Northern and Central Turkey. 57 - 



10. Lastly, In Western Turkey, viz. Western Bosnia, Her- 

 zegowina, Montenegro, and maritime Albania, there is a system 

 of hills running like that of Dalmatia, NW. and SE. 



A prominent character of the orography of European Turkey 

 is the presence of vast cavities or high plains at the foot of the 

 chains, and the number of extensive cross fractures in the latter. 

 The cavities or plains may be regarded for the most part as 

 longitudinal valleys ; and I may mention, as instances of this 

 kind, the great valley of the Morava so far as Stolacz, and the 

 valleys of the Nissava and Isker. A very curious and vast 

 channel exists in Central Turkey, to the south of the central 

 chain. It begins at the foot of the Tschardagh, or in the up- 

 per alluvial basin of the Vardar, and terminates in the Sea of 

 Marmora, the sole interruptions it experiences being to the west 

 of Strazin, to the east of Egri-Palanka, and the west of Soma- 

 kow. There are also the upper basin of the Vardar around 

 Kalkendel, the vast tertiary basin of Uskub, crossed by the 

 river of that name, and those proceeding from Komanova and 

 Karatova, a small basin to the east of Strazin, a pretty large 

 basin from Kostendil to Dzumaa, Dubnicza, and the hills of 

 Somakow ; then the immense basin which commences at Kos- 

 tanitz, contains the alluvial plains of Tartar Basardschik and 

 Philippopolis, and extends to the tertiary basin of Adrianople, 

 and even so far as the Sea of Marmora. 



It may be remarked, that the northern side of the Hoemus is 

 not so near the flat land as the southern, the plain of Wallachia 

 being separated from that chain by a series of tertiary hills, 

 which are chiefly composed of molasse. 



As plains, we may add to those of Philippopolis that between 

 Keuprili and Kratovo, on the Vardar; that of Sophia, ten 

 leagues in breadth and twenty in length ; that of the Upper 

 Strymon or of Radomir, which is smaller and irregularly tri- 

 angular, but not less remarkable, for it appears to have been 

 once the site of a large lake, and afterwards of smaller ones, the 

 recent disappearance of which is still shewn by the occurrence 

 of bogs and black earth. In the upper part of the tributaries 

 of the Ibar lies the remarkable oval plain of Kossova or Pris- 

 tina, which is three leagues in breadth, and from six to ten in 



