3 3 0 RUS S IA IN \ E U R 0 PEi
M in e r a i »
W a t e rs .
Natural -
Curiofities.
ces have been often"found, converted it were, info ores' of that metal.
But the moft celebrated is near Sarêpta on the Vctfgaf difcöv^red'
in -i 775- The fprings are" here numerous' and ^opfeus; and ftfrorigly
impregnated with iron. In thé diftrifl: of Perekop^ and x>n the ifle
of Taman, belonging to the government of Taurida, there are fpnngs of
Naphtha6. ,
The -natural curiofities of Ruffia in Europe have fiercely heen emb-
merated, except thofe which indicate
northern a clime- Not to mention the rocks of ice', of many miles in*
extent and furprifing height, which navigate the frozen ocean, adorned*
like cathedrals with pinnacles, which reflect a thoufand cbkm-rsfrn^ the
fun, öï Aurora Borealis j it is well known that the’emfrrfefs Anne built,
a palace of ice, on the bank of the Neva, in 1740, which vyas fifty-
two feet in length, and when illuminated had a - furprifing' effect-
The thirteen cataraQ:» of the Meper,: about g x > miles «Bcfvfe-'lttf eftuary^’
are - compofed of fucceffive banks of granite;' which projeft through*
the bed of the river; and in the government of Olónetz other curious;,
catarafts may be fouruf. In the fame region, near thofe mountains- ‘vrhrcfe
abound, with iron, are found various fragments of birch trees1 ancK
ether vegetables mineralized by that metal,, while the texuire of the
wood remains vifible, and' the tender white rind, which "'fffongly
-refifts corruption, preferves its original appearance. The 'fo il "iss
changed into ferruginous earth,, and the grafly fod becomes iron orefr-
RUSSIAN IS EES.
T he fmall ifle of Cronffadt, in the gulph of Finland!, was formerly"
«ailed Retufavi, and is only remarkable for an excellent haven, ftrongly
fortified, the chief Ration of the Ruffian fleet. In the Balric, Ruffia alfo
poffefles the iflands of Oefel, and Dago, which are of a confiderable
« Tookc, i, 283. ’ Ibid, i. 109.
fize
C II A P. IV., 1$ A;T,Ü R A L ' G E O G RA P H Y . 33»
frze b u t full o f rocks : the marble ^ f the firft1 iflandr is however, beau- &J |f ,AsM%
tiful. Both frfes are cfrieffy peopled fry'Etonians. (
T h e re are feveral ifles near frie^ffiore .of Ruffian, jLaplarid, and in the Novapi
White;» frea, frut ’generallybarren arid, ipiinhabitedfrrocks,- Novaya
Zettilia,. or. the New Land is afro uninhabited, and is faid, tfr confift of
five ifles, but tfre channel^. frftyjf^n :tfrem are<; alyays. filled with ice.6
Beals, walrufeC qr£tfe,'fo3te§, wfrjfre hearsj afid ,a few rein deer, c©n-
fritute the apology <|f tfri$ dsfexA-y, apd ^fg.ocpafrqaally bunfed b y the
people of HVfezen. frPo.*he .forith/of- Npvayk ,Zemlia is ifre fea o f -Cara,
(Kar'feoye)*ari which'thje frde flotys-abeJut. t^vcf feet nine jifefres»
b The remote and dreary iflands offrpdtzb’efrgen .havingbeen taken pof- Spitzberg©».
feffion^cSf by-lthe Ruffians,!they m a y b e ,frer£ briefly^efeisbed.■ This'
country jhas'by-fome been ftyled New Greenland, a name which ats- ,
curately belongs tobhe weftern fide ©f Greenland proper, iri North
America, while the eaflern' fide .sis called Olfi^Qneehland, as having
blfnAanciently planted by thefjDariesl, thorighlfiMe blocked up by ic£*
The main land" o f Spitzbergen extendstabpug‘3db miles, from- the fouth*
cape, ^6. 76^30'*,.to Verlegafr-Hook, rat.^Bfrty • Tn an adjacent- fmall
iflo are'faid to ■ be hafafric columns, - from 18 inches in diameter, '
and moftly hexagonal”. ' "Driftwodd is frequent in thefe northern latitudes',
,-partly perhaps from the banks oPtfre Ob, 'and partly from •"
America, there being a ftrong current from ‘the Weffilndie^ ho '- the
N .tE. Spitzbergen is fuppofed to' have|fr^rij firfl; dtfeb'yej^d^by the ■
"Dutch navigator Barentz in 1596.4'^The mountains are of granite and
grit, the higheft riot exceeding 4 0 0 0 feet; for mountains;in general
decline in height towards the poles»'" The. icebergs,- orfrglaciers,,- in the
N. E b o f Spitzbergen, prefent a lingular appearance,' b'eifrg frigh cuffs of 1
an emerald colour, impendent over with cafiara&s of melted' *
fhow, and a back ground of black ceriip hills ftreaked with white. T he
fea ftfelf contains mountains,' o f ice, formed by -aggregation; a large
field forcing a fmaller out of the water till it lodge upon the fuperior
furface, and the height is afterwards increafed by the fnow, till, it fome-
times rife tq 1500 feet. The fnow in thefe high latitudes often falls '
* Pennant, -Arc, Zool.-cfr. 0 9 Ibid, cxxxii.
; a r - f l '2 as