Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/376

362 362 HUNGARY [HYDROGRAPHY. the Palieozoic formations are of comparatively rare occur rence, the Mesozoic attain a very considerable development. These latter in part crop out at the base of the granite and schistose mountain masses, or themselves are the nucleus of more extensive ranges. In some neighbourhoods inde pendent mountain groups are formed by Tertiary strata. Alluvial formations constitute the general external crust out of which the mountains arise. Recent formations on the banks of rivers, more especially in the south at the junction of the Danube, Theiss, Temes, Drave, and Save, are mainly confined to the tracts subject to the inundations of the same, but are here and there, as in the neighbour hood of Pest, Totis, Esztergom (Gran), and some parts of the Great Alfold, represented by accumulations of drift- sand ; and in other places, as for instance on the left bank of the lake of Totis, and at Szomod in Komarom county, there are deposits of calcareous tufa. Caverns. The numerous caverns deserve a passing notice. One of them, the Aggtelek cave, in the county of Gomor, is about 50 feet in breadth by 16 in height, and extends in its recesses for a length of several thousand feet. In it various fossil mammalian remains have been found. The Fonacza cave, in the county of Bihar, has also yielded fossils. No less remarkable are the Okno, Vodi, and Demenyfalva caverns in the county of Lipt6, the Veterani in the Banat, and the ice cave at Dobsina in Gomor county. Of the many interesting caverns in Transylvania the most remark able are the sulphureous Biidos in the county of Haromsz6k, the Almas to the south of Udvarhely, and the brook- traversed rocky caverns of Csetate-Boli, Pestere, and Ponor in the southern mountains of Hunyad county. Rivers. Nature has amply provided the greater part of Hungary with both rivers and springs, but some trachytic and lime stone mountainous districts show a marked deficiency in this respect. The Matra group, e.g., is poorly supplied, while the outliers of the Ve&quot;rtes mountains towards the Danube are almost entirely wanting in streams, and have but few water sources. A relative scarcity in running waters prevails in the whole region between the Danube and the Drave. The greatest proportionate deficiency, however, is observable in the arenaceous region between the Danube and Theiss, where for the most part only periodical floods occur. This, however, is far from being the case in the north and east of the kingdom, where the rivers and streams are numerous. The misfortune is that the rivers of Hungary nearly all flow either mediately or immediately to the Danube, and are therefore not available in any other direction as a means of external communica tion, and even within the country can only serve to a limited extent as water-ways. Thus the Theiss, the greatest wholly native river, is at the present time service able for regular steam navigation only as far as Szolnok, while the Maros cannot be navigated except at certain seasons and for a portion of its course ; the Drave and the Save, in like manner, are only partly available for steam vessels. But although the length of permanent water-way in Hungary might be much increased by means of canals and other improvements, the Danube must still remain the only river communication with foreign countries, either by way of Austria or the Black Sea, on account of the insur mountable obstacles to connecting the small extent of Hungarian seaboard with the regions through which the Danube flows. This river, which is navigable during the whole of its course through Hungary, enters the monarchy at Deveny near Pressburg, and leaves it at Orsova on the Turkish frontier, receiving numerous tributaries in its course, among which are, on the right, the Raab, Drave, and Save, and, on the left, Waag, Neutra, Gran, Eipel, Theiss, Temes, and Czerna. The breadth of the Danube is about 900 feet near its entrance, 1400 at Budapest. 1800 at Folder, and 3500 near Pdtervarad (Peterwardein). Among the extensive islands formed by branches of the Danube are the Great Schu tt and the Csepel in its upper course. The Theiss, the greatest tributary of the Danube, rises in the north-east, in the county of M^ramaros, and flowing first in a north-westerly and afterwards in a southerly direction ultimately joins the main river near Tittel, draining in its course the Great Hungarian Plain. Amongst the many affluents of the Theiss are (r.) the Bodrog, Saj6, and Zagyva, and (/.) the Szamos, Koros, and the Maros, which last, after traversing Transylvania and eastern Hungary, joins the Theiss at Szeged. The Save, rising in Carniola, winds through Croatia, is fed by the Unna and Kulpa, and falls into the Danube at Belgrade. It will be observed that the whole river system of Hungary belongs to the Danube or the Theiss, the PoprAd, which runs through the county of Szepes (Zips), alone having a northerly course, and flowing to the Dunajec, an affluent of the Vistula. The south-western or Trans-Danubian division of Hungary Proper, although comparatively meagre in water-courses, includes the two principal lakes. The Balaton or Platten-See, the largest lake, not only in Lakei Hungary, but in the whole of the Austrian-Hungarian and dominions, lies between the counties of Veszprem, Somogy, marsl and Zala, is about 47 miles in length by 3 to 9 in breadth, and with the surrounding marshes occupies an area of about 400 square miles. It is supplied by the river Zala, 31 small streams, and 9 springs, while its surplus waters are carried off by the Sio. Phenomena peculiar to Che Balaton lake are, that it sometimes becomes violently agitated without any apparent cause, and that in seasons of severe cold the ice on its surface occasionally bursts with a loud report. It is navigable for steamers, and abounds in fish. The Ferto or Neusiedler See lies in the counties of Moson and Sopron, and with the Hansag marsh covers an area of some 130 square miles; it is about 23 miles in length by 6 to 8 in breadth, is very shallow, and its waters are strongly impregnated with salt and soda. In 1865 the bed became almost dry, but since 1870 it has filled again. The other lowland lakes, as, for instance, the Palics near Szabadka (Maria-Theresiopel) and the Velencze in the county of Feher, are much smaller. Morasses and pools are generally frequent in the vicinity of the Danube and Theiss. The most extensive marshy region is the Sarret, which covers a considerable portion of the counties of Jasz-Kun-Szolnok, Bike s, and Bihar. The Ecsedi Lap in the county of Szatrnar is now for the mast part drained ; and the Alibunar and Illancsa marshes in the county of Toronto! will also be soon laid dry. Many thousands of acres of marsh land have already been re claimed in Hungary, and hydraulic operations bid fair to still further reduce the extent of the marshy districts. In the deep hollows between the peaks of the Carpa thians are to be found the curious mountain lakes called &quot;eyes of the sea ;&quot; of these there are at least thirty-eight in the Tatra alone. The canals of Hungary are still far from sufficient for Caua the wants of the country, although lately many improve ments have been introduced, and enormous cuttings made in certain places to relieve the rivers from periodical over flow. The most important canal is the Ferencz or &quot; Francis,&quot; which traverses the county of Bacs. It is some 70 miles in length, and shortens very considerably the passage between the Theiss and the Danube. A branch of this canal called Uj Csutorna, or &quot; New Channel,&quot; extends from Kis-Sztapar, a few miles below Zombor, to Ujvidek opposite Peterwardein. The Bega canal runs from Nagy-Bccskerek, in the county of Torontal, to beyond Temesvar, but is not navigable throughout. Among other canals are the Versecz in the county of Temes ; the Berzava