SUMMARY OP THE CONTENTS. 455 



Retrospective view of the chain of the Andes from the Rocks of 

 Diego Ramirez toBehring's Strait. Long circulated errors respect- 

 ing the heights of mountains in the eastern chain of the Andes of 

 Bolivia, especially the Sorata and the Illimam. Four summits of 

 the western chain of Bolivia, which, according to Pentland's latest 

 determinations, are higher than the Chimborazo, but are not equal 

 in height to the still active volcano of Acongagua measured by 

 Fitz-Roy . ' . . 6264 



The African mountains of Harudsch-el-Abiad. Oases . 64 66 



"West winds on the coast of the Sahara. Accumulation of sea-weed ; 

 position of the great bank of Fucus from the time of Scylax of 

 Caryanda to that of Columbus, and to the present day . 66 -70 



Tibbos and Tuaricks. The camel and its distribution . 70 73 



Mountain systems of the interior of Asia between Northern Siberia 

 and India. Erroneous belief in the existence of a single great 

 elevated plain called " Plateau de la Tartarie" . . 73 76 



Chinese literature a rich source of orographic knowledge. Series of 

 elevations of different highlands. Desert of Gobi. Probable mean 

 height of Thibet . . .^ V i^ft^ f ' *. - 7683 



Review of the mountain systems of the interior of Asia. Chains 

 running in the direction of the meridian ; the Ural, which separates 

 the low part of Europe from the low part of Asia, or divides into 

 two portions the Scythian Europe of Pherecydes of Syros and of 

 Herodotus ; Bolor ; Khingan and the Chinese chains, which, near 

 the great bend in the direction of the Thibetian and Assamo-Bur- 

 mese River Dzangbo-tschu, run north and south. The elevations 

 which, between 66 and 77 E. long, from Greenwich, follow the 

 direction of meridians from Cape Comorin to the Icy Sea, alternate 

 like veins or dikes in which there are faults or displacements ; thus 

 the Ghauts, the Soliman Chain, the Paralassa, the Bolor, and the 

 Ural, succeed each other from south to north ; the Bolor gave occa- 

 sion among the ancients to the idea of the Imaus, which Agatho- 

 daemon supposed to be prolonged to the north into the low basin of 

 the lower Irtysch. Parallel chains running east and west; the 

 Altai ; Thian-schan, with its active volcanoes at a distance of 1528 

 geographical miles from the Icy Sea at the mouth of the Obi, 

 and of 1512 geographical miles from the Indian Sea at the mouth 

 of the Ganges ; the Kuen-lun, recognized by Eratosthenes, Marinus 

 of Tyre, Ptokmy, and Cosmas Indicopleustes, as the longest fixis 

 of elevation in the Old World, runs between 35 J and 36 of latitude 

 in the direction of the diaphragm of Dicearchus. Himalaya. The 

 Kuen-lun, considered as an axis of elevation, may be traced from 

 the wall of China near Lung-tscheu through the somewhat more 

 northerly chains of Nan-schan and Kilian-schan, through the 

 mountain knot near the Lake called the "Starry Sea," through the 



