in ASIA. 



town between Siberia and China, situated on a second and higher 

 terrace, is 2530 feet above the sea, according to the barometrical mea- 

 surement of Erman. During a Russian mission to China, a series of 

 heights was ascertained across the Gobi by Bunge and Dr. Fuss, from 

 Kiakhta to Peking ; and it was found that the pass leading over the 

 mountain chain of the Dshirgalantu, lying south of the Chinese pro- 

 vincial capital Urga, and on the south of the river Tola, is only 5005 

 feet above the sea ; and that on the southern border of Gobi not far 

 north of Peking, the highest mountain passes which are crossed by the 

 great Chinese Wall, are only 5525 feet above the sea level 



Between Urga and the Great Wall extends the desert of Gobi It is 

 not a level plain, but sinks toward the middle, where it is about 3000 

 and in some places only 2600 feet above the sea, and forms a long 

 extended flat valley, lying from west to east The lowest part of this 

 valley is occupied by the proper Gobi, called also Shamo (that is, ' sea 

 of sand ' ) ; its surface is covered with sand, and abounds in salt hi 

 all its extent it displays the traces and phenomena of having once been 

 covered by the sea, and among the Mongols a notion still exists that 

 it will again be filled with water. 



Farther to the west, toward the Gobi of Hami called Han-hai or 

 the dry sea,' the table-land probably rises again, but still farther to 

 the west it is perhaps again furrowed longitudinally from west to east 

 by a wide and extensive depression of the surface. We are induced 

 to make such a conjecture by the course of the large river traversing 

 Kashghar and Yarkand, which running eastward terminates in the 

 lake Lop, which probably occupies the lowest part of the valley. The 

 culture of cotton and the vine in Chinese Turkistan, along the tract 

 indicated, together with its numerous commercial towns (Kashghar, 

 Yarkand, Aksu, Kutche, Karashar, Turfan, Hami), which are traversed 

 by the great road leading over Central Asia to China, render it very 

 probable that this valley is not much elevated above the level of the 

 sea, and that the countries lying in this direction offer no great obsta- 

 cles to travelling. This valley is bounded by two high mountain 

 chains, running west and east, of which that to the north is called the 

 Thian-Shan (Bogdo Oola) range, and the southern the Kuen-lun (Koul- 

 koun) Mountains. These two extensive mountain ranges may be called 

 the interior mountain chains of the eastern highland of Asia ; the 

 Altai Mountains on the north, and the Himalaya range on the south, 

 constitute the exterior mountain chains of this elevated region. 



Between these four extensive mountain systems lie the three wide 

 plains which occupy the central countries of Asia, and in which 

 respectively are found the three large lakes of Balkash, Lop, and 

 Tengri. These three plains comprehend the three countries known 

 under the names of Zungary, Tangut, and Tibet, and their general 

 level probably rises higher and higher aa they advance from north to 

 south. 



The Altai Mountains, taken according to the restricted acceptation 

 of the name at the present day, extend from 56 to 49J N. lat, and 

 from 82* to 87 E. long., occupying an area of about 40,000 square 

 miles, which is nearly equal to that of England. The physiognomy of 

 the Altai Mountains in their western and southern divisions is generally 

 grand and interesting. The rivers, which are very numerous, flow 

 rapidly with full streams ; and the various forms of the stratified and 

 metamorphosed rocks of the limestone, porphyry, and granite, with 

 the Bielki (' white or snowy mountains') in the distance, lend to the scene 

 the charm of perpetual novelty. The banks of the Kahunya in the 

 heart of the mountains present a landscape of the most impressive 

 character; an immense wall of rock, extending from west to east, 

 supports fields of perpetual snow and glaciers, from the midst of which 

 rise numerous rocky points, pyramids, and truncated cones; while in 

 the distance are seen the two towering peaks, named the Pillars of the 

 Kahunya. These peaks which are supposed to be the highest summit* 

 of the Altai Mountains stand on a wide and elevated table-land, lying 

 between the sources of the Kahunya, theBidaya, and the Berell, vttah 

 joins the Bukhlarma. Glaciers spreading from the bases of the 

 Bidukha, or snowy cones, supply the fountains of these three river*. 

 The absolute height of the Pillars ha* been estimated by Dr. Gebler 

 at 1 1 ,723 feet, by Tchihatchoff at 1 2,790 feet In the eastern part of 

 the Altai, where the clay-elate predominates, the aspect of the country- 

 is more monotonous ; the mountains lose all variety of form, and assume 

 the character of long ridge*. It is on these mountains of slaty structure 

 that the most disagreeable charaeteristic of the Altai is chiefly developed 

 namely, the great extent of deep bog and morass, through which a 

 hone crossing the hills must wade belly-deep even in the middle of 

 summer, and not without the danger of breaking hi* leg*, if he get* 

 entangled in the bough* of the trees which lie buried underneath. 

 The area covered by perpetual snow in the Altai is very considerable, 

 but the height of the snow-line, which is very irregular, doe* not appear 

 to have been yet ascertained for any locality by exact observation. It 

 i supineed to be relatively high, owing probably to the great mas* of 

 Uie high land and the contiguity of the mountain*, a. well as to the 

 peculiar condition of the atmosphere ; and in the southern and more 

 eUvsted portion of the Altai its general elevation does not perhaps 

 fall much short of 8000 feet The Altai Mountain* owe their reputa- 

 aooand importance chiefly to their mineral treasures rich silver, 

 , and iron ores, to which gold ha* recently been added. 



