tmu ■ IWWWlTfHII^WInWffiWTfHinTiTTil i THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN *>«£/?: 8, Leadenhall Street, August 25. Messrs. JAMES MADDEN and Co.'s List of New Publications. Now ready, Vols. I. II. III. IV. and V., price 145. each, HISTORY OF BRITISH INDIA. By the late James Mill, Esq. Fourth Edition, with Notes and Illustrations, and a Continuation of the History, By II. II. Wilson, Esq. M.A. F.R.S. And Boden Professor of Sanscrit in the University of Oxford. *** The Work will consist of Eight Volumes 8vo., to be published in succession. Vol. VI. will be ready in September. " There is scarcely, perhaps, another man in England so well qualified to undertake a new edition Of this great work as the Boden Professor of Sanscrit at Oxford. Mr. Wilson brings to the labour an intimate knowledge of the literature and history of the East, and has already ren- dered important services to his country by his learned labours. In editing a new Edition of Mill's ' History of India,' there is much to be done, which Mr. Wilson Is well able to do, and which, as far as these volumes enable us to judge, he will do with the best effect, in correcting the numerous errors of opinion as well as fact which are scattered through that great work. Mr. Wilson's notes are full and to the purpose; and, upon the whole, this work, thus edited, is likely to form an era in the historical literature of the age." — Atlas. "Mill's 'History of British India' is one of those rare works destined to immortality. Un- wearied in research, vigorous in comprehension, and uncompromising in the maintenance of principle, Mr. Mill could scarcely have discussed any subject without imparting to his readers much new and valuable information, enhanced by its union with an exalted tone of morality and noble sentiment. With all its merits, therefore, something was wanting before Mill's ' History of British India' could take rank as a standard national work. The deficiencies have now been amply supplied ; indeed no living man could be found better able to correct Mr. Mill's errors, and modify his too sweeping conclusions, than Professor H. H. Wilson, a distinguished Oriental scholar, long a resident in India, and familiar with the habits and manners of its diversified inhabitants." — Athenicuiii. EDITED BY MAJOR SABINE, F.R.S. REAR-ADMIRAL VON WRANGELI/S NARRATIVE OF HIS EXPEDITION TO SIBERIA AND THE POLAR SEA: Undertaken by order of the Russian Government, with a View to the Discovery of a supposed Polar Continent. In 1 thick 8vo. vol. with a Map, engraved from the Original Survey, By J. and C. Walker. "There are three principal points in which the interest and importance combined in this volume are eminently deserving of consideration, and which render it altogether one of the most valuable contributions to the great inquiry respecting the Arctic regions which has at any time issued from the press. In the first place, it opens a new hope, that this sea may be safely and successfully navigated. In the second place, it affords us a connected chain of history, which unfolds the circumstances of preceding explorations ; and in the third place, it gives us a narrative of personal adventure, and an account of native life and manners which is at once very affecting and extremely curious. With these advantages, Von Wrangell's ' Narrative' must meet with a cordial reception." — Literary Gazette, June 6. *' There is scarcely a page which does not contain something interesting in the description of nature or man, or some particulars of hardship or anxious adventure." — Spectator, June 6. "The volume before us is almost the first work of the kind published under the authority of a Russian discoverer; and the value of its details is considerably increased by a sketch of former voyages of a similar nature, of which no account has ever appeared before." — Atlas. In 1 vol. post Svo. price 7s. 6d. THE EAST INDIA VOYAGER, Or, TEN MINUTES' ADVICE TO THE OUTWARD BOUND. By Emma Roberts. "The manner of the ' East India Voyager' is as agreeable as its matter is curiously instructive. To the general reader, many of the facts will seem minute, but looking at the persons for whom the volume is primarily designed, this is a necessity and n merit." "Spectator, August 3. Messrs. JAMES MADDEN and Co.'s List of New Publications, la 2 vols, post 8vo. with Ninety 'Woodcuts and Map, price 16.?. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE NEW ZE A LANDERS, WITH NOTES CORROBORATIVE OF THEIR HABITS, USAGES, &c, AND REMARKS TO INTENDING EMIGRANTS. By J. S. POLACK, Esq. Author of 1 Travels and Adventures in Neiv Zealand,'' 1831-7. " Mr. PolacVs interesting and instructive volumes appear most opportunely, conveying, as lliey do, a great variety of minute information, drawn from actual observation, personal investiga- tion on the spot, and experience considerably prolonged, concerning the manners, customs, ami ceremonies of the New Zealandcrs. His narrative is clear and spirited, his descriptions pic- turesque, and his reflections sensible and moderate." — Monthly Review, April. " The well-illustrated volumes before us afford ample scope for reflection on the manners and usages of semi-barbarous life, and on the peculiar customs and ideas of the New Zealandcrs." — Colonial Mayaxine. " His book is both interesting and useful — interesting to all classes of readers for the amuse- ment it affords; and to Emigrants, or to those who are debating whether or not they shall become such, almost indispensable, if they desire to form a fair comparative estimate of the various spots which put forth claims to their attention at the present moment." — New Monthly, April. " After perusing these two volumes carefully, and finding them abounding in instruction and amusement, it is impossible to do justice to such a work in the space we can at present accord to it. Mr. Polack's book is an addition to literature; it appears to be written in a frank spirit, and all the statements are made carefully." — Sunday Times, March 23. In 2 vols. 8vo. cloth, price £1 Is. MAJOR SIR WILLIAM LLOYD'S NARRATIVE OE A JOURNEY FROM CAUNPOOR To the BORENDO PASS, in the HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS, via GWALIOR, AGRA, DELHI, and SIRH1ND : with Capt. ALEXANDER GERARD'S Account of an Attempt to penetrate by BEKHUR to GAROO, and the LAKE MANSA- ROVARA, &c. &c, with Maps. — Edited by George Lloyd. " A more valuable and engaging work we would strive in vain at this moment to name among the recent mass of new books. The Major writes not only as a Christian should do, but like a frank soldier. We are pleased to find his sentiments as healthy as they are elegant and elevated." — Monthly Review. " Of the three tours, the two by (he enterprising brothers Gerard were purely scientific in their object". . . . Major Sir W. Lloyd's contribution is in the form of a journal ; and is the most popular portion of the work, not merely fcr the subjects he handles but for the character of the man." — Spectator. "The volumes in which these journeys are related arc exceedingly valuable ones. .. .Every occurrence is quietly recorded without any of the bravado of exaggeration which marks the narrative of the more common and wonder-seeking travellers; whilst there is scarcely a page « contains some remak, valuable for its sense, or the information which it imparts." — Aryui, "These are two volumes of exceeding value and interest." — Britannia. In 1 vol. 8vo. with Maps by John Arrowsmith, price 10*. 6d. VOYAGES OF THE DUTCH BRIG OF WAR DOURGA, Through the Southern and little known parts of the Molucean Archipelago, and along the previously unknown South-west Coast of New Guinea, by P. II. Kolff, jun. Translated from the Dutch by Geokge Windsor Earl, Esq., Author of the ' Eastern Seas.' " Though a few years have elapsed since these voyages were performed, they possess consider- able interest for the geographer, the merchant, and the general reader. They notice lands very imperfectly known ; they point out sources of trade hitherto unsought; and they disclose the views <>f the Dutch Government in these parts, while at the same time they convey intelligence of a new and curious character."