Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky is a famous Russian traveler. Who is Przhevalsky, and why is he famous? Russian traveler and naturalist Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky
The outstanding Russian geographer and traveler Nikolai Przhevalsky had an amazing fate, he lived an extraordinary life full of amazing discoveries and adventures. The future naturalist was born on March 31, 1839 in the village of Kimborovo, Smolensk province. Przhevalsky's ancestors on his father's side were Zaporozhye Cossacks. And maternal grandfather - a landless serf - during military service was honored for the exploits of the nobility. After retiring, he acquired an estate in Kimborovo, where Nikolai Mikhailovich was born. His father, also an officer in the Russian army, died when the boy was barely seven years old. Przhevalsky himself said that after the death of his father, their family lived modestly, he grew up as a savage, and his upbringing was Spartan. The first school of an inquisitive guy was the deaf Smolensk forests. With a homemade bow, with a toy gun, and from the age of twelve and with a real hunting one, Nikolai walked for days through the wilds of the forest.
From the age of eight, Przhevalsky mastered reading and writing, avidly read all the books that fell into his hands. At the age of ten, Nikolai was sent to the Smolensk gymnasium. Studying was easy for him, and soon he became the first student in terms of academic performance. However, the knowledge he received at the Smolensk gymnasium was not enough for him. Przhevalsky later recalled: “Despite the fact that I graduated with honors from the course, I will say, truly, I learned very little from there. Bad teaching methods and a large number of subjects made it absolutely impossible to study anything positively even with a strong desire ... ".
After graduating from the gymnasium, Nikolai Przhevalsky, shocked by the heroic deeds of the defenders of Sevastopol, decided to become a military man. As a non-commissioned officer, he was sent to serve in the Ryazan Infantry Regiment. And on November 24, 1856, a seventeen-year-old boy was transferred to the twenty-eighth Polotsk infantry regiment, stationed in the county town of Bely, Smolensk province. In his spare time, Nikolai was engaged in the study of nature, made long trips through the local swamps and forests. During his stay in the Polotsk regiment, he collected the herbarium of most of the plants that grew in the district of the city of Bely. Soon he had obsessive thoughts about traveling to distant lands. They pursued him day and night. Przhevalsky repeatedly told his colleagues: "I must certainly go on an expedition." To this end, he began to scrupulously study the works of famous scientists in geography, zoology, and botany.
Finally, Nicholas filed a petition to transfer him to the Amur. The answer of the authorities was peculiar - arrest for three days. After the incident, the young man chose a different path. He decided to go to school General Staff, deciding that at the end he could easily achieve an appointment in Siberia. An amazing memory, dedication and preparation, sometimes taking up to eighteen hours a day, allowed the village boy to easily endure entry exams. He was among the students of the Academy of the General Staff in St. Petersburg.
While studying at the academy, Nikolai wrote his first literary work. Under the title "Memories of a hunter" it got on the pages of the magazine "Hunting and Horse Breeding". In parallel with the military sciences, Nikolai Mikhailovich continued to study zoology, botany and geography. During the transition to the second year, the theme of the composition was chosen by the Amur Territory. In his work, he used both the works of famous researchers of the Amur region and books on general geography. At the end of the report, Przhevalsky expressed curious thoughts about geographical location and features of this region. Vladimir Bezobrazov, a well-known academician, economist and publicist at that time, presented Przhevalsky's "Military Statistical Review of the Primorsky Territory" to the Russian Geographical Society. After studying this work, on February 5, 1864, Nikolai Mikhailovich was enrolled as a full member of the society.
After graduating from the Academy, Przhevalsky was appointed adjutant to the commander of Polotsky infantry regiment. Soon he, among the volunteers, went to Poland to suppress the uprising. And at the end of 1864 he was transferred to teach geography at the cadet school in Warsaw. Here the military officer met the famous ornithologist Vladislav Kazimirovich Tachanovsky, who taught him how to fill stuffed animals and dissect birds. And especially for the junkers, Nikolai Przhevalsky wrote a textbook on general geography, which for a long time served as a guide not only for domestic educational institutions but also many foreign countries.
In 1866, Przhevalsky filed a report on the transfer to Siberia. While waiting, he carefully prepared for the future journey. Finally, a positive response was received. At the end of January 1867, Przhevalsky drove to St. Petersburg and addressed the Council of the Geographical Society with a request to help organize the expedition. However, he was refused. Petr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, who at that time was the chairman of the Department of Physical Geography, explained the reason for this as follows: “Nikolai Przhevalsky was still a little-known figure in the scientific world. We did not dare to give him an allowance for the enterprise, moreover, we did not dare to organize an entire expedition under his leadership. Nevertheless, the traveler was promised that if he manages to make any research or discoveries in Siberia at his own expense, then upon his return he can hope for the support of the Society and even the organization of an expedition to Central Asia under his leadership.
In May 1867, Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky was sent on his first trip to the Ussuri. As an assistant, he took the topographer of Yagunov's headquarters, the sixteen-year-old son of an exiled villager. He taught the young man to dry plants, remove and dissect animal skins, and perform all the many duties of travelers. On May 26, they left Irkutsk and went to the Amur through Transbaikalia. Przhevalsky set himself the task of exploring and describing the Ussuri region as fully as possible. Along with this, he also had specific instructions from the headquarters of the troops, according to which he had to collect information about the natives living along the Ussuri River and study the paths leading to the borders of Korea and Manchuria.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky. 1876
The road to Blagoveshchensk took about two months. In Khabarovsk, Przhevalsky bought a boat and took rowers in shifts in every Cossack village that came across on the way. He himself, together with Yagunov, moved along the river bank, collecting plants, shooting birds. He visited the camps of the natives of this region, watched how they fish with a spear, hunt wild goats when they cross the rivers. The traveler diligently described all the necessary notes in the travel diary. The industriousness of the "master" officer surprised the Cossacks. The distance from Khabarovsk to the village of Busse Przhevalsky covered on foot in twenty-three days. From Busse, Nikolai Mikhailovich moved to Lake Khanka, whose expanses of water made a great impression on him. Throughout August, the researcher lived on the banks of the reservoir: he hunted, collected plants, and made meteorological observations three times a day. In mid-September, he went south to the shores of the Sea of Japan. On the shores of Posyet Bay, he met Koreans who had fled from their masters and found refuge in neighboring Russia. In order to get to know the life of this people better, Przhevalsky, together with an interpreter and three rowers, arrived at the Korean border settlement of Kygen-Pu. However, the head of the town refused to talk about his country and ordered the travelers to return back to Russia. Seeing the futility of further conversations, the detachment returned to the Novgorod post in Posyet Bay.
