The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-30 00:00:00

FRANCE.

A nephew of Prince Demidoff has just opened a
"Napoleonic" museum at the island of Elba. It
consists exclusively of furniture, clothes, and jewel-
lery having belonged to Napoleon I. There is also
a curious autograph written by General Bonaparte
to Telma, the actor, at a time when the former was
vegetating in poverty in Paris. It runs thus :
" I have fought like a lion for the Republic, my
good friend Talma, and, as a reward, she lets me
starve ; that wretch Aubry leaves me on the pave-
ment when he might make something of me. I
feel myself more than a match for such generals as
Santerre and Rossignoll, and they won't find a
corner in Vendee, or elsewhere, to employ me.
You, indeed, are fortunate ! Two hours on the
boards put you face to face with the public that
dispenses fame. We, soldiers, must purchase glory
at ajligher price, on a larger stage, which we are
not always permitted to ascend. Do not, then,
regret your position ; remain on your stage. Who
knows whether I shall ever appear on mine again ?
" I saw Monvel (another actor) yesterday. He
is a true friend. Barras makes long promises.
Will he keep them ? That much I doubt. lam
reduced to my last farthing. Have you a few
francs (quelques ecues) at my service ? I won't
refuse them, and promise repayment out of the first
kingdom I may conquer. My friend, how happy
were the heros of Ariosto. They did not depend
on a Minister of War. Adieu.—Yours,

" BONAPARTE."

Together with this curious document is another,
which showed that Citizen Talma had lent quelques
ecues to Citoyen and Citoyenne Bonaparte—in the
shape of a " writ" for its recovery, delivered to
Citoyenne Bonaparte by " Citoyen" Ledorix, a
bailiff, Eheu!

BOURSE, July 28.—The market has been heavy,
owing to the arival' of the English funds with a
slight fall, but prices have not receded. Threes,
which opened at 68f 30c, are now at 58f 25c; Mo-
bilier, 685 f ; Orleans, 1,368 f 75c ; Northers, 957 f
50c ; Lyons, 886 f 25c; Lombard, 498 f 75c; and
Austrian, 503 f 75c. The following were the last
quotations :

4f per per Cents ... 97 35 Credit Fonder B7B 75
Do end month.— . 97 501 Belgian 4f —
3 per Cents
Do. end month 6B —1 Roman
Bank Shares . . 2810 "Austrian SO 60
—1 ..
Credit Mobilier.... 687 50; Spanish Threes 47 75
Do. Account 687 50 i Home Debt .. 471

