The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-11 00:00:00

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PRICE 4D• STAMPED, SD.

• THE AMOOR RIVER

The United States Government has just pub-
lished, by order of Congress, the despatches of
Mr. Collins, the commercial agent of the United
States in the Amoor River. That gentleman
reached St. Petersburg in May, 1856, af...
tamed his passport to go through Russia to the
Pacific Ocean in October in that year. He pro-
ceeded eastward • soon afterwards, through Russia
Proper, Western and Eastern Siberia, and Trans-
Baikal, and having visited the Mongolian Chinese
frontier town of Maimattschin, through which the
Russo Chinese trade passes, he descended the river
Amoor at the latter end of 1857. He then visited
Hakodadi, in Japan ; Petropaulovsky, in Kams-
chatka ; and thence he went to Honolulu, in the
Sandwich Islands, arriving at Washington, via San
Francisco and Panama, in Feb., 1858, after an
absence of two years, during which period he had
travelled 30,000 miles.

The following is the substance of :Mr. Collins's
despatches relative to the great Amoor river, which
has just been added to the Russian dominions, and
of the valley through which it flows :

" The Amoor enters the Straits of Tartary in
about lat. 54 N., and making a great sweep to the
south-west pierces the centre of the Chinese state of
Manchooria, and with its more southern branches
interlocks with the streams towards the more
southern portions of China in the direction of Pekin
and Corea, then, bending to the north and west in
its main channel, seeks the dividing waters of that
gig-antic system of rivers that find their way into
the Frozen Ocean. Ascending the Amoor to the
west, you enter upon the route of the great Russian
overland interior commerce, which finally conducts
you to the imperial marts of Mos,cow and St. Peters-
burg.
"From Ouse Strclkah, at the head of the Amoor,
to the Orgoon tributary, the bed of the great river
is mica slate, with small veins of quartz often visible
upon the banks, and with good indications of gold
in the small rivulets that fall into the main stream.
Midway between the Oldoy and the Albasin, a
southern tributary, the formation is clay slate ; and
near the Albasin, cornelian, inferior chalcedony,
and a few stones of siliceous formation arc found.
From the Albasin to the Simelsky the shores arc
mostly sandy until you reach a short distance below
the latter stream, where, on the left shore, syenite
is seen. Before reaching the Kahmara, there
are cliffs of yellow sand, where amygdaloid mixed
with decomposed earths, at the foot of which were
cornelian, chalcedony, and agate. Below the
Kahmara granite is again seen. From above the
sea to below the Booreya the banks are generally
sandy ; and the country around is a plain prairie.
From thence to the Garen is found trap, feld spar,
flinty slate, and green stone ; from the Geren to the
Amgoon is mostly green stone. As you approach
the sea, nearly up to Nicolaivsky, granite is again
found ; and immediately upon the sea coast is lime.
stone. The Hingan range of mountains is reputed
to be rich in gold.
" The valley of the Amoor covers, from west to
east, 40 deg. of longitude, and 13 deg. of latitude
from south to north, having for its northern and
western boundaries the Altai, Yablonovey, and
Stanovey mountains. Its southern boundaries are
the head waters of the Hongharee, the Onsuree,
the Songharee, the Albasin, and the Argoon. Its
eastern boundaries are the Straits of Tartary, the
Okholsk, and the Japan sea. The valley of Amoor
is situated relatively
.to Southern Asia as the valley
of the St. Lawrence is to southern North America,
supposing that the Hudson, the Ohio and its tri-
butaries, and the Illinois, emptied into the lakes,
instead of running off to the south and east.
" Within the vast area of the Amoor valley is
found every natural requisite for the habitation of
50 millions of human beings, with climate, soil, pro-
ductions, minerals, and forests. Game is found in
the greatest abundance, the wilds abound with the
most valuable fur animals, the rivers teem with fish
and fowl, while the mountains yield gold, silver,
copper, iron and coal.
" The Amoor river is of much beauty, and combines
many of the varieties of the picturesque, the beauti-
ful, and grand, of such rivers as the Hudson, the
Conntcticut, the Ohio, and the Mississippi, with the
San Joaquin, and Sacramento of California. As to
its size and navigable qualities, it may be compared
with the Mississippi, leaving out the Missouri, Red,
and Arkansas rivers. It contains hundreds ofislands,
..kAa Lbiaaci taiuLes. T2LI
reaches are often grand and extensive ; white snow-
capped mountains, rugged sierras, and smoking vol-
canoes, add beauty and grandeur to the scenery.
"The country bordering upon the Amoor may be