After that, Przhevalsky decided to explore the deep regions of the Ussuri region. Taking two soldiers and the faithful Yagunov, he set off on a path that no European had ever walked before. By then, the cold had begun. Often had to sleep right on the snow. In order to make entries in the diary, it was necessary to heat the ink over a fire. New Year the detachment met among the deep snowdrifts in the taiga. On that day, Przhevalsky wrote: “In many places they will remember me today. But, no fortune-telling will tell where I am now. The places where I wandered, perhaps the devil himself does not know. The winter crossing ended on January 7, 1868. The expedition, passing along the coast of the Sea of Japan and along the Tadush River, crossed the Sikhote-Alin and reached the Ussuri River near the village of Busse. The path traveled along the pack trail was about 1100 kilometers. In the spring of 1868, Nikolai Przhevalsky spent on Lake Khanka, where he observed mass flights of birds, lotus blossoms and love games of Japanese cranes. However, Przhevalsky's research was interrupted by an attack on the southern Primorye by a band of hunghuz. They killed civilians, burned down three Russian villages and two posts. Przhevalsky, a military officer and a skilled shooter, took an active part in the destruction of the bandits, for which he was promoted to the rank of captain. And soon he was transferred to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur and was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur region. Here, in free time the naturalist processed the materials collected by the expedition. Only in February 1869 did he receive permission to return to his studies. He again spent spring and summer on Lake Khanka, which he loved, studying the rivers flowing into it. And at the end of the year he went to the Northern capital.
In the Russian Geographical Society, Nikolai Mikhailovich was greeted as a research scientist who made a significant contribution to the study of nature, climate, animal and flora Ussuri region, as well as occupations and life of the local population. For two years, as a passionate hunter, he collected a collection of 310 stuffed birds. In total, Przhevalsky counted 224 species of birds, of which 36 were not previously noted in these parts, and some are completely unknown to science. On Ussuri, Nikolai Mikhailovich was the first to see and describe a black hare and a rare plant - dimorphant or white walnut. Together with him, he brought to Petreburg more than 300 species of plants (two thousand specimens), 42 species of bird eggs (550 in total), 83 species of various seeds and more than a dozen skins of mammals. Przhevalsky brilliantly passed two years of campaigns, a kind of “exam for a traveler”. His lectures usually ended with applause. And for the report on the population of Primorye, the naturalist was awarded Malaya silver medal. In August 1870, his first book, Journey to the Ussuri Territory, was published, which brought Przhevalsky fame outside a narrow circle of geographers.
In 1870, with the support of the Russian Geographical Society, the traveler set off on his first expedition to Central Asia. On November 17, his detachment on camels left the city of Kyakhta. Przhevalsky's first assistant was Lieutenant Pyltsoy, in addition to him, the Buryats Dondok Irinchinov and the Cossack Panfil Chebaev participated in the campaign. Their path passed through the city of Urga (now Ulaanbaatar) and the endless Gobi desert to distant Beijing. And from there, through Alashan, Gobi and the heights of the Nan Shan, the expedition went to the upper reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze and ended up near Tibet. Then the travelers crossed the Gobi again, central part Mongolia and returned to Kyakhta. When crossing the desert, travelers did not have enough water and food, they ran out of money. Polltsov fell ill with typhus, but continued the campaign. Meeting the year 1873, Nikolai Mikhailovich wrote in his diary: “We are experiencing terrible hardships that must be endured in the name of a great goal. Do we have the will and strength to finish this glorious deed?
All members of the expedition had the skills and strength. The campaign lasted almost three years, during which time twelve thousand kilometers were covered, and the travelers walked most of the way. Przhevalsky left a note about his comrades: “Far from our homeland, we lived like brothers. They shared work and danger, sorrow and joy together. I will keep grateful memories of my companions to the grave, whose boundless courage and devotion to the cause determined the entire success of the enterprise. As a result of this campaign, significant changes took place on the map of Central Asia - 23 new ridges, 7 large and 17 small lakes appeared. In addition, the heights of many passes were clarified, the exact locations of the villages were determined, collections of mammals, birds, fish, insects (more than 3000 specimens), plants (about 4000 specimens), specimens rocks. The friendly attitude of researchers towards the local population should be especially emphasized. Travelers won the hearts of the inhabitants with a responsive attitude and help with medicines. For the successful cure of malaria patients, the Dungans called Przhevalsky the "Great Doctor". The Russian Geographical Society awarded Nikolai Mikhailovich a gold medal. He outlined the results of his first expedition in the essay “Mongolia and the country of the Tanguts”. The book was translated into different languages of the world, and many foreign geographical societies sent Przhevalsky their medals and certificates, recognizing the merits of the Russian naturalist.
