Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/66

 58 CASPIAN SEA CASS sula of Apsheron it is of tertiary formation, broken by occasional carboniferous strata ; and from Apsheron around the S. extremity of the sea, the shores are low and sandy, with lofty hills rising in the background. On the E. and S. E. is found a cretaceous subsoil, covered with moving sands ; the surface, with the ex- ception of Cape Karagan, being flat. In fact, the coast generally is so low that most parts are overflowed when the wind sets in strongly from the opposite quarter. Naphtha, or petro- leum, is found in immense quantities, particu- larly in the vicinity of Baku on the peninsula of Apsheron and on the island of Naphthalia, in the bay of Balkan. There is a large export of petroleum to the Tartar and Persian ports on the S. and E. shores of the sea. In May, 1869, there was an extraordinary conflagration caused by the accidental ignition of large naph- tha streams flowing on the surface of the sea. The waters are not so salt as those of the ocean, owing to the immense volume of fresh water constantly poured in by the Volga and other large rivers. It is very deep, particularly on the S. shore, where a line of 450 fathoms will not reach bottom ; but in the north and off the mouths of the Volga it is quite shallow, with frequent shoals. There are no tides, and the sea has no outlet, the superfluous waters being carried off wholly by evaporation. Extraor- dinary changes in its level have been noticed, but never explained ; according to native ac- counts, the surface rises and falls several feet in periods of about 30 years. It has long been known that the level of the Caspian is lower than that of the ocean, and in 1812 an attempt was made by Engelhardt and Parrot to ascer- tain the difference by a series of levellings and barometrical measurements across the Cauca- sian isthmus to the Black sea. Measurements were made in two places, one of which made the Caspian 348 ft. lower than the Black sea, and the other 301 ft. lower. A survey made by the Russian government in 1836-'7 proved the difference of level to be 84 ft. Sturgeon, sterlets, balugas, salmon, and seals are taken in great numbers. We know little of the an- cient commerce of the Caspian. About the middle of the 13th century much of the trade of W. Europe with India passed over it, As- trakhan being then, as now, its chief port. On the seizure of Constantinople by the Turks commerce was forced into other channels. In 1560 an English company made a fruitless at- tempt to render it a channel of commerce with Persia and Turkistan. Peter the Great had its coasts explored by Dutch navigators, partly with the view of founding stations for the In- dian trade on the Persian seaboard, but his project was not carried out. No "Russian con- quest was made on the Caspian sea until the time of Catharine II., and it was not till still more recent periods that Russia succeeded in obtaining full control over its trade, which is small, though constantly increasing. The largest class of vessels navigating the Cas- pian, carrying from 90 to 200 tons, are called schuyts, and are built of the timber of the boats that bring breadstuff's down the Volga to As- trakhan. Another class of vessels, of superior sailing qualities, carry from 70 to 140 tons, and are called raschips. Besides these, a great number of small craft are employed in coast- ing, fishing, and as lighters. The Caspian steamboat navigation company was chartered in 1858, and steamboats are now common on the Volga and at all the important ports in the Caspian. Canals uniting the head waters of the Volga with Lake Ilmen and the Duna establish connections between the Caspian and the Baltic. The Russian government has pro- jected a canal to connect the Caspian with the sea of Azov, and then with the Black sea, for which surveys were made in 1855, 1860, 1864, and 1871. The principal ports are As- trakhan and Baku, from which trade is carried on with Astrabad, Balfrush, and other Persian ports on the south, and with Manghishlak, Bal- kan, &c., on the east. Russia maintains a fleet on the Caspian, and has three fortified settle- ments on the E. coast. Dureau-Delamalle's Geographic physique de la Mer Noire, Eich- wald's fieise aufdem KaspUchen Metre und in den Kaukatus, Hommaire de Hell's Les steppes de la Mer Caspienne, the Beschreibung pub- lished by Sawitsch and Sabler, giving their sur- ve'y of the respective elevations of the Black and Caspian seas (St. Petersburg and Leipsic, 1849), and Petermann's Mittheilungen, iii., vii., 1869, contain valuable information on this sea. CASS, the name of seven counties in the United States. I. A S. W. county of Michi- gan, bordering on Indiana ; area, 528 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 21,094. It has a level surface, diversified by a number of small lakes, and occupied by prairie, oak openings, and dense forests. Iron and limestone are the principal minerals. It is traversed by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, the Peninsula, and the Michigan Central railroads. The chief produc- tions in 1870 were 630,271 bushels of wheat, 670,013 of Indian corn, 175,665 of oats, 802,- 058 of potatoes, 33,078 tons of hay, 448,182 Ibs. of butter, 143,913 of wool, and 42,278 of maple sugar. There were 7,142 horses, 5,648 milch cows, 6,702 other cattle, 36,770 sheep, and 22,830 swine. There were 7 manufac- tories of agricultural implements, 11 of car- riages and wagons, 7 of furniture, 5 of iron castings, 7 of saddlery and harness, 5 of tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware, 3 of woollen goods, 8 flour and 24 saw mills. Capital, Cassopolis. II. A N. "W. county of Indiana, drained by Wabash and Eel rivers ; area, 420 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 24,193. In the vicinity of the rivers are high bluffs; the rest of the surface is generally flat, and divided between prairies in the N. and forests in the S. part. It is traversed by the Wabash and Erie canal, and by the Toledo, Wabash, and Western, and the Columbus, Chicago, and Indiana Central railroads. The chief productions in 1870 were