The lower course of the Volga traverses an immense steppe or desert, which not only extends over the whole of the lower basin of the river, but stretches out eastward to the banks of the river Ural, along the course of which it extends from its mouth to the place where it issues from the valleys of the Ural Mountains. On the 'bores of the Caspian Sea the steppe extends from the mouth of the real to that of the Kama. But the granter part of the country between the Rums end the upper course of the Manytch on the north, and the base of the Caucasus on the south, is a steppe of the same kind. The western border of this immense desert lies close to the right bank of the Volga. About 52' 30' N. let, or where the ridge of the hills of Samara is broken through by the Volga, there begins on its right bank an elevated tract, running at an elevation of 800 to 500 feet above the lowest level to the point where the Volga turns to the south-east (48' 30' N.). The elevated ground does not cease at the bend of the Volga, but continues to advance southward along the left bank of the river Serpa, an affluent of the Volga, which runs from south to north. Near the place where the Serpa originates, the elevated ground, which has the form of a low mountain ridge, between 51' and 46' N., is gradually lost in the plain which extends north of the river Manytch. The steppe thus confined, as far as it belongs to Russia, contains an area of about 330,000 equsre miles. The whole of this region is unfit for cultivation, and supplies only scanty prelims for the herds of the wandering tribes which inhabit it. That part of it which lies west of the Volga is called the Rumanian steppe. This portion is not level ; the surface consists of gentle swells of a ronndish form, so that the view seldom extends over many miles. The soil consists almost entirely of a yellow clay, and rarely of sand : it is impregnated with salt ; and pity, or small saltlakea, are common. Vegetation is oonfined to a few plants, such as wormwood, 'also* awl a coarse gram which grows in tufts several feet apart; between these the yellow soli is without any vegetation. The shore of the Caspian Sea between the mouths of the Volga and those of the Kuma is very low to a distance varying between 20 and 40 miles from the sea. It is inundated when a strong south-easterly wind happens to blow for some time, and vessels are sometimes driven on the sand-hills which rises no the west of this level tract. [Csarrs.x.1 At the back of these hills there are extensive malt-lekee, which once evidently formed part of the Caspian before the sand-hills existed. Among these salt-takes those called Solena Khaki are very remarkable. They occupy a depression from 12 to 15 miles in width, with a very swampy surface, over which the salt-lakes are dispersed. In this tract the river Manytch originates : ft runs nearly due west for about 60 or 70 miles, and then enters an arid plain of moderate width, which extends westward to the month of the Don and Sea of Axof, and is inclosed on the south and north by more elevated land. There are strong grounds for sup posing that this level tract was once covered by a strait which con nected the Black Sea with the Casplen. The number of Kalmuks who find on the Rumanian steppe pasture for their numerous herds, coneieting of osmele, black cattle, horses, sheep, and goats, is estimated at 20,000 tents or families, besides a considerable number of Comake, who possess portions of it The wild animals, which abound in the steppes, are horse., antelopes, foxes, wolves, and the jerboa. The Kirghiz steppe, east of the river Ural, presents similar features to the great Russian steppe just noticed ; and it is highly probable that the whole region, as far as the Lake of Aral, was once covered by a salt lea. The Obstahei Sirt, which forms part of the northern boundary of the steppe, is connected at its eastern extremity with the meet western ranges of the Ural Mountains, near 52' N. Rat, whence it extends westward to the point where the river Ural turns southward. The elevated ground oontioues westward until it reaches the Volga opposite Kamyshin, between 51' and 52' N. lat. The Obstshei Sirt rises with • gentle declivity about 500 feet above the steppe, which extends along its southern side, and is considered by Pella+ to be the ancient coast-line of the sea, when the waters of the Caspian covered the whole plain south of it. It differs considerably from the steppe itself, tte soil containing a considerable portion of black mould and being covered with gran.
Near the western extremity of the Obstshei Sirt, not far from the town of Kamyahin, begins the Naryn, an elevated tract of sand, which runs in a south-east direction through the great steppe, south of the Obstehei Sirt, and terminates not far from the shores of the Caspian Sea. Its lepgth is above 300 miles, and it varies in width from 30 to 100 miles. The surface is covered with hills varying from 12 to 30 feet in height ; they lie generally in groups close together, and consist of fine white sand intermixed with broken shells and decomposed lime, and are quite destitute of vegetation ; but it is remarkable that a few feet below the surface spring-water is always found among these hills, and in some of the depressions many rare plants grow. On the west of the Naryn extends the worst part of the steppe. It appears that a great depression occurs here containing numerous salt lakes, which begin on the north with the lake of Elton, about 70 miles south-west of Kamyshin, and extend parallel to the Naryn, south-eastward to the shores of the Caspian. In some parts there are hills covered with gypsum, and consisting of great masses of rock-salt Salt however can be obtained with less expense from the lakes. Immense quantities of salt are obtained from the lake of Elton, which, near 49° N. lat., 40' 40' E. long., is 12 miles long, with a width of nearly 10 miles. The surface of the lake is covered with a thick layer of salt, like ice. The salt is transported. to Saratov, where many millions of cwt'. of salt are usually stored. Between the series of salt lakes which have been already noticed, and tho banks of the Volga, is a tract of sandy hills similar to the /carp, but of leas extent. The vegetation ot this tract is very scanty, but there are some spots which supply pasture. It has no permanent watercourses.
That part of the steppe which lies east of the Naryn appears to be less sterile than the country just described. Here the yellow clay is more intermixed with sand, and more fit for supporting vegetation. But the soil is also impregnated with salt ; nod saline plants, with short wormwood, are the vegetation most frequently met with. Three rivers traverse it from north-west to south-east ; two of them, the Lesser and Oreater 'leen, fall into the salt lake liamysh Samara. The third river, called Kushum, falls into the lake of &gen, or Zagsn-Nor. The bottoms in which the Usen run are one or two miles wide. They are covered with poplars, willows, wild olive-trees, and tamarisk shrubs, and constitute the only wooded tracts in the whole extent of the steppe.
Though the Ural River is considered as the boundary-line between Rusais, and the Kirghiz country, the „Russians consider two localities on the Asiatic side of the river as belonging to them, the rock-salt mines of Ilek and the salt lake of Indcrekoe. The first are about 80 miles west-by-south from the town of Orenburg. The salt lake of Inderskoe, which is near 49' N. 1st, about 8 miles from the eastern bans of the Lower Ural, is about 55 miles in circumference. Its sur face is covered with such a thick layer of salt that, according to Pallas, it may be crossed by a man like a sheet of ice.
No country on the globe is subject to a greater diversity of heat and cold than this steppe, especially the eastern part. The Ural, notwithstanding its rapid current in its upper coarse, is covered with ice at the end of October or the beginning of November, and it does not break up before the middle of ApriL During this mason the frost is continuous and intense. The thermometer generally sinks 15' below zero, and continues so for several weeks together, and some times it descends to —30' and —85'. During this time a considerable quantity of snow falls, but it does not cover the ground, being carried over the plain by violent whirlwinds, which cause it to accumulate in certain places. The spring is very short. In the middle of May the heat begins to be oppressive in the daytime. In June end July the thermometer rises to 100', and at Orenburg it sometimes attains 110'. The heat is generally attended with a total want of min, and a southern wind which dries up the water of the lakes, and converts them into swamps. The nights however are cool In September the heat decreases rapidly, and soon afterwards night-frosts become frequent. In this season rain is rather common.