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that can combat it with success. The Land Crocodile is found in Egypt. It is not a dangerous animal and is only five feet long.

9. BIRDS. The Ostrich is a native of the torrid regions of Africa. It is generally considered as the largest of birds, but its great size and the shortness

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of its wings deprives it of the power of flying. The weight of this bird may be estimated at seventyfive or eighty pounds. It inhabits the most solitary and arid deserts, where there are few vegetables, and where the rain never comes to refresh the earth. It is said that the ostrich never drinks; but it is of all animals the most voracious, devouring leather, glass, iron, stones, or anything that it can get. The savage nations of Africa hunt them not only for their plumage, but for their flesh, which they consider a great dainty.

The Bearded Griffin or Lammer Geyer is found in the mountains of Egypt and Abyssinia, occupying the loftiest and most inaccessible cliffs, and fre quently committing dreadful ravages in the neighboring plains. It seizes by preference on living victims, chiefly quadrupeds; such as rabbits, hares, sheep and lambs.

The Golden Vulture is abundant in Egypt and other parts of Africa, where it is of singular service in devouring all sorts of filth and carrion. The Griffon Vulture is found in all parts of Africa and feeds like others of its tribe on dead carcasses. The Egyptian Vulture is very useful in destroying

rats and mice.

The Secretary Vulture is styled by the Hottentots the serpent-eater, from the avidity with which it catches and devours these noxious reptiles.

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It may be easily tamed. The Sociable Vulture is of gigantic size, and is very numerous in the interior of Africa. In dimensions it is full equal

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to the Condor. Like all other Vultures, this is a bird of the mountains, the sheltered retreats formed by their caves and fissures constituting its proper habitation. In them it passes the night, and reposes, after it has sated its appetite, during the day. At sun-rise large bands are seen perched on the rocks at the entrance of their abodes, and sometimes a continued chain of mountains exhibits them dispersed throughout the greater part of its extent. Their tails are always worn down by friction against the stones between which they thrust themselves, or on which they perch.

The Egyptian Ibis is found in Lower Egypt, in places just freed from the inundations of the Nile, where it is of great service in destroying insects,

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reptiles, &c. It is frequently found in the sepulchres with the mummies, and was formerly held sacred by the Egyptians. There are many other birds in Africa which are worthy of notice, but our space will not permit a description of them here.

10. POPULATION. The population of Africa is extremely uncertain. Malte Brun estimates it at 70 millions; Graberg at 99 millions; Ukert at 102 millions, and Golbery at 160 millions.

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1. BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT. The Russian dominions in Asia are bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean; on the east by the seas of Kamschatka and Okotsk, or the Eastern Ocean; on the south by Chinese and Indepen dent Tartary, Persia, and Turkey; and on the west by European Russia. They extend from 50 to 760 N. lat., and from 50 to 190 E. lon., and contain 6,257,835 square miles.

2. DIVISIONS. The governments of the Russian empire in general have already been enumerated: those of which some parts or the whole are in Asia, are Caucasia, Saratof, Simbirsk, Orenburg, Ufa, Kasan, Perm, Tobolsk, Kelhyvan, Irkutsk; to which the peninsula of Kamschatka must be added. In the first of these, Circassia and Georgia are comprehended.

The three great governments of Tobolsk, Kolhyvan, and Irkutsk, are called by the general name of Siberia, from an ancient town named Sibir, which is said to have stood on the banks of the Irtish, near the present city of Tobolsk, and to have been the residence of the former sovereigns of this part of Asia. The Government of Tobolsk is divided into the two provinces of Tobolsk and Tomsk; and that of Irkutsk into the four provinces of Irkutsk, Nershinsk, Yakutsk and Okotsk.

3. MOUNTAINS. The mountains of Asiatic Russia are the Uralian chain, those of Caucasus, Altai, and Nershinsk. See General View of Asia.

4. RIVERS. The chief rivers of this country are the Ob or Oby, the largest in the Russian empire, the length of its course being 1800 miles; and the Yenisei, which has a course of about 1650. The former falls into the Frozen Ocean, in which also the Yenisei terminates. The other principal rivers are the Irtish, which flows into the Ob; the Lena; the Angara, which falls into the Yenisei; the Argoun, the boundary between the Russian and Chinese territories; the Selinga, and the Yaik or Ural.

In the southern part of Siberia, near the confines of Chinese Tartary, is the lake or sea of Baikal, 300 miles long and about 35 broad. There are some lakes of less note.

5. METALS, MINERALS. Siberia contains mines of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, jasper, and lapis-lazuli; but those of gold and silver are not very productive. Asiatic Russia also affords sulphur, alum, sal ammoniac, vitriol, nitre, and natron, in abundance.

6. CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCE. The government of Caucasia, and in general the southern parts of this extensive region, are exceedingly fertile, more from nature than industry. The parts that are cultivated produce excellent fruit of almost all the kinds known in Europe, especially grapes, which are reckoned the largest and finest in the world. The summers are very dry, and, from the end of July to the beginning of October, the air is corrupted, and the soil sometimes ruined, by immense quantities of locusts. The climate of Siberia is extremely cold; but the air is so pure and wholesome, that its inhabitants, in all probability, would live to a very great age, if they were not so much addicted to an immoderate use of intoxicating liquors. Siberia produces rye, oats, and barley, almost to the 60th degree of northern latitude. Cabbages, radishes, turnips, and cucumbers, thrive here tolerably well; and currants and strawberries are said to grow here in as great perfection as in the English gardens yet the great fruit trees generally fail. Herbs, as well medicinal as common, with various edible roots, are found very generally here but there are no bees in all Siberia.

