ii Russian Mission from Orerihaurg to Bokhara. [Jan. 



CHAPTEft IL 



Central Asia — Division — Appearance — Mvu7ilain'^ ~ Rivers and 

 St) earns — Sea of Aral — Marshes — Climafe. 



I consider Central Asia to be the country bounded by the Irtich, the 

 Akai, the Tarb;igbataj, the Moussart or Mous-tai,h (ice moiintnins), 

 the Belour (chrkstal), the Hindoo Koosh, nioiintains of Ghaour, wliich 

 bound the north oi" Persia, the easieni yhoie of ihe Caspian Saa, the 

 Oural, and ibe northern boundary of (he steppe of the Kirgh'z. 



Inde[)endent Tartary is applied to those .slates, which are btiil un- 

 subjected ; in wliich sense, they belong lo political geography, but to 

 preserve consistency in any deocripiion, I will adopt the name ot In- 

 dependent Mongol-Tartary. 



The great table land, inhabited by (he Mongols, may be called Mon- 

 golia, and to avoid confusion, I will adopt the names of great and lit- 

 tle Tiber, Chinese Turkistan and Dzoungarie, or province of Ily, as the 

 Chinese call it. 



The regions of Asia, which I have either visi'ed. or obtained certain 

 information regarding, are, to the north, the countries of the Kirghiz ; to 

 the west, the Khanat of Khiva, the Cara-calp iks, the Aralians, or inha- 

 bitants of the banks of the Aral lake, and Turkomans ; to the east, the 

 Khanat of Khokhan (called Fergliana by the Arab authors), includ- 

 ing the towns of Tachkend and Turkistan ; to the south, Bokhara, ihe 

 desert inh ibited by Turkomans, the Khanats of Meimeneh, Ankoi Balk, 

 Khoulm, Badakshan, Koulab, Hissar, Cherzabes (green city), the 

 country inhabited by the Gillijes Afghans, or eastern Persians, the 

 Kezareh, the nomade Chiites, Cligaanies, the Dervazth Pagan no- 

 mades. 



The elevation of the steppe of the Kirghiz is very low, by our obser- 

 vations, the barometer, during a constantly calm atmosphere, stood at 

 27 inches, seven and eight lines, the thermometer being at about 8 or 10 

 degrees of Remeur. I he steppe, about the 52 degrees north latitude, as a 

 fertile soil, producing forests of pines, birch, and pood grass. To the 

 south, the couniry is deficient in moisture, a few tir trees here and there 

 met with in some spots of the Olou-tagh, a chain of mountains, W'hich, 

 generally speaking, only present valleys, devoid of vegetation, granite 

 rocks, and mines of lead. 



In the western parts of the deserts, that is (0 say, the route from Bo- 

 khara to Orenbourg, grass is only found near the mountains of Mongli- 

 odjar. Beyond the Orsk it is not met with to within 250 versies of 



