PHYSICAL CONTEMPLATION OF THE UNIVERSE. 141 



planted by them on the Euxine, procured a more exact 

 knowledge of the north and east boundaries of that sea, thus 

 giving to the geographical portion of the mythus more 

 definite outlines. An important series of new views began 

 at the same time to open ; the west coast of the neighbour- 

 ing Caspian had long been the only one known, and Heca- 

 tseus still regarded this western shore ( 20 ) as that of the 

 encircling eastern ocean ; it was the venerable father of 

 history who first taught the fact, which after him was 

 again contested for six centuries until the time of Ptolemy, 

 that the Caspian Sea is a closed basin, surrounded by 

 land on every side. 



In the north east corner of the Black Sea an extensive 

 field was also opened to ethnology. Men were astonished 

 at the multiplicity of languages which they encountered ; ( 201 ) 

 and the want of skilful interpreters (the first aids and rough 

 instruments of the comparative study of languages) was 

 strongly felt. The exchange of commodities led traders be- 

 yond the Mseotic Gulf (which was supposed to be of far 

 larger dimensions than it really is), through the steppe 

 where the horde of the central Kirghis now pasture their 

 herds, and through a chain of Scythian-Scolotic tribes of 

 the Argippseans and Issedones (who I take to be of Indo- 

 Germanic ( 202 ) origin), to the Arimaspes ( 203 ) dwelling on 

 the northern declivity of the Altai, and possessing much 

 gold. Here is the ancient " kingdom of the Griffin/' the 

 site of the meteorological mythus of the Hyperboreans, ( 204 ) 

 which has wandered with Hercules far to the westward. 



It may be conjectured that the part of Northern Asia 

 above alluded to (which has again been rendered cele- 

 brated in oui own days by the Siberian gold washings), as 



