BAIKAL MOUNTAINS. These mountains follow nearly the same direction with the lake, accompanying it on both sides from south to north and north-east ; and flattening on the west into a morassy steppe, or plain, of prodigious extent : to the cast they stretch from the source of the Lena, along both sides of the river, till at length they dwindle away into a spacious ridge of fleetz. This range is generally very high and craggy, consisting partly of granite, partly of flint-breccia, and lime-stone. Coal is frequently found in the lower regions of the Angara and Lena, where the fleetz mountain greatly declines. A branch of this range seems to run westward through the re gion between the Podkammenia, and the Nishnaia Tunguska, away over the Yenissey ; this branch probably consists of mere flmtz mountains. Along the north-eastern part of the Baikal, the upper An gara, and the river Vitim, where lie the famous pits of Muscovy-glass, the mountain is wholly composed of granite. The mineral contents of these mountains are far from being thoroughly known. The princi
pal minerals discovered in them are coals, asphaltum, sulphur sources, native sulphur, alum, common salt sources, lapis lazuli, Muscovy-glass, eornelians, natu ral prussian blue, and specimens of iron, copper, and lead. Some of the Baikal mountains are so high, that they are clad in eternal snows. Some of the cliffs which tower above the surface of the lake, con sist of solid white quartz. The mountains, though partly bare, are in general covered with forests, and present many scenes no less beautiful than, sublime. They contain the sources of many noble rivers, the principal of which are the Selenga, the Angara, the Lena, the Vilui, and the Tungusa. See Tooke's View zif the Russian Empire, vol. i. p. 166, 170, 211, 212 ; and vol. iii. p. 170, 171. Voyage de Pal las, octavo, vol. v. p. 220, 22G ; and vol. vi. p. 108, 123. Gmelin's Voyage, spud Ilisloirc Generale des Voyages, tom, xviit. p. 226, 229, 21. Bell's Tra vels, vol. i. p. 257-65. (Zr)•