35 



Worden. At length it comes to Leyden, and faintly fi- 

 nishes its course, by losing the small remainder of its 

 waters in two or three canals. 



The ca ;se of the Rhine's fate is well known. It was 

 an earthquake which shook the Downs, in the ninth cen- 

 tury, and filling the month of this river, forced it to re- 

 turn, and seek a new passage. The Leek was then 

 scarce worth notice ; but the waters of the Rhine, which 

 were driven back, swelled and deepened its channel: 

 and the entrance of the sea has been ever since shut 

 against the ancient course of tliQ Rhine. It is supposed, 

 that Zealand was then divided into the several islands 

 we see now : and that those lands, woods, and mea- 

 dows, which were between Amsterdam and the Texel, 

 were overflowed and covered with the waters still re- 

 maining, and known by the name of the Zuyder sea. 



The lake Baiucal, in Siberia, is the greatest fresh wa- 

 ter la?;e yet discovered. It extends in length above five 

 hundred leagues, and is from twenty-five to eighty 

 leagues in breadth. It is every where deep and navi- 

 gable. The water is extremely clear, and abounds with 

 fine fish. It receives abundance of rivers, but none runs 

 out of it, besides one, the Angara. 



Salt lakes are common in many parts of Siberia. 

 Some contain a pure white salt, tit for use, which in 

 summer is crystalized by the heat of the sun, and forms 

 a crust oa tiie top of the lake. Springs of salt water 

 sometimes rise in the midst of fresfi water. One of 

 these rises through a rock, in the bed of the river An- 

 gara. Thirty leagues above this, there is a hill thirty 

 fathom high and two hundred and ten long, consisting 

 entirely of rock salt. There are some lakes, which 

 were fresh some years since, but are now salt : some 

 have by degrees dried up ; others appear, where for- 

 merly it was dry ground. And some of these, which 

 at first had no fish, are now plentifully flocked there- 

 with. The natives say, ducks and other birds that 

 live upon fish, carry their eggs from one lake to another* 

 c 5 



