History / 3. History of science and technology

Candidate of biological science, He Vladimir Henhonovich

Stavropol state university (SSU), Stavropol, the Russian Federation

History of scientific fauna studying of the

Central Pre-Caucasus

The southern frontier of Russia expanded to foothills of the Caucasus as a result of an arisen political situation, by the beginning of the XVIII-th century. The need for the scientific studying of the Pre-Caucasus territory was caused by two main factors: the joining of this area to the Russian state and the necessity of the economic development of intensively settled region.

In 1717 under Peter's I decree the territory of the Pre-Caucasus was visited by the leib-physician doctor Gotlib Shober. His main purpose was the studying of mineral waters at the river Terek and revealing of their medical value. In addition, Shober (1760) left descriptions of fauna in the woods nearby the Terek (basically of the species for hunting) and fishes lived in the river Terek.

The chief medical officer of the Astrakhan corps, the doctor Iogann-Jacob Lerhe, visited the territory of the Pre-Caucasus twice (1733-1735 and 1745-1747). His diaries (Lerhe, 1790) included materials also on the fauna of the woods nearby the Terek and steppes to the north of the river Terek, probably of the Tersko-Sunzhenskoy Hills.

Investigations of the nature of the Pre-Caucasus territory were impeded after the complication of the political situation of Russia at the Caucasus resulted by the military-political expansion of Persia in 1735. Only in 1770-s they were developed again. The initiator of this development became the Geographical Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Soon after М.V. Lomonosov’s death the special program of research expeditions to study natural resources and their use by the Russian empire was worked out.

Investigations of the nature of the Pre-Caucasus territory were carried out by I.A. Guldenshtedt, I.P. Falka, S.G. Gmelina and P.S. Pallasa, the expedition groups members.

I.A. Gjuldenshtedt collected extensive material on the nature of the Caucasus and the Pre-Caucasus territory in 1770-1773. He surveyed areas nearby the river Terek, described flood-plain forests in details, and also took into consideration the steppes. Description of natural complexes, degrees of their investigation, the population of this territory and its occupations is given in his works. Numerous data on fauna are provided.

I.P. Falk (1824) also traveled mainly all over the Eastern Pre-Caucasus partly visiting eastern areas of the Central Pre-Caucasus. He gave the description of natural resources of these areas.

Samuel-Gotlib Gmelin, who visited the Pre-Caucasus in 1771-1774, paid special attention to the studying of woods. He described specific structure of tree species and big animals living in woods.

The student Nikita Sokolov, the member of an expedition group under the direction of P.S. Pallas, also visited the central part of the Pre-Caucasus in 1772. He crossed the Stavropol’s height, which he characterized as "mountains carpeted with forests, spreading like the great bare mountain ridge from the eastern part between the rivers Manych and Kuma to the steppe" (Pallas, 1772-1773. P. 193). N. Sokolov mentioned percentage of forest land at the middle stream of the river Kuma and defined the change of composition of wood species in flood-plain forest of an antropogenic origin along the river Kuma.

On the basis of Sokolov’s report P.S. Pallas's uttered an idea, that the valley of the river Kuma " in former times was very populated, and it is worth being populated again, for Kuma’s lowland is very fertile to any cultivation, demanding a warm climate, is rather capable, and all open steppe resulted by settling the coast of this river perhaps can be expanded" (Pallas, 1772-1773. P. 200).

Keen interest is aroused by P.S. Pallas's investigations in 1793-1794. The condition of primary woods and virgin steppes, population and its economical activity had been described in detail by Pallas (Паллас, 1883, etc.). The characteristic of destruction of woods and ploughing up the steppes was given. Many species of animals were described there. Data on fauna of the Pre-Caucasus were given in the classical work "Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica", issued in 1811. However, M.N. Bogdanov wrote about this work (1879): "Unfortunately, Pallas was very concise and gave little details concerning animals location" (P. 9).

The work written by the director of Astrakhan national school I.V. Rovinsky became the final work on the condition of the nature and the Pre-Caucasus economic development to the beginning of XIX century. By 1804-1809 under on the instructions and under the program of the Free Economic Society he assembled the fundamental work "the Economic description of the Astrakhan and Caucasian provinces on their civil and natural condition in respect of agriculture, industry and housekeeping". This work was published by the Society in 1809. Alongside with the detailed description of an environment and its economic estimation, great attention is paid in it to the characteristic of fauna. While compiling the description I.V. Rovinsky used all collected geographical material and, in the first turn, the materials received by already mentioned academic expeditions at the end of XVIII century. Together with it he used his own investigations.

