THAR er 
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CENTRAL ASIA. 493 
together with asphaltum and springs impregnated 
with sulphurous gases. 
A phenomenon so great as that of the central de- 
pression of Asia, which resembles the circular val- 
leys of the moon, could have been produced only by 
a very powerful cause acting in the interior of the 
earth. This cause, while forming the crust of the 
globe by sudden raisings and sinkings, probably 
filled with metallic substances the fissures of the 
Uralian and Altaic chains. 
It is not the custom of our author to detail per- 
sonal adventures, his object being to give a scienti- 
fic character to his narrative ; and for this reason his 
relations may be less interesting to many readers 
than some of the travels and voyages which have of 
late been so profusely offered to the public. He is 
at present engaged in preparing an account of his 
Asiatie tour, the full details of which will ap- 
pear under the general title of “ A Journey to the 
Uralian Range, the Mountains of Kolyvan, the 
Frontier of Chinese Zungaria, and the Caspian Sea, 
made by Order of the Emperor of Russia, in 1829, 
by A. de Humboldt, G. Ehrenberg, and G. Rose.” 
It will consist of three distinct works:—1. A geolo- 
gical and physical view of the north-west of Asia, 
observations of terrestrial magnetism, and results of 
astronomical geography, by Baron Humboldt. 2. 
The mineralogical and geological details, the results 
of chemical analysis, and the narrative of the jour- 
ney, by M. Rose. 3. The botanical and zoological 
part, with observations on the distribution of plants 
and animals, by M. Ehrenberg. 
Any formal eulogy on our illustrious author must 
be altogether unnecessary, for his renown has extend- 
