On the Geography and Geology of Turkey* 49 



and Widdin, form the best known limits of that part of Turkey 

 which I travelled through. 



The geological study of Turkey is rendered extremely diffi- 

 cult, owing to the want of proper knowledge as to the geogra- 

 phy of the empire. It would be necessary to construct a total- 

 ly new map before one could delineate the geological features. 

 All the best maps, are crowded with false indications ; I mean 

 not only false or ill-spelled names, but ill-placed localities. Hills 

 and even large rivers are totally omitted ; whilst many parts of 

 the maps on which hills* are marked, are merely imaginary re- 

 presentations of the truth. All maps exhibit a central chain of 

 great magnitude ; now, in reality, we find that the Haemus Moun* 

 tains or Balkans, from Sophia to the Black Sea, are in general 

 only a range of small heights, such as, for instance, the Kahlen- 

 berg, near Vienna. It only rises to a greater elevation near Kec- 

 zanlik, and continues so to Sophia. The central part of the chain 

 may be crossed anywhere in a day, in some parts in less than a 

 day, or even in a few hours. Between Sophia and Uskub we 

 looked in vain for those hills, said to be so high as 9000 or 

 even 11,000 feet; indeed, in some places, Molasse Hills occu- 

 pied the place of these pretended lofty mountains. Even the 

 Alps of Tschardagh or the ancient Skordus, to the west of Us- 

 kub, do not attain that elevation. 



As examples of rivers omitted, I may mention the great 

 western branch of the Ibar, S. and S. W. of Novibazar. 

 This branch receives the Metrovitza and Semnitza, and is the 

 true original Ibar, not the Metrovitza as it is marked on the 

 maps. Karatova in Macedonia is placed some leagues too much 

 to the west on a wrong river ; and the river called the Egridere 

 does not flow like the Braunitzo to Tetip, but joins the Vardar, 

 near Banja and Hankapetan. The Karasu or Strymon runs 

 through no lakes in the upper part of its course. It is only a 

 very winding river with some marshes of inconsiderable extent, 

 and some ground which, from its black colour, would seem to have 

 been formerly of a marshy nature. However, in time of inun- 

 dation, the Strymon forms here and there a broad sheet of water. 

 Near Radomir it describes a great curve from W. to E., which 

 is omitted in the maps. I think that all maps are very faulty 

 in regard to the position and extent of Moesia Superior ; Sophia, 



VOL. XXII. NO. XLI1I. JANUARY 1837. D 



