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east of 88, and is called Han-hai, or the Dry Sea : accord- 

 ins; to an hypothesis of the Chinese, it is the bed of a lake, 

 which has dried up at some remote period. Its surface is 

 covered with a very fine sand, which is frequently raised 

 into the air by the wind, so that the traces of the caravans 

 soon disappear, except where they are marked by the 

 bones of the beasts of burden which have perished in this 

 desert, through which the nearest road leads from China 

 to Kami in Thian Shan Nanlu. It is however asserted 

 that there are a few places, generally two days' journey 

 from one another, in which drinkable water is found by 

 digging. That part of the desert which lies west of 88, 

 between the Tarim river and the Kuenluen range, is called 

 the Desert of Lop. Though equally unavailable for agri- 

 culture or as a pastoral country, the surface is in many 

 places diversified by large tracts of rocky and stony 

 soil, in which a few animals, as wild horses and wild 

 camels, find a scanty subsistence, and which are over- 

 grown with low shrubs. Water however is scarce, except 

 in spring time. On the north, where it approaches the 

 Thian Shan range, this vast extent of desert is skirted by 

 a narrow tract of hilly ground, which is fit for cultivation 

 or used as pasture-ground. Its width may vary between 

 20 and 30 miles, and it is in many places abundantly watered 

 by rivers which descend from the mountains on the north, 

 but which as soon as they have traversed the hilly region 

 are lost in the sand of the Han-hai. Only a small portion 

 of this tract can be irrigated, but it is cultivated with the 

 utmost care. It produces rice, wheat, millet, and several 

 kinds of vegetables, especially pulse : it is famous all 

 over China for its excellent fruits, especially pomegranates, 

 oranges, peaches, plums, but above all for its melons and 

 grapes, which are sent in large quantities to Peking. In 

 many places cotton is grown on a large scale. The 

 greater part, of this tract however is used as pasture- 

 ground for horses, camels, cattle, and sheep. 



The country west of 88 E. long., and between the Tarim 

 river and the Thian Shan Mountains, contains a much 

 larger portion of cultivable ground, especially in the valleys 

 of the Barun Yulduz, or Kaidu river. The upper valley, 

 where the river runs from east to west, is probably very 

 high, as it is mostly used as pasture-ground for cattle and 

 horses, which thrive exceedingly well. The pure and 

 fresh air of this valley is much commended. The lower 

 valley, where the river flows from west to east, is more 

 extensive, and a large portion of it is under cultivation, 

 producing rice, wheat, millet, and sesamum, and contain- 

 ing large plantations of fruit-trees. The hills enclosing 

 the valley rise probably more than 1000 feet above their 

 base, and are used as pasture-ground. Along the base of 

 the southern ridge of hills are also considerable tracts of 

 cultivated land which are irrigated by the streams that 

 descend from the hills, but at the distance of a few miles 

 their waters are lost in the sandy plain which extends along 

 the banks of the Tarim river. 



Farther west, between 84" and 80 E. long., the hilly 

 country is not so wide, extending only to the distance of 

 H) to 50 miles from the Thian Shan Mountains. The hills 

 also have less elevation, and yield only a scanty supply of 

 water for irrigation. The country is only well cultivated in 

 the vicinity of the great mountain-chain, and grows more 

 barren as it recedes from it, except along the banks of the 

 Chagar Daria, or Ukiat River, where cultivation extends to 

 about 70 miles from the Thian Shan. A large portion of it is 

 used as pasture-ground, but in approaching the Tarim the 

 sandy desert occurs. Farther west (between 80 and 77 

 E. long.) is the valley of the Aksu Daria, which is enclosed 

 by high hills, and in its upper part contains very extensive 

 tracts of fertile land, which are cultivated with great care. 

 They produce every kind of grain, especially wheat, millet, 

 and barley, lentils and beans, also cotton, melons, and 

 several kinds of vegetables. The orchards yield peaches, 

 apricots, pears, pomegranates, grapes, and mulberries, and 

 the rich Matures feed herds of horses, sheep, camels, and 

 cattle. The lower course of the Aksu Daria however lies 

 through the desert and the swamps, which extend along 

 the Tarim river and along the lower course of its principal 

 branches. A few tracts are cultivated on the banks of the 

 Lower Aksu Daria. 