EXPLORING.THII AMOOR.
Some geographers say that the Onon must be co iesidered
the source of the Amoor, which, when united i with the
Ingoda, forms the Shilka. But lam inclined to give the
Keroulun the honour of being parent to this great river of
Asia. The same opinion is held by many eminent mining
engineers, who have lived long in Nertchinsk, P aid have
thoroughly explored the country. The Kerou luxe and
Argoun have a course of about 1,000 miles, whtireas the
course of the Onon and Shilka does not exceed 7iio utile&
It was on the bank of the Keroulun that Geugb in first sail
the light ; many historical events are associated with its
name, and great battles have been fought in the valleys.
From 1689 to 1854, the junction of the Art oun and
Shilka was the most easterly point of the Rune tn empire,
in the region of the Amoor. But during all this period ca
165 years the frontier Cossackswere constantly pe no trating
into the country on the north of the Amoor; a in& man I
wild stories have been handed down of the cent :ate thene
hardy hunters had with the Manjour race. Besid tee whin h)
many convicts have escaped from the mines and' Ideseend ea
the Amoor, only to be captured by the people on its banks.
An exile escaped this way, and succeeded in pas: ti ng all the
Chinese pests in a canoe or small boat, by keep ing to the
north side of the river. He lived on the prodie ce of his
rifle, enduring great hardships, and finally rem/ shod the
mouth of the Amoor, in the hope of. getting awa3 r igri some
vessel. In this he was disappointed, and, after all .chane?,
of escape had vanished, started on his return. He fen,
in with a party of Tcungouz sable hu-ate. re, and
spent the hunting season with them. A fte. r which
they crossed the country to the upper part of the Z ;eye, and
ultimately brought him to one of the fairs atten des 1 by the
Cossacks. He was recognised by his countr3 rm en, and
carried back to the mines of Nertchinsk, after .ID absence
of more than eighteen months.
The information which he had acquired was ) a onsidered
of so much value that the chief got his sentence . remitted,
on condition of his taking another journey to g air more
knowledge of the region. At the season of the yi irmak he
was provided with powder, lead, and a few other necee'
series, and accompanied the Cossacks to the fail in the
hope of meeting his old companions, the Toungoui 5. Thel
were there, delighted to see him, and he having 1 ieen pro'
vided with a packet of powder for each man, was a gain ad-
mitted as a brother, and invited to accompany them to
hunt the sable. At the end of three days the fair 1~ troke up)
when he said goodbye to his countrymen, and atm t ted with
the Toungous on their homeward journey. Thin time 11e
acquired a knowledge of the southern side of the "1 trablonoll
and discovered a short route to the sable hunting ground,
far down towards the mouth of the Amoor. ing /pent
another season sable hunting, he returned with hip comps:
nions to the fair, and then to the Zavod, bringiJ eg much
valuable information about the different people 4 lwellin(
on the banks of the Amoor, and opened up a rose
into a valuable fur-pe oducing country. This e WBl
sent a third time with instructions to penetrate into the
regions on the south side of the Amoor during ti he sable'
hunting season, and return in time to accomp any the
Toungouz to the fair. They, however, arrived, bu the was
not with them, nor was he ever heard of afterward Is. After
him several convicts escaped down the river, be it no one
returned to tell his story, and it is supposed that t hey were
killed. In 1848 it was decided to explore the Ame or, when
an officer, with four Cossacks, were sent in the a pring of
that year on an expedition down the river in a boat t. The,
were armed and provisioned, and it was hoped I that this
small party might be permitted to pass unmoleat ed. He
also carried instruments for making observations , a tele'
scope, and a quantity of gold coin. It was well lent iwn thet
a great jealousy existed among the Chinese aetti tiorities
that they always endeavoured to stop the Coss a, As pa'
suing game into their territory, and it was only t: he dread
of their deadly rifles that enabled them to est sa pe from
superior numbers. The officer was instructed to avoid
coining in contact with the authorities if possibt le ; to es'
amine their towns and villages from a distance, but not to
enter them. He was desired to conciliate the peopl e on eeerl
opportunity, and he carried various articles for pr eefents. It
was expected that this party would accomplish thi 3 object.),
if permitted to proceed, in about nine months, and 11
stopped, that they would speedily return.
Time passed on, and nine months had elapsed ; but there
were no tidings of the officer and his men. Du ring the
winter the Cossacks inquired from all the Orotch one who
attended the fairs, if these men had been seen, bu t no one
could give any tidings about them. The Toungo az sable
hunters were promised a reward if they could find -them, or
learn if they were detained by the Chinese; but sill efforts
proved fruitless. In 1852 an application was mad eby the
governor of Kiachta, to the Chinese governor in OnegeY
stating that an officer and four men had deserted, k carrying
away with them a large sum in gold and aevera 1 instill'
merits ; that they had descended the Amoor, ant 1 it wad
believed that they had be en captured by the Chinese
officers and were detained in one of the towns. If• sot the
Russian Government desired that they should be gIICII 11. Pt
either at Kiachta, or at any of the ports on the frontier.
This produced no results, and I have good reason to, be-
lieve that they have 12ever been heard of.
The Governor-Oeneecd of Oriental Siberia determined to
