The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-07-24

OR Amour River Correspondence.

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o~~ Amour River Correspondence.
Tosr N,ooIAI, AnoUR Rvss, April IL, 1857.
ruuuAxY STATION At POET MISREPRESENTATION
- rus AMOUR Rivg2-COLoNizAriON sOaExEs-
AHHRICaN eTRAME&e ON THE AMOUB-MAkNER5
AMD CUSTOMS OF rHE NHAsIrANrS-TRADB OF
poouNIA WITH THE UNITED sTArEs-DBFEOrTvH
ynzAr1YS-LBxRAL POLICY OF THE Nyw 1ArERoR
POLITICAL CONDITION or THE COuNTRY-PAR-
VITALITY FOR ANERIoANe-POLTICAL DxILEs-
GLANCE At SIBERIAN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF
ZEE Ah0UR-DoMEsrIo AND WILD ANIhALs-Ik-
9RRI0x TRAvkL-r0POGRAPHY, COMMERCE., ETC.,
DfO.
letter for your Journal dated at this distant psce
n prove Of Interest your readers you liberty to
make use Of the following facts which have found leisure
b ~ down during my residence here which has been
snce hat arrived In July, 1855, In the bark
Her vine from San Francisco and located with the view
& establishing fur trade with California, for which the
country offers remarkable facilities; and though up 70
i time my efforts have not been crowned with the
sew could wish, have still hopes OF awaiting myself
q the opportunities which here offer OF opening
- uninterrupted In skins and pehries How
the information have obtained may be to readers
I cannot say, the only American papers have seen
nom day Of my departure from San Francisco are files
q the HERALD which we're brought here tie East In
es b, the EnglL trading brig Albert, Captain orm'oy,
whose departure week for snanghas enables me to
JrwArd letters my friends aud these pagea for your
PAPER, should they prove acceptable.
FORT MCOLAI.
me for whence date Is situated near the western
bank Of river Amour which is here wide and turo Did
Stream Of great volume taking Its rise in the Atay noun
ns In the far Interior The fort Is of heavy
LOGS and mud erected by the Emperor Nicholas
amor whom is nAmed-soon after the commencemen o.
the Ate war There are captain and fes soldiers
who perform sor. of nominal duty but like the peasant.
q country, allowed 10 attend 10 the scsnty agrcul
arsl porsu.s which the brief season permits There
so other forts miles above This point which is some
asen miles from principal mouth OF the Amour Al
together they mount about forty of anqua.ed
MAKE ana are scarcely available for service, though they
yese deemed sufficiently formidable by the ALT ID fleet TO
keep their ships At respectful distance during the war
Many of these guns brought here early In
1856 rom the dismantled forts at Petropa llovski,
.hoa were destroyed BY the ren'h rb sas
are the only military stations main aimed by
The government between the coast and the large In
denl Irkousk the principal town Of Eastern Siberia
by the river two thousand rses and owing 10 the
cuss or ne ,Ss'e saele Of Ss Tho
here Of his occasional visits tn This distant
place. His Exceency has held the post for tvs I've years
sna by his ipexibe Justice and the faithful dchArse Of
hs duties has good will of the MID and secluded
people over whom his Jurisdiction exen Is and has
Aiped the favor Of the new Emperor.
TIE AMOUR RIVER.
believe that very Of readers are aware or tue
Future inpor OF This noble river 10 the commercial
interes OF America the great extent of coanuy which
drains. Taking ts RISE have said, in the Allay
ncup,aps which divide Chinese rarary the Russian
poesees ions, flows distance OF about two Thousand
miles, and discha' ges oy four outns into inc d Q.
ghanen AT the point where 1t fassef the for II 10
really mile wide and reminds Of TIE Mississippi De
sOw New Orleans, the county being OF low alluvih
character and the eastern side spreading out INTO e4
tepsiye savannsbs and swamps Al the mouth, which
have several times visited, there are several hlands
covered with low, stunted snruboery winch, nIo M
Cd are anpually increased In size by the depo us
from the river. There lis bar at each mouth,
which from twelve 10 seventeen feet may be carried
ne channels ever constantly shifting, and the
pasves on entering either trust 70 the sounding ne or,
pngu'ay enough N the guidance OF a'peces OF nan re
keen IN The deepest water and regarded By the sailors
- inalhbe pilot the bar the river IS several
miles vide nj s mouth, Aad the water dtscoiorea r
end navigation certainly intricate and dangerous
During months the region about the estuary aud
the surrounding country u a sod mass Of Ice aud unin
hahitAbe from cold the mercury falling To- SO
degrees below zero where remains Tor months win out
ATTEMPTS TO coLoNIsE.
