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Alexander von Humboldt: „On the difference of level between the Black Sea and the Caspian“, in: ders., Sämtliche Schriften digital, herausgegeben von Oliver Lubrich und Thomas Nehrlich, Universität Bern 2021. URL: <https://humboldt.unibe.ch/text/1838-On_the_difference-1> [abgerufen am 21.04.2025].
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| Titel | On the difference of level between the Black Sea and the Caspian | ||||
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| Jahr | 1838 | ||||
| Ort | London | ||||
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Nachweis in: The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London 8 (1838), S. 135–136.
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| Sprache | Englisch | ||||
| Typografischer Befund | Antiqua; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung; Schmuck: Kapitälchen. | ||||
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On the difference of level between the Black Sea and the Caspian (London, 1838, Englisch) |
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Extracts from a letter from Baron Alex. von Humboldt (London, 1838, Englisch) |
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[On the difference of level between the Black Sea and the Caspian] (Paris, 1838, Englisch) |
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Lettre de M. de Humboldt à la société de géographie de Londres, sur la différence du niveau entre la Mer Noire et la Mer Caspienne (Paris, 1838, Französisch) |
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[On the difference of level between the Black Sea and the Caspian] (Prag, 1839, Deutsch) |
|135|
The kindness of M. Kupffer, Corresponding Member of theSociety at St. Petersburg, enabled us to give, at p. 426, Vol. vi.of the Geographical Journal, some account of the Russian expe-dition about to be sent forth, in 1836, to determine the long-contested point of the difference of level between the Black andthe Caspian Seas. That expedition has fulfilled its object.
The trigonometric levelling along the line of country betweenNovo-Tcherkask, by Stavropol, to Kisliar, is now completed, andalthough the detail of the survey has not yet reached London, yetthe fact of the determination of so remarkable a point in physicalgeography is too important not to find a place in the Geogra-phical Journal, especially as the Society is indebted for thecommunication of it to one of its most distinguished ForeignMembers.
On the difference of level between the Black Sea and theCaspian. Communicated by the Baron Alexander vonHumboldt.
“Berlin, Jan. 10, 1838.
“The beautiful trigonometric levelling between the Black andthe Caspian Seas is at length finished. There is a depression, buta much less depression than M. Parrot had announced after hisfirst barometric levelling by stations; this always appeared tome probable (see my letter to M. Parrot, inserted in his ‘Voyageà l’Ararat,’ vol. ii. p. 192), on account of the elevation of Kasan(level of the junction of the Kasanza and the Wolga), and onaccount of some corresponding observations which I obtained duringmy journey to the Caspian. The levelling of MM. Fuss, Sabler,and Sawitch, shews that the level of the Caspian is 101.2 Russianfeet, equal to 94.9 Paris feet (old measure), lower than thelevel of the Black Sea.
“The height of Kasan has been much discussed, and all tra-vellers have assumed different heights; at page 639 of the volumepublished by M. Gustave Rose, I have given the latest resultsof the labours of the astronomer Simonoff, professor at Kasan.The cistern of the barometer in the building of the University(Universitäts Gebäude) at Kasan, has an elevation of 181 Parisfeet; the junction of the Kasanza and the Wolga is 53 feet(8.9 toises) above the level of the ocean. The fall of the Wolgafrom Kasan to the Caspian would be then 148 feet, or 24.7toises. In a direct line it is about 157 geographical leagues (of15 to the degree) from Kasan to the Caspian. This is a greaterinclination than that of the Amazon or the Nile, and almost asgreat as that of the Oder. The most striking fact is the littleelevation of part of the interior of the East of Europe above thelevel of the ocean, since from Kasan to the Icy Sea it is 135
|136| geographical leagues. The city of Berlin, so near the Baltic, is100 feet above the level of the sea, according to an excellenttrigonometric levelling, which the chief of the staff corps has, atmy request, caused to be executed during last year, by the ableobserver M. Bäyer.
“I cannot sufficiently congratulate the Geographical Society onhaving found so excellent a traveller as M. Schomburgk: his latestlabours, the ascent of the Rivers Corentyn and Berbice, inGuayana, place him very high in my opinion; and the zone ofhieroglyphic figures, sculptured in the rocks from Encamarada,in 66° 50′ W. longitude, as far as the eastern limit of BritishGuayana, a distance of nearly 600 miles, is an ethnographicalphenomenon which daily increases in interest.
“The astronomical geography of the North of Asia will shortlybe set right by the publication of the important labours of M.Federow, élève of M. Struve, who has recently returned, after afive years’ absence. Should I still publish the detail of my astro-nomical observations in Siberia, it will only be in order to fixmore accurately the points where I have made observations onterrestrial magnetism.
“I learn with the greatest satisfaction that my letter to theDuke of Sussex, on the subject of Magnetic Observatories, hasproduced some useful results. As we make observations hereboth with the needle of Gambey, furnished with microscopes andwith the new apparatus of Gauss, an apparatus furnished with amirror, we have an opportunity of convincing ourselves more andmore of the great perfection of this mirror apparatus, which doubt-less requires greater skill and more instruction on the part of theobservers; the tracing of the curves of horary variation, based uponobservations made across all Europe for every five minutes of time(see Gauss und Weber, Resultate aus den Beobachtungen desMagnetischen Vereins im Jahr 1836; Göttingen, bei Dietrich,1837), will prove what advantage is derived from making use ofthe apparatus of Gauss, which doubtless will soon be employedin all our great observatories.
“As I think that this subject is not without importance toSeamen, I beg you to invite the leading Members of the Geogra-phical Society to be good enough to propagate Gauss’ manner ofobserving in all new stations, where intelligent persons can befound. Points near the Magnetic Equator, and those which arein high latitudes in the southern hemisphere, as the Cape ofGood Hope, Australia, Van Diemen’s Land, would be the mostdesirable, if they would observe at the same epochs indicated byM. Gauss, and followed throughout the North of Asia, in Ger-many, in Sweden, and at Milan.”