DON COSSACKS. 
world affording a greater variety, or in greater 
perfection. Among the principal are, the beluga, 
the common sturgeon, the sterlet, sudak, trout, 
Prussian carp, tench, pike, perch, water-tortoises, and 
crawfsh of an enormous size. Some of the last, 
equal in size to our lobsters, are caught in great 
abundance, by sinking small cylindrical nets, 
about six inches in diameter, baited with pieces 
of salted fish. They sold at the rate of two- 
pence (English) per hundred; and in certain 
seasons of the year the same number may be 
had for half that sum. The beluga is the largest 
eatable fish known. In the kidneys of very 
old belugas are sometimes found calculi, as large 
as a man’s fist. Professor Pallas gave us a 
concretion of this nature, which Doctor Tennant 
has since analyzed: it consists almost wholly 
of phosphat of lime. The lower sort of people 
keep these calculi as talismans, for the cure of 
certain disorders. Strahlenberg relates, that he 
saw a beluga fifty-six feet long, and near eighteen 
feet thick. In the Dan they seldom exceed 
twelve feet in length. This fish, in its shape, 
resembles the sturgeon. One of the oldest fisher- 
men upon the Don possessed a secret, enabling 
him to ensnare the largest belugas ; but he would 
not communicate to any one his valuable dis- 
covery. We saw him fishing at a considerable 
distance from our boat, and could distinctly 