The government twelve years has had fts nen-
ou turned this locality, and great exertnA were
made under Empsror 10 establish colonies mere
n ,he summer Of 1884, scieetGo corps from st. Peters
burg was ordered proceed 10 Dooara 70 survey the
scunsry and report government The eng'ceers,
svsre that the hobby Of the Emperor settle the
soup0y represer this region be well adapted N cu
uvason and made false reports OF the chnase aud 70
sonyces Tue result WAS that the following an expe
IsoD was organized In Western Siberia, and i've or siI
uhousand people were sent down the Amour, ou'
scnatilg supplied with provisions and the neces
snnos Of ne. They arr sed, ater suffering great
ha-dsnips The i,urrey through an almost rackless
wilderness, and had 'ecsions Of asd poroned on 70 ,nsn
sies which they not prepared 70 surmouni more
nan two thirds pers with cold and hunger the ensains
winter which was OF the most rigorous ever known
Unta recently, hpe hat been done TO renew the stem
eIpoe that time The msrics, built In 1894, be-
Yeve BY Mr. Webb Of New York, R noe on the river aud
IA a fes Owe
Ne expedition OF ls45, settlers have been unwilling 70
cv1e here, unless the government would MAINTAIN steam
communication With the interior, by which In times OF
soar .ity supplies might be obtained from Udinsk The
CApese town orosm about three hundred miles above
hsse On Chinese aide Of the river the only settlement
shove the uppcr forts This s mere village, and con
lAins Tow hundred rar,ars and refugee Chinese.
ICE rnEsnErs AND FLOODS.
uw,uh be difficult detcribe the aTfu solitudes OF
yvov and ce which reign here during ontns
me dense primeya fores Of yellow pine and hr, rooted
with 90 III uous covering Of ,now shutting out even tae
ecanty sht q Arctic winter, extent on either sat
quito the rivers edge WHOM lies bet -een these
banks OF SON foliage, vast bed OF uPheaved
70 ne extreme cold, the grertsr part Of the popu
on emgraes the south ward before the setting IN OF
mo wner they usually locate near 'pe noun III, % ,Ss
Amour but which lie inferior 70 that river IN exen
and depth. In the spring time, when the zee commences
- break up, q scene OF Wild subhmity n presen Cd
vacs and deds OF ice 20 tearing down towards the sea
and these muhtpg the mouth and hespiug up
so~m of berr- need not say that such all river
navigation Is stopped and The country for hundreds Of
nllee desolate wilderness.
INHABITANTS or AMOUR THE COUNTRY.
sre are far from afy thou-and people In poours
which name r. given N the section OF country included
besveen the Amour river ard the sapavoy and htsy
mountains These may be divided a. fopovs-rwenty
thousand Tarars, who roam over tho country In bands
Tan tlDussnd immigrants from Western ,era, and the
remainder a croes between the Esquuaux and Tartar
ho arc much smaller than tbs latter, and ply sicay In
ssgtor The Tartars and siberian exles, who are the
principal people, are mostly herdsmen and huu'ers they
a. 0rc borp hut have OF these animals among
them Their time IL principally occupied In raising CO us
and reindeer Of Witch they large droves The cattle
arc small brt Of good form, and IN be summer ume a,
A soon ~ the spriug opcos and the country
becomes passable, the whole population start from w
uupgar ~here the land less FERTILE and, driving the
herds before them feed slowly from valley N valley, o
eating In little villages here and there and ro,mns on
he scaniy herbsse exhausted These tspcssry ,sue