— Literary Caxette. MEMOIR ON THE COUNTRIES THE CASPIAN AND ARAL SEAS. ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE LATE RUSSIAN EXPEDITION AGAINST KHIVAH. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF LIEUTENANT CARL ZIMMERMANN, OF THE PRUSSIAN SERVICE, CAPTAIN MORIER, R.N. WITH A MAP, BY JOHN ARROWSMITH. LONDON: JAMES MADDEN AND CO., SUCCESSORS TO PARBURY & CO., 8, LEADENIIALL STREET. MDCCCXL. LONDON: Palmer and Clayton Printers 9, Crane Court, Fleet Street. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. ERRATA. Page 7, line 17, for hydrometric, read hodometric. Liue 26, — bydrometrically, — hodometrically. And in Note also. Page 9, line 1, for 14°. 50'. 24", — 12°. 30'. For latitude 46°. 47'. 9", — longitude 49°. Line 4, — 59°. 0'.24", — 56°. 40'. — 114°, 10', — 117°. 0'. This circumstance in itself is a sufficient earnest of the pains which have been taken to make it as complete as the materials to which the Author had access would permit. In the absence of precise information, we must be satisfied with the nearest approximation to the truth. The reader will find in these sheets an abstract of almost every thing" which has been published on the subject of Khivah, and its conterminous deserts, hills, lakes, rivers, and valleys, and no statements are made D TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. The Author of the following Memoir, an officer of the Prussian army, is the friend of Baron Alexander von Humboldt, to whose inspection the work has been sub- mitted, and to whose aid and suggestions much of the valuable matter which it contains is to be attributed. This circumstance in itself is a sufficient earnest of the pains which have been taken to make it as complete as the materials to which the Author had access would permit. In the absence of precise information, we must be satisfied with the nearest approximation to the truth. The reader will find in these sheets an abstract of almost every thing which has been published on the subject of Khivah, and its conterminous deserts, hills, lakes, rivers, and valleys, and no statements are made D TRANSLATORS PREFACE. without the authorities being quoted on which they are grounded. The translation would have appeared earlier, if it had not been judged right to accompany it with a transcript of Lieutenant Zimmerman's Map, which has been laudably executed by Mr. J. Arrovvsmith. PREFACE. The following pages contain an attempt to give a sketch of the country between Orenburg and Khivah. The materials made use of, though scanty, have hitherto never been put together in a connected form. I am much indebted to Baron Alexander von Humboldt for a considerable portion of these materials, which consist partly of written documents, but are chiefly derived from information obtained respecting the formation of the South Ural heights, which is of the more importance as it forms the mathematical basis upon which the map is founded, and includes the physical nature of the country. For the letter of Dr. Leasing, at the end of the work, and other information, I have to thank my esteemed friend Carl Bitter. The Contents are as follows : 1. The Mathematical Basis of the Construction of the Map. 2. The Maps referred to and the Geographical Information. 3. The Hydrographical Arrangement and Description of the Country in a military point of view. 4. Remarks relating to its Produce, and upon our imperfect knowledge of the wandering Tribes. I. THE MATHEMATICAL BASIS OF THE MAP. Mercator's Projection has been chosen, as affording the greatest facility in the construction of new maps. The portion of the globe comprised in the map is situated between 39° and 53° of north latitude, and 49° 5' and G2° 5' of east longitude, upon a scale of 1 : 440000, or three English inches to a degree. b 2 LATITUDES AND Places. South Point of the Island Oghurchin Mouths of the Amu (Oxus) Island of Chelekun Lake at the mouth of the Amu ? Mangishtek ( the Lower Balkan) Mosque on the Gulf of Balkan Cape Krasnovodski . . Krasnoyavoda Ruins. Kard-Biighaz Gulf Cape Camel Kenderlinsk Rakushetsno'i (Cape Mu cle) Pechannoi-Ugol(CapeSand) Alexander Bay Tiik Karaghan Island of Kulali, South End — North-West End Svy&UH (Holy) Island . . . Gulf of Mangishlak I 45 44 30 Authorities. Gouriev. Mouth of the Ural Uralskoi (Uralian) Sarachikovsko'i (Sarachi kovian) Kalmykova (Calmuck) . . Uralsk (Uralian) 47 6 47 47 3 38 47 6 37 17 7 46 18 46 20 4 7 30 30 49 2 13 51 11 49 51 11 23 51 58 8 51 58 50 51 58 39 51 41 24 51 53 24 51 38 24 51 22 39 51 22 46 Kolotkin's Atlas of the Cas- pian Sea. 1828. Bruce's Memoirs. 1782. p. 317. Muraviev. 1824. p. 186. Bassargin's Map. 1832. Bassargin, 1826. Eichwald, p. 175. Kolotkin's Atlas. Soimonov in Miiller's Col- lection, p. 171. p. 170. ;; p. 403. Kolotkin's Atlas. Soimonov and Bekevitch mi Miiller's Collection, VII. p. 171. Trigonometrically ascer- tained. Kolotkin's Atlas. Soimonov. Kolotkin's Atlas. Jenkinson, 1558. Eichwald's Map of the Cas- pian Sea. Kolotkin's Atlas. Gobel's Journey, p. 336. Petersburg Calendar. 1836. Wiesnievski, according to A. von Humboldt's Tables, not yet printed. Falk's Supplement, I. p. 172, Falk's Supplement, and Midler's Collection, VII. p. 403. Gobel's Map. Gobel's Journey: the longi- tude is hydrometrically ascertained. A. von Humboldt's Tables. Gobel's Journey, p. 336, according to Schubert's Petersburg Calendar. 8^° The first time each proper name occurs it is correctly accented ; hut it has not been thought necessary to repeat the accents throughout.—TRS. LONGITUDES Remarks. The longitudes in Kolotkin's Atlas are reckoned from St. Petersburg, the true longitude of which is 27° ;')»' 44" East of Paris. This beautiful Atlas, a work of many years' labour, which had undergone several revisions, not only before it appeared, but also as referring to Eichwald's journey, was found to be very correct. — The depths of water alone required some alterations, in as much as they were found to have varied in many places. The island of Dai gah was fully discovered by Bassargin and Eichwald. This is a Russian possession, according to the Atlas of the Russian Empire. 1823. -17° 8' on the map, according to astronomical observation. Probably a misprint, which lias remained uncorrected. In the Petersburg Calendar, 43° 20' 27" ? probably 49° 20' 27", In the map under 49° V 30". LATITUDES AND Places. Mouth of the great river Uzen, in the Kamush Samarah Lakes Orenhurg Latitude, N. Orsk (Orenburgian) West Coast of the Lake Aral Astrakh&n (Azkderkbiin, or Azhderhd) Sellizur Scllizur* Khivah 48 47 51 45 59 51 46 51 51 51 12 45 38 30 46 21 12 46 21 17 46 20 53 46 20 18 45 43 42 20 43 30 43 20 42 45 40 25 Longitude, E. of Greenwich. 49 50 24 55 6 39 54 56 24 58 12 24 58 25 24 58 29 23 48 2 54 48 5 24 48 4 58 54 20 24 58 30 21 57 35 24 53 44 24 55 25 24 56 45 24 40 30 60 24 41 37 60 30 21 40 40 59 50 24 40 40 59 30 24 41 30 59 20 24 41 20 57 50 24 41 27 59 18 24 41 48 57 58 24 41 16 58 3 24 38 30 63 24 Authorities. Gobel's Journey, p. 336, according to hydrometric measurement. A. von Humboldt's Tables. Falk's Supplement, I. p. 183. Buscking, V. p. 463, in Ry- chov's Orenburg Topo- graphy. Falk, I. p. 189. The Maps of Meyendorf and Levshin. Dr. Lemm, by Lunar obser- vation; A. von Humboldt's Fragmens Asiatiques. Falk. A. von Humboldt. Gobel's Journey, p. 336 ; Schubert's Petersburg Ca- lendar. 1836. Kolotkin's Atlas. Jenkinson. 1558. Lapie's Map ; Ritter's Geo- graphy. 1818. II. Kyrillov's Map in Astley's Collection. Arrowsmith. Beauchauip'sMapof his Jour- ney ; in Von Zach's Month- ly Correspondence. 1801. April number. Atlas of the Russian Empire. 1823. Atlas of the Russian Empire. 1823. Eichwald's Map. 1834. Levshin's Map. 1831. Wieland's Map. 1832. Berghaus' Map. 1829-34. Burnes' Map, by Arrowsmith. 