66 VIEWS OF NATURE. 



of the mountain chain continues for more than 9^ degrees of 

 longitude ; it is caused by the transversal intersection of the 

 Gobi, but beyond the latter, the more southern chain of In- 

 schan (Silver Mountains), proceeding from west to east, to the 

 shores of the Pacific near Pekin (north of the Pe-tscheli), forms 

 a continuation of the Thian-schan. As we may regard the 

 In-schan as an eastern prolongation of the fissure from which 

 the Thian-schan is upheaved, so we may also be inclined to 

 consider the Caucasus as a western prolongation of the same 

 range, beyond the Great Aralo-Caspian basin or of the low- 

 lands of Turan. The mean parallel or axis of elevation of the 

 Thian-schan oscillates between 40° 40' and 43° north latitude; 

 that of the Caucasus (inclining, according to the map of the 

 Russian Staff, froniE.S.E. to W.N. W.) between 41° and 44°.* 

 Of the four parallel chains that traverse Asia, the Thian-schan 

 is the only one of which no simimit has as yet been mea- 

 sured. 



3. The mountain system of the Kuen-liin (Kurkun or Kul- 

 kun), including the Hindoo- Coosh, with its western prolon- 

 gation in the Persian Elburz and Demavend, and the American 

 chain of the Andes, constitute the longest lines of elevation 

 on our planet. At the point where the meridian chain of 

 the Bolor intersects the Kuen-liin at right angles, the latter 

 receives the name of Onion Mountains (Tchsung-ling), a term 

 also applied to a portion of the Bolor at the inner eastern 

 angle of intersection. Bounding Thibet in the north, the 

 Kuen-liin runs in a regular direction from east to west, in 

 the parallel of 36° north latitude ; until the chain is broken 

 in the meridian of H'lassa, by the vast mountain node which 

 surrounds the Sea of Stars, Sing- so-hai (so celebrated hi the 

 mythical geography of the Chinese), and the Alpine lake of 

 Khuku-noor. The chains of Nan-schan and Kilian-schan, 

 lying somewhat further north, and extending to the Chinese 

 wall near Liang-tsheu, may almost be regarded as the eastern 

 prolongation of the Kuen-liin. To the west of the inter- 

 section of the Bolor and the Kuen-liin (Tchsung-ling), the 

 regular direction of the axes of elevation (inclining from east 

 to west in the Kuen-liin and Hindoo-Coosh, and from south - 



* Baron von Mevendorff in the Bulletin de la Societe Geologique de 

 France, t. ix. 1837—1838, p 3 230. 



