VOLGA, called by the Tartars Ethel, that is, 'the bountiful,' is tho longest river, and, with the exception of the Danube, has the largest volume of water of any river in Europe ; and its entire course is within the Russian empire. It rises in N. lat., on tho frontier of the governments of Twer and Novogorod, near the village of Wochina Werchowie, issuing from a small lake formed by several springs, and it flows through the lakes of Oselok, Plant, and Volga, which it quite about 90 miles above Twer. Near Ostuschkof it receives the Selicha rowka, which issues from Lake Seeliger, and attains the breadth of 150 feet ; at Rshew-Vladimirow it becomes navigable for small boats, and at Twer, where it is 700 feet broad, for large barges. llaving traversed the government of Twer in an easterly direction, it turns to the north-east to Yaroalav, then south-eastwards to Kostroma and to Nischnei-Novgorod, where it receives the Oka; thence to Casan, whore, having been joined by the Kama, it becomes 1000 yards broad, and having passed Simbirsk, Saratov, and Astrachan (where iu time of floods it is above 10 miles across), it divides into eight branches, which inclose 70 islands, and discharges itself by G5 mouths into the Caspian Sea. The rivers which join it, with the exception of the Oka, before it reaches Casan, are of no great magnitude; but the Kama, which joins it at CUM, after a course of 1000 miles, makes a vast accession to its waters.
The Volga is of the utmost importance for the facility which it affords to the trade of the interior of the empire, and also to its foreign commerce; the Russian government having, by a judicious system of canal navigation, so connected the various navigable rivers, that the Polar Sea communicates with the Caspian by a navigation of 4000 miles on the Dwina, the Volga, and canals. The entire length
of the Volga is above 2000 miles, and its total fall is only about 630 feet. It flows with a slow regular current uninterrupted by rapid or cataract. It is stated that the volume of its waters is gradually decreasing: at the beginning of the iSth century it had depth enough for freights of 1600 tons; it does not now bear vessels of more than 1200 tone.
The banks of the Volga are extremely fertile, even the yet unculti vated parts; and there is no other part of Russia where BO much oak timber grows as in the vicinity of this river. The navigation of the Volga is much obstructed, in the dry Beason of the year, by shallows and islands ; but in May and June the melting of the snow and ice swells its waters, and often causes extensive inundations. At this season its depth is so increased that large ships can pass over the sand-banks and low islands (which are then completely under water), and descend it in safety from Twer to Astrachan. The Volga, especi ally from Astrachan to the Caspian, is more abundant in fish than perhaps any other river in the world. Immense numbers penetrate from tho Caspian Sea to a considerable distance into the several mouths of the Volga, and many thousand small vessels are employed in the fisheries. The fish taken in the largest quantities are sturgeon, carp, and pike of extraordinary size. Caviar is made of the roe of one species of sturgeon, and isinglass from the skin and entrails of another, which is called by the Russians Beluga. Seals also come from the Caspian into the mouths of the Volga, where they are taken. Steam boats ply on the Volga from the Twer to the Caspian.