In the plain, west, of the Aksu Daria, which extends 

 bctwci-n the K'ashgar Daria and the Thian Shan Mountains, 

 the cultivated land seems to be almost entirely limits! to 

 the bottom of the Kezyl Daria, where considerable tracts 



produce rice and other grain in abundance, as well as rich 

 crops of cotton. The uplands, which are north of the 

 river, have a stony and rocky soil, covered with a thin layer 

 of earth, sufficient to produce abundance of grass during 

 some parts of the year, and consequently they are used as 

 pasture-grounds by the Kara Kirghis, or Black Kirghis, 

 who go in summer with their herds of horses and camels 

 to the Thian Shan Mountains. The uplands between the 

 Kezyl Daria and the Kashgar Daria have a sandy soil, 

 which for the greater part of the year is quite destitute of 

 vegetation, and can only be used as pasture for a few weeks. 



The western districts of the Thian Shan Nanlu, or those 

 which extend at the base of the Tartashling, are not 

 more favourable to cultivation than the northern districts 

 which we have just noticed. Though the general direc- 

 tion of the Tartashling is from north to south, it seem* 

 that the ranges which compose it generally extend in 

 the direction from west to east, and their wide rocky 

 masses advance far into the plain, leaving only narrow 

 and elevated valleys between them, which do not admit of 

 cultivation. These high ranges extend much farther to 

 the east near the Kuenluen, than in the vicinity of the Thian 

 Shan Mountains, and terminate rather abruptly in the 

 plain, so that only a very narrow hilly tract separates them 

 from the level country. Cultivation is limited to this 

 narrow tract, and even here to the banks of the several 

 rivers which drain it. The cultivated grounds are most 

 extensive on the Kashgar Daria and Yarldang Daria, where 

 these rivers issue from the mountains, and always yield an 

 abundant supply of water for irrigation, especially in the 

 countries surrounding the towns of Kashgar and Yarkiang. 

 Farther down the country is not cultivated, the soil being 

 sandy, and the means of irrigation scanty and uncertain. 

 The principal objects of agriculture are rice, wheat, barley, 

 and millet, with beans and vetches. Several plants are 

 raised from which oil is extracted, among which is 

 srsamum. The mulberry plantations are very extensive, 

 and large quantities of silk are collected at Yarkiand, 

 which is partly exported, and partly used in the manu- 

 factures of the country ; cotton, hemp, and flax are also 

 cultivated. Fniit-trees are abundant, and their produce, 

 consisting of grapes, pomegranates, quinces, peaches, 

 apricots, and apples, constitutes an article of internal 

 commerce. Melons and cucumbers are of excellent 

 quality. The greater part of the country, though unfit 

 for agricultural purposes, is covered with grass, especially 

 those tracts which are mountainous, and accordingly it 

 abounds in domestic animals, among which the horses and 

 sheep are distinguished. The wool collected in these 

 parts is hardly inferior to that of which the shawl's of 

 Cashmir are made. There are also numerous herds of 

 cattle and camels. 



We are less acquainted with the productive powers of 

 the countries which extend along the base of the Thsung- 

 ling, where our knowledge is limited to the tracts that 

 surround the town of Khotan, where a large district is 

 under cultivation, and produces rice, wheat and millet, 

 cotton, hemp and flax ; large quantities of silk of the first 

 quality are collected. The vineyards are extensive, and 

 the grapes grown here' are much prized. Some plants 

 are raised, which yield dyeing-stuffs, which are exported to 

 China. Among the domestic animals the yak is numerous, 

 and also the horses and sheep ; cattle are rather scarce. 

 North of this cultivated tract is a desert, in which many 

 bare rocks occur, but whose surface is mostly covered with 

 sand. This desert, which extends westward to the vicinity 

 of Yarkiang, and northward to the banks of the Yarkiang 

 Daria, is known by the name of Kara-kitai or Rikistan. 

 From this rapid survey of the productive powers of Thian 

 Shan Nanlu it is evident that probably not more than one 

 hundredth part of its surface is available for agricultural 

 purposes. The deserts, and those tracts which are de- 

 scribed as such, cover at least three-fourths of the area, 

 and the remainder is mainly occupied with high mountains, 

 which produce a few trees and good pasture. The utter 

 sterility of the Han-hai seems to depend on the soil, but 

 that of the other desert tracts appears partly to be the 

 effect of climate. 



Climate. The climate of the Thian Shan Nanlu is dis- 

 tinguished by that dryness which is characteristic of all 

 table-lands which are considerably elevated above the 

 sea. As its elevation perhaps does not differ much 

 from that of the table-land of Castile in Spain, there 