Meanwhile, the scientist himself was preparing for the second campaign in Central Asia. On August 12, 1876, together with nine companions, he set off. Their route ran from the city of Gulja up the banks of the Ili River, and then through the Tien Shan to the mysterious lake Lob-nor. This expedition was also very difficult, the health of Nikolai Mikhailovich was shaken. Travelers planned to get to Tibet in Lhasa. However, the scientist's illness, lack of water, and, most importantly, complications in Russian-Chinese relations, led to the fact that the participants of the campaign jointly decided to return to Ghulja. Despite the failure, the expedition still did a great job. 1200 kilometers of the way were filmed by visual survey, the most valuable collections of birds and animals were collected. Skins were brought from four camels, previously known only from the records of Marco Polo. Information about the inhabitants of this area was of great importance. Przhevalsky described the details of the journey in the book “From Kulja beyond the Tien Shan and to Lob-nor”. Nikolai Mikhailovich was elected an honorary member Russian Academy Sciences. The London Geographical Society awarded the naturalist the King's Medal, and the Berlin Geographical Society the Humboldt Grand Gold Medal. All this meant his worldwide recognition as an outstanding scientist and traveler.
Illness forced Nikolai Mikhailovich to stay in Russia until the spring of 1879. He devoted this time to preparing for a trip to Tibet. The detachment, consisting of thirteen people, left the Zaisan post on March 21. This time, 35 camels, loaded with food and water, went with the people. The expedition moved through the deserts and steppes of Dzungaria. Here the scientist discovered a wild horse, which would later be called the Przewalski's horse. Further, the path of the detachment passed through Nan Shan. In its western part, two high snow-covered ridges were discovered, which were given the name of the Ritter and Humboldt ridges. The difficulties of this campaign were expressed in the fact that the Chinese authorities refused to sell provisions to the wanderers, did not allow them to take guides. Nevertheless, the expedition successfully reached the big Tibetan road leading to Lhasa. Along the way, travelers discovered another hitherto unknown ridge, named after Marco Polo. The detachment climbed the icy paths to the pass of the Tangla Ridge. Here they were suddenly attacked by the nomadic north-Tibetan tribe of Agrai, who were robbing passing caravans. However, Russian travelers were too tough for the local highlanders. And this, and all subsequent raids were repulsed. It seemed that the way to the heart of Tibet was open. But 250 kilometers from Lhasa, the detachment was met by the ambassadors of the Dalai Lama, who handed over a written order forbidding them to visit the city, since they belonged to a different faith. “At that moment, when all the hardships of the long journey were overcome, and the probability of achieving the goal of the expedition turned into the certainty of success,” Nikolai Przhevalsky wrote with chagrin, “we could not get to Lhasa: human barbarism and ignorance put up insurmountable obstacles!”. The caravan moved in the opposite direction. However, now the people were discouraged and tired, the horses and camels were also exhausted and exhausted. On January 31, 1880, the detachment returned to Dzun, out of 35 camels, only 13 completed the transition.
Having rested, Przhevalsky moved to the Yellow River and explored it for three months. Then he got to Lake Kukunor and mapped its shape and size, determined that twenty-five rivers flow into it. Then the travelers returned to Kyakhta through Alashan and Gobi. In total, they traveled about 7200 kilometers, found the way to Lhasa, determined the location of twenty-three geographical points, discovered 5 lakes, and discovered new species of animals and plants. In St. Petersburg, the participants of the expedition were waiting for a solemn meeting. Moscow University elected Przhevalsky an honorary doctor of zoology, the Russian Geographical Society - an honorary member, the cities of St. Petersburg and Smolensk - an honorary citizen. He was also elected an honorary member of the Dresden, Italian and Vienna Geographical Societies. Received after travel great amount grateful reviews and degrees, Nikolai Mikhailovich, due to his natural modesty, retired to the village, where he processed the collected material. He outlined the results of the campaign in his next book "From Zaisan through Hami to Tibet and to the upper reaches of the Yellow River."
However, uncharted lands still attracted the famous traveler and his companions. On October 21, 1883, Przhevalsky set off from Kyakhta on his fourth trip to Asia. His goal was the unknown Tibet. This time the path ran through the steppes of Mongolia, the Gobi and Alashan deserts, the North Tetung Range. Again, despite the obstacles of Chinese bureaucrats, Przhevalsky reached the sources of the Huang He, discovered two lakes: Dzharin-Nur and Orin-Nur. Then the travelers turned to the Lob-Nor lake, the path to which was blocked by the Altyntag ridge. After a long search, the participants of the campaign found a passage through the mountains. The inhabitants of Lob-nor greeted the expedition very warmly. From here, Przhevalsky turned to the southwest and discovered unknown ridges, which received the names Russian and Keri. Two years later, in 1885, the work was completed. The expedition covered about eight thousand kilometers. In honor of Przhevalsky, by decision of the Academy of Sciences, a gold medal was knocked out with the inscription: "To the first researcher of the nature of Central Asia." Nikolai Mikhailovich by this period was already in the rank of major general, was the owner of 8 gold medals, an honorary member of 24 scientific communities. After his expeditions, white spots on the maps of Central Asia disappeared one after another.
The infirmary in which Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky died. 1890
Posthumous photograph of N.M. Przhevalsky. November 8, 1888
Przhevalsky's grave on the shore of the Karakol Bay Przhevalsk. 1890
For those who personally knew the outstanding scientist, there was nothing strange in the fact that at the age of less than 50 he began to prepare for the fifth campaign in Central Asia. The purpose of this expedition was the "promised" city of Lhasa. This time, an official pass was obtained for his visit. At the end of 1888, preparations were finally completed. Karakol was chosen as the gathering place for the participants. However, the trip was not destined to take place. On the way to this Kyrgyz city in the valley of the Kara-Balta river, Nikolai Mikhailovich decided to go hunting. Slightly with a cold, he drank river water and caught typhoid fever. Upon arrival in Karakol, the traveler fell ill. Suffering from illness, he did not lose heart, he held himself courageously, consciously saying that he was not afraid of death, since he had repeatedly been face to face with her. On October 20, 1888, the great scientist, patriot and traveler died in the arms of his friends.
