438 



NATURE 



\August 31, 1882 



of a staircase within the mountainous circnmvallation of the 

 plateau. 



3. The sources and the permanent supply of rivers which, 

 passing from the plateau, fl >w through densely populated 

 regions, and help to sustain the most numerous families of the 

 human race. 



4. A lacustrine system, comprising lakes of which some are 

 saline while others have fresh water, and of which many are 

 situated at great altitudes. 



5. The home of conquering races, whence warrior hordes 

 poured during several centuries over nearly all Asia and a large 

 part of Europe. 



6. Natural products of value, variety, or interest, and pastoral 

 resources su-ceptible of indefinite development. 



7. An enormous field for scientific research, with many regions 

 which, though not wholly undiscovered, yet need much further 

 discovery. 



S. An imperial jurisdiction offering many problems for the 

 consideration of social inquirers. 



I shall now offer a brief explanation regarding each of the 

 eight points stated above. 



In the first place it will be seen from the diagram that the 

 plateau, in shape somewhat of an irregular rhomboid, i- com- 

 pletely enclosed by six grand ranges of mountains, namely, the 

 Himalayas looking south towards India, the Pamir looking west 

 towards Central Asia, the Altai looking north towards Siberia, 

 the Yablonoi looking north-east towards Eastern Siberia, the 

 Yun-ling and the Inshan (inclusive of the Khingan), looking 

 towards China. These several ranges preserve generally a con- 

 siderable altitude varying from 6000 to 25,000 feet above sea- 

 level, and reaching in the Himalayas to more than 29,000 feet. 

 The tallest of these summits have been accurately measured by 

 the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. Their altitude is 

 about double that of the highe-t mountains in Europe, and sur- 

 passes any al'itnde yet observed in any quarter of the globe. 

 But as a great part of these several ranges is as yet nnsurveyed 

 by trigonometry, it is pos-ible that still greater heights may be 

 discovered, and that "excelsior" may ;be the proud answer 

 rendered by the everlasting hills to human investigation. 



Regarding these and the other chains yet to be mentioned, it 

 must be borne in mind that there are many cross ranges and 

 transversa lines of mountains. Even the chains, too, often con- 

 sist of detached groups separated by deep valleys. It is by 

 observing the position of the groups relatively to one another 

 that the tendency of the chain can be discerned. 



Such being the outer barriers of our j lateau, there are with'n 

 it two great ranges mainly parallel and running from w e-t to 

 east, namely, the Kuen-lun and the Thian Shan. 



While the Himalayas form the southern flank of the great 

 Tibetan upland, the Kuen-lun constitutes the northern. The 

 modicum of knowledge possessed by us regarding the Kuen lun, 

 a most important factor in the geography of our plateau, is 

 largely due to the praiseworthy travels of the Ru-sian Preje- 

 valsky. This range may be said in a certain sense to overlook 

 the Tanm basin ending in Lake Lob, though the mountains are 

 actually distant more than a hundred miles from that lake. It 

 forms the southern boundary of the Tarirn basin, which contains 

 some of the few beautiful tracts in our plateau. If there be such 

 a thing as a backbone to these regions, or anything like a dorsal 

 ridge, it consists of the Kuen-lun. 



The Thian Shan starts from the Pamir, and runs westward for 

 full 1500 miles, till it joins with some of its spurs the uplands of 

 Mongolia proper, or touches with others the dreary desert of 

 Gobi. As the Kuen-lun forms the southern boundary of the 

 Tarim bisin, so the Thian Shan constitutes the northern. 



Connected with the north-western part of the Himalayas is 

 another range which some regard as an offshoot, bu' which 

 others treat separately under the name of Karakuram. Together 

 with the Hia alayas it joins the Pamir. 



Thus three of the greatest mountain ranges in Asia converge 

 upon the Pamir, or according to some are there interlaced ; 

 namely, the Himalayas, the Kuen lun, and the Thian Shan ; to 

 which perhaps two others might be added, namely, the Kara- 

 kuram just mentioned and the Altai. Eut it may be more accu- 

 rately said that the outer border of our plateau north of the Pamir 

 is formed bv the terminal spurs of the Thian Shan. It is to be 

 remembered also that the Indian Caucasus — which does not 

 concern our plateau di.ectly enough to fall within this address — 

 probably joins the Pamir. In general terms, the convergence of 

 mountain ranges on the Pamir renders it geographically the most 



important position in A-ia. The uninstructed Asiatics have 

 evinced a hazy admiration of its grandeur by calling it " the roof 

 of the world." The comparatively instructed Europeans have 

 revered it as the source of the classic Oxus, and as fraught with 

 political considerations. Unless further discoveries shall alter 

 existing information, we may expect that completely informed 

 geographers will consider that this Pamir is the mother of 

 mountain-', that other ranges are to it as the branches are to 

 the root, and that here if anywhere is the true boss of the 

 Asiatic shield. 



