The Black Sea

The Black sea, whieh is becoming tbè scène of stirring events ia the BussoTurkish war, is a remarkable body of water. It is about seven hundred miles long iu its loiigest direction, and hns an extreme width of about tliree hundred and eighty miles, bciug three-fourths longor than Lake Superior and more than twice as wide. lts deptk is from four to forty-eight fatlioms near shore, but in the rniddle no soundings have been fotmd at one liundred and sixty fathoms. The greatest depth of Lake Superior is two liundred fathoms. The Black sea is not, liko our lakes, a f water sea, but on the other hand it contains one-seventh less salt than ocean water, and is held to receive one-third the running water of Europe. The puzzle is, what becomes of all this fresh water, and how the Black sea retains its saltness. The sea is tideless. There is no perceptible current toward the Meditemraean. It has the samo level as the Sea of Marmora. The outlet by the Bosphorus, even were there a strong current, would be insufficient to discharge the immense volumes of water constantly pouring into the inland sea, and it scarcely seems credible that the evaporation is sufficient to carry off the surplus water. Like our own lakes, it is subject to frequent storm, but navigation is not perilous, and an extensivo steam navigation is carried on. Thcro are several islands near the mouth of the Danube, but the sea is singularly free from rocks and shoals. The Sea of Azov, which is connected with the Black sca by the narrow strait of Yenikale, is much smaller, being only about one liundred and sixtyeight miles long and eighty broad. lts waters are f reeh and abound with flsh, but are very shallow, and fall off toward the west into huge marslies, wliich have been aptly named the Futrid sea. It is of comparatively little importanee for purposes of navigation, though it has several ports and roadsteads.