11 



.\vril \KH.\V. 



ASTRAKHAN. 



oil 



y. O*i>iia^oiu, fWktritt. The productiveness which 

 nature seems to have denied to the land she has lavished upon the 

 coasts and river*. The great element of the prosperity of Astrakhan 

 are the waters of the Volga, which is scarcely equalled by any other 

 stream in the world for abundance of fish. This noble river (the 

 ancient Rha< whose course is diverted by the mountains of its own 

 name (which are a branch of the extensive line of the Ural, from a 

 southern to a south-easterly direction) at a short distance before it 

 enter* this province, flows through it in constantly increasing breadth 

 and with a very winding course ; before its fall into the Caspian about 

 50 miles below Astrakhan it branches into 8 principal arms and B5 

 subsidiary outlets, forming this quarter of the province into a delta 

 of 70 islands. In the spring of the year its fishing grounds, parti- 

 cularly between the sea and the capital, are so abundantly stocked 

 with the sturgeon, pike, seal, salmon, shad, and every other species 

 which inhabits the Caspian, as to employ upwards of 5000 vessels and 

 twice that number of persons, who are attracted by the fisheries from 

 remote places. The isinglass and sturgeons' roe or caviar are chiefly 

 the fruit* of Tartar and Kalmuck industry. The net annual profit 

 of the Astrakhan fisheries along the Volga has been estimated at 

 380,0007. The traffic on this river is another source of prosperity to 

 .the province ; above 5000 ships, barks, and rafts freighted with salt, 

 grain, and timber, descend this stream in the course of the year, and 

 by means of the canal* that connect the Neva with the Volga, vessels 

 laden at Astrakhan can sail to St. Petersburg without ever unloading 

 their cargoes. The chief trade of Russia with Persia is carried on by 

 the route of the Volga and the Caspian Sea ; it is conducted chiefly 

 by Armenian merchants who purchase European manufactures in 

 the fairs of Leipsic, Hamburgh, and Nijnei-Novgorod, and transport 

 them by the Volga or the Caspian to Tabriz. 



The fisheries of the Volga centre principally at Astrakhan, or rather 

 on the branches of the river some distance below it Every wear ha* 

 its group of huts (with a little church attached) in which from 'two to 

 three score fishermen reside ; they are divided into divers, catchers, 

 salting-men, and makers of caviar and isinglass. Each little colony is 

 provided with spacious ice-cellars, which contain comportments for 

 storing away the fish when salted, with intervals between the com- 

 partments which are filled with ice. The spring fishery opens with 

 the spawning season, when the ice breaks up and the fish enter the 

 river from the Caspian ; they are preceded by innumerable ahoals of 

 small fry, some descriptions of which, particularly the obla, are caught 

 and used a* bait for the larger species which succeed them. The 

 fishing season both nn the Volga and Caspian closes about the middle 

 of May, when the fishermen return for a time to Astrakhan and sell 

 their stock. The fish move out of the Volga in the autumn ; and thi* 

 is a signal for the men to recommence their operations, which are 

 prolonged to the depth of winter ; the fish being frozen at this season 

 when they are brought to land are more easily preserved. Many of 

 the Astrakhan dealers also send out parties in spring and autumn to 

 take seals along the shores of the Caspian islands, where they are 

 flared and salted and forwarded to Astrakhan for the sake of their 

 skins and the oil extracted from the carcass. 



An expanse of sand and swamps above 250 miles in breadth 

 extending north-east of the delta separates the Volga from the Ural, 

 which form* the eastern boundary of Astrakhan and the western 

 limit of the Kirghish-Coesack steppe : the waters of the Ural ore 

 moderately clear, abound in flab, and are navigable for barks up 

 the whole of its tortuous course northward from the Caspian, and 

 beyond the point where it quits this province to enter that of Oren- 

 burg, a distance of at least 400 miles. [OBiUBcao.] Both banks of 

 this river are lined by a dreary waste of rushes, and (west of it in 

 the Astrakhan district.) are inhabited by the Cossacks of the Ural, 

 who resort to it* bank* at certain seasons of the year for the purpose 

 of fishing. They sell their fish in the interior of Russia frequently 

 to the extent of two millions of roubles per annum. The scene 

 which occur* at the winter fishery is of a singular description, for 

 the fish must be taken under the ice. Several thousands of Cossack* 

 doty licensed hasten to the spot in their sledge*, each provided with 

 a pranged instrument, pike*, and other weapon* ; they station them- 

 selves on their arrival so as to form an extended line, from which 

 none dare advance a (ingle step under pain of having their instru- 

 ments broken over their heads by the guard* appointed to preserve 

 order. The signal for the onslaught is made by the attaman of the 

 fishery starting forward in hi* iledge ; the whole line then breaks 

 ground, and each rushes onward* to some spot in the frozen stream 

 where he effects an opening in the ice, and in a moment thousands 

 of pike* are in motion. The dealer* from the interior follow at the 

 fishermen's elbow and bargain fur the fish before it is caught, a salvo 

 however being made in behalf of the emperor, to whom the first 

 fruits of the fishery belong. The chancery of the UraBan army 

 derives a revenue of 40007, a year from the several flatteries. But 

 it frequently happens that during this (winter) fishing a violent wind 

 Mow* off shore, and drive* the ice with both fish and fishermen on 

 it oat to ses ; the poor fellows are inevitably doomed to a watery 

 grave unl-s the wind should shift and blow them on shore again. 

