ing Kirgufes.[ This vaft defart extends about 700 B. miles from
E. to. W.; and, including Iffim, nearly as far from N. to S., but-on the
N, of the Cafpian thq breadth does not exceed 220. A ridge- of fandy
hills lh:etcftes Trom neay the termination of the Uralian chain towards
th f. Cafpian; the reft is a prodigious - fandy le-vel, with Tea? ftreltejiigid
fa,It pools.^ There aie however fmall dftlri&s,,capable-©f insqpjcovement,
like the Oafes, or ifles in the midft of th^ A|hh^n defettsi. The north
eaftern part of this ftepp is conneflted with that :of the Irtifti; nay it is
confidere d as extending eyen to the Ob, under the.name o f the Baralun
ftepp. ■
This ftepp o f Barabin,, N. W„ o f Omlk, is abopt 4qq miles in length,
and 360 in breadth, containing a few fak lakes, hut in general o f a
jgpfid: black foil, interfperfed with forefts of-- birch-f:, That of-. ‘Sftwn,
afpires but rarely to the fame quality : and in both are found many
tombs, i.nclofing the remains of paftoral chiefs, Tatar or Mongol.?
- The vaft fpace between the Ob, and. the Yenkfei, fro p i; the nortinof
Tomlk to the ardic ocean, is regarded as. one-ftepp, being.a prodigious
level with.no appearance o f a mountain, and. fcarcely. ,pf a hdl, The
lame terra is applied to the wider fpace between.the Yenifei, and,the
Lena, between the ardic ocean on the north, and a river Tungufkaijl
lat.650; and to the parts beyond the Lena as far as the river Kolyma,
or Govima.
When we eonfider the vaft , extent o f the Afiatic provinces- o f the
Ruffian empire, the fcantinefs of their population, and the few years
that have as yet elapfed fince the firft attempt to inveftigate their
natural productions, w e ihall feel rather furprized,’ £yb what has been
* .See in the k it travek of Falks, i. T-78, a curious account"of a detached mountain ,in this
ftepp, towards the Volga, called Bogdo Ula. This hill near the -{aline lake pfBogdo, has. no
. connection, fare in name, with the great mountains’ -of Bogdo,, in' a remote quarter; the word
only fighifying^mo^ mighty, and Ula feems’inthe Kalmiik to imply a mountain, as in M'andfli-ur
a river. This Angular folitary hill is vifible at the diftance of 25 miles,
r f The poverty of deferiptive language ;is frequently to be regretled. A Ruffian ftepp fomc-
times refemhles.a defart, at other times a favanna waving with luxuriant grafs.
\ This vague name feems only to imply a river of the Tungufes. It is to be wilhed that .the
Academy of Sciences at Feterfburg would revife the maps of Afiatic Ruffia, and give, us diftinfl,
and pronounceable names. A t prefent we may well wiih for more knowledge,, and fewer cop«
Tenants,
done,
done, than diikppoint£d.bec&tifè mafgflëatè'r'prdgfefs h*as been jpade in Btjti»
arranging, ahd defeVifeingkheh? ‘ indigenous; V'ëgetallfes.*s The labours of
Steller ^and'Gmelm,' and laftly o f Paila"sfdubdef:tbe munificent patroüage
o f the Emprefs'Catharki-e; TaVh^diFelmid -fo'1 the* vifew Of- fcieiice the
wilds o f Siberia, andfl&fie dëfarts o f Tafaryp-and though tó&ny ex-
tsenfive trads continue wholly unëXplbrëd, 5yetTfBbr the ample fpecimeri*
that has been fiirveyed, we may form a very probable cohjtedure. coridJ
eerning the botany tóf the-' tetnairider.
- RuffiAin Afiay with rëgard? t-'drits^dfa,- is divided by- riCmteffihto. £Woi-
unequal-portions: the fmaller oFthefe* is bounded ’on. 'the/w*eft['fay the ,
Don,- a fid W'ofga, on the eaflfoy’me' Uralian mountains, and on. the
foiith by thte Cafpian fea, and"*the’Türkifh', aMtF^uanTfbiitiers'. T h e '
clknate'bf tfiïs-dlftri£t is delicious, and the foil fertile, if* ft opes tew&rd s
the" fOUth, and is protefledhfrom the ndfthern blafts’ b'y l'ofty moUhtairi-f-
olis ridges’; in its bdtanyit greAtly refembles' the - pfovine'é, o f Taurida,
d f whifch ah account has already been given:, the cedar,2fhe'cypref$,.
thfe faVïrie, j red j uniper, beech, Ana oak doathVthe tides ofthê moür^
tAins ; the almond; the peach, and the fig abound1 in thé warïh feéeïTès
dt;thè rocks: the quiriëd, thé apricot, the^wiflow-leaved p.ear, and the
vibe are of frequent- oCcüfréncè in the thickets, an'd on- the edges d fitfe •
forefts. The date-plum;, ( dfofpyros- lotosi) i the1 jiffu&e^ and' ChriW^f
thofn, ( rhamnus zizypb'us^ and paliuftis,) are alfa üatiVesöf thefe preA •
vlhces, and evince the mildöéfs of the climate: the bogs 'Atëraflbrriöd by •
thofé'■ exquifitely beautiful plants the rhododendron pohticum, and
azalea pprifitóhi the olive, the wild olive, ( elteagras orientdltmh^S:^ \
ftately wide l^teading ealÈérd plane tree’ fytatams or/WiZ/dy^KOTaUfel^, -
the bay, and lauruftinus grow in abundance On tnO ftibres- df the -fea of
Azof, and the Cafpian^, and the romantic - vales of, the Caucafus are-
perfumed and enlivened with the fyringa, the jafmine, the lilac, and.
the Caucafian rófë. From fo flattering a fpecimsn itis not to be doubted' -
that future naturalifts will gather an abundant harveft 'o f ufeful, and",
beautiful vegetables, in thefe. diftrids, winch hav.e hithefto be^en very
inadequatelylhóticed. *
By far-the larger part of the Ruffian dominions in Afia is the wide
ëxpanfe of Siberia, floping‘ towards the north,'and fhut up*'on the-.;,
x lÜ É i i lÜ ;Y'U K®uf|®^ ^§u th :