﻿Prof. Milne — Across Europe and Asia. 463 



work of this edifice was made of rougli pine sticks. These were 

 stuck in the ground, and over them a covering of birch bark was 

 laid, which was kept in its place by a second row of sticks. The 

 roof was covered in a manner similar to that in which the sides 

 were covered, there being, so to speak, two rows of rafters with 

 birch bark in between them. Along the line of the ridge-pole a 

 long narrow opening is left for the purpose of allowing the smoke 

 from the interior to escape. Some of the birch bark was doubled 

 and sewn together to form sheets six feet square. Along the edge 

 of these sheets an extra strip of bark was doubled over and stitched 

 on as a border, for the purpose, I presume, of preventing any- 

 splitting taking place. Many of the utensils in the house were 

 also made of birch bark. With the exception of this method of 

 using bark, and also the neatness exhibited in the building of boats, 

 so far as I saw, the remainder of their works were coarse, clumsy, 

 and untidy. 



This portion of the Obi appears to form their southern boundary, 

 ' and in it they have their capital called Narim. 



In many places along the borders of the river there were peaty 

 marshes, covered with moss and occasionally with trees. 



Thus far along these rivers I do not remember seeing a single 

 pebble or stone, the only hard substance which I could pick up 

 being a few small nodules of sand cemented together by iron. Every- 

 where the banks showed sections of sand, sandy-mud, and a bluish 

 clay, the sand, however, always predominating. As we passed small 

 creeks which masked the mouths of tributary streams, the beds of 

 sand were usually capped with beds of mud, which had probably 

 been deposited by the stream which now ran over them. 



On the 4th of October we stopped at a place called Kolpashovoe. 

 At this place one bank of the river forms cliffs 70 to 80 feet in height. 

 These cliffs are nearly wholly composed of white sand, but near 

 their base they suddenly merge into a bluish clay. In the lower 

 part of these clayey beds I saw some fine lines of black earthy 

 matter from |- to J inch in thickness. An examination of these 

 showed them to consist of yellowish green particles of vegetable 

 matter resembling a flat-leaved grass. 



Next day, the 5th of October, we reached the mouth of the river 

 Tom. As this river was very shallow, we had to leave our large 

 steamer and join a smaller one. Along the shore there were many 

 bushy trees, on which a few autumnal leaves yet fluttered. Beyond 

 these trees came an open flat country. In all places the water of 

 the river was rippling and eddying along with a current that proved 

 itself far too strong for our little steamer and the bargeload of 

 convicts which we had to tow behind us. 



The bottom, like the shores on either side, was pebbly, whilst the 

 water, unlike that of the Obi, was quite clear. 



On several points along the shore, and noticeably along those parts 

 where the water rises and falls slowly, there was a red deposit of 

 iron. Upon those parts up to which the Avaters rapidly reached and 

 .afterwards rapidly receded from, as would happen during flood 



