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been given of most countries up to the present time, either from the want of that scientific education so essential to him who undertakes the task of describing a foreign land and its inhabitants, or from the neglect of observing those minute details which furnish the most important of all facts, there is yet plenty of scope for the exercise of his power in this direction. Whenever, therefore, a man possessed of the necessary requirements for accomplishing this work is found to devote himself to the fearful hardships of a traveller's life, tending with the enervating effects of unfavourable climates, and frequently having to do battle with the worst forms of disease, he is deserving of the best thanks of his fellows. Nor will he find society indisposed to give him a hearing, for as he still may have something to tell not only full of interest but of the highest importance, men will listen to his story, if not to hear of the marvellous, at least to learn something

"Now came the holy Christmas festival. The peasants raised a pole close by the old wall, and bound an unthrashed bundle of oats on it, that the birds of the air might also enjoy the Christmas, and have plenty to eat at that time which was held in commemoration of the redemption brought to mankind. "And the sun rose brightly that Christmas morning, and shone upon the oat-sheaf, and upon all the chirping birds that flew around the pole; and from the wall issued a faint twittering. The swelling thoughts had at last found vent, and the low sound was a hymn of joy, as the bird flew forth from its hiding-place. "The winter was an unusually severe one. The waters were-wandering among savage or semi-barbarous tribes,-con frozen thickly over; the birds and the wild animals in the woods had great difficulty in obtaining food. The little bird, that had so recently left its dark solitude, flew about the country roads, and when it found by chance a little corn dropped in the ruts, it would eat only a single grain itself, while it called all the starving sparrows to partake of it. It would also fly to the villages and towns, and look well about; and where kind hands had strewed crumbs of bread outside the windows for the birds, it would eat only one morsel itself, and give all the rest to the others.

"At the end of the winter the bird had found and given away so many crumbs of bread, that the number put together would have weighed as much as the loaf upon which little Inger had trodden in order to save her fine shoes from being soiled; and when she had found and given away the very last crumb, the gray wings of the bird became white, and expanded wonderfully. "It is flying over the sea!' exclaimed the children, who saw the white bird. Now it seemed to dip into the occan, now it rose into the clear sunshine; it glit ered in the air; it disappeared high, high above; and the children said that it had flown up to the

sun."

If there be any reader of the REGISTER who was not already aware that Hans Christian Andersen is not only one of the quaintest and freshest, but also one of the healthiest and most touching of living writers, the story here quoted will undoubtedly convince him of the fact. There are seventeen others as good in the book whence this is taken. We hope, and do not doubt, that they will all find many readers.

of the useful.

It is not too much to say that Mr. Atkinson, both from the kind of knowledge with which his mind is stored, from his accurate powers of observation, and from the long training he has undergone in his favourite pursuit, is possessed of all those qualifications so essential to the modern traveller. His book, with some few exceptions, may be taken as a model of what works of the kind ought to be, and presents a striking contrast to the majority of recent books of travel. In order to show the extent of the information possessed by the author, and the arduous labour that he entailed upon himself in the completion of his task, so as not to allow any of the myriad forms of nature's workmanship to escape his notice, it is but necessary to refer to the appendix at the end of his volume, giving, as it does, a list of the animals and plants that flourish in the districts over which his researches extended. These comprise a hundred and fifty-three mammals, four hundred and thirty-one birds, and thirteen hundred and twenty-three trees, shrubs, and flowers. Whatever, there

ATKINSON'S TRAVELS IN THE REGIONS OF fore, Mr. Atkinson may have left undone, he has certainly

THE AMOOR.*

THERE must have been something intensely romantic in those olden times when undiscovered lands invited the lover of adventure to cross foaming oceans and rolling seas, holding up before his mental vision the prospect of lighting upon wonders such as painters had called into existence on their canvas, fiction writers revelled in, and mythology described, but which material eyes had never witnessed. There is at all times a charm and a fascination in travel which is rather increased than diminished by the contemplation of danger; but in those days, when so much of the earth was unknown, no bounds could be set to the flights of imagination as to the marvels that might be met with in distant climes. The very mystery with which everything relating to far-off lands was invested tended to strengthen the inclination to forego the comforts of home and the ease of domestic life for the purpose of wandering over unexplored deserts or sailing across old ocean's gray and solitary waste," ignorant of the region to which the pathway led. The chance of being the first to make known to mankind the existence of a region whose marvels should outvie everything that had been portrayed in fable, or of a race of men with some physical peculiarity rendering them more or less perfect than the rest of mankind, was a temptation not easy to resist.