1834. Reichard's Map. 1821. Burnes' Map. 1834. Kinnier's Map. 1809. Arrowsmith's Map. 1813. Thompson's Map. 1740, On the Caspian ? LONGITUDES. Remarks. Lieutenant Euler observed the transit of Venus in this place, in 1769. One of the most important circumstances of late years which has furthered the advance of geography in this part of the world, was the military expedition, under the command of General von Berg; who, with a strong body of troops, undertook the survey of the Turkoman's Isthmus, in the winter of 1825. Dr. Lemm succeeded about the same period in ascertaining the true longitude of the West coast of the Lake Aral, by lunar observation, and found it to be 56° 8' 59" East of Paris (58° 29' 23" East of Greenwich), in latitude 45° 38' 30" N. No great confidence can be placed in the late attempts to ascertain baro- metrically the difference of level between the Caspian Sea and the Lake Aral. It is very possible, that the surface of the latter, like the former, lies below that of the Black Sea. Laborious trigonometrical observations can alone lead to satisfactory conclusions in operations combining such small quantities ; thus imitating the examples of George von Fuss, Sabler, and Savich, who, in October 1837, successfully completed similar operations between the Black and Caspian Seas. The following hydrometric measurements serve to fix the position of the Lake Aral : — In the parallel of 45° N. lat. the Lake Aral! 10 „„„ . , , cn ., is distant from the Caspian Sea j 242 versts * = 160 miles - Orenburg to Mount A'iruk (Lessing's Letter) 350 „ =224 Mount Airuk to the Lake Aral (N.E. end).. 450 „ =300 Irgiz to the Lake Aral (Witsen, p. 698) 280 „ =186 Mouth of the Emba to the Lake Aral (Witsen, p. 697) Meyendorf's journey from Orenburg to Bokhara is also hydrometrically measured, according to which the North-East end of the lake is laid down on the map. The true position of this predatory state is very uncertain, as in a march from Orenburg, mistakes in the reckoning of a day's journey may frequently occur. The sketch of a map in General von Gens's account, 1839 — according to Kovyrsin's date — can scarcely be of much use in elucidating the truth; and still less do all the itineraries which we have consulted agree in fixing its true position. Wahl, Strahlenberg, Maas, and others, are also equally un- satisfactory as to the precise situation of Khivah. 1 250 „ =166 Hydrometrical measurements at level stations in the winter 1825-26. LATITUDES AND Places. Khivah (continued). A'ivak . Urgenj . Korkdnj U'rk^nj or Yurgin , Khwa>ezm Urgenj Great K6rkiinj Little Korkanj New Korkanj . Khan Urgenj . H<4ziir;isp. Kat Dargiln, or Khirik , Zamakhsliar Konikend Kiz T&shkend on the Wadi Eskar reduced longitude Kara" Tepeh Mouth of the Sir (Jaxartes) Mouth of the Kuv£n Darya Bokhara Latitude, N. 41 37 40 30 39 20 42 18 42 17 42 42 45 42 25 42 30 42 2 42 35 39 50 41 25 40 30 41 41 41 10 41 36 41 36 40 38 40 30 41 41 45 42 50 43 50 43 10 45 52 46 25 44 52 39 43 41 39 32 39 50 or Longitude, E. of Greenwich. 61 3 24 61 38 15 97 50 24 96 50 24 100 50 24 86 25 24 59 50 24 86 22 24 86 25 24 98 5 24 55 20 24 87 40 24 97 20 24 87 40 24 87 20 24 86 20 24 97 20 24 88 45 24 97 20 24 86 50 24 99 50 24 99 20 24 87 40 24 62 50 24 61 20 24 64 28 24 64 54 24 Authorities. Meyendorf's Map. 1826. Hanway's Map. 1774. Orientals. Jenkinson's Observations of the Polar Star. 1558. Ulugh Begh's Tables. 1450. Orientals. A bill fed a\ Kyrillov in d'Anville's Map, in Astley's Collection. }Witsen, North and East Tartary. Ulugh Begh. Bentink. Lapic's Map. > Orientals. Abulfeda. jwitsen, p. 480. > Orientals. Abulfeda. The Deham Shir (Lion's Mouth). Ulugh Begh. Allebab, in Witscn, I. p. 480. [•Orientals. Abul Hascn, in Witsen, I. p. 495. Meyendorf. Eichwald, p. 183. According to Burnes' Map ; 64° 25' 24" according to Elphinstone's Account, 1839. XXII. Meyendorf's Map. Voyage, p. 126. LONGITUDES. 14°50'24" East of Kazan, which is in latitude 46° 47' 9" (A. von Humboldt's Tables). The longitude of the Orientals is reckoned from a first meridian, drawn through the Fortunate isles, the situation of which is unknown. 59° 0' 24'' East from Peking, which is reckoned to be 114° 10'. Seven German miles (28 geographical miles) distant from each other. These several positions, according to the Asiatics and those placed on the maps, are no further valuable than as they give a view of the relative situations of one place from another. As the difference in the latitude of Urgenj, as laid down by Jenkinson and Ulugh Bcgh, is but one minute, it has been placed on the map in 42° 17' N. Little confidence, however, can be placed in Jenkinson's observations, when com- pared with the true positions of known places. Jenkinson. True position. Kazan 45° 0' N. 55°47' 5(i" ) Alexander von Humboldt's Astrakhan. ..47 9 46" 21 17 J Tables. Caspian Sea . . 4 f > 7 Where ? Mangishlav ..45 44 30 Kolotkin, Eichwald's Map. Urgenj 42 18 42 17 Ulugh Begh. Bokhara 39 10 3D 43 41 Burnes. The same author places Bokhara* in 8G° 53', whilst Burnes fixes its position in 64° 25' 24"; so that the reduced longitude 02° 50' 24", would give the situation of this Tashkcnd south of the Delta of the Sir. May not Y&rkend be here meant ? The Lake Aral is 280 versts broad (1843 miles) Witsen, p. u'98. At one place . . GO . . ? * Since the position of Bokhara has been determined by Meyendorf and Burnes, the longitudes of the Asiatics, by reducing them to that place, may be sufficiently depended upon as applicable for Central Asia. By Ibis reduction, a difference of only 10 minutes is found, in comparing the accounts given by the Jesuits and Asiatics, of the position of Khojend, Badakhshan, Kashghar; and though these results may arise from mere chance, they will afford me great assistance in the construction of a map of Central Asia, which will shortly appear, with the above- mentioned comparisons. 10 II. MAPS AND BOOKS USED AS AUTHORITIES.* Levshin's map, 1831, belonging to a work not made use of, the French translation not having yet arrived in Berlin. The routes taken from it, apparently grounded on accurate " reconnoissance" and routes of caravans, are traced in ruled lines. General von Gens's construction of the territory of Khivah, completes this map. Baron von Meyendorf's map, Paris, 1826, which was compiled from the journeys of eminent travellers, under the direction of Colonel Lapie, in Paris, is an important document, and by far the best then published. Eichwald's map, 1834, is founded upon Kolotkin's atlas of the Caspian, 1826, which gives the best representation of that sea. It accompanies the periplus and a mono- graphy, containing a history of that sea. Large map of the Russian Empire, in 75 sheets, 1823, in which no notice is taken of Arrowsmith's outlines, 1814. Muraviev's map, 1824, attached to the German trans- lation of his Travels. Weiland's map, 1832, is a compilation from various authorities. Maps in Hanway's Travels. Kyrillov's D'Anville's map, in Astley's Collection. Helmersen's map of the Southern Ural, 1831. Kruse's map to Good's Travels, 1837. Pallas's map of his Travels in several Provinces of Russia, in 1773, published in 1776. The works of Wahl, Von Zach, De l'lsle, Reichard, Berghaus, Dubrowin, Wahlenberg, Maas, Homann, Wit, * I am indebted to the Royal Library for the use of these books, so far as the rules of the establishment permitted it. I therefore deem it my duty to acknow- ledge my thanks to the gentleman to whose charge the library is entrusted. 