Timber Trade of Chinese Empire. 651 



munication, the Yangtse, has attached to it a vast network of 

 navigable streams. The loess of the north is much less in evi- 

 dence here, the chief formations being alluvium, limestone and 

 sandstone. The great lakes of China are found in this valley, 

 which is also the region of the Great Treaty Ports. The third 

 region is the basin of the Sikiang, with which are included the 

 coast provinces south of the Yangtse delta. This region is highly 

 diversified in character, abounding in mineral wealth and in semi- 

 tropical productions; stocked with a variety of races, amongst 

 whom the Chinese race is poorly represented — except in the two 

 northerly coastal provinces. The provinces included in this basin 

 are Yunnan, Kweichow, Kwangsi, Kwantung, Fokien, and Che- 

 kiang, and of these six three are maritime. 



It is thus seen that the Eighteen Provinces divide themselves 

 naturally into three groups of six. The Dependencies, commonly 

 so called, are four in number — Manchuria, Mongolia, Chinese 

 Turkestan, and Thibet. These four Dependencies lie, in the order 

 named, on the northern and western boundaries of China Proper, 

 and are all that remain to China of a peripheral chain of such 

 Dependencies forming the complete landward boundary of the 

 Middle Kingdom. The other four, Korea, Burma, Siam, and 

 Annam, have fallen out of China's grasp and will in all proba- 

 bility never again be hers. 



The internal communications of China present a remarkable 

 contrast. On the one hand China is traversed by numberlesSv 

 roads ( from our standpoint, they are more nearly paths or tracks; 

 than roads) and, though few are paved or metalled and all are- 

 badly kept, a vast amount of domestic traffic passes over them,. 

 At the same time an enormous volume of trade passes along the 

 great waterways of China. There is probably no country in the 

 world so well supplied with water communication — certainly none 

 other in which the waterways are so fully used. The center of 

 the whole system is the Yangtse Kiang, with its many tributaries, 

 and numerous canals or canalized streams, the greatest artery of 

 this kind being the Grand Canal itself. Contrasted with these 

 ancient lines of communication and tedious means of travel are 

 the rapid and rapidly extending railways in the extension of 

 There are over 5,000 miles of the line opened or under construe- 