66

Now the age of prodigies has passed away, and the traveller is no longer induced to roam abroad with the hope of discovering anything out of the ordinary course of nature. Almost every spot of earth, too, has been more or less explored, and he who rambles over the remotest portion of the world's vast domain will find a difficulty in selecting any nook or corner where he is not treading in the footsteps of some one else. The consequence is, that if he be desirous of having something to tell which others are ignorant of, his only chance will be to bring an unusual amount of observation to bear upon his subject, so as to make himself acquainted with facts and circumstances that had been overlooked by his pre. decessors. Luckily for him, the imperfect accounts that have

• Travels in the Regions of the Upper and Lower Amoor and the Russian Acquisi. tions on the Confines of India and Cama, etc. By THOMAS WILLIAM ATKINSON,

F.R.G.S., F.G.S. London: Hurst and Blackett. 1800.

supplied British science with most important information respecting the natural history of those vast Asiatic lands which have hitherto been looked upon more as a cold and cheerless desert than as a country that could ever occupy any position in the grand scheme of civilization. But he has done much more than this. He has rambled over thousands of miles of country, including fertile valleys, snow-capped mountains, and sandy plains, has been an eye-witness of some of the grandest scenery in nature's magnificent panorama,-has mixed with tribes of human beings of whom nothing was known in this country, save that the type of their race existed a score of centuries ago, and since that time has undergone no change,has minutely surveyed those vast acquisitions added so recently to the great Russian empire, and likely hereafter to have both a commercial and a political interest for Englishmen,— and has told the tale of his exploits in an easy and agreeable style that rivets the attention of the reader to his pages.

The vast tract of country over which Mr. Atkinson has travelled, and his observations upon which are recorded in entitled Oriental the present volume and a previous one, and Western Siberia, presents many points of the highest interest alike for the student of science, the political philosopher, and the lover of tales of adventure. Siberia has been heretofore associated in the minds of Englishmen with a barren and desolate region, whose intense cold served but to increase the hardships of those victims of Russian despotism who were sent to wear out their lives in its mines. The nomadic tribes who wander over the great deserts and steppes of Asia, though illustrating to the ethnologist a most important fact in the unchanging character of their race, were yet so far removed from the regions of civilization, and had so rarely come into contact with men capable of judging accurately of their peculiarities, that it was dangerous to form any theories respecting them. The progress that the great northern empire has been making in this direction, the paramount influence of Cossacks in every part of this extensive region, and, above all, that splendid addition to the Russian domains of the country to the north of the Amoor, giving to the Muscovite an increasing power in China, have been just heard of as facts, but have not yet been sufficiently considered

in their important relations to the welfare of other states. Any work, therefore, which tends to add to the general stock of information upon these topics, and others of a kindred character, must be highly acceptable to English readers. Such a book is Mr. Atkinson's. The greater part of the work consists of details of matters of fact that the author himself observed, -in only a very few cases has he related what he had simply heard from others; and in these cases what he relates was well authenticated,-and the book thus furnishes a mass of most useful information, all of which may be relied upon as perfectly correct.

The whole of the earlier part of the volume is occupied with an account of the travels of the author amongst the Kirghis, describing accurately their habits and mode of living, their superstitions, their forms and customs, and their methods of dealing with each other and with such of the rest of mankind as they may happen to come into contact with. Mr. Atkinson commences on the borders of the Siberian frontier at Semipalatinsk, but his movements from place to place are often so rapid, and always so eccentric, that to follow him in detail would either be to reproduce his volume in these pages or to become tedious in the description of latitudes and routes. Besides, a great similarity, both as to the people and the country itself, scems to prevail through the whole of the district Mr. Atkinson explored, so that, in speaking below of some of his observations and experiences, there is no need that we should specify in each case the exact locality referred to.

One fact which seems to have often forced itself on the attention of Mr. Atkinson, in travelling through these regions, was, that a prior race had once inhabited the country, and bad since disappeared, leaving behind them no trace of their doings except numerous tombs, tumuli, and earthworks, and these of such a character that nothing could be learned from them respecting those by whom they were erected. That they were a great nation seems to be obvious, from the extent of these vestiges; but when they flourished, at what period they passed away, and what, if any,-existing race they were allied to, are problems which remain unsolved. "One of these ancient works, on the Lopson near its outlets from the Kara-tan, is a parallelogram about 700 yards in length and 300 in breadth. The earth walls are now about twelve feet high, and have been considerably higher. Their thickness is about sixteen feet at the bottom, and nine feet at the top. This enclosure was entered by four gates, one being in the centre of each side, but the eastern end has been partly destroyed by the river, which is gradually cutting down the bank. Half a mile to the north and south are numerous mounds, and at about a mile from the western end there is a large tumulus, about one hundred and fifty feet in diameter and fifty feet high. The people who produced them were a very different race to the present occupiers of the country, and had made an extraordinary advance in agriculture and mining. In one of the small mountain ridges on my route I found a fine specimen of Malachite, and came upon the remains of ancient mines most probably worked at a period long before those of Siberia were discovered by the Chutes, who left many of their flint instruments in the depths of the Altai."

