Qiieries and Answers, 4 79 



supposed greater than the quantity of fresh water with which 

 it is supplied." 



The above article (No. 113.) states, " La Mer Caspienne est 

 a 325 pieds au-dessous de la Mer Noire." [The Caspian Sea 

 is about 325 ft. lower than the Black Sea.] No. 114. adds, 

 " Engelhardt a tort de pretendre qu'elle a baisse de 200 pieds, 

 et perdu ainsi 30,000 milles carres de surface." [Engelhardt 

 is wrong in saying that it has sunk 200 ft., and thus lost 30,000 

 square miles of surface.] 



Professor Lyell (vol. i. p. 320.) says, 8 The level of the 

 Caspian is lower than the Black Sea by more thanjifty feet" 

 Again : " The Caspian is one hundred and fifty feet below the 

 level of the Sea of Azof" (vol. ii. p. 163.); and, "the lowest 

 parts surrounding the Caspian Sea are three hundred feet below 

 the level of the Euxine." (vol. iii. p. 271.) 



The Hon. Mr. Strangways {Geological Transactions, vol. i. 

 p. 39. 2d series) states the difference to be 54*2 toises. 



Again : Mr. Lyell says, " The Mediterranean occupies only 

 79,800 square leagues." No. 114., that " La Mer Mediter- 

 ranee a 900 milles de long, et occupe 400,000 milles carres." 

 [The Mediterranean Sea is 900 miles long, and occupies 

 400,000 square miles.] 



No. 114. adds 4 — " La mer Caspienne a 145 milles de long, 

 et 45 de large : done sa surface est de 6000 milles carres. . . 

 sa profondeur est 300 pieds." [The Caspian Sea is 145 miles 

 long, and 45 broad: therefore its surface is 6000 square 

 miles : . . . its depth is 300 ft.] 



Now, Malte-Brun (Brussels edition, vol, ii, p. 129.) says, 

 " Elle a une longueur de 275 lieues, et une largeur de 41 lieues 

 a. Pendroit le plus etroit ; mais de 100 lieues a l'endroit le 

 plus large. . . . La profondeur de cette mer est peu consider- 

 able, excepte l'extremite meridionale, ou une sonde de 380 

 toises n'a pas atteint le fond." [It has a length of 275 leagues, 

 and a breadth of 41 leagues at the narrowest part, but of 

 100 leagues at the broadest. . ... The depth of this sea is but 

 inconsiderable, except at the southern extremity, where a line 

 of 380 toises did not reach the bottom.] Mr. Han way found 

 no bottom near the shore with a line of 450 fathoms. {Pole- 

 hampton, iii. 231.) 



Farther on, Malte-Brun (vol. iii. p. 343.) gives to the 

 Mediterranean 131,980 square leagues of surface, at 25 to a 

 degree, and to the Caspian 18,600; while, including the Sea 

 of Azof with the Black Sea, he assigns to them 23,750 square 

 leagues. He says also (vol. i. p. 357.) that the Red Sea is 

 higher than the Mediterranean, and that the Black Sea is 

 higher than the ocean. 