11 a printed copy of Witsen's map, Strahlenberg, Rychov, in Biisching's Collection, vol. vii., Falk, Ste. Croix. All these have been examined, and made use of as far as they were available. Some of these books have furnished lines of routes, which are marked with different characters. Carl Ritter's Geography, 1818, vol. ii., describes two caravan routes, taken from Ehrmann's Appendices, which take notice of the commercial road of the Seres. In Midler's Collection VII., and Falk's Appendix I. 394, the march of Bekevich is described. The appendix to Falk's Supplement gives the only de- tailed account of the direct route from Orenburg to Khivah. Rychov's important route has been introduced from Biisching, for the sake of reference. Hanway's account gives unfortunately no detailed de- scription of the road, but he takes notice of the line of march of the Orenburg expedition in 1771, and Thomp- son's route in 1741. A History of the most remarkable geographical disco- veries up to the year 1542, by Sprengel, published at Halle, 1792, includes Pegoletti's route. Witsen's North-east Tartary, contains a route by — (a) The Isthmus of the Turkomans. (b) From Khivah to Bokhara. (The best, Maltha J Quartz Pumice stone \ (red?) J Pipe-clay Potter's-clay. . . Red bole Granite Coarse red, or yellow sand' stone Soft red sand :} stone Pudding-stone. Vitriol Crystals and \ topases ... J On the Irnek Mountain upon the boundary between Khivah and the Kirgiz-Steppes. In the Karakul on the Sagis. On the Ku- turtas Mountain. On the eastern declivities of the Ural, near Sanarskaya, and in the Steppe, near Kundravi. On the Ural between Orsk and Orenburg. On the Kamishlak. On the Ust-Urt. In the volcanic masses upon Cheleken. On the Kamishlak. Near Guberlinsk. Near Magnitaya, and also at other places. In Khivah, near the Khankah. On the Turgai. Near Orst. Near Guberlinsk in the bed of the Ural. In the Bashkir's Ural. In the Obchei-Syrt. Near Orenburg, to the north and east of Vyasovsko'i. On the Berdianka, or Deteralde, south of the Vyasovskoi. It contains the above- mentioned copper ore and petrified stems converted into splintry hornstone. In the Bui uk Tau, and also in other places Is this sand-stone, f found here, also placed horizontally like that in central Ural, in such wide extent ? Abundant, on the Aral likewise. Falk, p. 52. Rychov, p. 421, Biisching, Magazin, Eichwald, p. 23. Rychov, B. 11. p. 421. Ritter's Geography, II 1818.* Falk, II. p. 32. Eversmann, p. 49. p. 34. Falk, p. 39. Falk, p. 39, and the pro- file in Helmersen's Researches. Eversmann, p. 7. Irgiz. On the Kamishlak, 25 versts from Orsk. Erman's Journey, I. p 272. Eversmann and Eich- wald. Falk, II. p. 44. Rychov, in Biisching, Magazin, VII. p. 423. * Carl Ritter, 1818, vol. ii. p. C95, of his Geography, explains the occurrence of pumice stone by the hypothesis of a former flood, because in the present day seamen meet with it floating on the ocean in great quantities. See Do we, in the Philoso- phical Transactions in the year 1728, p. 445. Flinder's Voyage to Australia. Cook's Third Voyage, and Krusenstern, II. p. 478. t At Abishta on the Gulf of Mangishlak, on the Kara Bughaz, on the Balkhan Gulf. Vegetation. It may be remarked of the sterile and arid tract of country between the two depressed inland seas, that in it a limit is found to the extended growth of some im- portant kinds of plants. The following observations are most worthy of notice : A great scarcity of Cerealia. There is a great variety of saline plants,* of very * Compare Giibel, II. p. 228, upon the plants of the region of salt. 32 peculiar properties, such as are found in the Inderskoye salt lake ;* for instance, the Chorispora stricta,'|' those in the Solonchak salt plains, those on the Irgiz, and in many other places. The Saksatil£ (Anabasis) deserves especial considera- tion, on account of its being confined apparently within narrow limits, its importance as an object of fuel (an article particularly desirable in the Steppes), and also in regard to the erroneous notions which are abroad respect- ing it. The exclusion of coniferous trees from small thickets and from woods of soft foliaceous trees. The diffusion of reeds and rushes (rohr und schilf) § in the beds of rivers, and in the hollows of the Steppes (per- haps the remains of lakes after the receding of the waters of the sea), and on the coasts of both the inland seas. Rohr is mentioned on the Irgiz, on the Kuvan (Mey- endorf, p. 57), on the Sir ; and Schilf in the Bar- zuk, at the mouth of the Ural (Arundo phragmites), on the Chui, and on the Aksakal. Islands of reeds float on the Aral. Tins plant carries the name of Schilf with it from the Karakul Lake to Karshi on the Oxus, || and on many of the small lakes of the Northern Steppes. The latitude of the centre of the Aral and the country of the Lower Sir, appear to be the southern boundaries of this pliant aquatic plant, which the inhabitants make use of in various ways. (Compare the northern zone of the "reed lakes' in the Steppes between the Ural and Volga. — ■ Kalmukovah and Elton Lakes. — See Good's Journey.) These reeds are used for many necessary purposes, * Ledebour's Journey, p. 230. f Biisching, VIT. p. 426. Rychov's Journey. % Biiscliing, VII. p. 95. Rychov's Journey, p. 420. Eversmann's Russian Imperial Map. See the accompanying letters. § These two German words express nearly the same species of reed, in its earlier and in its more advanced growth. || Sherefcddin's Life of Timur, II. p. 302. 33 namely : for covering* winter lmts, as the only article for fire 4'Ood, as fodder for cattle, and even for the construc- tion of pontoons. The poplar, namely the black poplar (popnlus nigra ?), is so often mentioned by travellers, as might lead to the conjecture, that it is indigenous to the district between the Aral Sea and the Ural. Boats found on the Aral are made of this soft wood.* It is used for building houses and palisades on the Russian frontier; and hollow trees of this description are turned to account by converting them into bee-hives. The black poplar is also found in the valley of the Emba,f on the Sagiz, at Kamishla, in the neigh- bourhood of Orsk, Khivah, and Bokhara. The bridge over the Ural at Iletzkaya, and the ferry-boat on the Sir, are made of this wood. Succulent and saccharine plants ;J: are found about the ancient and present bifurcations of the Oxus, as at Sellizur, on the Balkan (Ogurza having the same signification as " the land of cucumbers"), at Khivah, and at Agathma. Jenkinson mentions the Dynie\ Jegur, Carbauses,^ at Sellizur. May not the sugar plant, men- tioned by Moorcroft, be found here likewise? The arbutus produces annually at Orenburg, and is used as a winter provision in Bokhara, according to Falk. The limits of some of the principal plants are found to be as follows [| : (1) The northern boundary of the mulberry tree ex- tends from the Balkan and Kara-Bughaz gulf, in the shel- tered bed of the branch of the Amu, at Kara-ata and Olank on the road from Khivah, to Mangishlak •*[. The white mulberry is preferred at Khivah, because the silk- worm thrives best upon its leaves. Khivah lies upon the route of the Seres. Ma\ r not the silk merchants * Falk, I. p. 101. f Biisching, VII. p. 11 and 121. X Muraviev, p. 12. § Kharbuzah, or Karpuz, «'. e. the water-melon. || Wilsen, p. 110. « Hitter, II. 1818. llycliov, Talk. P 34 coming from the early-cultivated countries of Upper Asia have brought this valuable article with them ? Does the mulberry tree still thrive at Mangishlak ? In the garden of Orlov the Cossack, at Gouriev, there is a tree standing beside the Morus tartarica, which produces a fruit resem- bling the date, called Jida in Russian. (2) The cultivation of fruit trees is, however, found not to thrive beyond Iletzkaya on the Ural. (3) The poppy is mentioned as an article of cultiva- tion in Khivah (Falk III., p. 500), Bokhara, and at Karshi. May not the limit of its efficacy for the prepa- ration of opium be found in these parts ? (4) Citron and other evergreen foliaceous trees. The severe winters, when the large rivers are frozen up, fol- lowing the excessive heats in Astrakhan and the country about the Aral, totally prevents the cultivation of the lemon tree there, which scarcely thrives at Rome. It appears that a mean annual temperature of 15i to 16° centigrade, is in general requisite for the cultivation of the Citrus, which depends principally upon the mildness of the winter season, and the distribution of warmth throughout the different seasons of the year. In Rome, for example, the summer temperature is, however, 15 0, 46, according to the latest publication by Schouv (Tableau du Climat et de la Vegetation de