Neighbourhood ()f the Caspian Sea. 131 



nexion with the Black Sea. Now, however, the testacea begin 

 gradually to die out, so that they fill, with their calcareous re- 

 mains, all the coast of the sea, and the sands of the islands, as 

 well as the deepest sea-bottom. .mwi <>j 



Baku. — The neighbourhood of Baku, as well as the islands 

 in the bay of Baku, every where display rocks of shell-limestone 

 of the tertiary period. The soil through which the perpetual 

 fire of Baku rushes, is a shell-limestone, in which we observe 

 many shells, but can distinguish only small Cardia. Its colour 

 is often blackish, which may arise from the penetration of the 

 naphtha, for it has a strong naphthic smell. It is disposed 

 in horizontal strata, sometimes porous, and appears as if fire 

 had acted on it. Other limestones occur, with conchoidal frac- 

 ture, and with few or no shells ; but, as we approach the naph- 

 tha springs, the limestone becomes less and less abundant ; at 

 length its place is taken by a blackish earthy loam, which is 

 deeply impregnated with naphtha. 



The naphtha pits or wells are here very numerous, and differ 

 in depth. The best colourless thin naphtha shews by the araeo- 

 meter 18f°; the worst, and consequently the thickest, only 11 

 per cent. : the one is pure and perfectly liquid ; the other, when 

 poured from one vessel into another, is very tenacious. The an- 

 nual quantity collected of black naphtha amounts to 243,600 

 pud ; while the white kind is only 800 pud. 



Here, also, occurs the great salt lake, the Massassir, about 

 fifteen wersts from Baku, which, when at its greatest height, is 

 about five wersts long, and half as broad. Its circumference is 

 about twelve wersts. Every summer it affords about 150,000 

 pud of salt, but, in case of urgency, could yield 320,000 pud. 

 The Lake of Sich, about seventeen wersts from Baku, is only 

 one and a-half wersts long, and about one werst broad, and five 

 wersts in circumference. It never dries up. The salt forms a 

 layer on the bottom three inches thick, and annually affords 

 20,000 pud, but 200,000 could be collected from it. The 

 other lakes, many in number, afford annually 160,000 pud, but 

 could produce 566,000, if there was demand for the salt. 



The perpetual fire, about fifteen wersts N.E from Baku, in front 

 of the town of Ssarachani, is not, as earlier travellers maintain. 