divided into three distinct regions, according to the
nature of its shores. From Ouse Strclkah, at the
head of the Amoor, to the Zca, a distance of
700 miles, is a mountainous country, with numerous
bends, having considerable fertile bottom-land,
covered with excellent grass ; and is well but not
heavily timbered with white and black birch, pitch
pine, fir and larch, and inferior oak, and linden.
From the Zca to the Hongharee, a distance of 800
miles, the air is mild and the water warm. From
the Zea to the Songharee the mountain ridges recede
towards the south. The soil is good, and the timber
chiefly consists of birch, oak, ash, maple, cork, and
elm ; and in the distant mountains cedar, pine, and
larch. The land here is covered with innumerable
flowers of rich and varied hues, and the grape vine
and grass grow to luxurious perfection.
" From the Hongharee to the Straits of Tartary,
a distance of 600 miles, the region is covered with
dense forests. The country gradually rises from the
Onsuree to the coast, forms a mountainous district,
which declines abruptly at the sea. The climate on
the sea coast up to 300 miles is very severe, the
snow in winter coming down in fierce and over-
powering storms.
" From Ouse Strclkah to the Zea the coast is in-
habited by the Tonguse tribe. From the Zea to the
Hingau mountains the inhabitants are chiefly Man-
choo and Chincse. Alone. the Hingau mountains is
a Tonguesean race, and from the Songhai.) to the
Garia there is a mixed race of Manchoo-Tartar and
Tonguse. A slightly different race inhabits the
country below the Onsuree. Between the Amoor
Onsuree and the sea-coast south of De Castries the
country is inhabited by a semi-nomadic people ;
and along the shores of the Amoor for several hun-
dred miles from its mouth there is a people different
from any already mentioned. The native or semi-
civilised tribes number less than 10,000 souls. The
whole population of Manchooria has been estimated
at from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000, and the Mongols
from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000. The head of the
Amoor is 5,220 miles, and the mouth 7,220 miles
from St. Petersburg. The mouth of the river is
2,800 miles from the Sandwich Islands ; 3,800 from
the mouth of the Columbia river, in Oregon ; 4,200
from San Francisco ; 1,000 from lakodadi (Japan);
and 1,600 from Shanghai.
" The head of the Amoor is in 53 deg. 30 min.,
and the mouth is in 53 deg. 15 min. north lat. The
mean of the thermometer in June at the head of the
river was 59, and 68 at the mouth in Ausust. On
sonic days between June and August the-tempera-
ture on the Amoor in a boat was 82 deg. in the
shade. The Russians were delighted when they ob-
served the spontaneous growth of the grape on the
shore of the Amoor, as that fruit is unknown in
Siberia or in Central Russia. The growth of the
grape vine, the pea, clover, asparagus, the straw-
berry and poppy on the Amoor attests the superior
agricultural and razing qualities of the country.
" The commercial system of the Amoor Govern-
ment is separate and distinct from the general sys-
tem of Russia in Europe. Commerce entering the
Amoor is free for five years from 1856. There are
no lighthouses, tonnage dues, or port charges. Nine
or i
merchant ships and steamers entered the
steamers,
1857, chiefly American. Two Russian
ariN
and nearly 300 Russian barges, rafts,s and boats were
plying in the river in that year. 1 , 0 Cossackss
were to emigrate into the Amoor country in 188,
and the Grand Duke Constantine was to descend
the river. The currency on the river is Russian
bank (paper), silver roubles ; American. golds being
at par to 5 percent.. premium.
oAummecroiemannlanMaexliocatno,
Russian, and Spanish silver
15 per cent. premium.
6' A commercial company, called the Society of the
Amoor, has been
established in St. Petersburg to de-
velope the commerce of the great liver, which has
received the sanction of the Emperor, and which has
many special privileges for a term of 25 years.
" The great river is formed by the junction of the
Schilkah and Argoon; the Lugadah is also one of
its feeders. It is susceptible of navigation the whole
length by steam, and steamers of light draught
could enter its head from near Chetah, the capital
of Trans-Baikal, through the Lugadah. By a few
hundred miles of railway the Amoor could be con-
nected commerc: ally NN ith the three great r'y srs, tl •
Lena, the Obi, and the Jenisea, which drain the
whole of Siberia, and then flow into the Icy Sea.
Boats of a peculiar construction can reach within a
few hundred miles of Pekin, from the Amoor up
through its greatest southern tributary, the Song-
, haree.

" Nicolaivsky, the chief Russian town on the
Amor, is built about 20 miles from its mutt. It
has become the Russian seat of government for the
province of the eastern coast of Siberia, The best