THE SYR-DARIA 
87 
greatest amount of traffic crosses at the Shakhand ferry ; 
there the earnings in summer amount to 1200 roubles 
u 1 20) a month ; but in winter to only 300 or 400 
roubles (^^30 to ^40). An arba (cart) laden with 
goods pays twenty-five kopeks a loaded camel 
fifteen (3f<fi), a horse five and a foot passenger 
two 
At Gurum-serai, one of the most important of the 
lerries, I made another series of observations. The sky 
being clear and the atmosphere still, the temperature 
of the air at 4.30 p.m. was 23°2 Fahr. (- 4°9 C.), and 
the mean temperature of the water 35°4 Fahr. (i°9 C.). 
The width of the river, which was measured trigonometri- 
cally, was 640 ft. The right bank was low and flat ; 
the left very steep, 10 ft. high, and much excavated 
by the current. I he greatest depth, viz., 9 ft. 5 in., 
occurred at a distance of only 33 ft. from the left bank; 
but, remarkably enough, the greatest velocity (4 ft. i in. 
in the second) occurred at a distance of only 16 ft. from 
the right bank. In the middle of the river there was 
a sandbank, over which the velocity was inconsiderable. 
But on both sides of it, that is between the sandbank 
and the river-banks, where the deeper places were, the 
velocity was much greater. 
The mean depth was 5 ft. 3 in. ; area of vertical section 
3070 square ft. ; mean velocity 2 ft. 7 in. in the second ; 
and volume 7850 cubic feet in the second. The great 
difference of 5050 cubic feet between Khojent and Gurum- 
serai is striking, particularly as the river just at this 
part does not take up any tributary worth mentioning; 
but, as I shall point out shortly, this is explicable from 
modifying conditions of temperature and rainfall. 
On the way from Namangan to Margelan I crossed the 
lower Naryn at the kishlak (winter village) of Jidda-kopo, 
and the lower Kara-daria between the two villages of Ghuja 
and Balikchi. Respecting the two tributaries of the Syr- 
ana, it is generally stated that the Naryn is the more volu- 
minous and the Kara-daria the swifter. In point of fact, 
t e Kara-daria is always the swifter, for within a distance 
