222 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



laya, its southern confine. 

 Fig. 1. represents the 

 level of the Arctic Ocean ; 



2. The plains of Siberia ; 



3. the Altaian mountains ; 



4. Crim Tartary; 5. Thi- 

 bet ; 6. the Himalaya mountains ; 7. Nepaul ; 8. India ; 9. the Bay of Bengal. 



From the flanks of this plateau the largest rivers of Asia descend, and roll their 

 waters across the space which divides it from different seas ; the Brahmapootra, Ganges, 

 Indus, Tigris, and Euphrates proceeding southward to the Indian Ocean ; the Yenisei 

 and Obi with their affluents travelling northwards through the swampy wilds of Siberia 

 to the Arctic Ocean ; the Hoang Ho, and Yang-tseu-Kiang pursuing an easterly course 

 to the Pacific. The interior region has its rivers, deserts, hills and .valleys. The second 

 great example of plateau embraces nearly the whole of . Mexico, and consists of the 

 ridge of the Corderilla, continuous with the Andes, upon which there are vast tracts 

 of champaign country, mutually connected, and interspersed with lofty mountains. 

 The section of the country from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean exhibits this 

 plateau, the general height of which is equal to that of the Great St. Bernard of the 



Swiss Alps. Fig. 1. re- 

 presents the level of the 

 Pacific; 2. Mexico; 3. 

 Pococatapelt ; 4. Peubla ; 



5. the Volcanic mountain 

 of Arizaba ; 6. Vera Cruz ; 



7. the Gulf of Mexico. 



The descent towards the coasts is by a graduated series of terraces, which present an 

 extraordinary diversity of vegetation. Of table-lands, properly so called, or elevated 

 plains which have a generally level surface, there are many examples in both continents. 

 The Nilgherry district in Hindustan is a beautiful piece of table-land formed by the 

 gently undulating top of the Blue Mountains, often visited by Europeans for the sake of 

 enjoying its bracing air. The great extent to which the sound of the human voice may 

 be conveyed, frequently observed in elevated regions, was here noticed by Mr. Hough 

 of Madras : "I have heard," he remarks, " the natives, especially in the morning and 

 evening, when the air was still, carry on conversation from one hill to another, and 

 that apparently without any extraordinary effort. They do not shout in the manner 

 that strangers think necessary in order to be heard at so great a distance, but utter every 

 syllable as distinctly as if they were conversing face to face. When listening to them, 

 I have often been reminded of those passages in Holy Writ where it is recorded that 

 Jotham addressed the ungrateful men of Shechem from Mount Gerizim ; that David 

 cried from the top of a hill afar off to Abner, and to the people that lay about their 

 master Saul, and that Abner addressed Joab from the top of a hill." Numerous and 

 extensive table-lands occur in south-western Asia at a great elevation, the majority of 

 which are arid wastes, though some are green as an emerald in summer. The plain of 

 Teheran, the modern capital of Persia, is at the height of 3786 feet above the sea level, 

 while that of Erzroum, the capital of Turkish Armenia, is not less than 6114. The 

 central region of the Spanish peninsula, also consists of a series of table-lands, varying 

 from 2000 to 2664 feet in elevation, divided and bounded by mural precipices which rise 

 far above them. The western continent likewise presents many remarkable specimens 

 of high table-lands. That upon which the city of Santo Fe de Boqota is situated is an 

 almost perfect level, 8640 feet above the sea, and 45 miles by 20 in "extent, environed 



