﻿Ul 



UOANChUO. 



HOJLNO-HO. 



til 



and ouinot ba Man from th* daek of • t<mm1 at » greater diaUnoa than 

 about 9 milaa. Tha uniformity of the aunndinga along thaaa ahorea 

 ia unuauaL At tha dietanoa of 10 milei from the beach thajr rary 

 only betweea 44 OD^ ' fathomi, and at 12 milea between 6 and 8 

 fathoms. Large Teiaeli oaonot approach the ahorea, and muat remain 

 at anchor from 4 to 6 milea oS. Thi* part of the Hoang-liai is only 

 uavigated by fiat-bottomed Teaasls, which find ahalter in the embou- 

 ohuraa of some small rivera. Where the gulf approaohea the aboTe- 

 mantioned strait between Liao-tong and Chan-tuag the ahorea rise 

 higher, and are well defined. Here a range of moantaina stretches 

 from aoath-waat to north-eaat at the diitanoe of 10 or 12 miles from 

 tha aea, and between tham and the shore is a lower belt of elemted 

 ground in a state uf high cultiration, covered with many tcwna and 

 villages, and interspersed with soattared trees and several extensive 

 woodiL Along this coast the soundings are somewhat deeper than 

 oo the other, but not so deep as might ba expected from the bold 

 outline of tho land ; and there i^pear to be some harbours for larger 

 vessels. 



The northern portion of the western basin, or the Otilf of Liao-tong, 

 is imperfectly liuown. The shores are rocky and higb, but the soundings 

 are rather rrgular and of moderate depth. Some good harbours for 

 large vessels are known to exist The mountains which inclose this 

 gulf are in their upper part barren and nearly deatitute of trees, but 

 between them and the ahorea there are many fertile and well-culti- 

 vated tracts. 



The water in tliis weatem part of the Hoong-hai is of a dirty 

 yellow or green, which colour seems to be derived from that of the 

 mud which constitotea its bottom. There are a few small islands in 

 this part of the sea, but the group of three islanda, called the Moatao, 

 or Miatan, '*'-"'»■. which lie partly in the strait between the western 

 and eaateni basin, are of moderate extent, and well cultivated and 

 populona. 



The aastam basin of the northern portion is very little known. In 

 tha moet southern part of it, that which washes the north-eastern 

 diores of the peninsula of Chan-tuug, the navigation is safe, and there 

 are only a few rocky iaiands. The soundings are regular and moderate, 

 and thera are some tolerable harbours for small vessels. The northern 

 part is represented on the Chinese maps as containing several exten- 

 sive groups of islsnds, especially along the ahorea of tiu peninanla of 

 liiao-tong. 



The most southern part of the Yellow Sea, or that which lies south 

 of a line drawn from the most north-eastern cape of the peninsula of 

 Chan-tung to the coast of Cores, at the back of Hall's Oroup, is at 

 its southern extremity between the mouth of the river Hoang^o and 

 the southwest cape of Corea nearly 400 miles wide, but grows nanower 

 as it proceeds north, being near its northern boundary hardly 200 

 miles soroas. The shores of this part of the Hoang-bai are high and 

 rocky, with the exception of a tract of about GO mUea contiguous to 

 the mouth of the Hoang-bo on the north, where the country consists 

 of alluvium. Farther north on the peninsula of Chan-tuug several 

 rangaa of high ground advance to the coast, and in this part some 

 harbonn of considerable extent are said to exist. The navigation 

 along this conntiT is not daogerons, tbongh fisrther south between the 

 mouths of the doang-ho and Yang-tae-kiang the sea is full of shoals 

 and sandbanka. On the oppoaite side, along the eoasts of Corea, the 

 aaa to the distance of 50 or 60 miles from the continent is literall v 

 dotted with islands and rocks, which are generally small Though 

 the number of islands renders the navigation dangerous, and requires 

 great caution on the part of seamen, they contain numerous excellent 

 barbonrm. The straits which separate the iaiands are generally from 

 one mile to two or three or even four milea across, and are aU close 

 harhonrs, capable of oootainiBg ia security all the navies of the world. 

 They form in fact an almost endless chain of harbours oommunicatiug 

 with each other. Thry appear to be all inhabited, and therefore must 

 poaaeaa freah water. 



The Yellow Sea wadiea those parts of China proper which are moet 

 populooa and best cultivated, and where the manufacturing industry 

 IS carried to the highest point. Accordingly the number of junks 

 wUdi ai« met with along its western coasts u very great ; but along 

 liia eowt of Corea these vessels are rarely met with. 

 (Staunton; M'Leod; BasU Hall.) 



HOANaHU (' Yellow River '), one of the laiffest rivers in the vrorld, 

 drains the 'northern provinces of China proper, a small portion of 

 Mongolia, and the greatest part of Tangut. It rises in the high snow- 

 oovered mountains which fill up the greatest part of the southern 

 diatrieta of TaiMpit, at a distance of 1290 miles from its mouth in a 

 alnigM Una. But as thera is perhaps no river on the globe which 

 ahn^sa so frequently the direotion of its course, and makes each 

 laiS* basda, its oonne is eompnted by Ritter to exceed 8480 miles. 

 Tha oomrtries drained by the Hoang-ho cover an area of 740,000 



Tba aooraea «f tha Hoang-ho have never been visited by any 

 ^ ur a y ea ii, wai ara imperfectly known even in China. Where theaa 

 troe aooreca ware a ituMLj waa not esaetly known until the emperor 

 Knblai, of tba Tosa or Mea g ol dynasty, towards the end of the 18th 

 oentuiT, sent parsons to a xp lors tha oountty surrounding them. 