and the Balkash, and "to whom all the sultans of the steppes did homage." These great spirits, they say, were in the habit of fighting terrible battles, and many of the ravines in the rocks were made by strokes of their swords. A very curious tradition of the Kora is also connected with an ancient tomb of a similar character to those just described. This is stated to be about twenty-eight feet high, forty-two feet in diameter, and of a circular shape, formed like a dome, and situated in the valley of the Kora. Around it, a circle, enclosing a space of about ten feet wide, has been made by placing a number of large blocks of quartz. The natives approach this with feelings of great veneration, and leave behind them strips of their garments "as an offering to the souls of the departed." The tradition, as communicated by a Kirghis named Tarsun, and who believed himself to be a follower of Ghergiz, was to the effect that there had once resided several powerful genii in the valley of the Kora, who committed fearful depredations upon others of the order. Their position was so impregnable that, notwithstanding they robbed and plundered every one, none could successfully attack them. At last the aid of Shaitan was called in, and a compact was entered into with him by the opposing forces to assist in destroying these monsters. The result was that another battle was fought, and, just as the genii were becoming victorious, fire, and flame, and lightning, and thunder, and red-hot rocks were the weapons used against them. The panic-stricken genii, recognising at once the hand of Shaitan, retired from the contest back into the valley. The opposing legions followed them, led on by Shaitan, and huge rocks were hurled down, burying the genii beneath the fearful ruins. The Kora was then sealed for ages,-the term Kora meaning closed,-and no one dared to take up his abode there. At last, a very bold and reckless chief determined to invade the sanctity of this enchanted ground; he, therefore, pitched his yourts on the sacred spot, killed animals for a festival, and kept up a revel with his followers, all of whom were delighted at the courage of their master. Suddenly, however, loud peals of thunder shook the rocks, and one of the genii appeared, flashing his sword in terrible anger. Addressing the sultan, in a voice that made every heart quail, he said, "Monster, thou hast dared to bring thy slaves hither and pollute this sacred spot, and for this thou shalt die." With this he flashed his sword, severed the rock, and in a moment all were entombed. The women of the tribe, hearing of the terrible event, wept and grieved very much, till at last a spirit, called the "White Lady," interceded for them, and they were permitted to raise the tumulus.

What may be the vestige of truth contained in this legend, or whether there is any, it is exceedingly difficult to say. One thing is perfectly clear, namely, that nothing is known at the present day of the race of people who preceded the present inhabitants of this vast country, and to whose career in the far past these tombs and monuments point. Every scientific reader of Mr. Atkinson's work will regret that its enterprising author did not cause some of the tumuli to be On various occasions he speaks of tumuli being scattered opened. If that had been done, a clue might perhaps have over a large plain, indicating the remains of a very ancient been obtained to what now remains wrapt in dark obscurity. cemetery, and looking like "; a vast city of the dead." Some- If, however, our author tells nothing regarding the past times the tombs are small and very numerous, at others inhabitants of this land, he gives a most interesting descripenormously large; in all pointing back to a most remote era. tion of those who at present range over its wide plains, One he describes as 64 one hundred and twenty feet in and fight, in their simple and untutored way, the battle of diameter and thirty-seven feet high, with a shallow ditch, life upon its uncultivated steppes. They lead the same twelve feet wide and four feet deep, running round its base," wandering life as their predecessors did of old; they never and surrounded by innumerable others, distributed over an area cultivate the soil, but feed their herds upon the plain, and of four or five square miles. In most cases the Kirghis have change their place of residence as inclination, climate, or no tradition whatever regarding these ancient sepulchres and other circumstances may prompt them. Most of them appear monuments of the past, in others a legend of an absurd and to have a summer and a winter location, which they adopt whimsical character remains as their only history. Two according to the change of temperature. The chiefs of the large circular tombs were met with, of a conical shape, about various tribes are generally very rich in horses and cattle, fifty-five feet high, and open at the top. On the south side and they barter these away when occasion demands, and of each there were two apertures, one above the other,--the opportunity offers, for the products of civilization. One chief lower ones being about four feet, and the upper ones about two is spoken of as being possessed of nearly ten thousand horses, feet square. The walls were four feet in thickness, and con--whilst others of his tribe had from five thousand to seven sisted of stone obtained from the neighbouring rocks. In the inside were two large graves and six smaller ones. These the natives look upon as the tombs of two mighty genii who once ruled over the whole of the country between Nor-Zaisan

