The polar and tropical worlds : a description of man and nature in the polar and equatorial regions of the globe . no less for the numerous bones of horses, buffaloes, oxen, and sheep scat-tered over their desolate shores, than for the vast quantities of fossil-wood im-bedded in their soil. The hills, which rise to a considerable altitude, consistof horizontal beds of sandstone, alternating with bituminous beams or trunksof trees. On ascending them, fossilized charcoal is everywhere met with, in-crusted with an ash-colored matter, which is so hard that it can scarcelv bescraped off with a knif
The polar and tropical worlds : a description of man and nature in the polar and equatorial regions of the globe . no less for the numerous bones of horses, buffaloes, oxen, and sheep scat-tered over their desolate shores, than for the vast quantities of fossil-wood im-bedded in their soil. The hills, which rise to a considerable altitude, consistof horizontal beds of sandstone, alternating with bituminous beams or trunksof trees. On ascending them, fossilized charcoal is everywhere met with, in-crusted with an ash-colored matter, which is so hard that it can scarcelv bescraped off with a knife. On the summit there is a long row of beams resem-bUng the former, but fixed perpendicularly in the sandstone. The ends, whichproject from seven to ten inches, arc for the most part broken, and the wholehas the appearance of a ruinous dike. Thus a robust forest vegetation onceflourished where now only hardy lichens can be seen; and many herbivorousanimals feasted on grasses where now the reindeer finds but a scanty supply ofmoss, and the polar bear is the sole lord of the dreaiy waste. 204 THE POLAR TAKTAii CHAPTER XVII. SIBERIA—FrR-TRADE AND GOLD-DIGGINGS. Siberia.—Its immense Extent and Capal)ilities.—The Exiles.—^Slentsdiikoff.—Dolf;oroiiky.—Miinicli.—The Criininals.—The free Sil)erian Peasant.—Extremes of Heat and Cold.—Fnr-bearint; Animals.—Tiie Sable.—The Ermine.—Tiie Siberian Weasel.—The Sea-otter.—The black Fox.—The Lynx.—The S(iiiirnl.—The varyint; Hare.—The Suslik.—Importance of the Fur-trade for the Northern * Provinces of the Russian Empire.—The Gokl-di^i^inirs of Eastern Siberia.—The Taij^a.—Expensesand Difficulties of searchinijj Expditions.—Costs of Produce, and enormous Profits of successfulSpeculators.—Their senseless Extravagance.—First Discovery of Gold in tiie Ural Mountains.—Jakuwlew and Deniidow.—Nishne-Tagilsk. OTBERIA is at least tliirty times more than Great Brita
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, books, booksubjectnaturalhistory