Before his death, Przhevalsky asked to be buried on the banks of Issyk-Kul in his marching clothes. The will of the deceased was carried out. On the eastern shore of the lake, twelve kilometers from the city, a grave was dug out in two days (due to the hardness of the soil). The coffin with the body was delivered on a gun carriage. The mourners walked around on foot, and the soldiers were lined up at the very grave. A large black cross with a plaque was erected over the grave, on which, at the request of Nikolai Mikhailovich himself, a simple inscription was made: "Traveler Przhevalsky." A few years later, a monument was erected on this site. A bronze eagle, ready to break loose, rises on a granite block, holding an olive branch in its beak, as a symbol of the greatness and glory of a brave explorer, always inexorably moving forward towards his dream.
Nikolai Przhevalsky became an example for many generations of travelers and scientists around the world. Until now, it is very difficult to explain how this man, with very serious, time-consuming and labor-intensive official duties, with all the difficulties that he encountered in Asia at every turn, could so brilliantly fulfill the tasks of a naturalist. In any conditions, every day Przhevalsky kept a diary, which formed the basis of all his books. AT adulthood Nikolai Mikhailovich was absolutely indifferent to titles, ranks and awards, preferring the lonely life of a wanderer to all the benefits of civilization. He owns the wonderful words: "The world is beautiful because you can travel."
Based on the materials of the book by M.A. Engelhardt "Nikolai Przhevalsky. His life and travels
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Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich - the famous Russian explorer of Central Asia, was born on March 31, 1839 in the Kimborov estate, Smolensk region. His father was a descendant of the Cossack Kornila Parovalsky, who moved in the second half of the sixteenth century to serve him and took the surname Przhevalsky. After graduating from the military academy, Przhevalsky was sent to suppress the uprising in, where, after the suppression of the rebellion, he taught history at the school.
Przhevalsky sought a transfer to Siberia for a long time to study its immense nature. At the end of March 1867, Przhevalsky arrived in Irkutsk, where, while awaiting his appointment, he worked hard in the library of the Siberian Department of the Geographical Society, studying the Ussuri Territory in detail.
Seeing a serious attitude towards, the Chief of Staff, Major General Kukol, took an ardent part in it, who, together with the Siberian Department of the Geographical Society, arranged for Przhevalsky on a business trip to the Ussuri Territory. The business trip took place already in April 1867; its official purpose was statistical research, but this made it possible for Przhevalsky to simultaneously study the nature and people of a new, little explored region. The prospect for the traveler was the most enviable; he went to, then to Ussuri, Lake Khanka and to the shores of the Great Ocean to the borders of Korea.
The journey along the Ussuri in this order lasted 23 days, since Przhevalsky walked more along the coast, collecting plants and shooting birds. Having reached the village of Busse, Przhevalsky went to Lake Khanka, which was of great interest in botanical, and especially in zoological terms, since it served as a station for migratory birds and insects. Then he went to the coast, and from there, already in winter, he undertook a difficult expedition to the still unknown part of the South Ussuri Territory. Wandering along unknown paths, spending the night in the cold, the travelers endured many hardships and, despite this, they covered 1,060 km within three months. On January 7, 1868, the travelers returned to the village of Busse.
In the spring of 1868, Przhevalsky again went to Lake Khanka in order to study its ornithological fauna and observe the passage of birds - and achieved excellent results in this regard. Having replenished his research with new excursions during the spring and summer of 1869, the researcher went to Irkutsk, where he lectured on the Ussuri region, and from there to St. Petersburg, where he arrived in January 1870. The results of the journey were a major contribution to the available information about the nature of Asia, enriched the collections of plants and gave the Geographical Society a unique ornithological collection, to which, due to its completeness, later research could not add much. Przhevalsky delivered a lot of interesting information about the life and customs of animals and birds, about the local population, Russian and foreign, explored the Ussuri course, the Khanka basin and the eastern slope of the Sikhote-Alin ridge, and finally collected thorough and detailed data on the Ussuri region.
Here he published his first Journey in the Ussuri Territory. The book was a huge success with the public and scientists, especially since it was accompanied by: tables of meteorological observations, statistical tables of the Cossack population on the banks of the Ussuri, the same table of the peasant population in the South Ussuri Territory, the same table of 3 Korean settlements in South Ussuri Territory, a list of 223 species of birds in the Ussuri Territory (of which many were first discovered by Przhevalsky), a table of spring migration of birds on Lake Khanka for two springs, a map of the Ussuri Territory by the author. In addition, Przhevalsky brought 310 specimens of different birds, 10 skins of mammals, several hundred eggs, 300 species of different plants in the amount of 2,000 specimens, 80 species of seeds.
On July 20, 1870, the Highest order was issued to send Przhevalsky and Pyltsov to Northern Tibet for three years and, and on October 10 he was already in Irkutsk, then arrived in Kyakhta, and from there on November 17 he went on an expedition. Through the Eastern part of the great Przhevalsky went to Beijing, where he had to stock up on a passport from the Chinese government and on January 2, 1871 arrived in the capital of the Heavenly Empire.
During the two months spent on this expedition, 100 versts were covered, the entire area was mapped, the latitudes were determined: Kalgan, Dolon-Nor and Dalai-Nor lakes; the heights of the traversed path were measured and significant zoological collections were collected. Having rested in Kalgan for several days, she set off on her way to the West.
This time the purpose of the expedition was to visit the capital of the Dalai Lama - Lhasa, where no European had yet penetrated. Przhevalsky outlined a path for himself through Kuku-Khoto to Ordos and further to Lake Kuku-Nor. On February 25, 1871, a small expedition set out from, and exactly a month later, the travelers arrived on the shores of Lake Dalai-Nor. The expedition moved slowly, making transitions of 20 - 25 kilometers, but the lack of reliable guides greatly hampered the matter.
