BARABA, a steppe or extensive plain on the western verge of Siberia, situated between the rivers Irtish and Oby. This steppe exceeds GOO versts in length from north to south, and 400 in breadth from east to west. The whole of this extensive region is a continued flat, diversified only by forests of birch wood, and by lakes, both of salt water, and of fresh.
• The soil and the climate are extremely favourable to • agriculture. Some of the lands indeed are very low and marshy, but in general they are either covered with fine herbage, or with luxuriant crops of giSin. The southern part of this plain, towards the Irtish and the mountains of Altay, is by far the driest, but it is likewise the most barren, and the least adorned with wood. Deep forests spread over the north, and overshadow the lower banks of the Oby. From the general appearance of the steppe of Baraba, natural ists have concluded that it most once have been com pletely covered with water, and afterwards have con tained a much greater number of morasses and lakes than at present. The present inhabitants, indeed, af firm, that even within the memory of some of their old men, the acquisitions made by the firm land, in consequence of the diminution of the lakes, and the drying up of pools, reedplots, and marshes, has been very • observable. No country in Siberia abounds more in water game of every description than the plain of Baraba. Its lakes swarm with pike, perch, and other species of fish ;. and their surface is cover ed with fowls, whose beautiful plumage yields a very lucrative branch of commerce.
' The people who occupy this steppe are called by the Russians BAIIABINZES, or BARABINZIANS ; and, from the diversity of their features, appear to be de scended from several different tribes. They had been successively conquered by the Kirghises and Soon gares ; and when Siberia was subdued by the Rus sians, their numbers were very small, and they were so stupified by oppression, that they could relate no par ticulars whatever of their history. The greater part of them appear from their physiognomy to be of Tartar origin; long, half-opened eyes of others of them, evidenty indicate their descent from the Mongoles ; while the Kalmuc countenances of a third, part of them bespeak their affinity with the Soongares, their former conquerors. The vapours constantly exhaled
from their lakes and marshes, render their atmosphere so gross as even to affect the complexions of these people, who arc in general very sallow ; while the same cause imparts to their minds more than Dutch indifference, and more than Bceotian dulness. Agi tated by no strong passions, they are almost free from vice, and never guilty of any flagrant crime. Disgraced neither by intemperance, dishonesty, nor violence, they might be regarded as one of the most amiable nations on earth, did not their torpid apathy remind us, that they are not vitious only because they have no temptation, and were they not degraded by their stupidity almost to the level of brutes. Till the conquest of their country by the Russians, they de rived scarcely any advantage from the fertility of their lands. Scanty herds of cattle and of horses constituted all their wealth ; and fish and wild fowl were their principal food. There are now several colonies of Russians established among them, who rear rich crops of grain, have established some lucra tive branches of trade, and may in time improve not only the appearance and resources of the country, hut also the manners and mental character of the simple, but rude, natives. Every village in the Ba raba is under the direction of a chief, and every dis trict is governed by a sort of prince, called a yaouta. The only advantage connected with this elevation, is the respect and seeming obedience which it com mands. The Barabinzians were conquered by the Russians in the year 1595 ; yet even after that time were often harassed by the incursions of the Kir ghises and Soongares ; the latter of whom compelled them to pay an annual tribute. Since the Sibe rian frontier line was properly defined, they have enjoyed complete tranquillity tinder the protection of the Russians. They number about 5000 bows. Most of them have abjured Paganism, and embraced the religion of Mahoinet. See Voyages de Pallas, oc tavo, tom. vi. p. 436, &e. Tooke's View of the Rus sian Empire, vol. i. p. 180 ; vol. ii. p.