thousand each. Sometimes a chief would possess as many as two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, besides camels and horned cattle almost beyond number. Herds of fifty thousand sheep, twenty thousand horned cattle, ten thousand

horses, and over a thousand camels, are stated to be commonly met with on these vast plains, and yet, so wide is the range that the eye takes in, that these vast herds appear to occupy a most insignificant space.

over with some article of fur or skin, and manage to find room for a great number of sleepers,-biped and quadruped,— in a very small compass. Mr. Atkinson mentions one of their residences, in which he had once the honour of being lodged for the night. Although only about twenty-five feet in diameter, and half filled by boxes, carpets, and other household articles, it was yet able to provide sleeping accommodation for the chief, his two wives, four children, three young kids, and four young lambs.

Their articles of diet and culinary preparations, as described by Mr. Atkinson, certainly do not appear to present any very tempting fare to an Englishman. They have a kind of cheese, called hyran, which forms a large portion of their food during the winter, and is made by boiling the milk of different animals in a cauldron,-stirring and skimming it the while,— till it becomes thick, and then cutting it into squares and drying it in the sun. The principal objection to this, and it applies to everything else that they prepare, is that they never wash any of the vessels used in its preparation, and, as the milk pails are made of leather, the result may be easily guessed. The following is a description of brick tea, as drunk by the Kirghis:

The chief is held in great respect by all his people, but he is generally a well-built and courageous man, great in battle, a terror to his enemy, and perhaps, after all, somewhat feared even by those who acknowledge his sway. His wives and children, royal though they are, are not exempted from their common share of toil. The sultana milks the cows, sheep, and goats, night and morning, and the young princes and princesses are expected to assist. "The maiden feels no degradation in milking her kine, nor in saddling her horse, and when mounted, with hawk on wrist, manages her steed like an Amazon." Idleness they do not tolerate. In all ranks, however exalted, labour is practised and never considered degrading. Yet these nomadic chiefs take no little pride in their genealogy, and trace back their descent from Genghiz Khan or Timour, with the same self-satisfied superiority as that with which the English nobleman boasts of his Norman ancestors. Some of them even go further, and claim descent from the genii, as the ancients did from the gods. They have no Herald's College to assist them in their genealogical researches, but they are not left altogether to their own learn. wide, and one and a half inches thick, and is made from the last ing in the matter. They boast their poets, and to the pro-and stalks being dried, they are made wet, mixed with bullock's gatherings and the refuse of the tea crop. Instead of the leaves fession of a bard is added that of genealogist,- -so that the blood, and pressed into a mould, when the mass becomes more same person sings their war songs and traces his sultan's solid than a brick. When it is used, a man takes an axe and pedigree. Mr. Atkinson has given a glowing description of chops off some small pieces. These are bruised between two the effect produced by the singing of one of these unlettered stones, rubbed in the hands, and then thrown into the cauldron. shepherd-poets, than whom "Homer was never listened to A bowl of smitanka,' sour clotted cream, is added, with a little salt and a handful of millet meal; these ingredients are boiled with more attention." for half-an-hour, and then served up hot. Before handing it to the guests, small portions are taken out of the cauldron with a spoon, and thrown to the four winds, as an offering to the gods."

"When he sang of the mountain-scenes around, the pastoral habits of the people, their flocks and herds, the faces of his hearers were calm, and they sat unmoved. But when he began to recite the warlike deeds of their race, their eyes flashed with delight; as he proceeded, they were worked up into a passion, and some grasped their battle-axes, and sprang to their feet in a state of frenzy. Then followed a mournful strain, telling of the death of a chief, when all excitement ceased, and every one listened with deep attention."

