posed relative positions. This will be made more apparent, in the sequel, when it is shewn that our Author supposed a vast difference in parallel, on the globe, between the Massagetæ, the Scythians of Asia, and the Euxine or Western Scythians.

The Eastern Scythians, as belonging to the division of ASIA, will form no part of the following discussion, which is confined entirely to those of the Euxine 1.

4

Both Arrian and Curtius speak of European and Asiatic Scythians, as a term of distinction. This seems much the same idea, as our Eastern and Western Scythians; only it will be shewn in the sequel, that they, like Herodotus, extended Europe very far to the east; and seemingly to the neighbourhood of the Caspian sea, and the river Jaxartes; by the error of supposing a much less extent of space than the truth, between the Tanais and Jaxartes.

F

SECTION IV.

OF THE WESTERN, OR EUXINE SCYTHIA; WHICH IS THE PROPER SCYTHIA OF HERODOTUS, BUT

THE SARMATIA OF LATER AUTHORS.

Position and Face of Western Scythia-mistaken Ideas of Herodotus, respecting its Form and Extent-Cause of his Errors, and their Effects on the general Geography.-True Form and Extent of Scythia, considered generally; and afterwards proved by Deductions from our Author's Facts and Observations-Rivers of Scythia, with some of their principal Adjuncts -vast Inland Navigations-Subdivision of Scythia-Difficul ties concerning some of the River Boundaries-Idea that the Borysthenes formerly ran into the Palus Mæotis; and that the Krimea was an Island-Royal Scythians-reported Origin of the Scythian Nation-The Targitaus of Herodotus, appears to be the Turk of the Orientals-Cimmerians dispossessed by the Scythians-Cimmerian Antiquities-The Euxine Scythians, and those at the Jaxartes, from the same Stock-Customs common to both-Euxine Scythia suited to Pastoral Life-The Scythians favoured by Herodotus, in point of Character-his general Accuracy and Candour.

THE SCYTHIA of Herodotus answers generally to the Ukraine, the country of the Nogaian Tartars, the Don Cossacks, &c.; its first river on the west, being the Danube, and its last on the east, the Tanais, or Don; Melpomene, 48, et seq.' It wears,

1 The reader is requested to consult the Map of Scythia, No. III. opposite. In this, Scythia is drawn according to its just

for the most part, the same face now, as in the time of our Author; (who by his own account had visited the Black sea, and we may suppose, of course, the Greek settlements in Scythia also:) that is, it is composed of vast naked plains, and in a great part occupied by Nomades, or wandering tribes. No country whatsoever, was better watered: it having no less than eight large rivers, which were navigable to the sea; and amongst these, the Danube, Tanais, and Borysthenes; Melpom. 47. The pastures watered by some of these rivers are highly celebrated by our Author; and gave occasion to the application of the name of GRASS STEPPE to the tract itself, in contradistinction to the comparative barrenness of the others 2.

proportions, but the matter is arranged according to the ideas of Herodotus. His ideas of its form and extent will be found in No. I.

2 Baron Tott's description of that part of the site of ancient Scythia, which he traversed between the Dneister and Krimea, presents a lively picture of the face of the country. We shall collect the scattered notices that occur in different parts of his narrative; Part II. on the Turks and Tartars.

After crossing the Dneister (the Tyres of Herodotus) in the line between Jassi and Otchakow, he says:

"The plains which we crossed (those of Yedassan) were so level and open, that the horizon appeared only a hundred paces from us, on every side. No rising ground, not even the smallest shrub to make a variety in this picture; and we perceived nothing during the whole journey, but a few Nogais on horseback, whose heads were discovered by the piercing eyes of my Tartars, whilst the convexity of the earth still hid the remainder of their bodies. Each of these Nogais was riding alone on horseback.— I was curious to know, what could be the object of these men,

Although the area and extent of Scythia were greatly underrated by Herodotus, yet, by a misconception of the relative positions of the coasts of the Euxine and Palus Mæotis, he has overrated the extent of the coast of Scythia bordering on those seas.

and was informed that these people, (thought to be Nomades, because they live in a sort of tents,) were settled in tribes, in vallies of 50 or 60 feet deep, which intersect the plain from north to south, and are more than 30 leagues in length, by 1⁄2 of a league, (say 600 to 700 yards,) in breadth, the middle of which are occupied by muddy rivulets, which terminate towards the south in small lakes that communicate with the Black sea. The tents of the Nogais are on the banks of these rivulets, as well as the hovels which shelter their numerous flocks during winter. In spring, these are driven to the plains, and abandoned till winter, when they are brought back again to shelter. This was the employment of the Nogais we had met with."

He afterwards says, that the extent of plain between the vallies is 10 to 12 leagues; perhaps 30 or more miles. These vallies must be regarded as the ancient beds of rivers; of which more in the sequel. He passed two of them between Bender and Otchakow; and on the way to the second, he says, 66 we saw the sun appear on the horizon of these plains, as mariners do on the ocean."

In his way from Otchakow to the Krimea, he makes much the same kind of remark: "the noise of the waves (for he went near the sea coast) afforded a more interesting object than the naked plains."

This may suffice for the face of the country and we have also the testimony of M. Pallas, respecting the flatness and very low level of the country, between the Borysthenes and the Mæotis, in the Tableau de Physique et Topographique de la Tauride.

It may be remarked, that Herodotus does not speak of any Nomadic tribes of Scythians on the west of the Borysthenes, where they are now found.

For, by the context it appears, that he supposed the coasts of the Euxine and Mæotis to form a right angle at their point of junction, at the Peninsula of Taurica (Krimea); presenting two sides which respectively faced the SE and SW; or perhaps more strictly the ESE and SSW. Such was the idea of its position and of its form and extent, that it was a square of 4,000 stadia, each way. This is collected from the following notices:

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Scythia (says Herodotus,) appears to be of a quadrangular form, having two of its sides terminated by the sea, to which its other two, towards the land, are perfectly equal. Ascending from the sea, inland, as far as the country of the Melanchlani, beyond Scythia, is a journey of twenty days. According to my computation, a day's journey is equal to 200 stadia: thus the extent of Scythia, along its sides, is 4,000 stadia; and through the midst of it, inland, is 4,000 more;" Melpom. 101 3.

3

Its position in respect of the heavens, is collected from the following circumstances: that Darius Hystaspes, in his memorable invasion of Scythia, "advanced eastward towards the Tanais," after passing the Danube; Melpom. 122. Again, in chapter 100, the sea (that is, the Mæotis) is described to wash the country of the Scythians, above Tauris " on the east ;" and again, in ch. 18 and 20, the Androphagi

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3 It may be conceived, that when our Author reckons by journies, of a specific length, he means to express the road distance: so that a proper allowance is to be made for inflections, in order to reduce it to direct distance. We have adopted this idea in the construction of the Map, No. I.