BLACK SEA, or Evxina SBA, P0111118 Euxinus ' of the ancients, is a large inland sea, bounded on the 'west by Roumela, Bulgaria, and Bossarabia ; on the north by Russian Tartary ; on the east by Mingrelia, Circassia, and Georgia ; and on the south by Anatolia. It is entered from the Mediterranean through the channel of the Dardanelles, the ancient Hellespont, the Sea of Marmora, Propontis,•tnd the channel of Con stantinople, Thracian Bosphorus; and it is connected with the Sea of Azoph, Palus Meads, by the strait between the Crimea and the isle of Taman, the ancient Cimmerian Bosphorus, known by the various mo dern names of the Strait of Caffa, of Yenikale, and of Taman.
Till within the last thirty years, the extent of the Black Sea, and the position of several of its princi pal capes, gulfs, and ports, were very imperfectly as certained. Soon after the commencement of the French Revolution, the National Institute sent M. Beauchamp to examine this sea, and especially its southern shores. In this enterprise he was much impeded by the jealousy of the Turlel ; nevertheless, he ascertained that Cape Kerempe, Carambis, was placed in the charts too far to the south ; that the Gulf of Sansoun, Amisenus was deeper than represented; and that Tribizond, Tarabagan of the Turks, Trapezus, was five or six leagues further to the west than it appeared in the charts. Recent travellers have discovered that even the Parisian charts are inaccurate. According to Dr Clarke, the Isle of Serpents, Ulan-Adassi of the Turks, Fi donisi of the modern Greeks, the ancient Leuce, lies 15 minutes, and the port of Odessa 27 minutes, too far towards the north (Clarke's Travels, I. 653) ; and Mr Macgill ascertained, from two very good ob .
servations of his own, compared with those of some captains who had navigated this sea, that, in the French charts, even Cape Kerempe is not accurate ly placed, it being set down 15 miles too far north, while Cape Aria, or Careza, Criu-Metopon, in the Crimea, is placed 22 miles too far south. This, of course, makes a difference in the width of the sea at this place of 27 miles (Macgill's Travels, 1. 195). According to the best authorities, which Mr Ar rowsmith has followed in his maps of this sea, it lies between 41 and 464 degrees of north latitude, the bottom of the bay of Sansoun penetrating nearly to the 40th degree, and Cape Kerempe stretching out nearly to the 42d ; and between 28 and 41i degrees of east longitude from Greenwich. This will give
for its breadth, from Cape Baba* Anatolia to Odes - sa, about 380 miles ; and for its length, from the coast of Roumelia to the mouth of the Phasis, 932 miles. The Black Sea, however, may be considered as divided into two parts, by Cape Aria on the south of the Crimea, and Cape Kerempe on the coast of Paphlagonia, the former lying in about 441-, and the latter in about 42 degrees of latitude. Both these capes being high land, vessels sailing between them can discover the coast on either side. The circum ference of the Black Sea is about 3800 miles.
It derives its modern name either from the dense fogs which cover it, or from the dangers of its navigation arising from these fogs ; the sudden and violent storms to which it is exposed ; and the shallows hitherto unnoticed in any chart. The Ori gin of its ancient name is given in the Encyclopedia, under the article &mum The opinion of the ancients, that the Black Sea 1 was formerly much more extensive than it is at sent, and that it did not originally communicate with the Mediterranean, is embraced by many modern au thors of note, particularly Tournefort, Buffon, Pal las, and Dr Clarke, and seems to be confirmed by several circumstances. Immense strata of limestone, consisting almost entirely of mineralized sea-shells, may be traced the whole way from the Black Sea towards the north, as far as the f8th degree of lati tude ; and Pallas, in the third and seventh volumes of his Travels, has pointed out traces of its former ex tent over all the desert of Astracan and Jaik. The evidences derived from the appearance of the present coast of this sea,_ are still less equivocal in support of the diminution of its waters. Pliny expressly states, that Taurica, the Crimea, was not only once surrounded by the sea, but that the sea, covered all the chempaign part of it. Now, there are layers of marine shells all the way from the mouths of the Dnieper to those of the Don ; and if we suppose the waters of the Black Sea to be restored only to the level of these layers, the Crimea will appear again an island. The alluvial nature of more than three fourths of the soil of Crimea Proper to the' north, ' the numerous salt lakes and marshes, and the re mains of marine productions of various kinds which are found there, sufficiently confirm the latter part of Pliny's statement.