the embouchure of the Chirtchik. He also prepared the sketch of a map of the Khanate of Kokán.

The Russians were not less active in the military district of Western Siberia. In 1860 as much as 45,000 square versts on a scale of 1.420,000 were surveyed in the districts of the Seven Rivers and the Trans-Ili, on the north-west portion of the tract of the Alá-Táu and on the south-west of the lake Issik-Kúl. Also in 1861, two officers and four adjuncts of the Topographical Department surveyed, under the direction of Colonel Babkov, 14,500 square versts in the valley of the Chúi and the surrounding country. In 1862 Colonel Babkov turned towards the Chinese frontier, namely, from the northern branches of the Alá-Táu to the lake of Zaisang-Nor, and from the river Toktá to the Chinese frontier-stations beyond the mountain pass of Khabar-Asú, in the Tarbágátái. He laid down a plan of the country from the rivers Básárá, Korbúgi, Tebezge, and Támirsik, at the northern extremity of the Tarbágátái, to the southern shores of the Zaisang Lake and the valley of the Black Irtish, being a distance of 120 versts. Observations were made along the frontier as far as the advanced military post of Kos-Agách; the position of the mountains SáriChakú and Mánkrák was determined, and during the course of the summer about 19,972 square versts were surveyed. A military reconnaissance was undertaken in the year 1863, south of the river Chúi, which moved along the upper course of the Sír-Dariá and amongst the Celestial or Thián-Shán mountains, in the direction of Káshgar, supplying materials to make a map containing 28,140 square versts. In the year 1864, nine officers and thirty-two men of the Topographical Department accomplished, under the direction of Colonel Babkov, the map

ping of an area of 8,766 square versts along the Chinese frontier, on the northern declivities of the Tarbágátái and in the valley of the river Borokhúdsír; also surveys on the upper course of the Chúi, between Fort Kastek and the mouth of the Great Kebin; and, on the south of the Chúi, from the river Tálás, over the mountains of Karábúra, to the river Choktál; and besides an itinerary of routes through the valleys of the rivers Arys and Búgún, and from Chulák-Kurgán to Auliett (or Aulie-átá), was made on a scale of 1.210,000, and lastly plans were drawn of the forts Tokmák, Merke, and Aulie-átá on a scale of 1.21,000.

Besides these works, which were carried on in the ordinary course of duty, the Russian Government took care to have these countries explored by special expeditions; although they were not suggested by purely scientific motives, they produced very beneficial effects on geographical knowledge. To this latter class belong the investigation of the Kirghiz Steppes by a committee under the direction of the Councillor of State Girs; the committee under the guidance of Lieutenant-General Dlotovsky to fix the boundaries between the territories of the UralCossacks and the Kirghiz on the left bank of the Ural; and then the travels of Lieutenant-Colonel Tatarinov, of the Mining Engineers, on the southern slopes of the Kará-Táu, where he, at a distance of 90 versts from Turkestán, Chemkend, and the mouth of the Arys, found coals of the best quality. The working of these pits, and also of the gold mines discovered in these parts, was immediately commenced.2 From the west

1 Petermann's Geogr. Mittheilungen, 1867, p. 118.

2 Tatarinov. Concerning the present preparations for working the coal and gold mines in the province of Turkestán vide Izvyestiya of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society at St. Petersburg, vol. iii., 1867, No. 2.

6

of Siberia a military party, under the command of Captain Holmstrom, was sent to determine the shortest caravan route from Semipalatinsk and Petropavlovsk, leading in a westerly direction from Lake Balkash through the Golodnaya (Russian for Hungry') steppe to the Russian fort on the south bank of the Chúi and on to Táshkend and Turkestán. At the same time Colonel Babkov, under whose direction Captain Holmstrom's expedition stood, made a topographical survey of the very important lake of Balkash. Connected with the above are the statistical reports of M. A. J. Maksheev, the archæological researches of M. H. Favitsky, the ethnographical and linguistic studies of M. Radlov, and lastly the meteorological observations which General von Kaufmann caused to be made at fifteen different stations in the province of Turkestán.

The mountain regions of the Tarbágátái, which in so many respects excite our interest, were carefully examined in 1864 by M. C. Struve and his fellow-traveller, M. Potanin. Struve's expedition was undertaken for astronomical and topographical purposes, in order to complete former investigations and to collect sufficient topographical materials for laying down a map of the whole province of Turkestán. His investigations embraced the whole territory from Merke to the river Sír, the country along the Sír from the parallel of Turkestán, on the west, to the mouth of the Chirtchik, and on the east to the mountains of Súsámír and the sources of the Chirtchik. Besides these topographical labours, astronomical observations were made, which determined a series of points from the fortress of Vyernoe to Táshkend and Chináz, and on the Sír-Dariá to those points which had been fixed by Rear-Admiral Butakov. The result of these investigations by Struve was a

map of Turkestán; it was commenced in September 1865, and appeared in 1868 with the following heading:- Map of the Province of the Governor-Generalship of Turkestán, executed in the Asiatic Section of the "Etat-MajorGénéral" under the superintendence of Captain Narbut,' on a scale of 1.2,000,000.

The other expedition of the naturalist Syevertsov had in view geological and zoological researches. To this expedition were attached an officer, sub-officers, and some men of the Mining Department. As far back as 1864, M. Syevertsov had made travels in the Central Asian regions under the orders of the Russian Minister of War, and also provided with instructions from the Imperial Russian Geographical Society at St. Petersburg. The results of these travels are communicated in a report1 which contains much that is interesting, and especially diffuses great lucidity over the geognostic conditions of those countries. His more recent researches, as well as those of M. Nikolsky, are laid down in the 'Izvyestiya,' i.e. communications, to the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. Syevertsov carried his explorations then into the western parts of the Thián-Shán mountains, the river Naryn, that is, the upper course of the river Sír-Dariá, and even beyond the Thián-Shán mountains to Aksái, the northern source of the Káshgar-Dariá. He corroborated the absence of the volcanic formation in the Thián-Shán. He also believes that he can prove that in these central

Izvyestiya of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society of St. Petersburg, 1865, No. 7, pp. 127, &c.

Dr. Marthe, Russian Scientific Expeditions in 1864 and 1865 in Turkestán (Zeitschrift für allgemeine Erdkunde, Berlin, 1867, vol. ii. pp. 79-81).

Syevertsov, in vol. ii. 1866, ch. 7; Nikolsky's Geological Researches in vol. iii. ch. 2. Vide also Izvyestiya.

regions the exodus of the great animal kingdom took place from the inland seas and lakes of the Himalaya mountains and of Eastern Siberia, and that his investigations, in a geographical point of view, into the propagation of fish, strengthen the supposition of the inland seas of Central Asia having been originally united with the Arctic Ocean, and suggest the probability that the Caspian was earlier separated from the Black Sea than the latter was from the Mediterranean Sea.1

From these slight sketches it is very perceptible how Russia, with the aid of science, is step by step levelling the way and preparing for her onward course into the interior of Asia. But, even after the achievement of military success, science is not returned into store like arms no longer in use; on the contrary, we behold a bright example when science goes hand in hand with war, the former endeavouring by the increase and spread of human knowledge to atone for the misdeeds that the latter may have possibly committed against the humanising influence of civilisation.

1 Mannoir, Rapport sur les Travaux de la Société de Géographie de Paris, 1868, p. 190.