THE SAMARA-ZLATOUST RAILWAY.
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The course of the river Belaya, called Ak-Isyl by the Bashkirs, flowing on the left into the Kama, is about 1,000 versts long. The country along its upper reaches, between the branches of the Ural and Bugulchan, is mountainous; the cliffs on the banks consist mainly of chlorite and mica slate, gneiss and partly of limestone of the Silurian system. Picturesque and wooded mountains abounding in caves surround the basin of this river; copper and iron works are established on its tributaries. Limestone of the carboniferous system occurs plentifully between Bugulchan and Sterlitomak; on its lower reaches, especially nearer to Ufa, gypsum, marl and sandstone of the permian system are the predominating rocks. The left bank is low, the right has a higher level. The river has a very sinuous course and near Ufa a breadth of 80 sazhens, which further on widens to 175 and 250 sazhens. Its waters are navigable from the Beloretsk works, within 70 versts of its mouth; there is regular navigation for passengers and freights throughout the summer from Ufa. On the average, the ice on the river breaks up by the 11 April and freezes again by the 4 November.
34) Ufa. Buffet (607).
The railway station is picturesquely situated near the government town of Ufa, on the right elevated bank of the Belaya at its junction with the Ufa (54°43' N. lat., 25°37.5' E. long.; pop. 50,576.).
The vast territory embracing the Ufa government (107,217 sq. v.) and part of the contiguous Orenburg, Samara, Perm and Viatka governments, included in the Russian dominions towards the end of the XVl-th century, is known under the name of Bashkiria, derived from the name of the Bashkirs, who have inhabited this region since a remote date. The land of the Bashkirs became known to the Russians since the Mongol conquest. However, their nearer acquaintance with this country dates from the time when the Muscovite government was struggling for the possession of the Horde of Kazan. Wearied by internal and family dissensions, persecuted by the Kirgiz-Kaisaks, and seeing the growing power of Moscow, the Bashkirs voluntarily submitted to Russian dominion, and paid in 1557 their first tribute in furs, called „yasak". Ufa was the first Russian town founded in Bashkiria for collecting yasak. Ivan Nagoi was the founder of this town. The date of its foundation is not positively known; however it is supposed that it was between 1573 and 1586. According to an ancient tradition, an old Tatar town with the same name of Ufa was situated on the site of the present town; remains of earthworks,  now   called                                 Types of Bashkirs.
the Devil's mound, testify
to its former existence. With the foundation of Ufa, the Russians were securely established in Bashkiria and.then began the colonisation of this country. The