Note 28 — Chapter II · THE STEPPES OF RUSSIA.

“Step” is a Russian word. The following is the account of the Steppes taken from Von Hammer’s History of the Ottoman Empire:—“These Steppes are called by Oriental geographers ‘the fields of Hëihat:’ they extend from east to west from the banks of the Aksou (river Bug) and the Ouron (river Dniepr) to those of the Ten (river Don) and the Tel (river Wolga); northward as far as Astrakhan, and southward as far as the banks of the Kuban (river Hypanis): situated between the Caspian and Black Seas, they cover a superficies of 1000 parasangs (one parasang is about four miles). These immense Steppes, which Timour, in marching against Tóktamish, traversed in 180 days, are covered in winter with snow as high as the grass in summer, and are inhabited by the Nogais and Kalmouks.” Vol. ii. p. 109.