That portion of Southern Russia which lies west of the lower basin of the river Volga extends along the coast of the Black Sea as far west as the Danube and Pruth. It terminates southward with the peninsula of the Crimea, which contains a mountainous and very fertile and also a level region ; the latter exactly rasembles the great steppe lying west of the lower course of the Volga. [Canna.) The country which extends from the ,bores of the Putrid Sea northward between the Dnieper on the west and the river Moloshnya on the east, as far north as 47" N. 1st, is likewise a salt steppe ; the waters of the lakes as well as those of the small rivers being slightly impregnated with salt. It is not however level, but the surface consists of an alternate succession of elevations and depressions. The higher land has a soil consisting of reddish clay, which is very barren. In the lower tracts the soil is an intermixture of black mould and sand, and mostly covered with grass, which supplies tolerable pasture. The most western portion, extending between the Oulf of Perekop and the 'estuary of the Dnieper, is a sandy waste, which is entirely barren and uninhabited.
North of this country there is a steppe of somewhat different character. It comprehends the whole country south of the granite tract that traverses Russia from east to west, from the banks of tho Don and the Ilawla (its confluent, which joins it at its most eastern bend) to the Pruth, with a width varying between 80 and 120 miler. This tract also may be included within the steppe, being similar in soil and climate, and only differing from it in the form of its surface, which la more hilly. Towards its eastern extremity, near 40' E. long., between the town of Voronca and the Mauytch River, the width of Oda region is near 300 miles; but towards the west it grows narrower, and from 33' E. long. westward it does not exceed 150 miles. Its length from east to west is 900 miles, and the area is about 180,000 square miles. Want of wood and of water are its characteristic features. It is considerably more elevated than the low steppes near the Caspian Sea, and not impregnated with salt except between the mouths of the Dniester and the Danube, where a low marshy tract extends some distance from the sea. Towards the south and east the surface is mostly a dead level, with the exception of narrow tracts along the watercourses, which are inclosed by steep acclivities. These bottoms have a fertile soil consisting of black mould, and yield good crops. The higher and level grounds have an extremely hard clayey soil unfit for cultivation. In spring they are covered with a fine turf, and supply good pasture for cattle and horses. Much grass is also cut for fodder. A weed called ' burin,' and dried dung, are used for fueL Within the granitic tract the surface is more broken, and con tains many tracts fit for agricultural purposes. The summer is dry and hot; rain is rare; the thermometer rises from 00° to 109°. In autumn and winter whirlwinds are frequent; a considerable quantity of snow falls, but it is swept by the winds from the plains, so that the country derives very little advantage from it. From December to February the thermometer frequently sinks to 25° and 30° below zero. The spring and autumn are of short duration.
The country .north of this extensive steppe may be divided into two regions. The western lies on both sides of the middle course of the Dnieper. On the west of the river it extends from the northern border of the steppe (between 48° and 49° N. lat.) to the great
swamps of Pinsk and Itatnor (near 52° N. ]at.), and comprehends the governments of Podolia, Volhynia, and Kim. On tho east of the Dnieper it comprehends the government of Pultava, the greater part of that of Tchernigow, and the western parts of Charkow and Kursk. It is designated by the general name of the Ukraine. The surface of this region is chiefly undulating, but in many places it extends in level plains. The soil mostly consists of a black mould, hero and there interspersed with sandy tracts. The fertility in general is considerable, and io some parts, where loam is mixed with the mould, it is very great. Ilere the forests principally consist of oak. The eastern portion of the region lies within the basin of the Don, between its upper affluents, and comprehends the eastern portions of Charkow, Kursk, and Orel, the whole of Voronez, and portions of Tambow and Ssratov. It apptars to be more elevated than the western region ;
water iu many parts are scarce. The soil consists of a mixture of clay and sand, and is not without a certain degree of fertility, though on the higher parts there are considerable tracts of sterile land. Ou the lower ground however cultivation is general, and the wheat which is grown here is of excellent quality. Though the difference of tempe rature in summer and winter is considerable, it is much less than in the steppe farther south. Hero also the rains are much more abundant in the western region. The scarcity of rain in summer in the eastern region is one of the causes to which its smaller degree of fertility is ascribe