Chap. 6.] Europe and Afia. 497 



extending from Refchow to Aftrachan. It is remark- 

 able -of this river, that it abounds with water during 

 the fumrner months of May and j une ; but ail the reft 

 of the year is fo mallow as fcarcely to cover its bottom, 

 or allow a paflfage for loaded veflels that trade up its 

 ftream. The next in order is the Danube. The courfe 

 of this is about four hundred and fifty leagues, from 

 the mountains of Switzerland to the Black Sea. The 

 Don, or Tanais, which is four hundred leagues from 

 the fource of that branch of it called the Sofma, to its 

 mouth in the Euxine Sea. In one part of its courfe it 

 approaches near the Wolgaj and Peter the Great had 

 actually begun a canal, by which he intended joining 

 thofe two rivers ; but this he did not live to finiflh. 

 The Nieper, or Boryfthenes, rifes in the middle 

 of Mufcovy, and runs the courfe of three hundred and 

 fifty leagues, to empty itfelf into the Black Sea. The 

 Old Coffacks inhabit the banks and iilands of this ri- 

 ver ; and frequently crofs the Black ' Sea, to plunder 

 the maritime places on the ccafts of Turkey. The 

 Dwina takes its rife in a province of the fame name 

 in Ruflla, runs a courfe of three hundred leagues, and 

 difembogues into the White Sea, a little below Arch- 

 angel. 



The largeft rivers of Afia arc, the Hohariho, in 

 China, which is eight hundred and fifty leagues in 

 length, computed from its fource at Raja' Ribron, to 

 its mouth in the Gulph of Changi. The Jenifca of 

 Tartary, about eight hundred leagues in length, from 

 the Lake Selinga to the Icy Sea. This river is, by 

 fome, fuppofed to fupply moft of that great quantity 

 of drift wood which is feen floating in the feas, near 

 the Arctic circle. The Oby, of five hundred leagues, 

 running from die lake of Kila into the Northern- Sea. 



VOL. II. K k The 



