210 Geographical Collections. , 
dilleras. He also observed in those mountains, mines of osmium and iridium, 
each having separate beds. Thence he crossed the Kirghise step, along the fron- 
tiers of Chinese Tartary, and visited the ruins of the ancient city of Bulgaride, 
or Bolgari, formerly the capital of the Tartar empire, and the residence of the 
family of Tamerlane. On the 20th of August M. Humboldt crossed Chinese 
Tartary, and visited rich mines of beryls and topazes, and also a silver mine, 
which produces annually above 40,000 pounds of auriferous silver. Lastly he 
entered a Chinese town: the governor received the learned traveller in a tent, a 
point which he insisted upon, saying, that he would do the same if he were tra- 
velling in another country. He gave him a very polite reception, and sold to him 
an historical Chinese work, in five volumes, for some yards of velvet and red 
cloth. This town has a wretched appearance, and contains nothing remarkable 
but a temple and two mean towers, inhabited by Chinese soldiers. The Russian 
Government has behaved in the most handsome manner to Baron Humboldt. 
He is accompanied by a general and some superior officers, and also three car- 
riages and thirty horse, with every thing requisite for his journey. He hopes to 
be in France next summer, enriched with valuable discoveries in geology, mine- 
ralogy, and botany. 
Expedition to the Caucasus.—On the 26th of June the expedition left the 
warm mineral waters of Tefliz, for the mountain Elborouss, (Elborus, Elburus, 
Alburz: Pallas calls it Osha Mashua, “ happy mountain,”) with an escort of 
600 Russians and 350 Cossacks, under the command of the general of cavalry, 
Emmanuel, in person. They arrived on the 8th of July at the foot of the Elbo- 
rous, and encamped on the river Malka. The baggage was left about ten Eng- 
lish miles from the mountain. The scarp of the ascents and descents, and the 
little width of the paths traced along the steep sides of the mountain, did not al- 
iow them to advance further otherwise than on foot. 
The next morning of their arrival the sky became clear and bright, and the 
two pinnacles of the Elborouss appeared in all their majesty. The academicians 
resolved to avail themselves of this weather, so favourable for an ascent. They 
provided themselves with pointed staves, cords, &c. They left the camp at nine 
in the morning, and it was only towards evening that they reached the first snows, 
when they made preparations for passing the night. The next day, the 10th, 
they began their ascent at three o’clock in the morning, and they advanced with 
‘Success enough ; but it became more and more painful as the snow, beginning to 
fall, clogged their feet. They were obliged to make frequent halts, and to 
part themselves into small divisions. Towards nine o’clock in the morning, 
they had climbed more than half way up the mountain, and stepped to rest them- 
selves behind some rocks, which concealed them from the sight of those who 
were anxiously watching their progress from the plain below. An hour after- 
wards, one man, only appeared beyond the rocks, advancing with a firm and mea- 
sured step towards the summit of the Elborouss. It was in vain they waited to 
see him followed by the other travellers; nobody appeared. All eyes were fixed 
‘on him who accomplished so daring an enterprise. Resting every five or six 
steps, he advanced with the greatest courage: jnst close to the summit, he dis- 
appeared among the rocks. The spectators lorig waited for his appearance with 
interest and impatience : towards eleven o’clock he was seen suddenly on the 
very top of the Elborouss. A discharge of musketry, music, songs, and cheer- 
ings of joy, made the air reverberate at this sight. On the return of the travel- 
lers, they learned that this audacious adventurer was a Kabardian, an old herds- 
man named Kilian, lame and deformed. He received the reward of the prize of 
406 roubles, and 5 archines of cloth, which had been offered by General Em- 
manuel, 
Messrs. Lentz and Kupfer reached the height of 15,209 feet. The lat- 
ter gentleman, in a letter to the Academy of Paris, stated that the experiments 
he had made on the decrease of magnetic intensity, coincided with those made by 
Mr Gay Lussac in the ascent in a bailoon.- The total elevation of the Elborouss 