 The other streams of note whirh water Astrakhan are the Akhtuha, 

 a considerable arm of the Volga which branches off from the left bank 

 -.1 mile* above TiariUyn, runs for 280 mile* close to and parallel 



with the main stream, and falls into the Caspian near Krasno-yank ; 

 and the Greater and Lexer Uxeen which rise in the province of 

 Saratov, and like many other inconsiderable rivers in this region loee 

 themselves in lakes on the steppes. These lakes among which we may 

 name the Bogdo, Banhushatskoi, and Kamysh-Samara, are so many 

 storehouses of salt, and are turned to good account by the Astrak- 

 IkBMMk 



A *imaU.ln the lowlands on the banks of the Volga foesil elephant 

 bones are occasionally found. Among other existing animal* there 

 are in Astrakhan the wild ass, carnal, and antolope-eaiga, whose horns 

 are semi-transparent; there are also the bustard, kite, falcon, pheasant, 

 and snipe. The tarantula, scorpion, and locust occur in Astrakhan ; 

 and Pallas speaks of having seen many porcupines with ears, one of 

 which he observed in the act of devouring a living snake by the 

 tail, which could neither resist nor extricate itaelf. The natives are 

 herdsmen and grazier* as well as fishers ; droves of horned cattle are 

 kept wherever there is pasture : they are turned out half-starved from 

 their wretched winter-quarter* as soon as the snow has disappeared. 

 Goats are also reared, not so much for the sake of their milk or 

 flesh as of their hides, with which the Russian prepares morocco- 

 leather : there is a fine species of hair too, which either falls from the 

 animal's back or is combed from it, out of which a stuff of beautiful 

 texture is occasionally woven. But the greatest resource possessed by 

 the rural population and nomadic tribes of the province is their flocks 

 of sheep. These consist principally of a native breed, the Kirghishian 

 or Astrakhan species; it is of large size, somewhat resembles the 

 deer in shape, has a wild appearance, and is distinguished by its 

 immense bushy tail, which has been found in some instances to weigh 

 as much as 40 pounds. When full-grown the wool of thin breed is 

 short, and coarse; but the lamb yields a fine and beautiful fleece. 

 The richer class of proprietors in this and the neighbouring provinces 

 hare obtained an improvement of breed by frequent crosses with 

 the Merino, Saxon, Silesian, and other finer-fleeced breeds. To the 

 Kalmuck, Tartar, and Cossack, however, there is no animal in 

 Astrakhan BO valuable as the horse ; the Kalmuck in particular uses 

 tile flesh and milk for the support of his household. t)>. .-kin 

 clothing, and the sinews for his ropes, tackle, Ac. The Kalmuck 

 species is diminutive, fiery yet tractable, ami very hardy ; OA 

 winter they are wholly dependent upon what the snow-coated .- 

 may afford, and are consequently ill-conditioned in general, and wild ; 

 they herd close together both for society and defence, and each party 

 is subordinate to one of the males as their leader. When attacked by 

 wolves or other wild beasts they collect into a body, ami repel the 

 attack of the enemy with their heels. The whole number of domesti- 

 cated animals in the province has been estimated at 4,000,000 sheep, 

 1,000,000 horses, 500,000 camels, and 200,000 homed cattle. 



The Population of Astrakhan is composed of Russian*, Cossacks, 

 Tartars, Kalmucks, Armenians, Indiana, and other settlers from 

 various parts of Europe and Asia. Nearly one-half of this population 

 would appear to consist of Kalmucks, who occupy large tract* to the 

 east of the Volga ; the number of their kibitkes, or tents, being com- 

 puted at 13,100. Another considerable portion of the po|>ul:r 

 composed of the Cossacks of the Ural, who are esteemed the finest, 

 the wealthiest, and the bravest Coeaack corps in the Russian n 

 whence they have acquired the appellation of ' the Eye of the Army ;' 

 they garrison the small forts along the line of their native river : 

 have estimated the number of their fighting-men at 20,000. In.).- 

 pendently of these there are a few colonies of Tartars of Kasan 

 extraction, about 1900 yurtas or tents of Nomadic Knnduroff-Tartars, 

 or Manguttea, descendants of the Nogay horde, who lead a wan- 

 life in the regions of the Lower Akhtuba ; and, as some writers 

 report, 12,000 kibitkes of Bukay-Tartars, who are settled in the 

 districts between the Volga and the Lesser Unen. 



/nduttrial Produrtt. To the principal branches of industry 

 already enumerated we may add the manufacturing of magnesia, 

 tallow, and soap in considerable quantities, distilleries of brandy and 

 spirits, some large leather, and a few silk ami e.otton manufactories. 

 Astrakhan soap is in much request among the Russians on account of 

 its firm substance and fragrant scent. The Volga, which sec-ires a 

 ready access to the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea, has hitherto 

 rendered the capital of this province the principal seat of the traffic 

 carried on between Asia and the Russian dominions. 



Astrakhan is politically divided into four circles : Astrakhan, 

 Kraxno-yarsk, Yenotayewsk, and Tsherno-yank ; but there are no 

 spots in it deserving of any distinct notice excepting the capital. frin 

 which the whole province derives its name, and I'raNkoi, tl, 

 town of the Cossacks of the UraL Of the remainder, the nliort 

 mvouiit which follows will convey a sufficient idea. At a distance of 

 somewhat ha* than five miles above the city of Astrakhan is Kal- 

 m*:tni-lla#tr, a place on the right bank of the Volga, in which all 

 sale and barter between the townsmen ami the wandering peo]il<> <;" 

 the steppes are carried on. In the market-place stands tlie Kuxsian 

 with his brandy, bread, and coarse household stuff; the Armenian 

 with his wine and stuff* fur clothing; the Tartar in .picst of nhcep 

 for the Astrakhan market ; OIK! the Circassian hard at work in making 

 ironware and leather articles. Here the Kalmuck also resorts with 

 his supply of domestic manufactures, cntti. .: n. I felt. " I'll' <e sorm 

 of the steppe are seldom a match for their customers," says Potocki. 