:

“Brick tea is a solid mass, about eleven inches long, six inches

For bread they use dried fruit,-other vegetables they have none. Mutton is produced at every dinner, but beef is never touched, unless absolute hunger drives to it. The most delicate of all dishes that can be placed before either Kirghis Tartar or Kalmuck is horseflesh, which they serve up boiled,

prevalent amongst the more wealthy, the drug being procured from Tartar merchants. In their persons they are described as very dirty, altogether eschewing the use of water. Their wearing apparel in summer consists of two or three silk or cotton kalats, or dressing gowns. "These are made double, so that when one side is dirty the garment is turned, and a new side appears." In the course of time this too becomes dirty, when it is turned again, and this process goes on till the whole dress falls to pieces from rags and filth. The children, up to eight years of age, in summer wear no clothing. They "take a roll on the bank of a muddy pool, the scorching sun quickly bakes the coating they thus obtain, and their dress is complete." In winter, fur coats are worn by both sexes and all ages, making it difficult to distinguish the men from the women. Their étiquette with regard to females is directly the reverse of that of civilized life. In handing round any article of food or drink, no female is served till every male, young and old, has had his share; and when a stranger inquires after the health of the family, he commences with the head of the household, then takes the sons, proceeds downwards through the camels, horses, oxen, sheep, goats, and dogs, and ends with the ladies.

The Kirghis appear to indulge in various kinds of amuse-broiled, or smoked. Opium smoking has recently become ments,-chiefly, of course, in amusements of an athletic character. They are expert wrestlers, and their horse-racing may fairly vie,-if not in the fashion of the spectators, at least in the quality of the steeds, their rapidity of motion, and endurance,with Epsom or Newmarket. The wrestling is carried on in the presence of the Sultan, by a couple of men, whose only clothing consists in a small calico bandage tied round their loins. They grapple each other's large and greasy limbs, display the skill and dexterity of proficients in the art, and test the strength of one another to the utmost. At last, one is thrown, the couple retire from the field, and two more enter the arena. When these contests take place between different tribes, they are conducted with the savage determination that they shall prove fatal on one side or the other. Indeed, they do not hesitate to attempt this with opponents of their own tribe; but usually the Sultan puts a stop to the sport before it reaches this deadly climax. The man "who can count the greatest number of opponents sacrificed to his prowess, receives the highest honour during his life; after his death, tradition makes him a hero." With the Kirghis, the horse-races are won more by the physical endurance than by the swiftness of the steeds, as the distance run is from thirty to forty English miles. The number of horses taking part on the occasion when Mr. Atkinson happened to be a spectator was forty, each of which was mounted by a young Kirghis, whose jockeying was highly creditable. The excitement occasioned was intense, the cheering on the part of the spectators, the shouts of the riders, the gay and brilliant costumes, and the extent of the course, all tended to produce a most powerful effect. The race was sharply run, the contest severe, and three horses ran past the winning spear at the same instant, several more being very close upon them.

The domestic life of these people is such as must necessarily belong to nomadic tribes. They reside in their yourts, which they erect or take down with great rapidity. At night they roll themselves up in a carpet, or cover themselves

In matters of marriage, as amongst some of the more civilized nations, the young lady to be given away has no voice in the selection of her partner for life. She is bought and sold like the other property of her father; a certain price is placed upon her, and she passes into the possession of any one who can pay it. Sometimes in the case of the daughters of a sultan, such an exorbitant sum is demanded that there is some difficulty in finding a purchaser. The first point that has to be settled in a betrothal is the kalym or marriage portion, "which consists of a number of camels, horses, oxen, and sheep." These are handed over to the father of the lady, who holds them in trust for his daughter in case she should be returned upon his hands, which sometimes happens.

Several superstitious legends are related as being firmly believed in by the Kirghis, but these are probably no more absurd than many of those held by much more civilized peoples, and have doubtless had a similar origin. Demons are represented as guarding valuable treasures deposited by the genii, in a vast cavern in one of the mountain gorges, from which issue clouds of steam, flashes of lightning, and great noises. Gold has always been believed to be so guarded in all lands, therefore in this there is nothing remarkable, and as to the supernatural noises and lights, let the modern spirit-rapping of England be accepted as their parallel. A huge cavern, terrible in its aspect, but awfully grand when viewed as a specimen of natural scenery, into which a river was constantly carrying its rolling waters, and hurling them down a dark abyss, is believed to constitute the portal leading into the regions of Tartarus, the abode of Shaitan. Mr. Atkinson entered this dismal place, much to the consternation of these untutored Asiatics, and admits the scene, though nothing but the natural was there, to have been awful enough to shake the strongest nerves. What wonder that imagination should have conjured up dark spirits to preside over its terrible abyss.

Throughout this work the religious devotions of the Kirghis are often referred to, yet not a word is mentioned of the nature of the religion they profess. Mr. Atkinson praises Russia for having sent no priests with her Cossacks for the purpose of extending Christianity among the Asiatics, and declares his own conviction that it is impossible to make converts amongst these people, but he breathes nowhere a syllable as to whether they have any form of public worship of their own, nor of the views they entertain regarding God and another life. This is very much to be regretted; because there can be no doubt whatever that a knowledge of the religious sentiments of any race furnishes one of the best keys to its general character. It is to be hoped that, when another edition of this book is called for, so palpable a deficiency will be supplied, by the author giving the world the benefit of that information upon this important topic which he undoubtedly possesses.

