an extensive range of mountains, which forms the northern barrier of the great plateau or central table-land of Asia, the southern barrier being formed by the Himalaya Mountains. This immense mountainous chain traverses, in a semicircular direction, the whole breadth of the Asiatic continent, from 65° E. longitude to East Cape in 170° of E. longitude. It extends, under different names, about 5000 miles. The Ural Mountains may be said to be its commencement on the west, being the western boundary of Siberia. From thence the chain passes above the head of the Irtysch, when it takes a rugged and precipitous course, clothed with snow, and rich in minerals, between the Irtysch and Obi: it then proceeds by the lake Teletzkoi, the rise of the Obi; after which it retires, in order to comprehend the great rivers which form the Yenesei, and are locked up in these high mountains: finally, under the name of the Saimmes, it is uninterruptedly continued to the lake of Baikal. A branch insinuates itself between the sources of the rivers Onou and Ingoda, and those of Ichikoi, accompanied with very high mountains, running without interruption to the north-east, and dividing the river Amur, which discharges itself into the east, in the Chinese dominions, from the river Lena and Lake Baikal. Another branch stretches along the Olecma, crosses the Lena below Yakoutsk, and is continued between the two rivers Tongouska to the Yenesei, where it is lost in wooded and marshy plains. The principal chain, rugged with sharp-pointed rocks, approaches and keeps near the shores of the sea of Okhotsk, and, passing by the sources of the rivers Outh, Aldan, and Maia, is distributed in small branches, which range between the eastern rivers which fall into the Icy Sea; besides two principal branches, one of which, turning south, runs through all Kamtschatka, and is broken, from Cape Lopatka, into the numerous Kurile Isles, and to the east forms another marine chain, namely, the Aleutian Islands, Altamont which range from Kamtschatka to America; most of which, as well as Kamtschatka itself, are distinguished by volcanoes, or the traces of volcanic fires. The last chain forms chiefly the great Cape Tschutski, with its promontories and rocky broken shores.

The summits of the highest of the Altai Mountains are covered with perpetual snow. The loftiest range of this extensive chain is composed of granite. Another range of inferior height consists of schistos, which lies on the sides of the granite mountains. Besides these rocks, there are strata of chalkstone, limestone, and marble. The Altai Mountains abound in metallic ores. Gold, silver, and lead mines, have been discovered in them, with great abundance of copper and iron. The two latter have been wrought to a considerable extent, and have been found productive. The Altai Mountains form the southern boundary of Siberia, as far as longitude 130° E., when they bend towards the north, and penetrate deeper into the country.