﻿Pro/, mine — Across Euroiie and Asia. 561 



of at least thirty-nine years and perhaps more than seventy years. 

 The only other explanation for this lapse of time, which is without 

 an analogue in the subsequent history of the Irkutsk earthquakes, is 

 that perhaps the records were either not kept or else have sub- 

 sequently been lost. One remarkable statement I heard was that 

 small earthquakes occurring on one side of Lake Baikal are not felt 

 upon the opposite side. Such being the case, we might perhaps infer 

 that there is some peculiarity in the depth or formation of the lake 

 which prevents vibrations which originate on one side passing to the 

 other, I shall have more to say about this lake bye-and-bye. 



Since arriving in Japan, at certain seasons I have had almost a 

 weekly experience of earthquakes. The month after my arrival, 

 which was in March, 1876, there were no less than ten shocks re- 

 corded, whilst during the year there were fifty-three. Although 

 these JajDanese earthquakes are in most cases perceptible without the 

 aid of instruments, they are by no means so strong as those I have 

 been describing. They usually commence as a slight shock, which 

 is followed by an easy short horizontal vibration, producing a sensa- 

 tion as if you were supported on a mass of stiffish jelly which had 

 been slightly agitated. The timbers in your house crack, whilst 

 glasses and windows rattle. This usually lasts for about thirty 

 seconds, after which all is quiet. At first the sensation is curious, 

 but hy repetition it becomes unpleasant. 



As at Irkutsk and other localities, the lower animals are afiected. 

 This is chiefly noticeable in the pheasants, which I hear screaming 

 in my garden at every shock. They sometimes herald its approach 

 a few seconds beforehand, and then usually continue their calling 

 until the movement ceases. 



When speaking of my journey across the Urals, I made 

 reference to the gold-mines which I saw there. Although these 

 mines were chiefly represented by alluvial workings, a few open- 

 ings, as at Berezovski, had been made upon lodes of quartz. In 

 Eastern Siberia this latter class of work has not yet been developed, 

 but the former class has been very largely carried out. The chief 

 workings are upon the Lena, as far north and even farther than 

 Yakutsk, and in the Trans-Baikal and Amoor districts, as at 

 Nertchinsk. Gold is also worked, but to a small extent, upon the 

 Mongolian frontier. Here, however, but little has been done; chiefly 

 owing to difficulties which arise with the Chinese and Native tribes, 

 who, refusing to pay duty, wander backwards and forwards across 

 the frontier, opposing or escaping all Government officials. 



From all that I could learn, gold is found in greater or less 

 quantities almost everywhere. The gold which comes from the 

 northern districts, as the Lena, is generally the poorest, containing 

 the greatest per-centage of silver and copper. 



As an average analysis of 96 parts of East Siberian gold, I may 

 give the following — total. 



Amoor gold 9 If gold 4 silver ^ copper =: 96 



Amoor gold 92 „ 3f „ i „ =96 



Lena (Yakutsk) ... 861 „ 9i „ i „ = 96 



DECADE 11. VOL. IV. — NO. XII. 36 