The area explored by the expedition was so rich in botanical and zoological material that Przhevalsky stopped in some places for several days, such as in Suma-Khoda, Yin-Shan, which were first explored. However, most of the way ran through the waterless desert of the southern outskirts of the Gobi, where no European had yet set foot, and where travelers endured unbearable torment from the scorching heat.
The study of the Yin Shan ridge finally destroyed the previous hypothesis about the connection of this ridge with, about which there were many disputes between scientists - Przhevalsky resolved this issue. For 430 kilometers, Przhevalsky explored the Yellow River, meandering among the hot sands of the Ordos, and determined that the Yellow River () does not represent branches, as the Europeans used to think about it.
On the way back, the expedition captured a vast unexplored area along the right bank of the Yellow River, partly went the old way; but now the cold pursued the travelers. On the eve of the new year, Przhevalsky arrived in Kalgan, and then went to Beijing. The ten-month journey was completed, and the result of it was the study of almost completely unknown places in the Ordos desert, Ala Shan, the Southern Gobi, the In Shan and Ala Shan ridges, the determination of the latitudes of many points, the collection of the richest collections of plants and animals, and abundant meteorological material. .Having written a report on the expedition, Przhevalsky left Beijing and already on March 5, 1872, set out in the same composition from Kalgan with the intention of making his way to Tibet and reaching Lhasa.
At the end of May, the expedition again arrived in Dyn-Yuan-In. The travelers spent more than two months in the mountainous area of Gan-su. Mountain ranges and peaks, still unknown to geographers, many new species of animals, birds and plants were identified by Przhevalsky. The rich vegetation of the surrounding mountains aroused in Przhevalsky a desire to get to know this area better, and he alone went to the Cheibsen shrine, where he arrived in the first days of July and stayed here until the 10th. Here he made a new botanical discovery - a red birch was found.
On October 12, the expedition reached Lake Kuku-Nora, on the shore of which they pitched their tents. Having explored the lake and its environs, Przhevalsky moved to Tibet. Having crossed several mountain ranges and passed through the eastern part of Tsaidam, a vast plateau abounding in salt lakes, the expedition entered Northern Tibet. Two and a half months (from November 23, 1872 to February 10, 1873) spent in this harsh desert were the most difficult period of travel. On January 10, 1873, the expedition reached the Blue River (), further than which this time Przhevalsky did not penetrate into Asia.
The results of this expedition, one of the most remarkable in recent times both in idea and in its implementation in practice, were colossal. Within three years (from November 17, 1870 to September 19, 1873) 11,000 kilometers were covered; collected 238 species of birds in the amount of 1,000 specimens; 42 species of mammals, including 130 skins, and many different types of fish, reptiles, insects and plants. In addition, the hydrography of the Kukunor basin, the ranges in the vicinity of this lake, the heights of the Tibetan plateau, and the least accessible parts of the Gobi were studied. Magnetic declination and voltage determined at various points terrestrial magnetism; meteorological observations, made four times a day, brought the most curious data about the climate of these remarkable areas.
In 1876-1877, during the Second Central Asian Expedition, Przhevalsky discovered the Altyn-Tag Range, proved that Lake Lobnor was fresh and not salty (as previously believed), and made new observations of birds. In 1879-1880 Przhevalsky led the Third Central Asian Expedition. Together with a detachment of 13 people, he went down the Urungu River, passed through the Khali oasis, passed the Nan Shan ranges, went to Tibet and from there to the Mur-Usu valley.
Central Asia, opened new ones, clarified the boundaries of the Tibetan Plateau. The extensive zoological, botanical and mineralogical collections he collected are the pride of many museums in Russia.
Nikolai Przhevalsky and the subspecies of the wild horse discovered by him
April 12 (old style - March 31) marks the 178th anniversary of the birth of the famous traveler, explorer, geographer Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky. What most people know about him is that he led expeditions to Central Asia and that a subspecies of wild horse was named after him. However, there were much more interesting facts in his biography. For example, the fact that he won money for the first expedition in cards, and military intelligence was another purpose of travel. Polish journalists even suggested that he was Stalin's real father.
Left: Nikolai Przhevalsky hunting in the vicinity of the Otradnoye estate. Right - Nikolai Przhevalsky, 1876
At one time, Nikolai Przhevalsky was fond of playing cards. A good visual memory often brought him success in the game, in addition, he had his own rules: never have more than 500 rubles with you and always leave the table having won more than 1000. That is how the “golden pheasant” (as the players called him for legendary luck) and received money for the first expedition to Central Asia - he was a novice for the Geographical Society, and it was not possible to get funds in another way. The win was big - 12,000. Przhevalsky knew how to stop in time and promised himself never to play for money again. Since then, he has not even touched the cards.
On this expedition in 1870-1873. Przhevalsky explored Mongolia, China and Tibet and found out that the Gobi is not a hill, as previously thought, but a hollow with a hilly relief, and Nanshan is not a ridge, but a mountain system, and also discovered 7 large lakes and the Beishan highlands. This expedition brought him worldwide fame.
Central Asian researcher Nikolai Przhevalsky
At the age of 30, Przhevalsky was already a famous scientist and an enviable groom, but he called the marriage bond a “voluntary loop” and believed that in the desert “with absolute freedom and to his liking” he would be “a hundred times happier than in gilded salons that can be purchased marriage." The great traveler remained a bachelor until the end of his days.
Przewalski's horse
In addition to research tasks, Przhevalsky's expeditions presumably had a goal military intelligence. And although science always remained in the foreground for the traveler himself, he was still an officer Russian army. Recently, many studies have appeared that prove the fact that Przhevalsky was an intelligence officer and collected information not only for science, but also for the General Staff.
