THE KIRGHIZ-STEPPE REGION. . 77 



Slian, at a height of 13,000 feet. From Khan-Tengti, the Thian-Shan range already 

 shews a tendency to branch into ridges, lying almost parallel to each other. The 

 southern of these forms the Chinese frontier and is separated from the more northern 

 by longitudinal valleys, in which flow the rivers Sarydzhaz and Naryu. The crests 

 of these separate ridges consist of an uninterrupted series of snow-clad summits, the passes 

 between which attain an absolute height from 10,000 to 13,000 feet, and are very rugged. 

 Finally, the northernmost ridge of the Thian-Shan descends into the long deep valley stretching 

 from west to east of the large and beautiful lake of Issyk-Kul, situated at a height of 

 5,300 feet. But still further north than lake Issyk-Kul rises also above the limits of eternal 

 snow a double range, that is split into two parallel ridges by a longitudinal valley, the chain 

 of the Zailisk Altai, which is connected with the Thian-Shan by mountain spurs at its 

 northern depressed extremity. At its very centre it reaches a height of 15,000 feet, and 

 over a considerable part of the Zailisk Altai the passes over both its ridges attain an altitude 

 of 9,000 feet and are very difficult to climb. The splendid northern acclivity of the Thian- 

 Shan descends to the broad steppe valley of the Hi, but upon its northern side the Semirecheusk 

 range or Dzhungar Altai rises again to the snow line, and at its eastern extremity, within 

 Chinese territory, is in immediate connexion with the Thian-Shan. Finally, still further to the 

 north, in parallel 47° N. lat., stretches the Tarbagatai range also clad in eternal snows, and 

 parallel to the general direction of the Thian-Shan, reaching an extreme limit of 10,000 feet. 

 The deep hollow of Lake Zaissan lying at a height of 1,356 feet, and of the Black Irtysh 

 which falls into it, divides Tarbagatai from the Narym range of the southern ridge of the 

 Altai system. The mountains of the Thian-Shan and of the two Altai consist mainly of 

 the crystalline rocks, granite, syenite, gneiss, diorite, porphyi-y, and of the metamorphic rocks, 

 crystalline schist; but volcanic rocks have so far not been seen in the Thian-Shan. Cpon 

 the mountain slopes are also found rocks in beds lifted up by the crystalline formations. Wherevei- 

 fossils were met with in the stratified rocks they betray the fact that the latter belong to 

 the paleozoic formations of the devonian ' and carboniferous systems. Secondary formations, 

 namely Jurassic, are found in the continuations and offsets of tin; Thian-Shan range in 

 the Turkestan territory. At the foot of all the mountains described extend zones excellently 

 watered wherever there are snow peaks, and covered with a fertile soil by the torrents, de- 

 scending from them and extremely convenient for agriculture and settled colonization, but not 

 otherwise than with the aid of artificial irrigation. Unfortunately, these zones are narrow; 

 they occupy a submountainons tract of an elevation of 1,800 to 5,000 feet above sea 

 level, in the Issyk-Kul valley even attaining 7,000 feet, above which the cultivation of grain 

 reaches its limit, ceasing also wherever the mountains descend below the snow line and 

 accordingly do not feed any torrents. Moreover these streams lead away into «aryks» or irri- 

 gation canals, become quickly exhausted, and passing over into the hot and arid zone lying 

 below 2,000 feet, being absorbed by the sands or rapidly evaporating, fall it might almost be 

 said into the atmospheric ocean. Therefore of the rivers of Semirechia only the full flowing 

 Hi reaches as it should the extensive Lake Balkhash, bounding this region on the north- 

 east, the other quite insignificant streams, Koksu, Karatal, Bien, Aksu, Baskan and Lepsa, 

 either become lost in shallow washes among the sands, or like the last nanieil, in the impene- 



