1865.] Geography. 291 



characters of Assyria. The second interesting locality visited by Mr. 

 Taylor was a cavern into which the Tigris plunges at a few miles 

 from its source. It traverses about two miles under ground, and it is 

 probable that formerly this distance may have been greater, as detached 

 arches and masses of rock choke its passage at some distance from the 

 tunnel, thus confirming the account of Strabo as to the extraordinary 

 length of its passage under ground. Some of the sources of the 

 Euphrates are within five miles of the Tigris, — here, as in many other 

 instances, great rivers rise in adjacent localities, seldom, as in this 

 case, to unite again near the termination of their course. 



A paper was also read before the Society, which gave a description 

 of " Lake Nor Tzai-san," near Berezoff in Siberia, near the boundaries 

 of Russia and Chinese Tartary, written by M. A. Abramof, a resident 

 at the former town. The lake is a fishing station of the Russians, and 

 is visited yearly by a Chinese official, to whom a tribute of salt fish is 

 presented. 



The basins of large rivers form a subject of much more practical 

 interest than the discovery of the source of the mightiest stream yet 

 navigated ; nevertheless the latter subject invariably attracts more at- 

 tention, and has more of romance in it than a well-considered account 

 of country drained by a really important means of communication 

 between distant lands. A paper by Mr. Richard Temple, Chief Com- 

 missioner of the Central Provinces of India, " On the Basin of the 

 River Mahanuddy," refers to a subject on which the writer is well able 

 to speak from his official position, and forms, in fact, an abstract of 

 the geographical portion of a report furnished to the Government ; 

 still, from its statistical and extremely practical character, it seems to 

 have attracted little attention among scientific men. The district 

 drained by this river system is very extensive, as the stream is navi- 

 gable for 690 miles, thus forming a means of inland communication 

 between a very extensive country, but unfortunately it does not open a 

 road to the sea, since the mouth has silted up. This is the more un- 

 fortunate, as the district of Chutteesgurh, on the upper part of the 

 river, is well adapted for the cultivation of cotton of a kind, it is said, 

 superior to the majority of Indian produce. This climate causes it 

 to be thus suited for growing cotton, as it has a moist atmosphere, and 

 the copious rains keep the river at a regular height during a large 

 portion of the year. This steady rain is induced by the hills sur- 

 rounding the river valley, and thus irrigation is not required even for 

 the sugar-cane. The corn crops are so great that of late years they 

 have rotted in the stacks. In the upper part of the valley mangore 

 swamps have encroached upon the old kingdom of a Rajpoot dynasty, 

 which had its capital at Ruttunpoor. No other trees grow here, 

 though lower down the forests are extensive, and large quantities of 

 teak, and of a tree called the Sal-tree, are grown. This latter equals 

 the Teak in durability and strength, but it requires several years to be- 

 come thoroughly seasoned, and is consequently less valuable. Besides 

 these elements of commercial enterprise, the valley affords both coal 

 and iron in considerable abundance, which might be made available 

 could the entrance of the river be opened to large vessels, which would 