lTtalie, 1839, p. 146) ; the mean temperature being 8 o, 01, for an average of twenty years. The greatest cold in winter, observed on single days, ac- cording to Calendrelli, is from 5° to 6° below the freezing point. The olive tree, but not the citron, thrives in the warmest valleys of the Crimea.f In Sebastopol, % latitude * Falk I. p. 17G. The limits of vegetation under the parallel of 51° of north latitude, on the Asiatic side, by Cancrin. See the different climates of Russia. f Wild olive-trees at the mouth of the Usen, where it empties itself into the Kamush-Samarah, according to Gcibel and Falk. X Western Europe is much hotter. A table of the mean annual temperature, during summer arid winter, shews this plainly : — 35 44° 37' north, the mean annual temperature of four years, 1827 to 1830, was ll°-7 cent., and in winter + 1°-4. The cheerful valleys of Nikita, Alupka, and Marsanda, though their winter may be somewhat milder, do not possess a climate suited to the production of the lemon. (Demidoff, Voyage dans la Russie Meridionale, t. i. No. 23, p. 3G0; and Good's Journey in the Steppes of Southern Russia, t. ii. p. 196.) It is, therefore, surprising how a species of citron, which is brought to market as the al toronjabin, could have thriven in Ferghanah near Zamin* (Abulfeda, p. 64; compare Ritter's Geography, II. 1818, p. 536), and that in Khokand the pistachio, and in Ak-su (lat. 40°' 9 N.) cotton and the pomegranate could have been cultivated. It appears that the lemon was formerly grown in Khivah, and that it might now be cultivated with success there, if pains were taken to that end. This would certainly not be so remarkable a circumstance, as that the tender pro- ductions of the region of evergreen foliaceous trees, should thrive in the valley of Ak-su, which is certainly situated in a higher position. (5) The cotton shrub does not generally thrive so far north as rice. Mention is, however, still made of it in Astrakhan ; and in Inner Asia we have accounts of its Lat. Annual. Summer. AVinter temp; LaRochelle.... 46-9° 117°Centgrade. 19-2° +4-8° Padua 45-24 123 21-9 +17 Sebastopol . . . . 44-37 11-7 22-4 +1-4 (Compare Kamptz's Lectures on Meteorology, p. 227. These numbers are in progress of being more accurately defiued by Mahlmann.) From the observations of Gobel in the Septembers of 1834 and 1835, being years of moderate temperatures, we have : Lat. Alt. Annual. Summer. Winter temp. Sympheropol. . 40° 132,8 toises. 7-5 Reaumur. 12/" +3-2 Astrakhan .. ..46-21 8-1 15-25 +0"9 I „ If the numbers for Sympheropol be reduced to the temperature of the sea [2-s - s - level, and the morning observations left out, we have : Sympheropol „ „ 97 14-2 +4-8 Astrakhan „ „ 8-27 15-3 8-27J These results are, however, of little value. Compare Lotkin's Observations. * Werner, Ebn Haukal (?) have also spoken of this citron. Witscn (page 364) d2 36 being cultivated at Khivah, Otrar, and Turkestan, Tash- kend, Khojend, Marghilan(?), Samarkand, and in districts where rice is also produced. Gossypium herbaceum is also still cultivated with great success in the temperate zone as high as 40°, and even more to the northward; but generally in all places where the mean annual tempera- ture oscillates between + 14*4 and + 12*8 of Reaumur, and where the winter temperature is not below 7°. (A. von Humboldt, de Distr. Geograph. Plant. 1817, p. 157.) If we compare this statement with Falk's account respecting the culture of opium in Khivah (Neumann's Observations, 1839: "mean warmth, necessary for the culture of the poppy, in order to prepare it for making opium, +16° Reaumur"), and with the mean temperature of Mar- seilles + 11*7 Reaumur, where the cotton tree ceases to thrive, we may thence draw a conclusion respecting the climate of Khivah : but it must not be forgotten, at the same time, that the prosperity of both plants depends upon a great summer heat, whilst the severity of the win- ter is of less consequence. This season, according to the reports of Muraviev and others, must be very cold on single days (16° to 18° of Reaumur). In general, how- ever, the winters are not immoderately severe, because no stoves are made use of, and the snow, which does not lie above four inches deep, seldom lasts more than four days. It is even more rare than hoar frost. The Oxus, indeed, occasionally freezes over entirely (Burnes and others), but certainly never for any length of time. There is every reason to believe that a curve, representing the climate of Khivah, would not only show great ex- tremes of temperature, but frequent and rapid changes, indicated by points and sudden inequalities. Similar observations were made by the Prince of Neuwicd, in the interior of the great North American plains, in the winter of 1838. It may be remarked further, that 37 the pistachio and pomegranate thrive in Bokhara. The latter only in Khivah ! Are these the pomegranates of Samarkand and Ferghanah (Baber?) It must he much warmer in Termed than in Khivah, because Timur* trans- ported the arbutus from thence to the latter place in spring. Thus far may we be allowed to conjecture on the temperature of the atmosphere on the plains of Turan, from our knowledge of their vegetation. (6) The vine f was cultivated by Sarts, in the district of Khayiik on the Lower Kizil, and red wine produced. Nazarov found wine at Tashkend. Murtaza says, that the vine grew also Khojend. Earlier mention is also made of it in Uzkend, and in all the cities of the plain of Ferg- hanah south of the Sir.£ Gobel has inserted in his map the fruit garden of Orlov the Cossack, in which the vine thrives to perfection. (Part I., p. 121.) The northern limit of Persian cerealia and of rice, and the southern boundary of wheat, at the level of the sea, appear to co- incide with the abovementioned line. In higher regions wheat is found in the aulengs (environs?) of Kabul, in the Tibet countries, in Cashmere, and Badakhshan. Maho- metanism is seldom known beyond these boundaries. (7) The Saksaul. It is evident, from the accom- panying letters, § that this tree, or species of shrub, hitherto little known, is an Anabasis. Meyer reckons it among the Chenopodeaens, having incorporated the Anabasis with that family. || (Compare Gobel, vol. ii. p. 301 and 217.) In a notice by the Writers on the vege- table productions of the Steppes (p. 42), Dr. Klaus con- fesses, that since the accounts of Pallas, Falk, Lcpechin, * History of Timur-bce, traduite par Pt'tis tie la Croix. Paris, 1722. f Abulghazi, Ilclmersen, Rittcr, Baber. t Witsen, p. 375, mentions grapes at Ichan, 15 wersts soutb of Turkestan. § Lessing bas inserted a treatise in the Linnrea, b. ix. p. 145, showing the botanical harvest of his travels. || Leilebour, Flora altaica. Berlin, 1829. 38 Tauscher, Eversmann, and Karelin, he has been unable to discover any new plants ; particularly as the Caspian Steppes have been again more recently and accurately examined by A. Bunge, Karelin, Ludwig, Lessing, and Karin. Meyer (Ledebour, Flora Altaica, p. 347,) gives a sketch of the family of Chenopodeeens, with a history of all the different species. The following is his own report of the Saksaul, which I have here inserted, in order to meet all doubts on the subject. ANABASIS AMMODENDRON. C. A. MEYER. Anabasis arborescens, ramis ramosissimis aphyllis calycibus fructiferis quinqueleatis. (Ledebour, &c. p. 47.) Pinus orientalis. (Falk's Topographical Supplement, II. p. 260.) Tamarix forte songarica. (Eversmann's Journey to Bokhara, p. 48 &c.) Appendix, p. 116. Saxsaul. Saxaul, Soksaul, Sexaul, Saksugul, Rossis, Kirghisis, Tartaris, Bucharis, Chiwinzis, Calmuecis.) Invenimus arbusculam hanc memorabilem in arenosis ad lacum qui Noor Saisan vocatur (M). Crescit etiam in arenosis Buchariae inter, fl. Kuvan Darja et Jan Darja (Eversmann); nee non ad lacus Aral, Alakul, Taschkili, Balchasch et arenosis trans fl. Tzuja (sic!) austrum versus fl. aestate in desertes. Arbuscula 12 — 14 pedalis saepe tamen humilior, trunco 6 — 8 pollices crasso. Lignum cinereum praedurum ponderosum. Cortex