SIBERIA. 



ftated at J350, afld the breadth at i960, which extent ex- 

 ceeds that of Europe. The vaft country of Siberia, fays 

 Mr. Tooke, contains, by calculation, upwards of 10^ mil- 

 lions of fquare verfts, comprehendinfr within it feveral king- 

 doms, taken by roving Kozaks (Coffacks) on their own ac- 

 count, and then furrendered to the tzar, who completed 

 the conqueft ; at prefent this country confifts of feveral of 

 the moft extenfive governments. The fartheft eaftern bound- 

 ary is that of Afia, and the feas of Kamtfchatka and 

 Ochotflc, and the northern is the Arftic ocean. On the W. 

 the frontiers correfpond with thofe between Afia and Europe, 

 and the fouthern limits may be ftated more at large in the 

 following manner : The river Cuban, part of the Caucafian 

 chain, and an ideal line, divide the Ruffian territory from 

 Turkey and Perfia. The boundary then afcends along the 

 north of the Cafpian through the Iteppe or defart of Iffim, 

 and the ealtern fliorc of the river Ob, to its fource in the 

 Altaian mountains, where it meets the va(l empire of China, 

 and proceeds among that chain to the fources of the Onon, 

 where it includes a confiderable region called Daouria, ex- 

 tending about 200 miles in breadth, to the fouth of the 

 mountains called Yablonnoy ; the limit between Ruffia and 

 Chinefe Tartary being partly an ideal line, and partly the 

 river Argoon, which joined with the Onon conftitutes the 

 great river Amur. Thence the boundary returns to the 

 mountainous chain, and follows a branch of it to a promon- 

 tory on the north of the mouth of the Amur. 



The population of Afiatic Ruffia may be regarded as 

 primitive, except a few Ruffian colonies recently planted ; 

 and the Techuks in that part which is oppofite to America, 

 fuppofed to have migrated from that continent, in their per- 

 fons and cultoms are different from thofe of the Afiatic 

 tribes. Next to the Techuks, moft remotely north, are the 

 Yukagirs, a branch of the Yakuts, and further well the 

 Samoyedes. South of the Techuks are the Koriaks, and fur- 

 ther fouth the Ivamtfchadales, who are a dillinft people, and 

 fpeak a different language. The Lamutes are a branch of 

 the Mandfliures or Tungufes, who are widely diffufed be- 

 tween the Yenifei and Amur, and the fouthern tribes, ruled 

 by a khan, conquered China in the 17th century. The 

 Oftiaks, and other tribes of Samoyedes, have penetrated 

 confiderably to the S. between the Yenifei and the Irtifch, 

 and are followed by various tribes of the Monguls, as the 

 Kalmucks, Burats, &c. and by thofe of the Tartars or 

 Huns, as the Teluts, Kirgufes, and others. The radically 

 diftinft languages amount to feven, independently of many 

 dialefts and mixtures. 



The vaft extent of northern Afia was firft known by the 

 name of Sibir, or Siberia ; but the appellation is gradually 

 paffing into difufe. When the Monguls eftablifhed a king- 

 dom in thcfe northern regions, the firft refidence of the 

 princes was on the river Tura, on the fcite of the town now 

 called Tiumen, about 180 miles S.W. of Toboltl< ; but 

 they afterwards removed to the eaftern ftiore of the Irtifch, 

 and there founded the city of Ifljer near Tobolfk. This new 

 refidence was alfo called Sibir, of unknown etymology, and 

 the name of the city pafTed to the Mongul principality. 

