CATARACTS, ANB INUNDATIONS. 97 



6, Lake Zirknher, in Carniota. 



This lalce was by the ancients called Lugea Palus, by the moderns 

 Lacus Lugeus, though at present its Latin name be Lacus Cirkni- 

 censis, in High Dutch Zircknizer sea, and in our Carniolan tongue 

 Zirknisko Jeseru. It is at the distance of 6 German miles from the 

 capital city of the province LaV>c, and is a good German mile long, 

 and about half as much in breadth. Its ordinary depth is 10 

 cubits, its least 5 or (5, rarely 3, its greatest is 16 cubits. It is 

 every where surrounded with woody mountains, which on the south 

 and west side are very high, and 3 miles broad, running far into the 

 Turkish country, and afford nothing but horrid stony deserts, over, 

 growu with trees. 



In the mountain called Javornik, near the lake, there are two 

 holes, or exceedingly deep precipices, in which many thousand wild 

 pigeons roost all the whiter; entering in aurumn, and coming-out 

 with the first of the spring; what they live upon in these caverns is 

 unknown, but perhaps the nitrous sand. On the other hill called 

 Slivenza, is a hole of an unknown depth, out of which there often 

 breathe noxious steams, attended with tempests of thunder and 

 lightning and hail. This lake being every where surrounded with, 

 mountains, and nowhere running over, nature has given it two visi- 

 ble channels or stony caverns, by which the water runs under the 

 mountain j and a third concealed subterraneous passage, which, 

 without doubt communicates with the other two under ground. 

 This water having run half a German mile, comes out at the other 

 side of the mountain, in a desert place at a stony cave, and forms 

 the river called by the inhabitants Jesero, that is the lake. This 

 river having run half a quarter of a mile enters a wide stony cavern, 

 running slowly under the hill for the space of a good musket-shot, 

 then coming out again on the other side, after it has run through a 

 small plat, it enters a third cavern or grotto ; wherein having passed 

 50 paces, it runs no longer peaceably as before, but with great noise 

 and roaring falls down a very steep channel of stone. 



About the feast of St. John Baptist, or St. James tide, and some- 

 times not till August, the water runs away, and it is dry; but it fills 

 again in October or November ; yet so as not to observe any cer- 

 tain time ; for sometimes it has been dry twice or thrice in a vear, 



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