Miscellmiies. 21 1 



sor Baer's communication to the Geographical Society of London, 

 .*' On the Frozen Soil of Siberia.'''' We have now to add, that a fur- 

 ther communication on this subject, also by M. Baer, was read at the 

 meeting of the British Association at Newcastle. After stating very 

 shortly the nature of the experiments to be made at Yakutsk by or- 

 der of the Petersburgh Academy of Science, he remarks: " It seems 

 to me very important for physical geography, to ascertain the thick- 

 ness of perpetually frozen ground, in countries whose mean tempera- 

 ture is considerably below 0° R. 1 will merely mention one point : 

 if, as is the case at Yakutsk, the ground never thaws at the depth of 

 from 300 to 400 feet, all the small streams whose superficial waters 

 only are kept in a fluid state in the summer, must be in the winter 

 entirely without water ; and, vice versa, we may conclude, that all 

 rivers which do not come far from the south, and whose course is en- 

 tirely within those countries which preserve perpetual ground-ice, 

 and yet do not cease to flow in winter, must receive their waters from 

 greater depths than those which remain in a frozen state. It is, then, 

 clear that these veins of water penetrate the perpetual ground-ice. 

 This circumstance strikes me as one not devoid of interest in the the- 

 ory of the formation of springs; and it would be very desirable, that 

 some researches upon this subject should be set on foot in high 

 northern latitudes. In the narrative of Admiral Wrangel's Travels, 

 still in MS., there occurs a remarkable instance of very considerable 

 rivers in very cold countries being without water in winter, like our 

 ditches and small brooks. He was riding, to the north of Yakutsk, 

 in about 65° lat. over the ice of a large river, when the ice suddenly 

 gave way, and his horse went under. He was himself saved by be- 

 ing thrown upon the ice at the moment his horse fell. He vi'as la- 

 menting the loss of his horse to the Yakutskis who accompanied him, 

 as he knew not where to get another, when they laughed, and assured 

 him that they would soon get his horse back, and with a dry skin too ! 

 They got some poles and broke away the ice, under which the bed 

 of the river was perfectly dry, as well as the horse and his saddle. 

 The Yukutskis was therefore aware that there was no water in the 

 winter-time, at the bottom of rivers of this size ; and in this case the 

 water must have disappeared before the ice had gained sufficient 

 thickness to bear a loaded horse. Similar accidents, and similar re- 

 sults must doubtless have frequently occurred, during the many jour- 

 nies which the English have made in North America ; and the agents 

 of the Hudson's Bay Company must be well acquainted with the real 

 state of the small rivers in winter, in these high latitudes ; i. e. 

 whether all of them are in a fluid state below the ice or not. I am 

 collecting materials to ascertain the southern limit of perpetual 



