In consequence of the manner in which the Caspian Sea is inclosed on all sides by land, and its banks being so much in the vicinity of very high mountains, its navi gation is, in some measure, necessarily of a peculiar kind. Certain winds domineer over it with such abso lute sway, that vessels are often deprived of every re source ; and of all the ports that have been enumerated, or if there are any other that occur throughout the whole extent of this sea, there is among them all hardly one that can be called perfectly safe.—There are no tides in the Caspian, but strong currents prevail in it, which, uniting their influence with that of the violent storms of V, hid so frequent here, and indeed common in some mea sure to this, with all other inland seas, occasion not a lit tle difficulty and danger to the description of vessels which principally frequent it, and perplex and incom mode extremely the rude and untutored sailors of the countries to which it is principally useful as a channel for their trade. These difficulties and inconveniences are farther increased, in consequence of the incredible num .
hers of shoals and small islands.
The vessels which frequent this sea, are commonly of rude construction, without decks, of such magnitude only as to draw from 9 to 10 feet of water, and carried forward by means of a single square sail, or by that with the addition sometimes of top sails. The long flat-bot tomed craft which, among the Russians, have now taken place of the circular kind of vessels, that, at an earlier period, navigated this sea, are, in all their necessary ap pendag•s, more noted for a clumsy strength, than for any ingenuity in the mode of their formation. The vessels klonging to the Persians arc commonly made of chin, which abound in their provinces southward of the Cas pian : the sails are of cotton, the cables of flax, and some of the bark of trees. They have others of a somewhat different structure,.and of larger dimensions, of the bur den perhaps of from 30 to 40 tons, known by the name of sandalls, but which, notwithstanding the great atten tion directed in the manner of building theni to the points of long duration and usefulness, are seldom in condition to keep the sea for more than 4 or 5 years. The most really serviceable, and indeed the most esteemed part of the Persian marine in this sea, seems to consist in the small boats called kirjicms, with which their necessary business in the different parts of the same, or in imme diately contiguous districts, but, as may be easily sup posed, nothing requiring a progress to any considerable distance, is conducted with sufficient economy and dis patch. The ship-builders of Persia are chiefly deserters from Russia ; and from the number of shipwrecks which take place, as well as from the timidity and awkward ness with which every thing relating to the management of the vessels of this country while at sea is conducted, it would be well, that, unskilful as the Russians them selves are in this department, the navigation of these vessels were also placed in the same hands.
Of the provinces which surround and immediately border upon the Caspian Sea, those most towards the north are the kingdom of Astracan, and the territory of the Calmucks ; whence proceeding by the west of it, round towards the same point, there occur the posses sions of the Lesghee Tartars, Shirvan, the Mogan plains, 'Palish, Ghilan, Mazanderan, Astrabad, the Korgan de sert. and other similar tracts, occupied or frequented chiefly by the Turkomans, or other tribes of independent Tartars, closing with the territory of the Kharakhul packs, and of the Yaik Cossacs. The information ob
tained by travellers respecting these districts of country, is scanty and uninteresting, and will be given in another part of our work. On the banks of the Volga towards the north, chiefly in the province of Casan, there are large tracts of forest ground, which supply a sufficiency of oak and other timber for the construction of vessels, as well to be employed on that river itself, as to be en gaged in the commerce of the Caspian Sea. Good tim ber for the same purpose is also found in Gillian and the adjacent provinces subject to Persia ; and iron ore might be obtained from Mazanderan. The country all round this sea, where not in the state of a desert, is very fertile in grain, fruits, and other productions, which are to the people dwelling in those parts the subjects of a lucrative commerce.
The water in the vicinity of the Caspian is frequently brackish ; lint here and there along its coasts, or in the islands which rise out from it, the vessels, by which it is frequented, may be supplied with water better fitted for use. In I lanway's Account of the British Trade over the Caspian, there will be found a journal by Captain \Voodroofe, of the soundings, or other particulars of con sequel.ce, relative to the navigation of this sea, illus trated by proper maps and charts, on which is laid down every thing that seemed most deserving of notice, as well concerning the depths of the water round the whole coast, or in other situations in which any particular rea son rendered it necessary that they should he known, as concerning- the nature of the ground, the conveniences afforded for anchorage, and whatever else principally in terests navigators, when enterinn upon seas little known to them. In Professor Pallas's Travels, tin rc occur also various notices resrieeting the form, and the arrangemcnt, and the distribution of particular parts, whether ed more within the main outline, or appearing in the character of excrescences, and a sort of appendages to this sea, with observations relative to its coasts and the adjacent country?, or portions of these, as well as to some that appeared to deserve attention of the races or tribes of men by which these regions, or such parts of them, are inhabited. It may be just added, that the general con dition of the principal provinces of Persia, bordering upon the Caspian,—Shirvan, Ghilan, Mazanderan, and Astrabad,—is, that though tributary to the Sophi, they are yet governed by their respective khans, who, occa rendering themselves independent, arc constant ly at war with each other, whence the places subject to their authority become the scats of disorder, of rapine, and devastation ; and hvin the frequency and the exor bitancy of their exactions, of which sonic instances have been already adduced, the most serious obstacles are often thrown in the way of the success and the prospe rity of trade. Robberies and piracies are here commit ted to a great extent. The different tribes of Tartars, which inhabit or roam along the coasts, have been par; titularly noted for such depredations ; the Calmucks to wards the norm ; the Lesghecs in the west ; and the Tur komans and others in the south and cast. The robbe ries of the first of these tribes have been accompanied with degrees of cruelty and atrocity, indicative of the very depraved character of this people. The rigour of the punishments inflicted on them NI hen taken, by those intrusted with the execution of the laws under the Rus sian government, (of which the Calmucks arc now con sidered the subjects,) is not inferior to the measure of their own previous guilt.