Note 1 — Chapter XXIII · IRKUTSK.

Compared with some of the enormous provinces of Siberia, that of Irkutsk is comparatively small, with an area of 300,000 square miles only; that is, about the size of Sweden and Norway. The surface is mountainous, and through it flow two rivers of importance, namely, the Angara, issuing from Lake Baikal, and the Lena, which rises not far from the capital. The province is divided into five uyezds, and has a population of 380,000, of whom only 10 per cent. are dwellers in towns. Marriages 4,600, and 25,000 births are recorded in the province yearly.