A L T 



ALT 



beria and the Clunerc empire fiom tlie Iitirti to the Amur, 

 and runj on, witli divergent hraiiclies, to the mountains of 

 Okhotsk, and to thofe of KAMTSCHATKA,;ind of the Ku- 

 Rii.E and Ai,r.i»TAN iihmds, terminating in the promontories 

 and roeky fliores of Cape Tschutski, the boundary of 

 Afia; unlefs we fuppofe the niountainous and rocky iiland 

 of Kurilc and Japan connefted with the mountains which 

 reach from Tibet to China. The portion of the Altay 

 mountains that properly belongs to Ruffia, may be diilri- 

 buted into two parts ; one of wliich comprehends the entire 

 fpace between the Irtifli and the Oby, and the other the 

 fpace between the Oby and the Ycnifei. The former may be 

 denominated tlie Kolhyvan, and the latter the Kufnetzkoi 

 moimtains. Both include the greater part of the government 

 of Kolhyvan ; and the former half might, on account of its 

 mineral wealth, be called, by way of eminence, the Altaian 

 Ore-mountains. 



That pari of the Altaian chain, which feparates the go- 

 vernment of Kolhyvan from the Chinefe Soongoria, is di- 

 vided into two great branches ; one from the Irtifh to the 

 lake Tcletzkoi and the head of the river Abakan, is pro- 

 perly the Lefl'er Altay, or Khrebet Khalta, and the other, 

 from the Abakan to the Yenifei, is called Sabinfl<oy Khre- 

 bet. In the former are the greatefl elevations of the Kolhy- 

 vanian, and in the latter thofe of the Kufnetzkian moun- 

 tains ; and thcfe form the bafis of all the ribs or ridges that 

 flioot out to the north-weft and to the north, which at 

 laft lofc thcmfclves towards the Icy or Frozen Ocean 

 in extenfive plains ; while toward the' fouth they ftill 

 continue to foar to an uncommon height over a long and 

 broad extent of territory. In the midft of thefe lofty moun- 

 tains, fays Dr. Pallas, and on the frontier line between the 

 Soongorian and Mongolian deferts, Bogdo-Dola, or Bogdo- 

 Ahm, q. d. the Almighty Mount, fo eminently famous 

 among all thefe nations, lifts its pointed heads ; which, if 

 not one of the higheft, is yet, by its craggy, fteep, and irre- 

 gular form, with the appearance of having been thrown up 

 by fomc violent agitation of the earth, the mofl; ftriking of 

 the elevated mountains of this region. North-weft from it 

 the principal mountain as far as Altain-Kul, or Teletkoi- 

 Ozero, is called the Golden Mountain. Eaftward towards 

 Mongoley, more to the fouth, runs a large mountain Chan- 

 gay, and fouthwards a fnow mountain Muffart, which con- 

 netts either with the Tibetan, or with the northerly moun- 

 tains in India. To the weft the chief mountain throws out 

 an arm, moftly bai'e of forefts, and ftudded, as it were, with 

 rocks, called AUakoola, /. e. the chequered mountain, by 

 the Tartars Ala-Tau, which joins with the Kirghiftzian 

 Alginflioi-Sirt. The Great Altay mountains are properly 

 connefted, as we have already obfcrved, with the mountains 

 of Tibet by the Muffart, or by other chains ; for all the de- 

 ferts between Siberia and India, and the eaftern Bukharia, are 

 merely alternate hills and plains, and very rocky. Befides, 

 it is evident that the Altay mountains muft make an unin- 

 terrupted partition between the Weftern Steppes and the 

 eaftern regions, becaufe the. Steppe animals, particularly the 

 antelopes or Steppe-goats, ftiun the mountains, and even in 

 Afia go no further than to the weftern range of the Altais, 

 and are come from it northwards to the woody regions of 

 the Oby. The fnow-mountain, which appears northwards 

 o.n the Siberian frontiers from the Irtifhtau between the 

 BuktaiTna and the Katunia, and quite into the angle formed 

 by the rivers Ina and Belaia, which flow into the Tiharifti, is, 

 as it were, a branch or nook of the Great Altais, and is by 

 feme ufually called the Little Altay, and darts its ftupendous 

 pinnacles above the clouds. This mountain is bold and 



