The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

iTHE SEA OF AZOV. 427especially is broken by fire of these singular headlands, all regularly inclinedtowards the south-west, all furnished on their west side with little lateralbarbs, and all uniformly increasing in size from east to west. With oneexception, caused by the disturbing effects of a neighbouring stream, thekosi of the north coast are also much more abrupt on their east than on theirwest sides, which are bordered by extensive shallows. The changes of reliefhave been most rapid in the neighbourhood of these promontories, aroundwhich is deposited the sedimentary matter held in suspension in the current.All these formations have been lengthened, and the neighbouring bed of the searaised several inches, and even as much as 3 feet, since the beginning of theFig. 223.—The Don Delta.Scale 1 : 396,000.Depth to 7 Feet. 7 Feet and upwards,Miles.century. Thus the filling-in process is continued to an appreciable extent fromcentury to century, but still so slowly that, as Aristotle himself remarked, " all theinhabitants will, perhaps, have disappeared before the change is completed."The volume brought down by the Don is greatly in excess of the quantity lostby evaporation. Hence the whole sea may be regarded as a continuation of theriver, and the latter as an affluent of the Euxine. A strong current sets towardsthe Strait of Kertch, or Yeni-Kaleh, often greatly impeding navigation, and in thequality of its waters this gulf partakes of the character both of a river and a sea.In the Taganrog inlet it is so sweet that vessels are supplied from this source, andalong the west coast it is drunk by the neighbouring herds ; but in the centre the