explore the Amoor, and in 1854 a great expedition was Or
ganised by him for that ot:leet. It was on such a scale that
the Chinese could neithe; check his progress nor pro'
vent him taking possessiet'l of the north bank of the
river. In loss than six weeks
~41r whole of this vast region,
including the country between tese Amoor and the Russian
frontier to the north of Yablonoi, Vad changed ma sters ; it
had now fallen into strong hands, an,l before the end of the
year the entire Chinese army could not have disk dged the
small body of Cossacks placed in positice.t. Gene: -al Mott-
ravieff had seized on all the points which NS keen eye told
him were necessary for the security of the nelw acqiu sition.
Russia hes now got possession of the great \Neter- course,
and the only one through which access from the sea to the
vast plains and mountain districts of Central Asia tun be
attained—the Lena, the Yenissey, and the Ob being sealed
in the Arctic Ocean. This is a great water-way, exte tiding
more than 2,000 miles into the eastern portion of th e em-
pire with its outlet into the Pacific. It will also open I lip a
water communication into the vast region bordering ton the
Sea of Japan, and up to the great deserts of Gobi. It is the
commencement of a new era for Siberia ; foreign produce
will flow in by this channel, and Siberian products will
pass through it to the ocean, and thence to other nations.
Many of the resources of the country that have Fong lain
dormant will now be sailed into active operation, a nd an
intlustrious and intelligent population will spring up where
ignorance and indolence have long held sway."
Some idea of the extent of this increase to the
already vast territory of Russia may be gained,
when the reader is informed that it stretches
from 44 deg. to 53 deg. N. lat., from 51 to 143 E.
long., comprising both an arctic and tropical
temperature, vast mineral wealth, inexhaustible
herds of horse and cattle and sheep. and peopled
by bold, intelligent inhabitants. The Amoor is
the artery of this fine country, the only high-
road to the sea, its connecting link with the,
world. The long winter at its mouth is a great
drawback, there being only five months in the
year when it is open for navigation, for although
the river runs through a temperate country it
turns short up to the north before it de-
bouches into the Strait of Tartary, between!
lat. 53 deg. and 55 deg. Castries Bay will even-
tually become the port of this noble river. It lies
considerably to the south of Nicolasofsk, and the ice
only lasts for three months. The river here runs
beside a lake, which almost reaches to the coast,
from which a canal might be cut, or other means of
communication opened. Notwithstanding that
Russia is to some extent even yet an uncivilised
nation, as the traveller will find when he has pene-
trated any considerable distance into the interior,
still the Government is always active at head-
quarters, and contrives in general to obtain effi-
cient agents in the remoter districts. The deve-
lopment of the mineral resources of the north-east
are as yet but in their infancy, and a consider..
able time must elapse before civilisation and science
will enable the inhabitants of this wealthy district
to shake off the trammels of ignorance and supersti-
tion. Mr. Atkinson has done great good in this
cause both by his former work on Siberia, and in
this, his more extensive history of the Amoor7river
and country,by relatinghis own personal experiences
and convictions. This volume is of the more value
since it is the only one at present in our possession,
in which the author is independent of foreign aid
and biassed native historians, and although he has
collected many nationallecal traditions, he has tran-
scribed them not as a history but for the purpose of
showing the character of the people to whom they
Mr. Atkisson has contrived to be on most
terms with the Imperial Government, and
fbrei leonndgl
y.
has had carte blanche for all his proceedings, a favour
not often extended to foreigners by that irrespon-
sible and despotic Government. This favour has
not, however, influenced his remarks on Russian
administration, with which he, in many instances,
finds considerablei fault. The narrative of his ad-
ventures s highly interesting, and while imparting
valuable information, the author contrives to keep up
a, separate interest in himself and his companions.
The following mode of concocting literally a dish
of tea is, we think, new to most English readers :

ERICK TEA.
Soon a large bowl of brick tea was handed to me. As
this is a beverage not generally known to the ladies of
England, it may be useful to tell them bow it is concocted.
Brick tea is a solid mass, about eleven inches long, six
inches wide, and one and a-half inches thick, and is made
from the gatherings and the refuse of the tea crop. Instead
of the leaves and stalks being dried, they are made wet,
mixed with bullock's blood, and pressed into a mould,
when the mass becomes more solid than a brick. When it
is used, a man takes an axe and chops off some Ismail pieces ;
these are bruised between two stones, rubbed in the hands,
and then thrown into the cauldron. A bowl of " smitanks"
(sour clotted cream) is added, with a little salt, and a hand-
ful of millet meal ; these ingredients are boiled for half-an-
hour, and then served up hot. Before handing it to the
guests, small portions are taken out of the cauldron with a
spoon, and thrown to the four winds, as an offering to the
gods. I cannot say that the beverage is either bad or par.
ticularly glean, still hunger has often caused me to make a
very good meal of it; but I think it is rather tea soup than
tea."

The Kirshii, or inhabitants of the mountain