Northern and Central Turkey. 61 



To the south, between Dubnicza and Radomir, it is only neces- 

 sary to cross a small molasse hill not exceeding 300 feet in 

 height, or we may even go round this hill if we avoid Pobovnol 

 and Tedno, and in that case the carriage road only crosses a 

 small sienite elevation at Dubnicza, and an insignificant smooth 

 tertiary hill to the east of Tedno. To the north of Radomir, 

 on ascending by a scarcely perceptible acclivity, first the smooth 

 valley of the winding Strymon, and then the Gerleskarieka, one 

 arrives at Gerlo (Grlo) almost without being aware of the as- 

 cent. At this place a small molasse ridge is crossed, without 

 ascent, by means of a deep defile or rent, running E. and W. 

 and a quarter of a league in length, and after ascending a very 

 little, still on molasse, the point is attained where the water be- 

 gins to flow to the north. A gradually inclined plane leads 

 through pretty deep cross valleys to Scharkoe or Pirot, in the 

 great valley of the Nissava. 



The valleys which form this small inclined plane are Novo- 

 celskorieka, running chiefly N.E. and S.W., Nevljanskarieka, 

 running N. and S. arid also sometimes E. and W., Lakanitschka- 

 rieka, running N.E. and S. W., and Sukova, running E. and W. 

 By means of these it is possible to penetrate from the north into 

 central Turkey with still greater ease than by Kacsanik or 

 Vrana, for carriages may be made use of along the whole line ; 

 and from Scharkoe to Belgrade there are only two hills of small 

 extent, on which the passage of large carriages would be some- 

 what difficult, or which would require some previous prepara- 

 tion, viz. at one league north of Scharkoe, and at two leagues 

 S.E. of Nissa (pronounced Nischa) between Banja and Topol- 

 nitzarieka. 



Lastly, a very low pass, to the south of Tchtiman at Porta 

 Trajana^ separates the plain of Sophia from that of Tatar Ba- 

 sardschik. The plain of Sophia is to be regarded as an upper 

 subordinate portion of the great basin of Bulgaria and Wallachia. 

 with which it is connected by the Iskar Valley, a cross fracture, 

 as also by the bed of the Uraha or Wid. 



(The Geology of Turkey, or second part of this Communication, in our next 

 Numltr). 



