was the first of the gold placers which are 

 worked, by what seemed crude and primitive methods, in 

 various parts of the Urals. 



At Tcheliabinsk, the eastern limit of our excursion, as well 

 as at Beresof, near Ekaterinburg, we saw gold-bearing quartz 

 veins, tlie former only recently explored, the latter with ex- 

 tensive workings dating back many j^ears. 



At Ekaterinburg, the principal city of the Ural region, we 

 we were hospitably entertained by the Ural Society for Nat- 

 ural Science, and were shown an interesting exhibit of the 

 products of numerous local establishments for the cutting of 

 gems and semi-precious stones. 



Continuing northward our next halt was in the busy min- 

 ing town of Njni-Taghilsk. Within this district are the exten- 

 sive iron mines (magnetite) of Wyssokaia and Blagodat ; the 

 copper mine of Mednoroudiansk, famous for its former pro- 

 duction of the malachite so prized in Russian decoration; 

 largely worked deposits of manganese ore, and the platinum 

 placers at Platina. This last metal appears to occur.in the 

 peridotitic rocks which constitute the bed rock of the region ; 

 their decomposition sets it free, so that it may be won by 

 placer washing. 



Again crossing the water-shed of the Urals and descending 

 rapidly to the plain we reached Perm on the Kama River, 

 where we left our train for a roomy and comfortable steamer 

 on which for three days we floated down the stream to its con- 

 fluence with the Volga. Numerous excursions on the banks 

 made us acquainted with the Permian series, including the 

 upper, Permo-triassic division, the so-called " etage tartarien." 

 Turning up the Volga we halted at the old tartar city of 

 Kazan, where we were entertained by the university and later 

 by the city. And the end of the fourth day from Perm found 

 us at Njni-Novgorod. A day was spent here seeing the fair, 

 and then we took train directly for St. Petersburg, where we 

 found the quarters previously assigned us in the many hotels 

 of the city or in the large dormitory of the university, where 

 some fifty of the members were located. The hundred and 

 twenty members of the Finland excursion reached St. Peters- 