A lot of interesting information on territory settlement and the condition of landscapes is given to us with cartographical materials of the given period as far as investigation of the Pre-Caucasus nature in XVIII century was accompanied by territory mapping. The significant role in this process belonged to the Russian Academy of sciences. Simultaneously topographers of military department took a significant part in making maps. Carrying out military operations in the Caucasus demanded deep maps with the detailed drawing of roads network, a relief, flora actually not only the Caucasus itself, but also the Pre-Caucasus territory. Maps were drawn up on a geographical grid in various projections, on the basis of basic astronomical points (Dibrova, 1974). Many of them have remained hand-written till now and are stored, basically, in archival funds. They are not equivalent in their scientific value. We shall consider some of them.

In the first half of the XVIII-th century a geodesist Stepan Chichagov made a map "the Map of the Northern Caucasus " in 1:180000 scale model in a cylindrical projection (Gnucheva, 1946). Drainage network, settlements, roads are shown on the map. There is an image of a relief.

The certain data are contained in "the Russian Atlas, consisting of nineteen special maps" (1745). Here, for example, swamped places along the rivers Kuma and Terek, woods along the river Kuma and its tributaries the Buyvola and Tomuzlovka, in the upper of Kalaus have been specified for the first time.

Already mentioned geodesist Stepan Chichagov compiled "the Sheet of Bolshaya and Malaya Kabarda, villages and notable places" in 50-verst scale model (CSAAA, f. 192, list 1, unit of issue 3). The map is hand-written, depicting the images of upper reaches of the Terek, Kuban and Kuma. Along the rivers woods are specified and cultivated fields are drawn.

In the second half of the XVIII-th century photographs of small territories are taken in the economic purposes. Maps and plans of developed areas and subjected to the development with the detailed pictures of these lands are made. Thus, for instance, is "the plan of location along both coasts of the river Kuma at natural boundary Madzhar from a mouth of a small river Buyvola upwards across Kuma up to the outlet of the river Tomuzlovka" (CSMHA, VUA, unit of issue 24189). The plan was drawn up 1779 in a 250 sazhen scale model in English inch. Forestlands, the hayfields, convenient and inconvenient to tillage lands, rivers, lakes, ravines are shown there. Data on the area of all kinds of lands are provided.

On the maps of the XVIII-th century drawn up in military purposes, fortresses, fortifications along the cordon lines, pickets, redoubts are shown in details, roads between settlements are charted. Those are, for example, "the Map representing to the Astrakhan province the Caucasian line and frontier to it all mountain peoples, including parts of the Turkish Empire and Persia", was drawn up at "the unit of the General Quartermaster ranks existing by the Caucasian divisions in 1799" in 20-versts scale model; "the Map of the land between the rivers Don, Volga, Terek and Kuban", drawn up by the colonel (a surname written illegibly) in 1779 in 10-verst scale model; "the Map of a new frontier line of the Russian Empire drawn between the river Terek, Caspian Sea and Azov Sea" 10-verst scale model (CSMHA, VUA, unit of issue 20128, 20156).

Results of the academic expeditions at the end of the XVIII-th century were reflected on the content of the maps. Detailed descriptions of investigated areas compiled by members of the expeditions, maps and plans for separate territories gave rich material which allowed to specify and enlarge the drawn up maps of the Pre-Caucasus. For example, on the basis of Güldenstädts materials the map of the Caucasus was drawn up, it was published already after his death "Neue Carte des Caucasus grüβtenheils aus Güldenstädts nachgelassenen hardschriftlichen Entwiirfen zufammengesert" (CSMHA, f. 192, list 1, unit of issue 8). New data on the Pre-Caucasus territory were taken into account in drawing up the map "Caucasian region ruled by governor and lands of the Donskoy’s Army ", included into the atlas of Russia in 1792.

Bibliography:

1. Dibrova G.S. History of studyings of Pre-Caucasus environment and resources in connection with economic development of the territory. Ph.D. in geographical sciences. – М., 1974.

2. Shober G. Description of St. Peter's greenhouses at the river Terka, taking place // Compositions and translations to the advantage entertainment. Employees. – St. Petercburg, 1760. V. 18.

3. Guldenstadt I.A. Reisen durch Russland und im Caucasischen Gebierge. – S.-pb., 1787. V.I, 1791. V. 2.

4. Pallas P.S. Bemerkungen auf einer Reise in die sudlichen Statthelterschaften des Russischen Reichs in den Jachren 1794.– Leipzig, 1799.