"^2^2.7* U ! n "* ** Thianchan follow the Altai in a southern 

 . The Thianchan, or the Celestial Mountains, 1 Tengri-Tagh of 



ASIA. 



578 



I BM 



I . 



the Turks, is eight times as long, in an east and west direction, as the 

 Pyrenees. Boyond, tli.it is to say, to the west of its intersection with 

 the meridian chain of the Bolor, the Thianchan bears the name* of 

 Asferah and Aktagh, rich in metals, and intersected with fissures 

 which emit hot vapours, luminous at night, and which are used for 

 obtaining sal-ammoniac. East of the transverse Bolor chain there 

 follow successively in the Thianchan, according to Humboldt. tip' 

 Kashgar Pass, the Glacier Pass of Djeparle, the volcano of Pesliau, 

 from which fire and streams of lava issued at least as late as the middle 

 of the seventh century; the great snow-covered massive elevation { 

 Bogdo-Odla ; the Solfatara of Urumtei, which furnishes sulphur and 

 sal-ammoniac, and lies in a coal district ; the volcano of Turfau or 

 Ho-tcheou, and of Pidjau, which is still in a state of activity. Tip- 

 great distance of the volcanoes of the interior of Axia from the sea- 

 coast is a remarkable and isolated phenomenon. East of the volcano 

 of Turfet the chain of the Thianchan merges into the great elevated 

 tract of Gobi, which runs in a south-west and north-cast direction. 

 This interruption of the mountain chain continues for more than 

 94 degrees of longitude ; it is caused by the transversal intersection 

 of the Gobi, but beyond the latter the more southern chain of Inshan 

 (' silver mountains'), proceeding from west toeast to the shores of the 

 Pacific near Poking, forms a continuation of the Thianchan. No 

 summit of the Thianchan has as yet been measured. 



The Thianchan is succeeded by the mountain system of the Kuon- 

 lun, which with its western prolongation in the Hindu-Koosh, tli.- 

 Persian Elburz, and Demavend, constitute, with thu American chain 

 of the Andes, the longest lines of elevation on our planet. At th>- 

 point where the meridian chain of the Bolor intersects the Knrnliiii 

 at right angles the latter receives the name of Orion Mountains (Tsung- 

 ling). Bounding Tibet in the north the Kuenlun runs in a r> 

 direction from west to east, in the parallel of 36 N. lat, until 

 the chain is broken in the meridian of Hlassa by the vast moun- 

 tain-knot which surrounds the ' Sea of Stars' (Ting-so-hai) and the 

 Alpine lake of Khukti-noor. The chains of Nan-chan and Kilian-chan, 

 lying somewhat farther north, and extending to the Chinese Wall near 

 Liang-tcheu, may almost be regarded as the eastern prolongation >( 

 the Kuenlun. To the west of the intersection of the Bolor and the 

 Kuenlun the regular direction of the axis of elevation proves, in 

 Humboldt' s opinion, that the Hindu-Koosh is a prolongation of the 

 Kuenlun and not of the Himalaya. From the Taurus in Syria to the 

 Kaffiristan the chain follows the parallel of Rhodes over a distance of 

 45 degrees of longitude. The highest peak of the Hindu-Koosh, situated 

 north of Peshawar, in 34" 30' N. lat., 71 40' E. long., is 21,560 feet 

 above the level of the sea. Dr. Thomson in his very interesting journey 

 to Tibet reached the range of the Kuenlun at the Karakonim Pass. 

 His route lay from Ladak tip the valley of the Shayok River, and he 

 describes one of the upland plains over which he travelled in this 

 mountainous region as being 18,000 feet above the sea ; this he pre- 

 sumes may be the highest flat plain on the globe. The elevation of 

 Karakonim Pass was 18,600 feet, which in the middle of August waa 

 found free from snow; the general height of the range is estimated 

 at 20,000 or 21,000 feet 



The mountain system of the Himalaya is bounded on the west by 

 the Indus and on the east by the Brahmaputra. Recent surveys and 

 researches have added considerably to our knowledge of this the 

 grandest elevated mass of our globe. Several peaks upu.'inln of 28,000 

 feet high have been measured with great care, and it baa been established 

 by the journeys and researches of Hodgson, Strachcy, Hooker, and 

 others that many previous notions on the general features of thin 

 mighty system were erroneous. Hodgson has based a system of spurs 

 extending southward from the connected central range of the moun- 

 tains. These spurs, he maintains, are the boundaries of so many 

 hydrographical basins of the chief rivers which rise in the Himalaya 

 Mountains, and the highest summits ore found not on the connected 

 ranges but on these meridional branches, to the south of the former. 

 He then enumerates seven spurs which are characterised by the 

 following culminating points : 



Respecting the north-western Himalaya and the contiguous part of 

 Tibet the brothers Strachcy as well as Dr. Thomson have shown " that 

 neither the Kuenlun nor the Himalaya, as marked upon our maps, 

 have any definite special existence as mountain chains apart from the 

 general elevated mass of Tibet That rugged country thus seems to 

 form the summit of a great protuberance above the general level of 

 the earth's surface, of which these two chains form the north and 

 south faces." Again in the eastern Himalaya Dr. Hooker, as before 

 stated, has found that " the Himalaya mountain-ridge of our maps is 

 an imaginary line drawn through certain lofty peaks which, catching all 