trunci flavescens, laevis ; ramorum albidus. Rami ramo- sissimi, coarctati. Hamuli annotini articulati, aphylli, filiformcs, teretes, elongati, simplices, herbacei, virides, demum inferne lig- nescentes, ArticuH breves 1 — 2 lin. longi, aequales, ad commis- suram lanuginosi, apice membranula marginati et dentibus 2 brevibus acutiusculis coronati. Hamuli annotini e commissuris articulorum inferiorum emittunt florcs 2 oppositos minutos (gra- nulo papavcris paulo majorcs) hermaphroditos bibracteatos. Bracteae minimac, orbiculatae, oppositae, lateralcs, languinosac. Scpala 5, suborbiculata, obtusa, hyalina, basi lanuginosa, omnia demum dorso ala magna semiorbiculata scariosa cincta. Stamina 5, receptaculo inserta, calyce longiora. Antherae flavae. Squa- 39 mulae hypogynae minimae, lanuginosac. Stigmata 2, brcvissima, conica. Utriculus compressus, parum succulcntus, sepalorum alis obtectus. Semen verticale exalbuminosum ; intcgumcntis tenui- bus. Embiyo spiralis. Itadicula dorsalis. Interdum casu quoclam fortuito (an Cynipis morsu?) ramuli annotini articnlis suis constipatis brevissimis et dentibus articu- lorum ampliatis foliaceis ovatis acuminatis bifariam imbricatis strobilorum quasi efhgiem produnt, strobilo florifero Pini omnino non absimilcm, proinde celeberr. Falk, stirpem Pini speciem esse contendit. A. Eversmann 1. c. calyces fructifcros alatos florcs femineos esse putat et ramulos annotinos folia articulata elicit ! Eversmann informs us that the wood sinks in water ; he also gives some remarks upon the practical uses to which it may be turned. General Gens says, it can only be broken, not cleft. P. 67. The low hills on the Kosi are covered with woods of Sal-Saul; among which some species of the Dalbergia Sis are found. Higher on the mountains in the north, various pines (pinus longi- folia) are found, called Salla by the Hindu mountaineers. P. 17. From Serinugur to the Teesta, and eastward, various sorts of trees, for example : — the very useful Said, Sissoo, Setti- saul, &c. P. 35. On the chain of the Chiriaghati, the Sissu or Saul, in large forests. P. 198. The plain of Hethaura has a rich soil, and is chiefly covered with noble woods composed of Sakuya or Sal, which are kept clear from underwood by burning the dry leaves and grass. Hamilton, in his index, calls the Saul a Shoraea robusta ; but in the text I have found no grounds for giving this appellation. "Whenever the mountains of Tibet and Nepaul shall be tho- roughly inspected, we shall be able to ascertain, whether the simi- larity of names, in countries where so many different idioms exist, is merely accidental; or if the Saksaul, migrating, in spite of the difference of climates, from the rich elevated valleys to the low barren Steppes towards the north, has dwindled from a mighty forest tree to a stunted shrub. The south-east edge of the Ust-Urt, the plain of Khi- vah, and, perhaps, the Jengel (Desert) Steppes, south- 40 west of Khojend, and Ascnlat in its neighbourhood, are the southern limits of the Saksaul,* in the low plains of Turan. We may at least suppose it to exist in Kash- ghar and Yarkand. Its northern limit is partially fixed by Dr. Erman. We give its wider extent as connected with the above statement. (1) The Tumamie Gora, along the north-east coast of the Caspian, on the Caravan road from Gouriev to Khivah,in 46° N. Lat.f Lessing doubts whether it is found further to the westward. (2) In the Barzuk Steppes, along the north-west coast of the lake of Aral, on the Caravan road from Orenburg to Khivah 47° „ X (3) Between Kuwan and Yan Darya, on the caravan road from Orenburg to Bokhara 47° 50' „ § (4) On the Kungur tract of sand west of the Sarasu .... 48° „ || (5) South of the Chui, on the road toTashkeud . ... . .45° (6) On the Ala-kul Lake, on the road to the Chinese city of Kulja . . 45° ,, (7) On the Noor Saisan . . .48° A. Meyer seems to doubt whether the Saksaul is found further to the east. * Sherefeddin, IV. Life of Timur. Is the Saksaul likely to be found in the Kani Zogal ? f It is not probable that the Saksaul crosses the Ural meridian, which is 49° E. of Paris? Compare Pallas' Salsola Abuscula, vol. i. Table G. X Further north very small bushes are found on the Emba. § Conradi. See Witscn ? || Bi'isching, VII. p. 2G. Rychov says, the Steppes are 100 verbis in length and 50 in breadth, and formerly abounded with this shrub. 41 Forests. There are no extensive or connected wooded tracts in this part of the world. The valleys of the Steppes, how- ever, between the Ural and Irgiz, contain more trees than the desolate or low salt Steppes between the Ural and Volga, which inhospitable region may be termed the true boundary of that part of Europe. Properly speaking, the woods take their commence- ment from above Orenburg, where the Ural river breaks through the meridian range of the southern Steppes, which have an elevation from 700 to 800 feet*. (1) The first firs are met with on the northern border of this district, on the Upper Sakmara, which determines the southern limit of the coniferous trees. Further north, between "Werch Uralsk and Ui, different kinds of firs, among others the larch, are found in the vicinity of foliaceous trees. Salarskoi, on of the Sakmara line, is surrounded by groves of birch, from which the (Dag- got,) or birch resin is extracted, an article indispensable in the preparation of Russian leather. South of the Ural, as far as the Aral, the black poplar is so abundant as to form here the principal feature in the woods of the valleys. The poplar is also found much further south. In regard to. other trees, such as those of the family of Cupuliferae, Betulineae, Salicineas, .&c, we must wait further information upon the subject. And as they occur in insulated spots, they are not of sufficient importance to need particular notice at present. We shall, therefore, only refer to those points where, besides the more richly wooded district on the Upper Ural, bushes and brush- wood are found. The further south these are met with, the more they are developed; whilst, on the other hand, the Saksaul increases in height the more southerly it is found. * Falk,p. 189. 42 Thickets then are found : — (2) On the Ilek, almost throughout the whole route. (Meyendorf, Eversmann.) (3) At the sources of the Aspuga and Cuseya, rivers between Sungurluk and Oyil. (Witsen, p. 697.) (4) In the valley of the Sagis. (5) In the valley of the Emba ; and likewise the sorb tree (sorbus), black poplar, willow, beech, aspen (jada- vuk?), cheremk (wild cherry tree, padus foliis aunis), shimolast (Rychov, Biisching, VII. p. 11), alder. (6) In the meadow valley of the Ural, below Oren- burg, very thin river-side bushes, consisting of willow, alder, elm, lime, oak, tamarisk. (7) East of the Ural, as far as the range of lakes which terminates with the small lake of Inderskoye. (8) On the Ust-Urt, only little low thickets, in small wadis. (9) But woods of the Saksaul are found north-east of the Caspian as far as the Tumanie Gora, and north-west and south-west of the Aral. The Saksaul does not appear to form extensive forests, but merely small groups or copses. According to Muraviev, however, forests of the Saksaul exist in the basin of Khivah. The wood is an object of trade. (10) North of the Aral, in the Barzuk Steppes, only very stunted woods. (Map of the Orenburg expedition, 1771 ; and the map of the Russian Empire, 1823.) (11) Meyendorf discovered a larger wood, chiefly com- posed of Saksaul, in the bifurcations of the Kizil-Sir, eastward of the Aral. The old maps (De ITsle) repre- sent large forests north of Khivah, filled with wild boars, lions, and tigers (?). (12) Aspen and beech are mentioned on the Kharach Tau. (13) The lower valley of the Kamishla is richly wooded with poplars. (Biisching, VII. p. 421.) 