Amur
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Amur. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a river formed by the junction (about 53° N. lat., and 121° E. long.) of the Shilka and the Argun, which both come from the S. W. -the former rising in the foothills of the Yablonoi Mountains. From the junction, the river flows first from S. E. and then N. E., and, after a total course of 3,060 miles, falls into the Sea of Okhotsk, opposite the island of Sakhalin. Its main tributaries are the Sungari and the Ussuri, both from the S. Above the Ussuri, the Amur is the boundary between Siberia and Manchuria; below it the river runs through Russian territory. It is very valuable for navigation, and carries a considerable fleet of steamers. The river is frozen for six months of the year; in summer there are extensive inundations. From as early as 1636, Russian adventurers made excursions into the Chinese territories of the lower Amur. In 1854- 1856 two military expeditions were conducted by Count Muravieff, who twice descended the river, unopposed by the Chinese, and established the stations of Alexandrovsk and Nikolaevsk. In 1858 China agreed to the Treaty of Tientsin, by which the boundaries of Russia and China were defined. The left bank of the Amur, and all the territory N. of it, became Russian; and below the confluence of the Ussuri, both banks. In 1860, after the occupation of Pekin by the British and French, General Ignatieff secured the signature of Prince Kung to a treaty, by which Russia acquired the broad and wide territory comprised between the river Amur and the mouth of the Tumên, extending 10° of latitude nearer the temperate regions, and running from the shore of the North Pacific eastward to the banks of the river Ussuri, a principal affluent of the Amur. In September, 1900, Russia took formal possession of the right bank of the river. This vast territory was divided into two Russian provinces-the Maritime province between the Ussuri and the sea, and the government of Amur, N. of the river. The latter has an area of 175,000 square miles. Pop. about 250,000. The country is richly timbered, and is admirably adapted for pasturage and agriculture. Fur bearing animals are still plentiful, and the river abounds in fish. The capital is Blagovestschensk. Nikolaevsk, once the only important place in these regions, is on the Amur, 26 miles from its mouth, where the river is 14 miles wide, and in places 15 feet deep; but the political center tends southward to the more temperate maritime province (area, 730,000 square miles), near the southern end of which is situated the important harbor of Vladivostok ("Rule of the East"), or Port May, which, in 1872, was placed in telegraphic communication with Europe by the China submarine cable, and is now the capital of the Amur provinces. As a result of the World War and the Russian revolution the political future of the region is doubtful. Japan has made steady inroads, but may not be able to maintain herself eventually. AMURATH I. (am-ö-rät'), a sultan of the Turks; succeeded his father Orchan in 1360. He founded the corps of Janissaries, conquered Phrygia, and, on the plains of Kossovo, defeated the Christians. In this battle he was wounded and died the next day, 1389. AMURATH II., one of the more illustrious of the Ottoman emperors, succeeded his father, Mohammed I., in 1421, at the age of 17. In 1423 he took Thessalonica from the Venetians; in 1435, subdued the despot of Servia, besieged Belgrade, which was successfully defended by John Hunniades; defeated the Hungarians at Varna, in 1444, and slew their king, Ladislaus. He died at Adrianople in 1451. AMURATH III., succeeded his father, Selim II., in 1574. His first act was the murder of his five brothers. He added several of the best provinces of Persia to the Turkish empire. He died in 1595. AMURATH IV., succeeded his uncle, Mustapha X., 1623. After two unsuccessful attempts he took Bagdad from the Persians in 1638, and ordered the massacre of 30,000 prisoners who had surrendered at discretion. He died in 1640.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
or Amoor, a large river of eastern Asia, emptying into the sea of Okhotsk. It ranks with the Volga, having a total length of about 1,500 miles. The Russians made some attempts in the seventeenth century to obtain possession of this river, but abandoned it to the Chinese. In 1854 expeditions were undertaken by Russia with the view of exploring and taking possession. One portion after another passed under Russian control until, in 1900, Russia took formal possession of the entire region north of the Amur. Russia desired to acquire Manchuria, on the south bank, but was frustrated by Japan. The river is navigable for steamers of large size, which, however, encounter some difficulty in passing low sandbanks at the mouth. The territory drained by the Amur contains no less than 600,000 square miles, surpassing in that respect the largest river basin of Europe. It consists of mountain ranges, immense and valuable forests, and extensive, fertile plains. The winters are severe. Fur-bearing animals and fish are abundant. The Russian portion of the valley is for the most part thinly populated. See Siberia ; Manchuria 2026 Editor's Note: The Amur is now the tense border between Russia and China — and in 1969 clashes along it brought the two nuclear powers to the brink of war. The Russian 'formal possession' this entry notes for 1900 came during the same expansion that would spark a century of border disputes. (Ed: BR 2026-07-20)