95 versts north of Vladimrovka there is the vast Eltonkoye Lake, which at that time was considered the primary source of salt production; Every year between 6 and 10 million pounds of best-quality self-planted salt was mined there, which was transported mainly to the settlement of Nikolaevskaya, which became very rich on this occasion. Subsequently, Baskunchak's competition greatly undermined the salt production on Eltonf due to the fact that Lake Baskunchak, the salt of which is no worse than Elton, is much closer to the Volga.
As a result, the production of salt on Elton, which reached 10 million poods annually until the seventies, dropped to 2 million poods annually in the eighties. The lake extends for 20 vertas in length and 16 vertas in width; there is such an enormous amount of salt in it that it would be enough, just like in Baskunchak, for an infinite number of litres, for the needs of Europe. Eight small rivers flow into Elton, the water of which has a bitter-salty taste due to the fact that the rivers flow through the saline steppe.
Besides Baskunchak and Elton, in the Astrakhan province there are many more salt lakes, in which 10 to 12 million poods of salt are mined annually; but this salt is no longer exported from the province, but is used for local needs, namely for salting fish. Vef, without exception, the salt lakes in the province are the property of the treasury. r
Below Vladimtrovka, on the right bank of the Volga, is located Cherny Yar, a federal city of the Astrakhan province with 5,000 inhabitants, devoid of greenery, a city of no great beauty, with a trace of the most incredible boredom in its inner life. Not yet in the very distant past, Cherny Yar served to a certain extent as a municipality of administrative exile. A little below it, on the right bank of the river, is the famous village of Vetlyanka, the worldwide fame of which began due to the fact that at one time it was plagued by a plague infection, which attracted Vetlyanka, which had been in no way until that time, a number of conscientious and serious servants of science, who visited it with the purpose of studying it! on the location of both the disease itself and the causes of its occurrence in Vetlyanka. To say anything about this would mean repeating a long-known story.
A few more unimportant settlements on the right bank, such as Grachevskoye, Prishibinskoye, Kopanovskaya, and we approached the next district town of the Astrakhan province - Enotaevsk with 2000 inhabitants, also located on the right bank of the Volga. Enotaevsk was founded in 1741 for protection from the Kalmyks. The bare steppe revealed by the sun and shifting sands make up the dull setting surrounding the dull town. A little below Enotaevsk, on the left bank of the Volga, several hundred Kalmyk tents are grouped around a stone building, somewhat reminiscent in appearance of an Indus pagoda; This settlement, which belonged to the Kalmyk prince Tyumen, is known under the name Tyumenevka, and the stone building is a khurul in which the Kalmyks hold divine services. The administration of the Khoshoutovsky ulus is also located in Tyumenev. A similar settlement, but with a large number of Russian houses, is located on the right bank of the Volga, 4 versts above Astrakhan; it is called the Kalmytsy Bazaar, and it also has a khurul. The Russian administration is located here in the form of a trustee of the ulus. A little over a verst from the Kalmyk bazaar, just above it, is located on the very bank of the Volga the village of Khokhlatskoye, and next to it the right bank of the Volga is a cliff, now known as Sharinova Hill; This significance has historical significance: it existed here in the U-—USH VK. khozar city Itil, or Atel; according to other sources, this city was exactly the present Astrakhan, which was called Tsitrakhan at that time. We cannot say which of the two indications deserves more confidence, but in any case it is true that there was once a vast settlement in the city, since to this day various ancient coins, household items, etc. have been found there.
Having reached Astrakhan, to which, as an important center of the southern Volga region, we will devote a special and final chapter of our essay, we will go back a little to say a few more words about the lower reaches of the Volga, which we only briefly talked about above.
The Great Russian River below Tsaritsyn turns almost at a right angle to the left and flows in a south-eastern direction all the way to the Kasshian Sea. This turn is especially noticeable near Sarepta, which makes up the southernmost punet of the Saratov province, where its region cuts into an oblong strip along the coast. The Volga between the Astrakhan Territory and the Don Region, ending at the opposite corner at Sarepta. Mountain range, composed of qualities standing satellite of the Volga, its right bank, to leave this beautiful river and