VIII.] 
THE KIVER SYSTEM OF SIBERIA. 
373 
of Siberia, which accompanies this work, shows, but a small part 
of these enormous territories lies north of the Arctic Circle, and 
only very inconsiderable portions of it are occupied by woodless 
Utndra, which is explained by the fact that the greater part of 
the coast-land bordering on the Arctic Ocean is drained by 
small rivers of its own, and therefore cannot be considered to 
belong to the river territories now in question. If we draw the 
northern boundary of the land that may be cultivated with 
advantage at 60° N.L., there remains a cultivable area of 
90,000 geographical square miles. Perhaps a third part of this 
is occupied by rocky country which is wooded, and probably 
capable of being cultivated only with considerable difficulty, 
but the rest consists for the most part of easily cultivated 
grassy plains, with little wood, and covered with the most 
luxuriant vegetation. The soil, in many places resembling 
the black earth or tscherno-sem of Kussia, recompenses with 
abundant harvests even the slightest labour of cultivation. 
Notwithstanding this, these regions now support only an exceed¬ 
ingly sparse population, but many, many millions may without 
difficulty find their subsistence there when once cultivation has 
developed the rich natural resources of the country. 
It is a circumstance specially fortunate for the future develop¬ 
ment of Siberia that its three great rivers are already navigable 
for the greater part of their course. The Ob is navigable from 
Biisk (52i° N.L.), and the Irtisch at least from Semipalitinsk 
(50° 18' N.L.). The Yenesej, again, which, after leaving the 
region of its sources in China, crosses with its two main arms 
the whole of Siberia from north to south, from the forty-sixth to 
the seventy-third degree of latitude, and thus traverses a terri¬ 
tory which corresponds in length to the distance between Venice 
and the North Cape, or between the mouth of the Mississippi 
and the north part of Lake Winnipeg, and is already navigable 
by nature from the sea to Yenisejsk. To this town goods are 
already transported down both the main arms from Minusinsk 