43 (14) In the Kungurlu Steppe some other species of bush and wood are noticed along with the Saksaul. (15) On the Beloi Ilmen, according to Good's map of the mouths of the Ural, 1837. (16) Southward of Kani Zogal. (Witsen, p. 415.) (17) Near the salt mountain, Iletzkaya, to the south- ward. (Pallas' drawing of the salt mountain. Journey I., p. 240.) (18) Muraviev describes larger and thick bushes on the dried-up branches of the Amu, in the Khovar-dcsert. At Cheen Muhamed (Arthur Conolly). On the Tiyuk- Kara-su (Kolotkin's Atlas). At the source of the Sina, on the Mugalishov river (?). On the Vasilkara. Above the ruins of Urgenj. AVhat little wood is found among the Steppes, is confined chiefly to the valleys. The summits are almost all bare, as also the marble mountain about the Upper Kamishla. (Biisching, VII. p. 473.) Eversmann con- siders the Mugojar mountains to be the line of demarc- ation for vegetation between the Steppes of Kirgiz and those of Bokhara. (Kiptshak.) Note. A few detached Notices upon Vegetation, in conclusion on this head. Rhubarb also thrives in Khivali. Eichwald, p. 475. Several species of Rheum on all the coasts of the Caspian. Gobel (II. p. 303) remarks that on the north coast of the Caspian, on the left bank of the Volga, rhubarb grows in such abundance, that in high winds clouds of the dead plant are carried up and fill the aii - . He brings to mind the passage of Amminanus Marcel- limus, XXII. 18: " Huic (Caucaso) Rha vicinus est amnis in cujus super ciliis qucedam vegetabilis ejusdem nominis gignitur radix, proficiens ad usus nmltiplicis medelarum." The name of the root may very likely, as Gobel means, be derived from the Rha (Volga). 44 Primus padus, not in Kliivah, but further north, a useful tree. (Muss.) Chinar trees (Plane trees) in Kliivah. Kamues grass ? in the Kipchak. Witsen, p. 711. Yushan grass ? Busching, VII. p. 20. Artemisia alba, ac- cording to Pallas. The Kirgiz pitch their winter encampments in the neighbourhood of these wide-spreading plants, which afford much shelter. Tak trees, hung with rags and held sacred, on the caravan routes from Merv to Bokhara. (Is it the Saksaul?) Wheat cultivated northwards of Kliivah, as far as Khayuk. (Abulghazi.) Rich Steppes-flora on the Irgiz, on the most inland fluvial basin of the Kirgiz Steppe. (Busching, VII. p. 426. Rychov.) Absinthium on the north-east point of the Aral. "Worm -wood plants arc very generally spoken of. They arc occasionally used for edible vegetables. A rich flora of saline plants is met with on the banks of the salt lake of Inderskoye. Saline efflorescences on the heath, Solonchak (Busching, VII. p. 426), on the Irgiz. The Arundo phragmites, on barren tracts of land, according to Falk, II. p. 109, indicates where water may be obtained at no very great depth; and the caravans do in fact select their halting-places according to the appearance of this aquatic plant. (Compare Pallas.) Our knowledge of the vegetation of the Steppes of Inner Asia is so limited, that every accession of information upon this in- teresting subject will be very valuable. It is to be remarked in general, of the zoology of the Steppes of the Crimea, on the banks of the Volga, and throughout the low land of the Caspian, that the Zoography of Pallas (completed in 1811, and first pub- lished in 1831,) has been considerably augmented by Eichwald, Steven, Menetries, Rathke, Eversmann, Kry- nick, and Nordmann. Among the mammiferous animals in the Steppes, the Rodentia, which exist by gnawing and nibbling the bulbs of the liliaceous plants (arctomys bobac, dipus 45 jaculus, spalax typhlus, cricetus arenarius, &c), are tlic most numerous. Wolves inhabit caverns of the gypsum mountains, the Barsuk, and the sandy districts; the Canis (Jorsac roams among- lierds of the antelope Saiga. Horses* are the most valuable domestic animals in almost all the grassy Steppes of [ran, Turan, and Si- beria. Amongst these, the beautiful race of Argamats from Bokhara supply the cavalry of Khivah. Camels'] and sheep, frequently of a good breed for their wool, and some of them with fat tails, together with oxeirj; and goats, constitute the wealth of the wandering hordes. The fine wool goats which Amad^e Jaubert purchased in the Steppes near Gouriev, and which were transported to Marseilles, hythe route of Odessa and Constantinople, on the account of M. Ternaux, were of the Kirgiz breed. They are, however, very different from the shawl goat of Thibet, whose native country is at a distance of 2000 miles, and no etymological arguments can be adduced to demonstrate the descent of the Kirgiz goats from those of Ladak. Fine wool goats are also bred in Bokhara. (Burnes, p. 175.) The royal tiger (youl bar of the Kirgiz) roams from Cape Comorin to the latitude of Berlin and Hamburgh, — a remarkable fact in the geography of animals. Ac- cording to Ehrenberg's Researches, the northern Siberian tiger is of the same species with that of Bengal. West * Distilled mare's-milk produces the intoxicating kumis (chigan), which Ruishroek was the first to describe. This preparation was unknown to the Greeks, though they mention the cheese of the Scythians, made of mare's-milk. (Alex, von Humboldt's Kxainen Critique. Vol. II. p. 30^.; f Not only the double but the single-humped camel is bred in the Kirgiz Steppes. This last animal, generally the inhabitant of very hot countries, for ex- ample, of Egypt, endures the winter coldof the Steppes, though generally covered with snow in that season. The attempt of Frederic the Great to domesticate the camel in Brandenburg, was justified by this fad, because, though Orenburg is in the same latitude as Berlin, and the northern limit of this valuable b( ast, the winters there are certainly not so intense as they are in the Kirgiz Steppes. X These only flourish in the reedy districts, as horn cattle cannot seek their food under the snow. Very large cows are bred by the Kara-Kalpaks. 46 of the Caspian, in the forests of Lenkarah, in lat. 38£° N., the tiger is described by Eichwald as being not inferior in size to those of Bengal ; and yet the thermometer in winter at Elizabetopol, situated a little more to the north- ward in lat. 40°, sinks 7° to 8° of Reaumur below zero. The tiger even roams at times in the neighbourhood of Tiflis, in latitude 41° 40'. MM. Nordmann and Menetries prove, however, that the Caucasus proper is free of this animal. (Faune, Pontique en Voyage de DemidofT, p. 32.) In October and December, 1839, a tiger was killed at Sen- tovsk, not far from Bush, north of the Altai, lat. 52° 18'; and also in Altai. He is likewise shot in the vicinity of the Aral, near the Sir and the Kuvan, and found even on the banks of the Ob. Spasky observes, in the Siberian Journal, that a tiger was killed near the river Alea, not far from the manufactories of Loktev.* Seals inhabit the Caspian and Aral Seas, and the Baikal, but are not found in the smaller lakes. M. de Nordmann is convinced, that the seal (phoca vitulina) of the Caspian does not differ from that of the Black Sea. (Voyage de DemidofT. Faune, p. 23.) According to Burnes (II. p. 189), the water of the Aral is so little salt that it is, like the water of the Baikal, drinkable. The lake is very seldom frozen ; though the Oxus is, on the contrary, frequently so, even in latitude 38°. (Burnes, II. p. 193.) * There is a passage in Levshin's work, which says : " Bahr is a species of tiger of the form of a lynx or cat, with a spotted coat of a light yellowish colour, very sharp face, short neck, and possessing extraordinary power in its claws or fangs. Many of these animals are found among the reeds and bushes on the Aral and the Sir-Darya, and not only attack men, who cross their paths, but particularly horses and camels. They are so strong and fleet, that they not only overtake a horse, but also a camel, and instantly tear them down. They are of no great height, but long, the large ones six feet and upwards. They are caught when young. It is said that they are suckled and fed by the parents for three years, during which time they are so tame that they are taken without danger. The value of a skin of a large sized animal in Orenburg is thirteen roubles, one of a middle size eight, and five for the smallest." 