Przewalski's horse
Przhevalsky spent 11 years of his life on expeditions, covering 31,000 km. A new subspecies of wild horses is not Przewalski's only discovery, but it is best known for being named after a traveler. In addition, he discovered dozens of new animal species, including a wild camel and a Tibetan bear (the researcher called it a "pischeater"), and also found 7 new genera and 218 plant species.
Tibetan bear discovered by Przhevalsky
The most incredible legend associated with the name of Nikolai Przewalski was born in 1939, when an article appeared in a Polish newspaper that the famous traveler was in fact Stalin's father. Allegedly in 1878, Przhevalsky was in Georgia, where he met 22-year-old Ekaterina Dzhugashvili, and soon her son Joseph was born. Biographers immediately refuted these facts: at that time the researcher was in China. Nevertheless, this version had supporters who confirmed their guesses by the fact that during the years of Stalin's rule the glorification of the traveler began, a film was made about him and a medal was established in his name. But these facts cannot even serve as an indirect confirmation of the truth of the guesses of Polish journalists.
Polish journalists called Przhevalsky the father of Stalin, primarily on the basis of external resemblance
In 1888, Przhevalsky gathered the largest expedition, which was supposed to last 2 years. But after two weeks of serious illness, the traveler suddenly died. Until recently, the cause of death in all sources was called typhoid fever, and modern experts have established a different diagnosis - Hodgkin's disease.
Famous traveler Nikolai Przhevalsky
His last refuge was Karakol - a city named after Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky
Przhevalsky, Nikolai Mikhailovich
N.M. Przhevalsky (1839-1888)
- Russian traveler, explorer of Central Asia; honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1878), major general (1886). He led an expedition to the Ussuri region (1867-1869) and four expeditions to Central Asia (1870-1885). For the first time he described the nature of many regions of Central Asia; discovered a number of ridges, basins and lakes in and on. Gathered valuable collections of plants and animals; first described a wild camel, a wild horse (Przewalski's horse), a pika-eating bear or a Tibetan bear, etc.Przhevalsky was born in the village of Kimbory, Smolensk province, on April 12 (March 31 according to the old style), 1839. His father, a retired lieutenant, died early. The boy grew up under the supervision of his mother in the Otradnoye estate. In 1855, Przhevalsky graduated from the Smolensk gymnasium and decided in Moscow as a non-commissioned officer in the Ryazan Infantry Regiment; and having received an officer's rank, he moved to the Polotsk regiment. Przhevalsky, evading revelry, spent all his time hunting, collecting a herbarium, and took up ornithology.
After five years of service, Przhevalsky enters the Academy of the General Staff. In addition to the main subjects, he studies the works of geographers Ritter, Humboldt, Richthofen and, of course, Semenov. There he prepared coursework"Military Statistical Review of the Amur Territory", on the basis of which in 1864 he was elected a full member of the Geographical Society.
While serving as a teacher of history and geography at the Warsaw Junker School, Przhevalsky diligently studied the epic of African travels and discoveries, got acquainted with zoology and botany, and compiled a geography textbook.
Travel route in the Ussuri region
Soon he achieved a transfer to Eastern Siberia. In 1867, with the help of Semenov, Przhevalsky received a two-year service business trip to the Ussuri region, and the Siberian Department of the Geographical Society ordered him to study the flora and fauna of the region.
Along the Ussuri, he reached the village of Busse, then to Lake Khanka, which is a station for migratory birds. Here he made ornithological observations. In winter, he explored the South Ussuri region, covering 1060 versts in three months. In the spring of 1868, he again went to Khanka Lake, then pacified the Chinese robbers in Manchuria, for which he was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur Region. The results of his first trip were the essays "On the foreign population in the southern part of the Amur Region" and "Travel in the Ussuri Territory". About 300 species of plants were collected, more than 300 stuffed birds were made, and many plants and birds were discovered in Ussuri for the first time.
First trip to Central Asia. In 1870, the Russian Geographical Society organized an expedition to Central Asia. Przhevalsky was appointed its head. Together with him, Lieutenant Mikhail Alexandrovich Pyltsov participated in the expedition. Their path lay through Moscow and Irkutsk to Kyakhta, where they arrived in early November 1870, and further to Beijing, where Przhevalsky received travel permission from the Chinese government.
On February 25, 1871, Przhevalsky moved from Beijing north to Dalai-Nur Lake, then, after resting in Kalgan, he explored the Suma-Khodi and Yin-Shan ridges, as well as the course of the Yellow River (Huang He), showing that it does not have a branching, as thought before on the basis of Chinese sources; having passed through the Alashan desert and the Alashan mountains, he returned to Kalgan, having made 3,500 versts in 10 months.
Route of the First Journey in Central Asia
On March 5, 1872, the expedition again set out from Kalgan and moved through the Alashan desert to the ridges and further to Lake Kukunor. Then Przhevalsky crossed the Tsaidam basin, overcame the ridges and reached the upper reaches of the Blue River (Yangtze).
In the summer of 1873, Przhevalsky, having replenished his equipment, went to Urga (Ulan Bator), through the Middle Gobi, and from Urga in September 1873 he returned to Kyakhta. Przhevalsky traveled more than 11,800 kilometers through the deserts and mountains of Mongolia and China and mapped (on a scale of 10 versts in 1 inch) about 5,700 kilometers.
