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average fall of the river is about 54 in. to the mile. In its upper course, which may be regarded as extending to the confluence of the Voronezh in 51° 40', the Don flows for the most See also:

PART

part through a See also:

low-lying, fertile See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country, though in the government of Ryazan its See also:

banks are rocky and steep, and in some places even precipitous. In the middle See also:

DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division, or from the mouth of the Voronezh to the point where it makes its nearest approach to the Volga, the stream cuts its way for the most part through Cretaceous rocks, which in many places rise on either See also:

side in steep and elevated banks, and at intervals encroach on the river-See also:

bed. A See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short distance below the See also:

TOWN

town of Rostov it breaks up into several channels, of which the largest and most See also:

SOUTHERN

southern retains the name of the river. Before it receives the Voronezh the Don has a breadth of 500 to 700, or even in a few places r000 ft., while its See also:

DEPTH

depth varies from 4 to 20 ft.; by the See also:

time it reaches its most eastern point the depth has increased to 8-5o ft., and the See also:

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary breadth to 700-1000 ft., with an occasional maximum of 1400 ft.; in the lowest division the depth is frequently 70 ft., and the breadth in many places 187o ft. Generally speaking, the right See also:

BANK

bank is high and the See also:

LEFT

left See also:

FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat and low. Shallow reaches are not uncommon, and there are at least seven considerable shoals in the south-western part of the course; partly owing to this cause, and partly to the scarcity of See also:

SHIP

ship-See also:

TIMBER

timber in the Voronezh government, the Don, although navigable as far up as Voronezh, does not attain any See also:

GREAT

great importance as a means of communication till it reaches Kachalinskaya in the vicinity of the Volga.

From that point, or rather from See also:

KALACH

Kalach, where the railway (built in 1862) from the Volga has its western See also:

TERMINUS

terminus, the See also:

TRAFFIC

traffic is very extensive. Of the tributaries of the river, the Voronezh, the Khoper, the Medvyeditsa and the Donets are navigable—the Donets having a course of 68o m., and during high See also:

WATER

water affording See also:

ACCESS (Lat. accessus)

access to the government of See also:

KHARKOV

Kharkov. The See also:

MANYCH

Manych, another large affluent on the left, marks the See also:

ancient See also:

LINE

line of water connexion between the Sea of Azov and the See also:

CASPIAN

Caspian Sea. The See also:

LOWER

lower See also:

section of the Don is subject to two See also:

ANNUAL

annual floods, of which the earlier, known as the " See also:

COLD (in O. Eng. cald and ceald, a word coming ultimately from a root cognate with the Lat. gelu, gelidus, and common in the Teutonic languages, which usually have two distinct forms for the substantive and the adjective, cf. Ger. Kolte, kalt, Dutch koude

cold water," is caused by the melting of the See also:

SNOW (in O. Eng. sndw; a common Indo-European word; cf. in Teutonic languages, Ger. Schnee, Du. sneeuw; in Slavonic snieg', Lith. snegas; Gr. vi4a, Lat. nix, nivis, whence the Romanic forms, Ital. neve, Fr. neige, &c.; Ir. and Gael. sneachd; the original

snow in the country of the Don Cossacks, and the later, or the " warm water," is due to the same See also:

PROCESS

process taking See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place in the region drained by the upper parts of the stream. About the beginning of See also:

JUNE

June the river begins to subside with great rapidity; in See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August the water is very low and See also:

NAVIGATION (from Lat. navis, ship, and agere, to move)

navigation almost ceases; but occasionally after the See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September rains the traffic with small See also:

CRAFT (a word common to Teutonic languages for strength, or power; cf. Ger. Kraft)

craft is again practicable. Since the middle of the 18th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century there have been five floods of extraordinary magnitude,—namely, in 1748, 1786, 18os, 1820 and 1845. The river is usually closed by See also:

ICE (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Eis)

ice from See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November or See also:

DECEMBER (Lat. decent, ten)

December to See also:

March or See also:

APRIL

April, and at rare intervals it freezes in • See also:

OCTOBER

October. At Aksai, in the delta, it remains open on the average for 250 days in the See also:

YEAR

year, at the mouth of the Medvyeditsa for 239, and at Novo-Cherkask, on another See also:

ARM (a common Teutonic word; the Indo-European root is ar, to join or fit; cf. the Lat. armus, shoulder, and the plural word arma, weapons, Gr. apphs, joint, and the reduplicated apapilKSV, to join)

arm of the delta, for 246. This river supports a considerable fishing See also:

POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population, who despatch See also:

salt See also:

fish and See also:

CAVIARE, or CAVIAR

caviare all over Russia. See also:

Salmon and See also:

HERRINGS, BATTLE OF THE

herrings are taken in large See also:

numbers. (P. A.

K.; J. T.

End of Article: DON (anc. Tanais)

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