312 TKANSACTIONS OF THE 



powdered his hair. The Armenian and other ladies use it now 

 for the same purpose. 



On the eastern coast of the Isthmus of Perecop, wagons are 

 driven into the shallow water and loaded with salt. Hundreds 

 of wagons are seen at a time thus shoveling in salt, the constant 

 natural formed salt; and so it was from the most ancient days. 

 Caravans of these salt Avagons travel as far as Eiga. The wagons 

 have sometimes camels, but generally from two to six white oxen 

 each. 



The Isthmus is low, the Elack Sea and the Sea of Azof are seen 

 from the road. The waters formerly covered it, and the Crimea 

 was an island. 



The Greek geographer Strabo, described the Crimea perfectly — 

 the harbor of Sebastopol, length, breadth, depth, perfectly, more 

 than 1800 years ago. Inkerman means the town of Caverns, from 

 the wonderful excavations in the rocks at the mouth of the little 

 river. Sebastopol, from the whiteness of the rocks about it, was 

 called Aktiar. 



SEBASTOPOL. {August City.) 



The Ealtic is joined to the Black Sea by the Beresinski canal, 

 which unites the rivers Duna Avith the Dnieper, consequently the 

 Bay of Riga with the Black Sea; this is done by means of the 

 river Ulla, which falls into the Duna, and the Sergatcha which 

 falls into the Beresina, a branch of the Dnieper. The Beloje and 

 Beresina lakes lying between greatly facilitates this junction. 

 Fleets of large boats pass down the Duna G\try year, besides 

 large rafts of timber and masts and large boats laden with salt. 

 This canal was commenced in 1797, and finished in 1803. It 

 forms a complete line of navigation from Riga to the Black Sea, 

 through the heart of the country. 



The Polish Count Oginsky, at his own expense, completed a 

 union between the rivers Niemen and Dnieper by a canal of 34 

 miles, for vessels to pass from Koningsburg to the Black Sea. 



Sebastopol is a Greek title meaning August city, on the west 

 side of the Crimea, latitude 4-i degrees and 36 minutes, east 

 longitude from London 33 degrees 30 minutes. The harbor was 

 called by Strabo (1830 years ago) Otenus — is about five miles in 

 length, and a mile, varying less in breadth. Depth of water 

 from 36 feet to 48 feet; close to the shore of Sebastopol 30 feet 

 deep; bottom of clay and mud, and there are no rocks or shoals 

 in it. It is not excelled by any harbor in the world for safety, &c. 