The scientific results of this expedition amazed contemporaries. Przhevalsky was the first European to penetrate into the deep region of the North, to the upper reaches of the Huang He and Yangtze (Ulan Muren). And he determined that Bayan-Khara-Ula is the watershed between these river systems. Przhevalsky gave detailed descriptions the deserts of the Gobi, Ordos and Alashani, the highlands of Northern Tibet and the Tsaidam basin discovered by him, for the first time mapped more than 20 ridges, seven large and a number of small lakes on the map of Central Asia. Przhevalsky's map was not accurate, because due to very difficult travel conditions, he could not make astronomical determinations of longitudes. This significant defect was later corrected by himself and other Russian travelers. He collected collections of plants, insects, reptiles, fish, and mammals. At the same time, new species were discovered that received his name: Przewalski's foot-and-mouth disease, Przewalski's splittail, Przewalski's rhododendron... The two-volume work "Mongolia and the Tangut Country" brought the author world fame and was translated into a number of European languages.
Route of the Second Journey in Central Asia
The Russian Geographical Society awarded Przhevalsky the Big Gold Medal and the "highest" awards - the rank of lieutenant colonel, a lifetime pension of 600 rubles annually. He received gold medal Paris Geographical Society. His name was put next to Semyonov Tyan-Shansky, Krusenstern and Bellingshausen, Livingston and Stanley ...
Second trip to Central Asia. In January 1876, Przhevalsky submitted a plan for a new expedition to the Russian Geographical Society. He intended to explore the East, to reach Lhasa, to explore the mysterious Lop Nor Lake. In addition, Przhevalsky hoped to find and describe the wild camel that lived there, according to Marco Polo.
On August 12, 1876, the expedition set out from Kulja. Having overcome the ridges and the Tarim Basin, Przhevalsky reached in February 1877 a huge reed swamp-Lake Lobnor. According to his description, the lake was 100 kilometers long and 20 to 22 kilometers wide.
On the banks of the mysterious Lop Nor, in the "country of Lop", Przhevalsky was second ... after Marco Polo! The lake became, however, the subject of a dispute between Przhevalsky and Richthofen. According to Chinese maps early XVIII century, Lobnor was not at all where Przhevalsky discovered it. In addition, contrary to popular belief, the lake turned out to be fresh, not salty. Richthofen believed that the Russian expedition discovered some other lake, and the true Lop Nor lies to the north.
Akato peak (6048) in the Altyntag ridge. Photo by E.Potapov
Only half a century later, the riddle of Lopnor was finally solved. Lob in Tibetan means "muddy", nor - in Mongolian "lake". It turned out that this swamp-lake changes its location from time to time. On Chinese maps, it was depicted in the northern part of the desert drainless depression Lob. But then the Tarim and Konchedarya rivers rushed south. The ancient Lobnor gradually disappeared, leaving only salt marshes and saucers of small lakes in its place. And in the south of the depression, a new lake was formed, which was discovered and described by Przhevalsky.
In early July 1877, the expedition returned to Ghulja. Przhevalsky was pleased: he studied Lobnor, south of the lake discovered the Altyntag range, described a wild camel, even got its skins, collected collections of flora and fauna.
Here, in Ghulja, letters and a telegram were waiting for him, in which he was instructed to continue the expedition without fail.
During the travel of 1876-1877, Przhevalsky traveled a little over four thousand kilometers in Central Asia - he was prevented by the war in Western China, the aggravation of relations between China and Russia and his illness: unbearable itching all over his body. And yet this journey was marked by two major geographical discoveries- the lower reaches of the Tarim with a group of lakes and the Altyntag ridge. Illness forced him to return for a while to Russia, where he published his work "From Kulja beyond the Tien Shan and to Lob-Nor".
Route of the Third Journey in Central Asia
Third trip to Central Asia. Having rested, Przhevalsky in March 1879, with a detachment of 13 people, began the journey, which he called the "First Tibetan". From Zaisan, he headed southeast, past Ulungur Lake and along the Urungu River to its upper reaches. In the area of Lake Barkul and the village of Khami, Przhevalsky crossed the easternmost part. Then he proceeded through the Gobi desert and reached the ranges and the Tsaidam basin.On this journey, Przhevalsky sought to cross and reach Lhasa. But the Tibetan government did not want to let Przhevalsky into Lhasa, and the local population was so excited that Przhevalsky, having crossed the Tan-La pass and being 250 versts from Lhasa, was forced to retreat and through the Gobi Desert in the autumn of 1880 he returned to Urga ( Ulaanbaatar).
During this journey, he traveled about eight thousand kilometers and surveyed more than four thousand kilometers through the regions of Central Asia. For the first time he explored the upper course of the Yellow River (Huang He) for more than 250 kilometers; discovered the Semenov and Ugutu-Ula ridges. He described two new animal species - the Przewalski's horse and the pika-eating bear or the Tibetan bear. His assistant collected a huge botanical collection: about 12 thousand plant specimens - 1500 species. Przhevalsky outlined his observations and research results in the book "From Zaisan through Hami to Tibet and to the upper reaches of the Yellow River". The result of his three expeditions were fundamentally new maps of Central Asia.
Soon he submits to the Russian Geographical Society a project on the study of the origins of the Huang He.
Fourth trip to Central Asia. In 1883, Przhevalsky undertook the fourth trip, at the head of a detachment of 21 people. This time he is accompanied by, for whom this expedition will be the first trip to Central Asia.
From Kyakhta, Przhevalsky moved through Urga on his way back from the third expedition - he crossed the Gobi Desert and reached. To the south of it, he entered the easternmost part, where he explored the sources of the Yellow River (Huang He) and the watershed between the Yellow River and the Blue (Yangtze), and from there he passed through the Tsaidam basin to the Altyntag ridge. Then he went along to the Khotan oasis, turned to the north, crossed the Takla-Makan desert and through returned to Karakol. The journey ended only in 1886.