6 



ftcep, and appears, cfpccially in the vale where the Ina 

 unites witii the Tegerek, like a towering wall, behind which 

 the mountains rife higher by irregular gradations, and at laft 

 ftrike up in feparRte points. The fame fteep vale parts the 

 Sehiftole mountain from the Chalkftone mountain, which 

 fpreads from hence northwards between the Ina and the 

 Loktefka quite to the Tftiaridi. Over the Schiftofe moun- 

 taiu the fnowy fummits rife conically out of a granite mixed 

 with fchorl and mica. The fame granite {hews itfelf again in 

 chalky promontories, with the fehiftus lying upon it, and 

 forms the Revnovaio Sopka, as it is called, at the fame 

 time, in the bofom of the chalky mountains, the ilill more 

 elevated Sinaia Sopka. Granite appears likewife throughout 

 in low, rocky, craggy mounts and finglc cliffs, between the 

 rivers Ubo and Alay, where the mountain has already fallen 

 deep towards the plani, and likewife about the lake Kolhy- 

 van. The rich ore-mountain of Kolhyvan places itfelf imme- 

 diately between and about this granite-itock, and thence 

 arifes an apparent confufion in the ftrata through the whole 

 of the ore-mountain. 



The principal part of the Altay mountains that belongs to 

 Ruffia is the range of Kolhyvan, or the proper ore-moun- 

 tains of Altay; and thefe may be arranged into the Kolhv- 

 V k-AO-ninJhrefcnJkoi, the Korbolik inskoi, the Alaiski An, 

 the OuBiNSKOi, the Buktarminskoi, the Tf.letskoi, 

 and the Tshariskoi mountains. The fecoud range of the 

 Altaian mountains belonging to Ruffia, or the Kulnetzkoi 

 mountain, is ftill almoft imknown and inacccffible. Its two 

 fubdivifions are the Kufnetzkoi proper and the Krafno- 

 yarilcoi mountains, which together fill the whole large fpace 

 between the Oby and the Yenifei. The fuuimits of thefe 

 mountains, between the fources of the Tom and the Yus, 

 and on the Mrafs, are covered with pei-pctual fnow. Their 

 inward conftitution is not accurately afcertained ; but va- 

 rious forts of granite, porphyry, jafper, breccia, iahue 

 chalkftone, marble with fea-ftiells, horn-ftone, flute, ferpen- 

 tine, mountain-cryftal, chalcedony, and cornehans are brought 

 from hence. On the Kondoma are produftive iron-mines ; 

 about the fource of the Tftiumifli the Salahirftoi filver-mines 

 continue to be worked with fanguine expeftations ; and at 

 Krafnoyarflv feveral copper-mines were formerly wrought, 

 but are now abandoned. In the laft-mentioned circle is alfo 

 an eftablifliment for fmelting iron ore. The higheft moun- 

 tains to the fouth are about the fource of the Abakan, where 

 the famous mount Sabin, or Shabina Dabahn raifes his fnowy 

 liead to a ilupendous height, and the litem on the borders 

 of the brook Shantigyr. 



The greater part of the Altay mountains is more bald 

 than woody. The largeft forefts are in the low countiy about 

 the Alay, the Oby, and the Yenifei. The fpecies of wood 

 are the pinus fylveftris, the birch, the afpin, the pinus pieca, 

 the pinus abies, the alder, the willow, noble larch-trees, (pi- 

 nus larix) and cedars. The principal rivers of thele moun- 

 tains are the Irtifli, and its collateral ftreams the Buktarma, 

 the Ulba, and the Uba ; the Oby, with its main rivers, the 

 Alay, the Tfliarifli, the Tftiulym, the Tom, the Katunia, the 

 Yus, and the Abakan, which falls into the Yenifei. The 

 upper regions of thefe mounta,ins are uncommonly exuberant 

 in waters. 



The Altayan mountains contain rich gold and iilver fliafts, 

 and alfo veins of lead, copper, and iron, impregnated with 

 gold and filver. The moft important filver mines in thefe 

 mountains are thofe of Kolhyvan. The copper-mine is 

 alfo confiderable ; befides which the cupriferous filver ore 

 yields a quantity of copper, the whole amounting to about 

 15,000 pood a year. In J782 there were coined here 



18,753 



