, 1879-04-12
Siberia.

~
burg has recendy published al account Of
an exploration made in 1867 by II. .Po-
liakof on the Buer % and the neighbor-
Ing region. F,om st. Petersburg to Tob-
olsa he followed the ordinary route, when
he embarked OF the Irish, whence he de-
cended 10 the village OF Samarovs!;i then
he explored the lower course Of the Oh.
The great interest of the people of this re
gion is that they maintain the character
istics which marked Central Europe, Ger
many and France in prehistoric times, at
the special period known as that OF the
reindeer. From the recent alluvial na-
tnre Of the ground, the valleys OF the Irt-
ish and the Oh often change their charac-
ter. The right hanks of these rivers are
high and the left low, and the latter is
frequently undermined by the force Of the
current aud precipitated into the river
bed, 10 the danger of human life and the
destruction OF fish. borrower, the waters
Of the lower parts CT the Irish and Oh
are often in winter SO injurious that fish
cannot live i'll them. As far as Berezof
the vegetation of tie river banks is com
posed mainly of thick forests of pine and
similar trees These used TO be the haunts
of innumerab!e fur bearing animals of
great industrial yaiIe. These forests,
however have recently been somewhat
rapidly thinned over considerable tracts
of the courses of the O6 and Irish This
has been chiefly caused by fires, of which
there is one or more every year, not to
mention the vast coniiagT&tions Of 1926.
1915 and 1888 MOI only DO these fires
dps"lase and rain.thc country 81 far as It's
forests are Concerned. but il proportion
Us the forests lose their primitive aspect,
ihe animals nj 5rite 10 Nor distant qaar-
fcrs ( they are not destroyed in the 4unes
Thus the beaver has completely Gisap-
pearcd from the Oh REGION, VIII! = han
dred Years ago it flourished in many ahlu-
ents of that river and the irtien. Now
it is only exceptionally found At the
sources If the konda and Sossva. In
zen raj, ile recioI around Obdorsk, both
Is - is mature and its people, presents
the same characteristics which b .lon@ad
/" Central Europe, france and Germany
At tie end Of the glacial period and the
beginning of the present period, when
vast fields Of moss, inte-sected by small
woods OF cuiiiferaus and other trees, were
the prevailing AZURE But it Is, above
..ll, ..acordiug.to M P"liahuT, The iH.iat.-
itauis OF the estuary Of thr 0b who have
preserved the kiGd II lie which prevailed
anon. primitive man Of Europe daring
the reindeer rorie,i. The Dstiaks Of the
Gb recall hy ;he.r Eoae "t iifo the PIE
historic inhabitants IF France ana Ger
..arv. The pr.ui ,!vr cnnhi;ion Is shown,
above all, in In ;slaiI f,cun!.ty II the
ursuia.I,n, tie Great mortality of clsii-
drca. aid the ,,..r,,,jer g; 1!!eir mar.ia
rs. Cnirns aleus the 0l.aas jai-e pace
hc.wacn ue.,ale c,a'n'v related; polygaaly
j. permitted. AMI !,.:ie r,-arG Is hGd IL
40 IN "a. matter ii marriage. The
. Women. w'o a~c rsI-tc:d as Sa,eah!''
: ,,r..;--.,.rr a.e N a.Rsry al condition,
they r,iG,so;t,, fGoevvs', -. Py!i;ssz'T:i
Z .,.Hs -. . h.-l,- Gc,t- 4 ea,ture j:Ian
.'.e .a,;i, t..., IN t"2 . ..aa.i Of nro"-
yes il - INK ye--. -. I.!ay ,n2,.o, rrI.G
. ya-i..;:; pants. c.'..-,, "!s."., =. v7!i close
; al al. ...,.:t-' :t,-,'.:. E-. = @.al.r'~-j
ar5 g., u,i ,@!a'a.a::'i e lie I:ra-h,s,"rla
+ Pile structures ~ .r5 zG,aad. they sl!!
i,.a.f.ee t2-ua.'.E ,....v y,ea- .h" yo:'',
rpIrrzpaaj'u@ 3, ihe v."g.rai c'ursUf. -
+ sh.. American lid .a.+. and I cls..a..r,h
'..y aye u..iyr .ap"n s;.M.i."J5 ,.iat %. t..e
! l,.,-...s # th,. 2teii. is.@.,1s bii Gs.'-
ais sill make tt;e.r aF1af a.i in.u!aElsi!-s
+. If !.e hun. and i9in O. 'h" reindeer All
,.'s.! articles used l5Y ,htr3 ;..e Of eq'ia! :
/ primitive material and n.aLe, and ~ are
/ .s::i f,.f,her reminded oi pre-hiSj"r;c hcn
/ hv The fa,. that ;h'y c,- II" Hrs!i asa
! fsh with ;ho warmth Of lie st.l! IL i, a.d
even drink ,sa-.ul,a,I. Tray are fetish
lists. Great riuytu:s. fu,,i of spirits, and
:a;S.lab;v p,or. =. Pal.aho!I, WHO wa
sent out ly the st. Petersburg l":ps:,al
Academy of Science, made further e&pio-
,a-ions Of The r,lysict! geography and Sc
o!ogv Of this part Of Siberia, and cons To
the conclusion that the opinion Of Hum
bo,Gt and others, that at 4 comparatively
recent period there has been comn"mca-
! ton delween the Asa!o-Casplan BASIN ana
| that Of the Oh or the Arctic Ocean, by
means OF a Trans OUrrl!an Bosphar"dsl Is
without foundation.
|