372 



RUSSIA IN EUEOPE. 



The actual level of the Caspian, which seems to have varied little throughout 

 the present geological period, is about 85 feet below that of the Euxine. During 

 its subsidence the water has left in the middle of the steppes a number of saline 

 marshes, such as Lake Yelton ; but most of the land formerly submerged, 

 including even certain depressions lower than the Caspian, has been completely 

 dried up" by evaporation. The general inclination of the plains stretching north 

 of the Caspian is almost imperceptibly continued below the surface, so that one 

 must wade for miles from the shore before reaching deep water. Off the Volga 

 delta large steamers are obliged to anchor in the so-called " Nine Fort " roads, 



Fig. 197.— West Manîch River. 

 Scale 1 : 2,140,000. 



24 Miles. 



almost out of sight of land, and the whole of this northern section of the basin 

 may be regarded as a flooded steppe, which a slight upheaval would convert into 

 plains similar to those of Astrakhan. North of the Terek mouths and Manghishlak 

 peninsula the depth scarcely exceeds 8 fathoms, and the navigation is here 

 much impeded by numerous sand-banks. This part of the sea, comprising about 

 one-third of its entire area, is so low that during the prevalence of the northern 

 gales the waters retreat at times some 20 miles southwards, and when this occurs 

 in winter the ice gets broken up, causing the destruction of myriads of fish. 



Owing to its deficiency of salt, the Caspian is poor in shell-fish, but extremely 

 rich in other fishes, a circumstance due to the abundance of vegetable food in the 



