390 Prof Mi Ine — Across Europe and Asia. 
driving tliere I passed a section of a whitish fissile rock, whick was 
apparently a local repräsentative of tke Permian strata. The most 
noticeable tking at tke works was a large steam kammer, said to be 
tke largest in tke world. Tke weigkt of tke kead of tkis instru- 
ment is 50 tons, but wken steam is employed tke energy is equiva- 
lent to tkree times tkis amount. Tke anvil on wkick tkis falls is a 
solid block ofcast iron, weigking 667 tons. Up tili quite recently 
all tke coal used at tkese works was brongkt from England, wkick 
naturally involved considerable expense. Now tkey nse tkeir own 
coal, wkick is found on botk sides of tke neigkbouring Urals in 
great abundance, coke only being brought from England. Tkis 
costs about £5 per ton. It was not uutil tke evening of tke 5th 
September tkat my carriage, in wkick I intended to cross tke Urals, 
was engaged. I started in tke middle of tke nigkt. For tke first 
65 versts (1 verst=^ of a mile) I saw notliing but a few fir-trees 
and quantities of birck, after wkick a wkite rock began to crop up 
at various points, especially at tkose points wkere we wound round 
or cut tkrougk some undulations wkick relieved wkat kad liitkerto 
been a melanckoly flatness. Eigkt and left of the road, whick in 
many places seemed like a pleasant avenue of birches, were rolling 
plains of yellow corn and stubble land. Tkese vast expanses of 
open land, wkick are ckiefly used for tke eultivation of corn, clearly 
indieated tke cutting down of large forests, tke Clearing away of 
wkick appears to kave influenced tke rainfall, and consequently tke 
flow of rivers. Tkis wkolesale cutting down of • tke timber seems to 
kave kad its greatest impetus at tke time of tke Crimean War, wken 
tke manufactories of St. Petersburg and otker large towns were pre- 
vented from receiving tkeir accustomed supply of coals from external 
sources. From tkese times tke use of wood became firmly established, 
as it was found to be so economical, not only in its first cost, but, 
among otker reasons, from its not burning up tke fire bare of tkeir 
furnaces as coal did. 
Tke first village of any size tkat we saw upon tke road was 
Kongar, just before reacking wkick tkere was a descent so steep 
tkat it neeessitated tke use of a drag. Tkis I mention, because it 
never occuri'ed again, tke plan being to Charge down one kill in 
order to acquire sufficient momentum to ascend tke next. After we 
kad left Kongar, I heard tkat tkere was a cave there, wkick my 
informant told me was wortky of a visit. We were now in an 
undulating country, tke contours of whick were smooth and round. 
Most of tke kills were cultivated to their summits, but some few 
liad a covering of trees. In tke evening we found ourselves at the 
tenth Station out of tke eigkteen we kad to pass before this section 
of our journey, whick was as far as Ekaterinburg, would be over. 
All tke following day we were amongst tke spure of tke Urals. 
Tke kills around us were only of a moderate keight. Patekes of 
trees upon tkeir sides, and dotted on tke plains and winding valleys 
at tkeir base, gave to tkem a rural, park-like aspect. As we ascended, 
small streams grew smaller, and told us that tke water parting 
wkick divides tke two great continents was near. Large fat. magpies, 