7. NATURAL CURIOSITIES. Among these may be enumerated the extensive desert levels called steppes, which extend several hundred miles with scarcely a hill. They contain in many places salt lakes, and, in others, productive tracts capable of cultivation. The peninsula of Kamschatka abounds in volcanoes; but their eruptions are very rare. The same country is likewise said to contain numerous springs of hot water.

8. CHIEF TOWNS. Astracan, situated on an island formed by the Volga, near its entrance into the Caspian Sea, is a large and populous city containing about 65,000 inhabitants. It is about a league in circumference, and is surrounded by a wall. It is well supplied with churches, and is the seat of a Russian and an Armenian archbishop.

Kasan is occupied by about 40,000 persons. It is situated partly on a declivity, and partly on a swampy plain. Many parts of the town are well built, and it exhibits some handsome churches, one of which gave rise to the admired Kasan church at Petersburg, though its architecture would rather seem to denote a theatre.

Orenburg, the capital of the government of Ufa, was built in 1738, by order of the empress Anne, at the conflux of the Or and Ural: but, that situation being found inconvenient, the inhabitants were removed, and the town was built lower down on the Ural, in 1740. It is now a place of considerable trade.

Tobolsk, the capital of Western Siberia, stands at the confluence of the Irtish and Tobol. It consists of two towns, the upper and lower, both of which are secured by walls, towers, and bastions. The population scarcely exceeds 15,000, and the trade declines in consequence of the rivalry of Irkutsk; but it is an agreeable abode, because the inhabitants are social and friendly, places of amusement common, and provisions abundant.

Irkutsk, the seat of government for Eastern Siberia, has wide streets and respectable public buildings; but most of the houses are constructed of wood. It has a flourishing traffic, as the caravans which trade between Russia and China pass through it. Tomsk, on the Toura, is also a commercial town, containing about 9000 inhabitants. Yakutsk, on the Lena, is an ill-built town, but by no means destitute of trade. Okotsk has about 1500 inhabitants, whose maritime situation renders it convenient for many of them to become ship-builders, and finds employment for others in salt-works.

The towns in the peninsula of Kamschatka are poor and insignificant, except New-Kamschatka and Bolcheretsk, which make a decent appearance. The nearest town to the Chinese frontier is Kiakta, which is neatly and regularly built of wood, and contains 4000 inhabitants. At this spot a mere brook separates the two empires; the Chinese have a small unfortified town near it, and no marks of jealousy appear between the traders on either side. 9. COMMERCE. Considerable trade is carried on by caravans with Persia and China. The exports are furs, woolen cloth, metals, cattle, corn and gunpowder to China, and glass, iron, tea, honey, sugar, coffee, cotton, &c, to Persia.

10. MANUFACTURES. This country has manufactures of woolen, linen and glass at Telminsk and of gunpowder at Kasan. At Ekaterineburg is one of the most magnificent iron foundries in the world, producing bar-iron, castiron, steam engines and immense quantities of cutlery. There are also iron works at Barnaoule and Nertchinsk, and extensive salt works at Sletski. Distilleries are numerous.

11. ISLANDS. The sea which separates the southern point of the peninsula of Kamschatka from Japan, contains a number of islands in a position from northeast to southwest, which are called the Kurile Islands. They are upwards of twenty in number, are all mountainous, and in several of them are volcanoes and hot springs. The principal of these islands are inhabited but the small ones are unpeopled. They differ much from each other, in respect both to their situation and natural constitution. The forests in the northern isles are almost entirely composed of pines, those in the southern produce canes, bamboos, vines, &c. In some of them are bears and foxes. Sea-otters appear on the coasts of all these islands, as well as whales, sea-horses, seals, and other amphibious animals. Some of the inhabitants of these islands have a great likeness to the Japanese, in their manners, language, and personal appearance; others very much resemble the Kamschadales. The northern islands acknowledge the sovereignty of the emperor of Russia; but those of the south pay homage to Japan. The Kurilians display much humanity and probity in their conduct, and are courteous and hospitable. They are chiefly employed in hunting, taking sea-animals and whales, and catching fowl.

Between the eastern coast of Kamschatka, and the western coast of America, are various groups of islands, divided by Mr Muller into four principal groups; the first two of which are called the Aleutian Islands. The first group, which is called by some of the islanders Sasignam, comprehends, 1. Behring's island, which is 90 miles in length and 25 in breadth; 2. Copper island; 3. Otma; 4. Samyra, or Shemyia; 5. Anakta. The second group is called Khao, and comprises Immak and seven other islands. The third general name is Negho, and comprehends the islands known to the Russians under the name of Andreanoffski Ostrova; sixteen of which are mentioned by geographers. The fourth group is called Kavalang, and also includes sixteen islands; which are denominated Lyssic Ostrova, or the Fox Islands.

Some of these islands are only inhabited occasionally, and for several months in the year, and others are very thinly peopled; but some have a great number of inhabitants, who constantly reside in them. Copper Island received its name from the copper which the sea throws upon its coasts. The

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