 Although this is doubted by Coxe, Pallas f.iys that the 

 ruins of Sibir are ftill vifible 23 verfts from Tobolfk, and 

 that k gave name to the rivulet Sibirka, and the whole of 

 Siberia. When the Ruffians began the conqueft of the 

 country, they were unapprised of its extent ; and the name 

 of this wcftern province was c^radually diffufed over the half 

 of Afia. The principality eftabhihed by the Monguls under 

 Sheibuni in 1242 in the weftcrn part of Siberia, around To- 

 bolflv and the river Tura, from which it has been fomctimes 

 called Tura, has been already mentioned. The aftual con- 



queft of Siberia commenced in the reign of Ivan Vaflillie- 

 vitch II., who afcended the Ruffian throne in 1534. In- 

 duced by the profpeft of eftabhfhing a traffic for Siberian 

 furs, he determined to undertake the conqueft of the coun- 

 try, and in 1558 added to his titles that of lord of Sibir, or 

 Siberia. Yarmak, a Cofiack chief, being driven, by the 

 Ruffian conquefts in the fouth, to take refuge, with 6000 or 

 7000 of his followers, near the river Kama, afterwards 

 marched down the Ural chain, defeated the Tartar Kutcliun, 

 khan of Sibir, and pre^led forwards to the Tobol and the 

 Irtifch, and alfo to the Oby, and in this aftonifhing expe- 

 dition, fubjugated Tartars, Vogules, and Oftiaks. Finding 

 it impoffible to maintain and complete his conquefts with his 

 fmall army, he furrendered them in 158 1, by a formal capitu- 

 lation, to the tzar Ivan VaffiUievitch, who nobly rewarded 

 his magnanimity and exertions. This conqueror of Siberia, 

 however, did not live to witnefs the full accomplifhment of 

 this enterprife. He died in 1584; and after his death the 

 difcovery and conquefts which he had made were profecutcd 

 by regiments of Donlkoi Coffacks, fent thither for that pur- 

 pofe, as far as the eaftern ocean and the mountains of China; 

 and in the middle of the 17th century this whole part of the 

 world had become a Ruffian province. A perlon, whofe 

 name was Cyprian, was appointed firft archbifhop of Sibir 

 in 1 62 1, and at Tobolfl<, where he refided, he drew up a 

 narrative of the conqueft. About the middle of the 17th 

 century the Ruffians had extended eaft as far as the river 

 Amur ; but Kamtfchatka was not finally reduced till the 

 year 1711. Behring and other navigators afterwards pro- 

 ceeded to difcover the other extreme parts of Afia. In his 

 firft voyage of 1728, Behring coafted the eaflern ffiore of 

 Siberia as high as latitude 67° 18', but his important dif- 

 coveries were made during his voyage of 1 741. The Aleu- 

 tian ifles were vifitcd in 1745 ; and in the reign of the em- 

 prefs Catharine II. other important difcovcries followed, 

 which were completed by captain Cook. In the fouth the 

 Mongul kingdom of Kazan was fubdued in 1552, and that 

 of Altrakhan in 1554, and the Ruffian monarchy extended 

 to the Cafpian fea. In 1727, after previous conflifts, the 

 Ruffian limits were continued weflward from the fource of 

 the Argoon to the mountain Sabyntaban, near the conflux 

 of two rivers with the Yenifei ; the boundary being thus 

 afcertained between the Ruffians and the Monguls fubjetl 

 to China. The trade with China has been condufted at 

 Zuruchaitu, on the river Argoon, N. lat. 50°. E. long. 337°> 

 and at Kiachta, about 90 miles S. of the fea of Baikal, N. 

 lat. 51°. E. long. 106°. This boundary between two ftates 

 is the moft extenfive on the globe, reaching from about the 

 65th to the 145th degree of longitude ; 80° (lat. 50°) 

 yielding, by the allowance of 39 geographical miles to a 

 degree, 3120 miles. 



The moft curious antiquities in Siberia feem to be the 

 ftone tombs which abound on fome fteppes, particularly 

 near the river Yenifei, reprefenting in rude fculpture human 

 faces, camels, horfemen with lances, and other objefts. 

 Here are alfo found, befides human bones, thofe of horfes 

 and oxen, with fragments of pottery and ornaments of drefs. 

 The moft fingular ancient monument in Siberia is found on 

 the river Abakan, not far from Tomfk, being a large tomb 

 with rude figures. 



The religion of the Greek church, which is profefFed by 

 the Ruffians, has made no great progrefs in their Afiatic do- 

 minions. Many of the Tartar tribe": in the S.W. are Ma- ' 

 hometans, and others are votaries of the fuperltition of Dalai 

 Lama. But the religious fentiments of the Sohamanians 

 are the molt prevalent ; particularly among the Tartars, 

 Finns, Samoyedes, Oftiaks, Mandfhurs, Burats, and Tun- 

 gufes ; 



