2-979-598 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Sketches in Asiatic Russia - Fishing Station below Astrakan, 1857. View by '...Mr. William Spottiswoode, who has recently returned from a tour in this comparatively little known country...Between Astrakan and the Caspian, as well as along the western shores of the Caspian itself, are a considerable number of stations for sturgeon fishery. From this fish, as is well known, caviare and isinglass are made. The church spires show that the village is inhabited by Russians, although a few of the outlying huts may belong to the mixed race, improperly called Tatar at Astrakan. The stakes form the barrier of the station. In the mid channel is one of the large barges that ply up the river sometimes as far as Nijni, now waiting for a cargo of salt fish and caviare. Under the near bank are some of the Kalmuck canoes used for taking up the lines and capturing the fish'. From "Illustrated London News", 1857.