SIBERIA. 



gufes ; and they have been adopted by the Koriaks, Te- 

 chuks, and people of the eaftern ifles. On the eaftern coa(t 

 of the fea of Baikal is the rock of the Schamans, an idol of 

 a peculiar fhape : whilft the Schamanians admit one chief in- 

 fernal deity and his fubalterns, authors of evil, they alfo be- 

 lieve in one fupreme uncreated bcneiicent being, who commits 

 the management of the univerfe to mferior deities, and they 

 delegate portions of it to fubaltern fpirits. See Schamans. 



The archiepifcopal fee of Tobollk is the metropolitan of 

 Ruffian Afia in the nortli, and that of Aftrakhan in the 

 fouth. There is another fee, that of Irkutik and Nerfhinfli, 

 and fome others of more recent origin. 



Siberia is divided into two great governments, thofe of 

 Tobolfk in the welt, and Irkutik in the ealt. The fmaller 

 provinces are Kohvan, Nerlhinlk, Yakutlk, and Ochotft. 

 In the S.W. is the government of Caucafus, with one or 

 two other divifions, blending Europe and Alia. 



The population of Siberia cannot be computed at above 

 ^\ millions. The political importance and relations of this 

 part of the Ruffian empire principally relate to China and 

 Japan. The manners and culloms of Afiatic Ruffia vary 

 with the numerous tribes by whom it is peopled. The- 

 Tartars are the moll numerous ; next to thcfe in importance 

 are the Monguls, one tribe of whom, -vi-z. the Kalmuck's, 

 are found to the W. of the Cafpian, while the others, called 

 Burats, Torgats, Sec. are chiefly round the fea of Baikal. 

 Further to the eaft are the Mandfliurs or Tungufes. See 

 thefe denominations refpeftively. 



The languages of all the original nations of Afiatic Ruffia 

 are radically different ; and among the Tungules, Monguls, 

 and Tartars, there are fome traces of literature, and not a 

 few MSS. in their feveral languages. 



The principal city of Afiatic Ruffia is Aftrakhan, which 

 fee. Azof (which fee) derives its importance chiefly from its 

 being a fortified poll. The chief towns on the Afiatic fide 

 of the Volga, are Samara and Stauropol. At the mouth of 

 the river Ural, or Jaik, ftands Gurief ; but the chief place 

 after Aftrakhan is Orenburgh, founded in the year 1740, and 

 the feat of a confiderable trade with the tribes on the E. of 

 the Cafpian. Beyond the Uralian chain the firft city that 

 occurs is Tobolflv ; which fee. Kolyvan i'i a town of lome 

 confequcnce on the river Ob, iiaving in its vicinity fome filver 

 mines of confiderable produce, and north to this is Tomlk. 

 Farther to the E. the towns become of lefs confequcnce. 

 On the river Yenifei is a fmall town of the fame name, and 

 another called Sayandv. On the river Angara ftands Ir- 

 kut(]<, fuppofed to contain 1 2,000 inhabitants, the chief 

 mart of the commerce between Ruffia and China, and tlie 

 feat of fupreme jurifdiftion over eaftern Siberia. On the 

 wide and frozen Lena ftands Yaknt(l< ; which fee. 



Tlio chief commerce of this part of the Ruffian empire 

 confiils in iables and other valuable furs, for whicli the Chi- 

 nefe return tea, filk, and nankeen. That with the Kirgufcs 

 confifts in exchanging Ruffian wonUen cloths, iron, and honf- 

 hold articles, for horfos, cattle, flicep, and beautiful flieep- 

 tkins. On the Black lea there is fome commerce with Tur- 

 key, the exports being furs, kaviar, iron, linen, &c. and 

 the imports wine, fruit, coffee, filks, rice. In the trade 

 on the Cafpian the exports are the fame, and the return 

 ctiicfiy filk. Tiie principal Ruffian harbours arc Aftrakhan, 

 Gurief, and Kidiar, near the mouth of tin- Terek, but tlie 

 belt tiaven is Baku, belonging to the Pcrfians. The Tartars, 

 on the call of the Cafpijn, bring the products if their coun- 

 try and of Buchana, as cotton-yarn, furs, ftuffs, hides, and 

 rhubarb ; but the chief artick- is raw filk from Shirvan and 

 Ghilaii, on the W. of the Cafpian. 



