SIBERIA, a great region in the north of Asia. Its conquest by Russia, which the Cossack Irmak began in the 16th century, was completed before the year 1650 by the annexation of the country lying to the north of the Amur, and by the subjection of the more important Tungu sian tribes, and Russia became directly interested in the condition of the northern dependencies of China, 0.nd of the great high-road through Kiachta and Kalgan to the capital. The popu lation of Siberia, including the nomadic tribes and the colonists (if they can be called so under the compulsory regime), is 3,911,200, divided among the provinces as follows :—Tobolsk, 463,000 ; Tomsk, 324,000 ; Irkutsk, 165,000 ; Yenisei, 164,000 ; Transbaikal territcfg, 141,000; Amur, 3000 ; Maritime Provinces, . 13,000 ; Yakutsk, 112,000. The Siberian territory has an area of 10,709,000 square versts.
Tungus is a general name applied to a popu lation common to a vast area in Siberia and China. Their physiognomy connects them -with the tribes of Northern Asia in general, and their language forms a transition between the mono syllabic and agglutinate forms of speech. The Tungus, under the name Manchu, constitute the dominant population of China itself. The tribes under Chinese rule, in Manchuria, on the water shed of the Amur or Sagaliu, aro termed Manchu. The Manchu proper have a literature with an alphabet modified from the Mongol. They are agricultural and industrial. The Daurian is a Tungus race dwelling on the Upper Amur, all well made, especially the women.
SlBSAGOR, in Assam, situated 11 miles from the south bank of the Bmhmapntra, in lat. 26°59' 10" N., and long. 94° 38' 10" E. ; pop. (1872), 5278.
it is the civil station of a district of the same name in the extreme S.E. of the valley, between lat. 25° 19' imd 27° 16' N., and long. 93° 21' and 95° 25' E. The great bulk of the population are pure Assamese, more or less converted to Hin duism. The once dominant Ahom, numbering 94,304 souls, still supply one - third of the total inhabitants. They are now cultivators, but re tain many of their ancient habits and institutions. .Some of them cat beef and pork, and also bury instead of burning their dead. The Chutia (31,342), of the same original stock as the Ahom, and their predecessors in the government of the upper valley of the Brahmaputra. The Koch (2:3,965) aro members of a tribe whose present chief locality is in the Bengal State of Koch Millar, but who ruled at ono time over the greater part of Assam, before the arrival of the Ahem. The Dom (16,277) lay claim in .Assam to high caste purity, but reject the ministrations of Brahmans. Aborigines proper include the Cachari (15,320) who aro largely employed on tea-gardens ; 686'2 Miri from North Lakhirnpur ; and a number of minor tribes, of whom many, such as the Kol, Uraon, and Santa], aro imported labourers from Chutia Nagpur. The Hindus aro subdivided into tho four following sects :—Tantrik, Bhagvatiya, Mabapurushiya, and Thakuria. According to the 1872 census report, the Vaishnava number 94 • the Mataks, who aro converts to Vislinuvism 'from among the ab origines of Lakhimpur, 84 ; the Gosain, or re ligious teachers of the various sects, 407 ; the Nanaksbahis, or followers of the founder of the Sikh religion 140.