Explorations in the Amoor Region. 407 
remain in that state for many years. 'The moststriking example 
of this is afforded by the great Baryn-Tarei lake, lying south of 
the Kulussutaefski trontier station, which was found dry by Pallas 
in1772: since then it filled with water, which again entirely eva- 
rated five years ago, so that it now only presents a dry salif- 
erous and muddy bottom, cracked in numerous wide fissures by 
the burning rays of the sun. With the exception of a few rills, 
generally filled only by snow water in spring, and remaining 
perfectly dry during the greater part of the year, a small number 
of spring morasses are alone to be found there. Not unfrequently 
such morasses occur in the vicinity of saline lakes; but often, 
haying no efflux, they drain themselves, when, owing to the 
pressure of water beneath, the surface around their swampy edges 
rises several fathoms in winter with its icy covering. ‘The ice 
_ Temains in such places until the middle of summer; and even 
_ 80 late as the month of June have I seen on a freshwater morass 
ture, 
0 the gtowing of corn have for many years been repeated with 
a ~~ Perseverance at the military settlements on the frontier. 
“None of the extensive and remote regions of Russia, in the 
fame latitude, are there, probably, presented so many local con- 
a ae unfavorable to agriculture as in the frontier steppes of 
7 ; and it is very doubtful whether, even with incr 
es oe 