The natural appearance of the country, and its productions, organic and inorganic, are described in a masterly manner; though, even with respect to these, the scientific reader will feel that in many cases more minute details would have been desirable. Curious rocks are sometimes spoken of, a description of which would have been highly interesting to the geologist; but nothing is said of their structure, nor of the nature of the materials which enter into their composition, and no clue can, therefore, be gained as to the peculiar formation to which they belong, nor to the period of their origin, and the natural phenomena to which they owe their rise. The scenery of the country, according to Mr. Atkinson, is magnificent in the extreme. Gigantic mountain masses, whose elevated peaks point up toward heaven's azure vault, have been severed into two, as though by the sudden force of some supernatural arm, creating a wide gorge between the dissevered parts, down which waters are hurled with fearful rapidity, the noise of their fall resounding like the thunder's echo. Huge pinnacles of rocks, standing out in bold relief to the smooth and placid scenery around, and seeming to have been carved by giant hands a thousand centuries ago; deep ravines and mighty torrents, and dangerous precipices, and awful chasms, and rugged masses of stone, on which the lightning's flash plays with flickering but terrific glare; storms and tempests, and desolating hail, sweeping away all vegetation before its destructive power; gentle rivulets swelling into floods, and falling avalanches, and black abysses, and noisy cataracts, and snow-clad hills, and mighty winds hurling down whole forests in their onward dashing course; these form but a small portion of the grand spectacles that repeat themselves a score of times before the traveller's wondering gaze in these mysterious lands.

Amongst the whole, however, nothing can be more novel and startling than one of those vast deserts that ever and anon rise up in the pathway of the wanderer across these regions, seemingly to lure him on to death by removing every physical obstacle to his onward march. Here is a description of one of them :

"The vast Asiatic plain lay stretched out around me, extending more than two thousand miles in length, from the Caspian on the west, to the Barluch mountains on the east. Its breadth is about one thousand two hundred miles, and over this enormous space the nomade tribes wander with their flocks and herds. It was a scene never to be forgotten, causing me to stop my horse and look around in wonder at the desolate landscape to the southward. Herbage there was none; all appeared scorched up by the sun. At some ten miles' distance there was a broad tract of country covered with a substance of dazzling whiteness; beyond was a lake, some twenty-five or thirty miles in length, and about fifteen miles in breadth, the shores quite flat, with a belt of reeds, about two miles in width, extending round it. To the east, and at a great distance, the purple peaks of the Tarbagatai were visible; but on the whole space within the range of my vision not a single abode of man could be seen.'

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Large sand pillars gathered by the whirlwind and elevated a hundred feet into mid air, twisting themselves into various contortions, appearing to the spectator like mighty serpents just rising from the earth into life and motion; the mirage on the steppes, deluding the traveller into the belief that cities and forests, and regiments of horsemen, and beautiful lakes, were before him, luring him on only to perplex him by soon dissolving into the thin mist; terrific sand storms, sweeping over the desert and burying all that come within their wide range,-horsemen, caravans, and even whole herds of animals; earthquakes, shaking the hills to their foundations, and rolling like subterranean thunder, till man and beast stand still to gaze with awe at the trembling mountains and falling rocks; winds, which carry before them whole forests of large cedars and pines, hurling down the yourts, tearing their voilock coverings to shreds, sweeping children away to perish in the snow, and rendering the strongest man powerless to keep his feet before their blast ;-these are a few of the grand scenes in nature's panorama which Mr. Atkinson has witnessed on the Asiatic steppes, and described in the work before us.

The latter part of the book is devoted to a description, much more minute in its details than the earlier portion, of the countries lying immediately in the neighbourhood of the Amoor, and which have so recently fallen into the possession of Russia. Mr. Atkinson everywhere speaks most highly of the policy adopted by the government of St. Petersburg, and obviously thinks it much to the advantage, both of the countries immediately concerned, and of the world at large, that the Russian empire should be extended in this direction. The Chinese find no favour in his eyes; they are despotic, cruel, and barbarous, and it would most certainly not be regretted by Mr. Atkinson if the celestial empire were added to-morrow to the domains of Alexander II. The Cossacks are everywhere the pioneers of Russia. advance into lands lying beyond her boundary; they barter flour, powder, and lead, with the natives for furs; they settle down in the districts, and create a kind of civilization, the end of which is that Russia obtains possession of the country. 'Tis true this latter event is not generally brought about by bloodshed and force. It is the old tale of Russian diplomacy.

