lakes,1 run W. by S. through, the valley of Koch-hisar
towards Sivas, with a sufficient body to float timber from the
forests in the mountains;2 and at 11 miles E. by S. from
that place3 the river is 60 paces wide. At three miles short
of the city the stream sweeps northward, but again resumes
the previous direction, running close by the houses; and from
thence it tends towards the hills which form the abutments
of the Anti-Taurus. In this part of its course the river is
augmented by several small affluents, so that at 55 miles
W. by S. from the place above-mentioned it has a breadth of
100 yards, and is crossed by a handsome bridge of 17 arches.
The onward course continues as before in the general direction
of W. by S . ; and, after passing about 15 miles distant
from Kaiserlyeh on the northern side, it receives a tributary
which runs into it from the north; and again, a few
miles westward, another'on the opposite side, called the
Kara su, a considerable stream, which comes from the
Taurus, and skirts the southern slope of the lofty Arjish
Tagh (Argseus). The bed of the Kizil Irmak westward of
Sivas is almost always narrow and deep, being hemmed in by
heights composed of soft, pliable, and soluble materials.4
Below Yarapason it flows through a country alternately of
volcanic rocks and saliferous deposits: and here it receives
the Tatlar river, besides its greatest southern tributary, the
river of Akajik, or Argustana; which seems to correspond
with the southern Halys of Pliny.5 This junction takes
place near the beautiful vale of Parnassus, on entering which
the Halys is repelled by the granite rocks of Sari-bulak
Tagh;6 and in 38° 41' N. latitude, it has attained its most
westerly point,7 being about 400 miles from its source.
Here it makes a short bend towards the east, and then runs
nearly north through a fine open valley, generally covered
with saliferous deposits, between the Baranli Tagh on the
1 Such as Tuz-li Goli, Tuz-li Hisar, &c.
8 Mr. Brant’s Journey, Vol. VI. Part II., p. 214, of Royal Geog. Journal.
8 I crossed the river here in 1831.
4 MS. of Mr. Ainsworth on the river Halys and its affluents.
5 Lib- I n - 8 Ibid. ? ibid.
east, and the Pasha and Kartal Taghs on the west. The
Halys receives in this part of its course many small tributaries,
such as the Kalichi su (Sword River), or the river of Kirshehr,
which flows from the Boz Tagh, the Kerwan Serai Tagh, and
the Kara Goz hills;1 and is probably the Cappadox river of
Pliny.2 The river now runs nearly N.E., between the Enkuri
(Angora) and Sivas districts; and at Cheshni Kopri,3 a remarkable
mass of sienitic rocks oppose themselves to the progress of
the water, by forming a partial barrier at the foot of the Begrek
Tagh. Having overcome this obstacle by passing a succession
of rapids, the river runs nearly north through a hilly country
and into a great valley, in which, on the eastern side, it
receives the Deliah su (Mad Water), or river of Yuz-Kat,
with several minor streams. At the termination of this
valley the river enters into one more spacious, called Osman-
jik, in which it receives, from the eastern side, the small
tributary, Kerchak-chai. Just below Osmanjik the river
turns N.W., and enters the heart of the Kush Tagh by a
narrow and deep ravine, everywhere hemmed in by steep and
lofty acclivities, having abrupt cliffs above them. It opens for
a moment immediately north of Hajji Hamsa, to receive, on
the western side, the waters of the Devrek-chai.4 This stream,
which seems to be the ancient Doros, has its source below the
rude and hilly district of Karaiiler and Kara Viran (Black
Ruin) ; a country of basaltic and igneous rocks, which extend
•across from the slopes of the Kush Tagh to those of the A1
Goz Tagh. Several tributary streams here conspire to fertilize
the land and enrich the villages, especially in the vale of
Tosiyah, which is one of the best cultivated and most productive
in Asia Minor,5 abounding with gardens and the
country-houses of the principal inhabitants.
After receiving the Devrek-chai, the Kizil Irmak enters
the almost impracticable glens of the A1 Goz Tagh, below
which, within a very circumscribed space, it receives also,
1 Ainsworth’s MS. ! Lib. VI., c. 3.
8 Cheshni K6pri, properly ChiUnlglr, the King’s taster.—Mr. Renouard
Vol. X. Part III., p. 283, of Journal of the Royal Geographical Society.
* MS. of Mr. Ainsworth on the Halys, &c. 8 Ibid.