47 A species of crocodile, three or four feet in length, exists on the eastern shores of the Caspian, which Eichwald was the first to describe, and which would certainly have been mentioned by the ancients, if it had been known to them. It is a monitor, or more likely a psammosaurus, accord- ing to Fitzinger's system. (Eichwald, t. i. p. 273.) Of the chase or hunted animals of the Steppes, besides the furry tribe, we will only mention the wild boar. It is found in great numbers in the vicinity of all the rivers. The mouse of the Irgiz Steppes. Dog-geese, so called from their brooding in earth-holes. The Falco chrysaetos builds its nest in the Kirgiz Steppes, and may be the bird, Berkut, which is trained for hunting the wolf. (Rychov, Busching, VII. p. 49.) Sturgeon and Hausen * fishery is carried on in the Caspian, on the Ural as far as Uchung near Uralsk, and in the Aral. Finally, as a general observation respecting the pheno- mena of the Flora and Fauna of this poor and barren region, it may be said, like the whole of Turan, to mark very distinctly the transition from the natural produc- tions of Iran or Persia proper, to those of Ural district of Siberia. The productions peculiar to the country are com- paratively but few in number and of little consequence. Numerous tribes of two Turkish nations')* have wan- dered over the barren Steppes east of the Ural and the Caspian Sea for many centuries past. (1) The lesser Kirgiz horde of freebooters, who have not so much Mongol blood as the other two hordes. * Hausen is a species of sturgeon. t According to Klaproth, who argues that Tartars and Mongols are identical, and that the Turks have heen erroneously called Tartars. (See Polyglotta, p. 217, 231.) Pallas's Journey in different provinces of Southern Russia — (Witsen.) Rychov expresses a right opinion upon the propriety of the appel- lations, Scythian and Turko-Tartars. He maintains that in the whole of Western Asia the name of Tartar belongs to no nation. (Busching, vii. p. 89.) 48 (2) The Turkomans,* with even much less of Persian blood than the other races, which wander over the rich grass mountains of Iran. Such an unmixed population can only exist for any length of time amidst wastes and deserts. (3) The Oasis of Khivah, j" therefore, contains a popula- tion of freemen, and slaves, composed of people from all surrounding countries, J and of those wanderers who, as merchants or slaves, are spread over the extensive space. These are Armenians, Indians, Nogaians, Sarts,§ Ara- bians (2000 according to Falk), Oighurians, Kajars, Gipsies, Negroes. The Uzbeks, of Turkish origin, which subjected nearly all Turan, govern this mixed people, among whom the Tajiks,|| Sarts, are not sufficiently numerous to make their language (a dialect of the Persian) pre- dominate as it does in Bokhara. The Khivah lang-uao-e is in fact a dialect of the Turkish. The people of Khivah profess the Sunnite doctrine, which tends to widen the line of separation between them and the Persians. (4) Since the destruction of the fortress of Konrad,^" the people of the Aral wander among the many ramifica- tions of the delta of the Amu to the south of the Aral Sea, in summer and winter. They are composed of run- aways belonging to all the surrounding races, and pro- * Klaproth's and Burnes' specification of words do pot differ materially. Eichwald and others make the remark, that the dialect of the Turkomans on the shores resembles very closely to Nogaian in the delta of the Volga. •f- The territory of Khivah is drawn after a rough sketch of General Gens, in Hcltncrsen's Report, 1839. The situation of places in respect to each other, is very different on the sketch, when compared with former drawings. (Map of the Empire, Muraviev,&e.) How differently are the two Urgenj, Khanka, Kat, placed ? J Rychov, Falk, Muraviev, &c. § It would appear that these also have been pushed back from the Volga and Ural. They wandered from Sarachik towards Khivah. || Arabs. 1f See Ritter's Geography, II. 1808, of the History of the Upper Khanats. TRIBES OF THE LITTLE KIRGIZ-HORDES. Ryehov, Btischinp. M. VI. p. 479. Chlinikoi Tnbin.koi FtviontheBultirdi Jip.1 Bailinskdi K.leMoi Alehin*koi / fil5, g »vl, OWM pnM«i The Tnrtfl s'ontl worthy of re- tbnt nil these still appear on > of the Russian 1323. '..',],,-'"('/ These fifteen tribe* ie«tber appear in Ry- /ohov nor on the Map i the following report, taken from the account of an English [iik. commonly railed Vnr^'.-iiji-, divide them selves into tbreeh Placet 0/ Pastorr 8. Tuzlar . 5,000 . 3,000 . 3,500 12. SeDtclshchow . 2,500 Great and small Chikliiuk East of the Loiver Ural i Mono Lake. " tail. r -, .-i and Emba. ■ Mountains. i Kultuk. Karakul. .|n,M, -J!.I..M¥> Taktubtabinski Knnfratak . Tiyuk Kara-s East of the Lower Ural as far as Tantakshur. North-east of the Indewkoye Salt Lake (compare Go bel' ith-east of tlie lodcrskoye Salt Lake (ditto). m the Ainik, southerly, on the coasts of the Aral. Banuk and on the Ust-Urt. 4.000 Middle of the I'st-Urt. 6.500 South of the. Barbasheva, east of the Ural (com. Golicl' 2.1 POO I'tvaao.l Uobda. .'i,.">iMi Il,(, on the Suit Mountain. 2,500 Uyil. 3,51X1 Etnba. Slrableoberg places the Uishun and Akun t 2,200 Between Ilek and Ural, and at Buh-Tamak. t the Vn.l ll.illlO 7.2110 Sen ■J .i"m Ml East Irom Ktiaracl 300 East from Cliebar- 3*500 } We8t from CLebM m!i«mi 1'ni.er Kamnhlab 5.UIHI Ihidain-Sleppe 5,n Humboldt's map) 3,400 U"i, near r 1,000 East of V. 4,000 South of 1 horde (Ales. l 500fl Westoft , 100,000 20,000 Families i ir.ll.IPH0 Families: 900,000 Souls, in 159,000 Families. the Memoir*. 11 1 Ledebour's Jour TURKOMANS. o Fro* )■'• .li>j>riil,<,,(Mt.l fainihe I'SBEKS, IN AND NEAR KIIIVAII. n erap. 23JHI0 Kibitku bct»eeu Khivah and the I I for their tribes, compare Muraviev, Klaproth, Burnet, 11. p. 180. Salir, n irSerakhs . . 3, ' Teheh. n the TcjmhI . 40.IKXI Barokl nearMerv. . 2ii,nui) V.nilud Aaternbad. Khivah Jip.hmu Goklan ..n the Curtail . 9,000 The Map qfthe Ru.^-inn Empire s Journey, ed. ile Klaproth ject to the Khan of Khtvah . / »»^»W» { p . 328. Knfrih Proper .... 200,000 „ Burues, II. p. 384. .... 300,000 ,, Frrixer. .... 200,000 „ (ieo^raphieal Lph.. XXV Is-H-.,,, Ill'/ .... 26'6,O0O „ Other accounts, Ritter, II. .... 100,1)1*0 „ Arthur Conollv. .... 80,000 men Folk, III. p. 517. Settled inhabitants, according! 50 rim, 80U i s TbeKha.net of Konrad "on the Ami . 100,000 „ or 4,000 Kibitkas, Hitter. II. ISIS, p. film. Only the Aral- and K,ir:i-kal|>aks I. v.: .u ullage* ihinue; the winter. The latter till the ground whilst the former make hoy. A few pecidnniiies m.rtliv of n-marl, 11 m\ he added m .■..m-liiMoi! n| these tables:— Witsen, p. 700. V./et-kL Z.n.ei 1"- a land .dru-heS at the mouth of the Oxus. n, 7' 12. 1-hM- and lM.hitHk-.lLve east uf the Caspian, p. 7'"'. Yettzanskis and Vemb.duk- i.;,,t,,.e il..... ..I-. p. iit.:». K, ,,,■;,.,- live ...1 the llek.u, IV ■,- tb- I '1..-I. temi.try Th,,v p..s-.- ; called Prfiolannn, ou the south side of lb, mi i.e.er the Casp.un ■ |" -.Imp tantnuR.m.Me.l on the K;.. U '- ' l ''" \ liltzi Cosjiit'k, is the e, name for the Cossacks on tl„ L..w.r I i..l \iuk Rvcliov, lin-ehnig. VI.. p. .|!P7. The 11;,jh eonteud u o |. the k,.r,.-l,al[Mk- mi the Lower Ml FaJk, III. p. 525. Fourteen short days" jounir\ fiuut Mnuui-hh.k e.icli d;M trotu .'.. to ..!■ Iherefire. a 11 J'Ul'm.l^l. the Knnukh tube. 0.00(1 families, is uk'I living in villages. Ryelu.v (Dusclung, VII. P . 91.) meut.um, these K nik.li in Turki-tan. (8.) According to the very btcst information, Khivah. nt the present time, contains Priu- Mlh m 49 bably also of a remnant of the fishermen, originally the inhabitants of those coasts. As in Afghanistan and in other hilly districts, it is not uncommon for different tribes to settle in each other's vicinity, without losing their separate distinctions ; in the same manner also the inhabitants of sea-coasts, as well as those of the islands of a delta, have collected together from the surrounding districts, without entirely oblite- rating the Autochthons or original inhabitants of such localities (