They

Ever since 1643, when the first party of Cossack hunters pushed their way up the Amoor, Russia has had her eye upon these tracts of land. Seven years later, Khabaroff passed up at the head of a body of Cossacks, and selected Albazin for a fortress. Here he settled and built the fort, thus rendering himself secure against the attacks of the Chinese. The result was that a town sprang up rapidly. However, the Cossack inhabitants, and other daring and desperate characters that frequently joined them, were not content to live peaceably in their own town, but must needs cross the Amoor and plunder the Chinese. The result was as might have been expected; the Celestials, in 1657, summoned their army, sent them to attack the fortress, and, after a siege of two years, the Cossacks had to surrender through want of provisions, and Albazin was destroyed. In 1665, Cossack hunters were again in Albazin, restoring their old habitations; and five years later, Nekifir Tchernigovsky followed them with an organized body of men, and restored the fortress. Again the Chinese attacked them, and, after a long series of struggles, in which the greatest bravery and courage were displayed by an Englishman named Beaton, who was at the head of the Cossacks, and who more than once managed to

hold the fortress against forces ten times more numerous than his own, the Cossacks were again obliged to retire. In 1689, a treaty was concluded between Russia and China, by which it was stipulated that neither power should occupy Albazin, but that Russia should surrender all her settlements in Manjouza. At this time China dictated terms to Russia, and the celestial emperor almost looked upon his imperial brother as a kind of vassal. It has ever been a characteristic of Russia that she may be defeated, and even sign treaties acknowledging her defeat, but that she always retains her determination to conquer, and in the end does conquer. So it was in this case. In a hundred and thirty years from the time she was so humbled by China she obtains possession of the whole country to the north of the Amoor, quite away to the see, thus opening up a way for her trade, by means of this magnificent river, into her vast possessions in Central Asia. As Mr. Atkinson remarks, "Were it now either necessary or politic, Mouravieff, with his Cossacks, could pitch his celestial-born majesty, mandarins, pigtails, and all, into the Gulf of Petchelee." Nearly half Manjoura has already been added to the Russian empire, and no one who understands the policy of that nation will expect her to stop at her present conquests. There is a valuable track of land on the southern side of the river, more especially that lying between the Upper Amoor and the Soungaria, which, by the decision of a mere geographical question, may fall into her possession, without any change in the treaty. The geographical problem is whether the Soungaria, or the Argoun, and the Keroulin, be the true source of the Amoor. Much may be said on both sides of the question, but it is one the discussion of which would be out of place in this paper. The value of these recently acquired possessions to Russia is thus pointed out by Mr. Atkinson:

"Russia has obtained a territory more valuable than all the supposed cotton districts of Africa, watered by hundreds of streams flowing into the great artery that passes through its entire length. The climate is good and well suited for Europeans; its animals belong to both the cold and warm regions, while its luxuriant herbage and magnificent flora prove that the temperature is neither severe in winter nor excessively hot in summer. It is possible that some of these great plains may be suited for the culture of the cotton plant; if so, a supply of this valuable product will, ere long, be found at the Russian ports in the sea of Japan, and in the

Gulf of Tartary."

According to Mr. Atkinson, the country is admirably adapted for colonists, who can clear large tracts of land with but little trouble, and cultivate the soil greatly to their own advantage. It is said to be rich in minerals, and the mountain chain to the south of the Oussoure is believed, by some, to be a second California. Indeed, gold mines are already being worked in one of the southern affluents of the Soungaria. A large island in the Amoor furnishes excellent wild grapes. Rich pastures abound, where tens of thousands of cattle can feed; and the land is admirably adapted for agricultural tillage. Magnificent timber, suited for every purpose,-oak, elm, birch, and pine, is distributed by nature over this region with no sparing hand. The waters teem with fish of various kinds, and animals roam over the land, many of which are adapted for food, while others afford fure, for which there is always a ready sale. Its flora is magnificently beautiful, and the whole of its scenery grand in the extreme. The agriculturist, the miner, the sportsman, the grazier, and the man of commerce, may each find in it a land suited to his favourite pursuit.

The wild races who now occupy the country, and who subsist by hunting and fishing, must, as Mr. Atkinson very correctly points out, speedily disappear before, advancing civilization, and there is consequently a field opened here for the enterprising among all nations. Whether they may feel it as an objection to emigration to the regions of the Amoor that it would oblige them to reside under a Russian government, is a matter for their own consideration; it is clear that Mr. Atkinson does not see any objection here.

