a gigantic hollow formed by branches of the Thian
Shan, the dimensions of the hollow being much larger
than the surface of the lake, which, at a height of
5,300 feet, covers 3,104 square miles, or ten times the
extent of the Lake of Geneva. The northern shore
is known as Kungei— thaX. is, “ the side turned to the
sun,”— and the southern shore as Terskei, “ the side
turned to the shade.” The shores of the lake are
desolate and barren. Its pellucid waters, blue on the
shore and of a deeper shad,e further out, extend beyond
the circle of the horizon. The distant shore is hidden
by the curvature of the surface, but the mountains rise
above, their bases half hidden by vapours reddened in
the sunlight, and lifting snowy peaks into what is usually
a cloudless sky. An eternal silence reigns supreme,
whilst on the reddish strand there is scarcely a hut,
or on the waters a skiff, to indicate the existence of
man.
There are certain localities, however, for the nomads,
and also for agriculture, the eastern shore of the lake
being more suitable for habitation than the western.
Hence, during the last few years, this has been dotted
with some half-dozen Russian settlements.
Issik-Kul is considered to be more than 1,000 feet
deep where the shores are precipitous ; but where the
banks are low a man can wade into it twp-thirds of a
mile. The water is brackish and almost unfit for u s e ;
cattle do not drink it. The lake has no islands, but
numerous shoals. In consequence of its general freedom
from ice, the Kirghese call it Issik-Kul, the
ChineseJe-Hai, both meaning “ the warm lake.” To
the Mongols and Kalmuks it is known under the
name Temuru-Nor, or the ferruginous lake, because of
the large quantity of black ore covering the bottom,
that is thrown up on the shores in the form of sand.
The Kara-Kirghese collect the ore, and extract iron
therefrom. A knife thus made, of extremely primitive
manufacture, was given me in Vierny, but I unfortunately
lost it. The Russian Bishop of the diocese
showed me, too, among his antiquities, a bronze instrument,
found in the lake, somewhat resembling the head
of a large hammer, but probably made for a small
hatchet. Its upper surface- measured 4 ! inches long,
by i j in. wide, and 1 in. deep in the thickest part,
through which was driven a longitudinal hole large
enough to admit the fore or middle finger, but it was
not easy to see how it would be hefted. Besides
objects of this kind, the waves cast up human bones
and skulls, as well as household utensils and bricks.
Dr. Schuyler observes that on the shores of this lake
old Chinese maps place the city of Tchi-gu, and on
the Catalan map of 1375, there is marked on the
southern shore a Nestorian monastery, containing the
bones of St. Matthew. These ruins have not yet
been scientifically investigated, but General Kolpa-
kovsky, besides tracing brick walls under water in the
lake, drew out a large stone on which was carved a
human face- Also it may be noticed that, in 1847,
before the advent of the Russians, two ornamented
copper kettles were found by the Kirghese on the south
shore, and presented to the Khan of Khokand. Only
four kinds of fish, Carp, Usman, Marnik, and Bream,
have as yet been found in the lake, but of these there
is abundance, though neither Kirghese nor Russians
catch them.
The climate of Semirechia is not so dry as some
other districts of Central Asia. The northern portions
of the province, about Sergiopol and Kopal, have a