55G 



BLACK SEA. 



Black 

 Sea. 



by a green substance, resembling some of the layaa 

 of iEtna, which have been decomposed by acidife- 

 ' rous vapours. Near the same vein appeared a sub- 

 stance resembling native mercury, but in such ex- 

 ceedingly minute particles, in a crumbling matrix, 

 that it was impossible to preserve a specimen. The 

 summit of this insular rock is the most favourable si- 

 tuation for surveying the mouth of the canal ; which 

 thus viewed has the appearance of a crater, whose 

 broken sides opened towards the Black Sea, and, by 

 a smaller aperture, towards the Bosphorus. The A- 

 iiatic side of the Strait is distinguished by appearan- 

 ces similar to those already described ; with this dif- 

 ference, that, opposite to the island, a little to the 

 east of the Anatolian lighthouse, a range of basaltic 

 pillars may be discerned, standing upon a base in- 

 clined towards the sea ; and, when examined with 

 a telescope, exhibiting very regular prismatic forms. 

 From the consideration of all the preceding observa- 

 tions, and comparing events recorded in history with 

 the phenomena of nature, it is perhaps more than a 

 conjectural position, that the bursting of the Thra- 

 cian Bosphorus, the deluge mentioned by Diodorus 

 Siculus, and the draining of the waters which once 

 united the Black Sea to the Caspian, and covered the 

 great Oriental plain of Tartary, were all the conse- 

 quence of earthquakes caused by subterranean fires, 

 described as still burning at the time of the passage 

 of the Argonauts, and whose effects are visible even 

 at this hour." 



The Black Sea received its name from the darkness 

 which often covers it, particularly during winter, in 

 consequence of thick fogs and falling rains. This 

 obscurity is often so great, that mariners are un- 

 able to see a cable's length from their vessels, and on 

 these occasions the entrance of the Bosphorus is im- 

 practicable. Dr Clarke affirms, that there is no sea 

 in which the navigation is more dangerous ; that shal- 

 lows hitherto unnoticed in any chart frequently occur 

 when vessels are out of sight of land, and that dread- 

 ful storms come on so suddenly, and with such fury, 

 that every mast is carried overboard almost as soon as 

 the first symptom of a change of weather is observed. 

 Admirals Priestman and Wilson, who commanded the 

 Russian fleet, described the Black Sea as exhibiting 

 tempests more horrible than any thing they had ever 

 encountered in the ocean. This account of the Black 

 Sea is completely contrary to that given by Tourne- 

 fort. " Whatever the ancients may have said," ob- 

 serves this able naturalist, " the Black Sea has nothing 

 black but the name ; the winds do not blow there with 

 more fury ; and the storms are not more frequent than 

 ii other seas. We must pardon the exaggeration of 

 the ancient poets, and particularly the chagrin of 

 Ovid. The 6and of th>> Black Sea, indeed, is of the 

 same colour with the sand of the White Sea, and its 

 waters are equally pure. If the coasts of this sea, in 

 ohort, which are reckoned so dangerous, appear gloomy 

 from a distance, it is owing to the woods which cover 

 them, or the great distance which gives them the ap- 

 pearance of blackness. The sky here was so beau- 

 tiful and so serene during the whole of our voyage, 

 that we could not avoid giving the lie to Valerius 

 Flaccus, the famous Latin poet, in describing the 

 route of the Argonauts, who passed for the most ce- 

 lebrated sailors of antiquity, but who were only very 



little boys when compared with Vincent le Blanc, 

 Tavernier, &c. This poet assures us, that the sky 

 on the Black Sea is always obscured with fogs." 

 ( l v y n g e d* 1 Levant, Lett. xvi. torn. iii. p. 1.) The 

 same opinion is stated by Mr Thornton in his Survey 

 of the Turkish Empire. " It is a notion," says he, 

 " received among the Turks, that the Black Sea is 

 dangerous. To them indeed it is truly black ; and 

 it would even be so to British sailors in such vessels 

 as the Turks use, and which are peculiar to that sea ; 

 they cannot lie to, and are consequently obliged to 

 run before the wind, and if they miss a port, go oa 

 shore. It is not more stormy than other seas." 



Besides being distinguished by the haziness of its 

 atmosphere, and by the storms with which it is agi- 

 tated, the Black Sea is remarkable for its extraordi- 

 nary temperature. Ovid, during his residence on the 

 Black Sea, had observed, the " ingenlem slack con- 

 sistcre poiUum ;" and Dr Clarke was informed by 

 Captain Bergamini, that he was once detained^Vj 

 months in the mouth of the Danube by the freezing 

 of the sea. 



The Black Sea abounds with sea-worms, which 

 gnaw the planks of vessels, and in the space of two 

 years completely destroy the sides of the ships. These 

 animals are four or five inches long. Their head re- 

 sembles an arrow, and their body consists of a whitish 

 mucilage. The only way of destroying them has 

 been until lately, to lay up the vessels for two years 

 to careen them, and to cover the sides with burning 

 pitch and juniper wood. The vessels which navigate 

 the Black Sea are now begun to be coppered, which 

 is the only effectual remedy against the attack of 

 these worms. 



The force kept by the Russians in the Black Sea, 

 consists of the flotillas of Nicola'ief and Sevastapool. 

 The first of these comprehends 70 or 80 shallops 

 decked and carrying guns, with some others which are 

 row boats. The latter is composed of four vessels of 

 the line, and four or five frigates. This naval force is 

 not under the direction of the Admiralty of St Pe- 

 tersburgh, but under an High Admiral stationed at 

 Nicola'ief. 



We shall now conclude this article, by giving 

 some account of the commerce of the Black Sea, for 

 which we are principally indebted to Mr Reuilly, who 

 travelled along its shores so late as the year 1803. 



" The storms frequent in the Black Sea," observes 

 that learned traveller, " and the savage state of the pco- 



Bladc 

 Sea. 



le inhabiting its coasts, prevented the Greeks for a 

 long time from visiting its shores. The expedition 

 of the Argonauts is the first trace of navigation and 



le 



commerce in that sea, which antiquity has transmitted 

 to us. 



This trade took place principally in the Oriental 

 parts, but notwithstanding the establishment of seve- 

 ral colonies upon its coasts, it was inconsiderable du- 

 ring the first ages of Greece, and under the empire of 

 the Romans. It did not begin to flourish until the 

 time of the crusades, when the Latins possessed them- 

 selves of Constantinople : at that time the Genoese 

 and the Venetians carried on this trade with such con- 

 siderable advantage, that the conquest of Egypt by 

 the Arabs having entirely ruined the ancient com- 

 merce of Alexandria, the merchandise of India open- 

 ed itself a new way to the European markets ; they 