Mr. Atkinson's volume is undoutedly a great and valuable addition to the literature of travel, and if it be extensively read, as there is little doubt it will be, it will render our countrymen much more fully acquainted than they have been hitherto with the countries and peoples with which it deals.

NEW LIGHTS.

THE ELECTRIC LIGHT-PROFESSOR WRAY'S LIGHT—THE LIME LIGHT

-THE MAGNESIAN LIGHT-AND THE FITZMAURICE LIGHT.

A GOOD deal of attention has been given of late years to various suggested methods of superseding coal-gas as a means of producing artificial light. Some five or six of the most noteworthy of these we propose to consider in the present paper. For nearly sixty years scientific men have been aware that by passing a current of galvanic, or, as it is more popularly termed, voltaic electricity between carbonaceous points, a light of sur passing brilliancy would be obtained. During these sixty years this brilliant light has been exhibited upon the lecture table to the admiring eyes of myriads of spectators, and thousands of inventive minds have been silently working, some in the pure ardour of scientific investigation, others in the feverish pursuit of the wealth which success would probably command, in the eager search for the means by which the beautiful sparks which emit this light might be chained down and compelled to minister to human requirements.

In order to the better understanding of what has hitherto been accomplished to render this magnificent light commonly available, it will be well to illustrate the mode in which voltaic electricity exerts its action. If a plate of zinc and a plate of copper be immersed, without touching each other, in a vessel containing an acid solution, no peculiar effect will be observed; but if a strip of metal or a piece of wire be laid across their upper ends, or soldered to them, so as to effect a metallic connexion between the two, an electrical action immediately commences, a current of electricity passing from the zinc plate through the acid solution (which acts as a conductor to it) to the plate of copper, and thence through the slip of metal or wire again to the zinc plate, thus forming a circuit," through which the current will continually pass, until, by the chemical action of the acid upon the zinc, which is simultaneously occurring, either the acid is exhausted or the zinc is destroyed. This action, however, goes on almost imperceptibly, giving no evidence of its existence beyond the gradual decomposition of the acid and the zinc. When more than one pair of plates is used, the electric current is proportionally increased in intensity. A combination of several pairs is what is termed a voltaic "battery."

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There are many ways in which the current of electricity thus generated may be rendered visually and operatively apparent. For example, if the wire by which the zinc and copper plates are united be covered with silk, and coiled round a piece of soft iron, and will support a weight; or, if the wire be formed into a spiral instantly drawn up, and suspended in the centre of the coil, at the same time becoming, as before, temporarily magnetic. Again, if we cut the wire which unites the plates and completes the circuit, and, attaching a piece of charcoal to each of the cut ends, again bring them in contact by means of the charcoal, we shall thus again complete the circuit, but the points of the pieces of charcoal will speedily become white hot, and a vivid spark of brilliant light will appear. points gradually from each other to a distance proportionate to the power of the battery, and, notwithstanding this separation, the electricity will continue to flow on in a brilliant arc of the purest light until the battery power is expended, or the increased distance between the points, from their wearing away or disin. It is tegrating, becomes too great for the electricity to overcome. points, which constitutes what is denominated the "electric light." this arc of light, continuously flowing between the two charcoal

the latter becomes a magnet so long as the current is passing,

coil, and the bar of iron be introduced into it, the bar of iron will be

The spark once produced, we may withdraw the

When, from the distance between the two points becoming greater than the electricity can traverse, the light is extinguished, it will not be sufficient to simply bring the points a little nearer to each other; they must again be brought into actual contact. Now, if the carbonaceous points suffered no change, and the quantity of electricity generated by the battery continued to be precisely uniform from the commencement to the termination of the period during which it was in action, there would have been no difficulty whatever in the practical application of the light, and the only point for consideration would have been its relative cost as com. pared with the cost of other means of artificial illumination. This, however, is not the case. The charcoal points are disinte grated, and waste away; and the battery gradually but constantly deteriorates in power. These are the chief difficulties which have impeded the practical application of the electric light. The mode in which the first has been overcome is ingenious in the highest degree.

It has been already explained that if the conducting wire of a voltaic battery be formed into a spiral coil, a piece of iron introduced into the coil would be drawn up and suspended in it so long as the current was passing through the wire. The stronger the drawn upwards, and vice versa; while, when the current ceased, current, of course the more powerfully would the piece of iron be the iron would of course fall by virtue of its own gravity. The mode in which these facts have been taken advantage of, for the

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