 A USU I J i n to the report made by these penons the sources of the 

 lioaiig ho are found in a depression betweaa tha ranges of the Bayan 



Kharm or Pe-Iing Moantaina on the aouth, and the Knen-lncn range 

 on tha north. In this depression mora than a hundred springs ara 

 atated to rise from a level swampy plain about 40 milea hi circum- 

 ference. The water brought up by these springs unites at a abort 

 distance from the plaiu in two lakea, called Ala-nor by the MongoU 

 This Ala-nor is theiefon to be considered as the true source of the 

 Hoang-ho. 



The AU-nor Uaa in 85* 20' K. lat, and between 96* and 97* E. long. 

 The river issuing from the lake on the east is called Tshi-ping-bo (the 

 river with the red banks), and after having been Joined by three tribu- 

 taries it falls into the Alpine lake Oling-hai, from which it issues 

 under the name of Hoang-ho. Its course being opposed by tha 

 immense rocky masses of the Kuen-luen, tho river runs for mora than 

 80 miles southward, when it resumes its eastern course and continuu 

 in that dinction for about 160 miles. To avoid a high o%et of the 

 Bayan Khara range, which atanda in its way, the Hoang-ho turns 

 with a bold sweep to the west, as if it wen returning to its souroes, 

 and flows in that direction about 120 milea, surrounding on three 

 sides the eastern extramity of the Kuen-luen Mountains. But the 

 wide-spread mountain-masses of the same system oppose its coune 

 farther to the west, and it turns by degrees to the north-east and east 

 imtil it leaves the mountain region on arriving in Proper China at the 

 town of Lant-tsheou, where it skirts the Great Wall, having run from 

 its last great turning to this place about 520 mih-s. Its upper coiuae 

 lies entirely in Tangut, and extends to about 700 miles. On both of 

 its banks the mountains rise with a steep and frequently predpitous 

 acclivity beyond the snow-line, and tho valley in which the river runs 

 is very narrow, in many places so mnch so that there remains not a 

 level vride enough for a road. No towns are found in this region, and 

 the few inhabitants are savage tribes living on the produce of their 

 herds, which consist mostly of sheep and yaks. They gather also tho 

 true rhubarb-root, wliich grows on the upper part of the mountains 

 near the places covered with perpetual snow. 



Below Lant-tsheou the Hoang-ho turns with a sharp bend north- 

 ward, and flows in that direotion with some deviation to the eastward 

 through five degrees of latitude, crossing the Great Wall three times 

 in the interval Its course in this direction probably does n6t fall 

 short of 430 miles. When the river has passed 41* K. lat. it meets 

 the range of the In-shan Mountains, by which its oourse is turned to 

 the east. After flowing near 41° N. lat about 180 miles eastward, the 

 mountains bordering on China proper on the north oppose ita progress 

 in that direction ; and it turns to the south, crossing the Great Wall 

 for tho last time near 89° 48' N. lat, 111° 40' E. long., and runs 

 through that mountain region a space of about 500 miles, until it 

 enters the great plain of Northern China at the mouth of the river 

 Hoey-ho. This middle course of the river amounts to about 1130 

 miles. 



Where the Hoang-ho issues from the narrow valleys which its rapid 

 current has scooped out in the snow-covered rocky masses of Tangut, 

 and at the place where it begins to flow in a wider valley about 100 

 miles above Lant-tsheou, the fortress Tsy-tshy-kuan is built The 

 valley which extends from this place to Lant-tsheou, and hence north 

 and north-east to the mouth of the Thian-shui (36° 80' N. lat), is 

 compared by Father Martini, a native of Tyrol, with the valley of the 

 Inn at Innspmck. In this part of its course, espedally above Lant- 

 tsheou, the volume of its waters ia greatly increased by several lar^ 

 affluents, among which the Huaug-tshu, or Tai-tung-ho, originating m 

 the Nanahan, flows to it from the north-west, and appears to have a 

 course of more than 400 miles. 



At the month of the Thian-sbui the mountains on the east of the 

 river disappear, and are replaced by a hilly region, in which tracts of 

 fertile and cultivated land ore intermixed with sandy hills. Proceeding 

 farther north the extent of the fertile grounds decresses until, opposite 

 the town of Ning-hia, it is replaced by the Steppe of the Onloa, a 

 desert whose surface is mostly covered with sand-hills, but in the 

 numerous depressions between them are extensive meadows and 

 pasture-grounds, intermixed with tracts covered with thick bashes, 

 the haunt of numerous wild animals. On the west of the river, in 

 the vicinity of the town of Ning-hia, ia a mountsdn range called 

 Holang-ebsn, which rises to 3000 or 4000 feet above tho surface of 

 the river, and is stated not to exceed 8 or 4 miles in width. IIm 

 castL-ru declivity is overgrown with forests. The tract of country 

 between the Holang-shan snd the river is several milrs in width and 

 well cultivated, ita soil though sandy being rendered fertile by nume- 

 rous canals which are fed by the vraten of the river. But this fertility 

 decreases in proMeding northward, and disappears entinly when the 

 river passes 40° N. lat In these parts Hitter places the greatest 

 elevation of the Gk>bi, or Great Desert; and the river at ita most 

 northern coiu-se runs in a valley greatly depressed below tlie surface 

 of that extensive table-land, but it does not appear that it has a bottom 

 along ita bed, nor that any tract oontigtious to it is cultivated. Tho 

 edge of the Gobi being crowned by uninterrupted rocky masses which 

 are known by the name of In-shan, the river is compelled to mn east- 

 ward until it arrives at the numerous ranges which traverse Northern 

 China eaat of the Hoang-ho, and are oilisets of the Khing-kban Moun- 

 tains of Mongolia. In a oourse of more than 500 miles from tho mouth 

 of the Thian-sbui to the place where the Hoang-ho bends towards 

 the south not a single river above tho size of a rivulet increases its 



