44 JOURNEY THROUGH THE SOUTH-WESTERN QUARTER

higher parts, its precipitate courfe forms fmall cafcades ifluingfrom vallies overgrown with wood. On the contrary, in thecalcareous heights commencing at Albat, where it properlyreceives the name of Belbek, this rivulet flows between acontinued chain of wild, rent, and pointed mountains compofedof calcareous rocks, which reprefent whimfical landfcapes. Inthe more elevated regions, it is denorainated Kabarta ; and itsbanks were, according to tradition, formerly inhabited byTftierkeflians or Kabardines: hence the diftrict between theupper Belbek and the Katfha, is to this day denominatedIföerkefs-tüfs.

Between the country-feat of M. Alexiano, Captain of theNavy, and a mill erected by Vice-admiral Ufhakof, on an eftatebelonging to Count Tfhernifhef, we croffed the Belbek by meansof a bridge raifed over a foft bed of that river. Near its mouth,the declining calcareous mountains terminate in abrupt capesfomewhat projeding into the fea, and prefenting at a diftanceyellow ferruginous matter. This appears to be a fandy marl,interfperfed with fmall pebbles which here protrude betweenthe lime, as already has been ftated. Thus the level clayeyheight, fituated between the mouth of the Belbek and theharbour of Sevaftopol, is interfperfed with fmall pebbles, efpe-cially with thofe of a quartzofe nature. This arrangement offofiils is evident in feveral diftricts between the Salgir andKaraflu, which have derived their origin from a fimilar decayedftratum of ftony marl appearing on the furface.

On arriving at Severnaya-Kofla, or the North Point, wedefcried the harbour of Sevaftopol, where a Company of mer-chants have lately erected large inns; becaufe it was intended

to