In three years, a huge path has been covered - 7815 kilometers, almost completely without roads. On the northern border of Tibet, a whole mountainous country with majestic ranges was discovered - nothing was known about them in Europe. The sources of the Huang He have been explored, large lakes have been discovered and described - Russian and Expeditions. New species of birds, mammals and reptiles, as well as fish appeared in the collection, and new species of plants appeared in the herbarium. In 1888, the last work of Przhevalsky "From Kyakhta to the sources of the Yellow River" was published.
Route of the Fourth Journey in Central Asia
Academy of Sciences and learned societies the whole world welcomed the discoveries of Przhevalsky. The Zagadochny Ridge discovered by him is called the Przhevalsky Ridge. His greatest merits are geographical and natural-historical research. mountain system, the Northern ranges, the Lop Nor and Kukunor basins and the sources of the Yellow River. In addition, he discovered a number of new forms of animals: a wild camel, a Przewalski's horse, a Tibetan bear or a pika-eating bear, a number of new species of other mammals, as well as huge zoological and botanical collections containing many new forms described later by specialists. Being a well-educated naturalist, Przhevalsky was at the same time a born wanderer who preferred a lonely steppe life to all the benefits of civilization. Thanks to his persevering, resolute nature, he overcame the opposition of the Chinese government and the resistance local residents, sometimes reaching an open attack.
Having finished processing the fourth trip, Przhevalsky was preparing for the fifth. In 1888, he moved through Samarkand to the Russian-Chinese border, where, while hunting in the valley of the Kara-Balta River, after drinking river water, he contracted typhoid fever. Even on the way to Karakol, Przhevalsky felt unwell, and upon arrival in Karakol, he fell completely ill. A few days later, on November 1 (October 20 according to the old style), 1888, he died - according to the official version, from typhoid fever. Buried on the shore of the lake.
A monument was erected on the grave of Przhevalsky according to the drawing by A. A. Bilderling. A modest inscription is inscribed on the monument: "Traveler N. M. Przhevalsky." So he promised.Another monument, also designed by Bilderling, was erected by the Geographical Society in the Alexander Garden in St. Petersburg.
In 1889 Karakol was renamed Przhevalsk. In Soviet times, a museum was organized near the grave, dedicated to life Przhevalsky.
Przhevalsky only in very rare cases used his right to discover, almost everywhere retaining local names. As an exception, "Russian Lake", "Expedition Lake", "Mount Monomakh's Hat", "Russian Ridge", "Tsar Liberator Mountain" appeared on the map.
Literature
1. N.M. Przhevalsky. Travels. M., Detgiz, 1958
Tourist Encyclopedia. 2014 .
See what "Przhevalsky, Nikolai Mikhailovich" is in other dictionaries:
Przhevalsky, Nikolai Mikhailovich- Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky ... Wikipedia
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich- , Russian geographer, explorer of Central Asia, major general (since 1886), honorary ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich- Przhevalsky (Nikolai Mikhailovich) famous Russian traveler, major general. Born in 1839. His father, Mikhail Kuzmich, served in the Russian army. His original teacher was his uncle, P.A. Karetnikov, a passionate hunter who instilled in him this ... Biographical Dictionary
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich- (1839 88) Russian traveler, researcher Center. Asia; honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1878), major general (1886). Leader of an expedition to the Ussuri region (1867-69) and 4 expeditions to the Center. Asia (1870-85). Described nature for the first time Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich- (1839 1888), traveler, geographer, explorer of Central Asia, major general (1886), honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1878), honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. In 1863 he graduated from the Academy of the General Staff. For work on the compilation of military ... ... St. Petersburg (encyclopedia)
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich (1839-1888), geographer, traveler, explorer of Asia.
Born April 12, 1839 in the village of Kimborovo, Smolensk province. The son of a small landowner, an officer; was brought up by his uncle - P. A. Karetnikov, a passionate hunter.
In 1863 he graduated from the Academy of the General Staff. At the same time, he published his first essays: “Memoirs of a Hunter” and “Military Statistical Review of the Amur Territory”. Upon completion of education, he was sent to serve in the Siberian Military District.
Przhevalsky's geographical research began here, actively supported by P. Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky and other scientists.
Along the Ussuri, Przhevalsky reached the village of Busse, then to Lake Khanka. In the winter of 1867, he explored the South Ussuri Territory, having overcome 1060 miles in three months. In the spring of 1868, he again went to Khanka Lake and, having pacified the Chinese robbers in Manchuria, he was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur Territory.
Returning from the expedition, Przhevalsky wrote the works “On the foreign population in the southern part of the Amur Region” and “Journey to the Ussuri Territory”.
In 1871, he undertook the first trip to Central Asia along the route Beijing - Lake Dalai-Nor - Kalgan. The result was the essay "Mongolia and the country of the Tunguts."
In 1876, the geographer set off on a new journey - from the village of Kuldzhi to the Ili River, through the Tien Shan and the Tarim River to Lob-Nor Lake, to the south of which he discovered the Altyn-Tag Range.
In 1879, Przhevalsky with a detachment of 13 people set out from the city of Zaisansk on the third trip along the Urungu River, through the oases of Khali and Sa-Cheu, the Nan-shan ranges to Tibet. However, due to obstacles posed by the local population, he was forced to return, not having reached only 250 miles to the capital of Tibet - Lhasa.
The beginning of the fourth journey dates back to 1883: at the head of a detachment of 21 people - from the city of Kyakhta through Urga, in the old way, to the Tibetan Highlands - Przhevalsky explored the sources of the Yellow River and the watershed between the Yellow and Blue, and from there - through Tsaidam to Lob-Nor and to Karakol (now Przhevalsk). The journey took three years.
Having finished processing the data collected during this trip, Przhevalsky set about preparing for the fifth trip and in 1888 went through Samarkand to the Russian-Chinese border, where he caught a cold during a hunt and died. It happened on November 1, 1888 in Karakol. Przhevalsky's works have been translated into many foreign languages.