Don

Don (ancient Tanaïs), a river of Russia, having its source in a small lake in the government of Tula. It flows in a general southerly direction through the governments of Tula, Riazan, Tambov, Voronej, and the country of the Don Cossacks, and enters the Sea of Azov by several mouths, of which the Aksai is the most considerable. The Don has a length of 1125 miles, and drains an area of 165,500 sq. m.; its numerous affluents include the navigable Voronej, Donetz, Khoper, and Medvieditzza, and the Vasovka, the Sosna, and the Manytch. The course of the main stream is obstructed by frequent sand-banks; and when the ice melts it overflows its banks for miles, so that in many places the village houses are raised on piles. The Don is navigable for large boats below Voronej, and in its upper course is connected by canal and railway with the Volga, by which means the produce and manufactures of the interior are conveyed to the southern provinces of Russia. A great canal from the Don to the Volga, at the point where the lower courses of the two rivers most closely converge, has recently been proposed. The waters of the Don abound in fish; but a monopoly of the fisheries has been enjoyed since 1637 by those dwelling on the river's banks.