In Afiatic Ruffia the climate extends from the vine at the 



I 



bottom of the Caucafus, to the folitary lichen on the rocks 

 of the Arftic ocean. Through the greater part of Siberia, 

 the moil fouthern frontier being about 50°, and the northern 

 afcending to 78", the general climate may be confiderej 

 rather as frigid than temperate ; being in three quarters of 

 the country on a level with that of Norway and Lapland, 

 untcmpered by the gales of the Atlantic. To the S. of the 

 fea of Baikal, the chmate correfponds to that of Berlin, 

 and the N. of Germany. The chains of higli mountains, 

 which form the fouthern boundary of thefe provinces, con- 

 tribute alfo to increafe the cold ; fo that the fea of Baikal 

 is commonly entirely frozen from December till May. The 

 fineft climate in thcfe eaftern parts is that of Daouria, or the 

 province around Nerlhinlk : and the numerous towns on the 

 Amur evince the great fuperiority of what is called Chinefe 

 Tartary, which is comparatively a fertile and temperate 

 region. The change of the feafons is very rapid ; the long 

 winter is almoft inflantaneoufly fucceeded by a warm fpring; 

 and the quicknefs and luxuriance of the vegetation exceed 

 defcription. 



The greater part of Siberia, that is, the middle and 

 fouthern latitudes of it, as far as the river Lena, is ex- 

 tremely fertile, and fit tor every kind of produce ; but the 

 northern and eaftern parts, being encumbered with wood, 

 are dcllitiite of this advantage, being unfit both for paf- 

 turagf and culture. The whole of this part, as far as the 

 6oth degree of N. latitude, and to the Frozen ocean, is full 

 of bogs and moraftes covered with mofs, which would be 

 ahfolutely impaffable, if the ice, which never thaws deeper 

 than feven inches, did not remain entire beneath it. In the 

 central parts vegetation is checked by the fevere cold of fo 

 wide a continent. Towards the S. there are vail forells of 

 pine, fir, larch, and other trees, among which is a kind of 

 mulberry, which might thrive in many climates that are now 

 deftitute of it. The fublime fcenes around the fea of Baikal 

 are agreeably contralled with the marks of human induftr)-, 

 the cultivated field and the garden. Many parts of Siberia 

 are totally incapable of agriculture ; but in the fouthern and 

 wellern diftridls the foil is remarkably fertile. North of Koly- 

 van barley generally yields more than twelve-fold, and oats com- 

 monly twenty-fold. Exclufive of winter wheat, molt of the 

 ulual European grains prolpcr in fouthern Siberia. In fome 

 parts flax grows wild, and hemp is prepared from the nettle. 

 Woad is found in Siberia, and faffron near tiie Caucafus. 

 The bell rhubarb abounds on tlie banks of the Ur.il or Jaik, 

 in the fouthern dillrifls watered by the Yenifei, and in the 

 mountains of Daouria. But it is not poffible that agricul- 

 ture fliould flonrilh while the peafantry are fiaves, and fold 

 with the foil. Neverthelefs, an intelligent traveller was 

 furprifed at the abundance of buck-wheat, rye, barley, 

 oats, and otfier grain which he obfervcd to the S. of To- 

 bolflv ; where the cattle were alfo very numerous, and in the 

 winter fed with hay. The large garden llrawberry, called 

 hautbois, is found wild in the territory of Irkutflc ; and on 

 the Altaian mountains the red currant attains the ll/e of a 

 common cherry, ripening in large bunches of excellent fla- 

 vour. Near the Volga and the Ural are excellent melons of 

 various kind^ 



Some of the largclb rivers of Afia belong to the Ruffian 

 empire; fuch are the Ob, of 1900 Britilh miles in c<jurfe ; 

 the Yenifei, about 1 750; and Lena, 1570. To thefe we may 

 add the Irtifrli, the Angara, the Sehi:ga, the Yaik, &c. 

 The lakes of this country are numerous. The moll confider- 

 able in the ncrth of Siberia is that of Pia/inlKo ; that of 

 Baikal, delcribtd under that article ; a large lake between the 

 rivers Ob and the Irtifch, 170 miles long, divided iiy an 

 illand into two parts, called the lakes of Tchang and Soumi. 



lu 



