54 
THROUGH ASIA 
and some public buildings, the residence of the chief of 
the district {tiyasdny natyahiik) being the most important. 
Each was surrounded by a grove of fine silver poplars, 
in the tops of which a host of crows kept up an incessant 
chatter. 
The Ural Cossacks have the exclusive right of fishing 
in the river. They confine themselves principally to its 
estuary; the previous year (1892) they had taken 14,000 
sturgeon. At the time of my visit the river was expected 
to freeze every day ; and as it often becomes frost-bound 
in a single night, the fishermen had already beached 
their boats. Higher up the adjacent land does not rise 
much above the level of the current, so that a hard frosty 
night often inundates extensive tracts of country. The 
water, flowing over the ice, freezes again thicker than 
before, and so compels the stream to find another course. 
Sometimes this puts a stop to traffic, for the inundated 
tracts can be crossed neither on horseback nor with 
arba (cart), and the post-troikas are compelled to make 
long detours into the steppe. 
Accompanied by seven Cossacks, I made a short 
excursion for the purpose of examining the current, etc., 
of the river. Near the fort, on the right bank, we found 
a depth of not less than forty-nine feet. The volume 
of water was just now the lowest that had been observed 
for fifteen years. In the months of July and August the 
stream is highest, and it gradually sinks during the 
autumn. The water was a yellowish -grey colour, but 
good to drink. 
The climate of Kazalinsk is also influenced by the 
proximity of Lake Aral ; although in the winter the 
thermometer sinks as low as - 22° to - 31° Fahr. (-30“ to 
— 35° C.). The snowfall is inconsiderable, and the snow 
disappears quickly ; for this reason sledging is not common. 
At the time of my visit there was a good deal of mist 
and fine rain. I paid forty-nine roubles (^4 iSi'.) there 
for the 240 miles, and for four horses, to Perovsk, and 
in the latter town for the 385 miles, and for three horses, 
to Tashkend sixty-one roubles {£6 2s.). 