In the second place the vast surface of our plateau, thou^fh 

 almost uninterruptedly environed by its rocky walls, presents an 

 extraordinary series of elevations and depressions. In the heart 

 of the plateau there is the degression known to geographers as 

 the Western Gobi, sometimes called the Tarim basin. Within 

 this there is the Lob Lake or Lob Nor, truly an inland sea into 

 which the waters of several rivers ultimately flow, finding no 

 vent towards the ocean. The total length of the Tarim River 

 with its affluents debouching into Lob Nor, cannot be less than 

 800 miles. This curiou. and interesting lake is not more than 

 2000 feet above sea-level and forms almost the lowest dip in our 

 plateau. It is like the bottom of a vast platter, or the centre in 

 the hollow of a mighty hand. Around this depression there are 

 on all sides uplands of various heights like gradations in the 

 Asiatic terrace terminating in the intermediate ranges, or in the 

 outer circumvallation of mountains already described. On the 

 east side of it there is the tract called EaNtern Gobi, partly- 

 desert, and Mongolia, averaging 4000 feet above sea-level ; on 

 the north the Altai uplands, exceeding 5000 feet. On the west 

 the Pamir ri-es abruptly, exceeding 13,000 feet ; on the south 

 Tibet, with equal abruptness, having an average altitude of 

 15,000 feet above sea-level, thus being the loftiest expanse in 

 the world ; and on the scuth-east the tract around the Kuku 

 Nor Lake, 10,000 feet. 



Further, there is a detached depression known as the Zun- 

 garian Strait, extending to the northern confine of our plateau 

 between the Thian Shan and the Altai ranges. This strait, 

 hardly exceeding 2000 feet above sea-level, is as low as, perhaps 

 even lower than, any part of our plateau, and is very near 

 breaking its continuity, which may be considered as being just 

 saved by the comparatively humble altitude above mentioned. 

 The depression is geographically important as forming the only 

 broad pass between our plateau and the world wi'hout. It runs 

 from Mongolia, the most important tract within our plateau, to 

 Siberia outside. Great value was, in early times, attached by 

 the Chinese to it, as being the only natural highway on a large 

 scale between Norlhern and Central Asia. 



The existence of this and the other depressions above de- 

 scribed has led to interesting speculations among geologists as to 

 their having been in primeval times within cur plateau at least 

 one inland sea as large as the Mediterranean of Europe. 



Be that as it may, there is no doubt that a process of desicca- 

 tion has been going on within our plateau during historic ages, 

 whereby the climate is considerably affected, and many signs or 

 evidences show that this process is still in operation. 



On most of its sides our plateau is extraordinarily inaccessible, 

 the pa-ses being steep in the extreme, and culmina'ing in ridges 

 18,000 to 20,000 feet above sea-level. Towards Siberia the 

 Altai passes are easier, and on the north-east between Mongolia 

 and China there are several passes that have witnessed the his- 

 toric outpourings of the Mongol hordes, and which are ominously 

 remembered by the Chinese as the openings through which their 

 invaders ru-hed like the great river in flood, or the land-lip from 

 the mountain side, or the avalanche sweeping along the boulders 

 and cUbris to the destruction of the valleys beneith. 



I he great desert of Eastern Gobi occupies the eastern portion 

 of our plateau. With its accumulating forces of sand and pow- 

 dered earth it has a tendency to encroach, and is regarded by 

 man with a vague awe. Its present extent is enormous, being 

 nit le.-s than half a million of square miles. Nor does it exist 

 alone within our plateau, for between the Tarim basin and the 

 Kuen lun spurs there is a lesser desert called Takla-niakan, with 

 ico.ooo sqare miles of area. It may probably be found that 

 these two deserts join or are otherwise connected. 



In the third place we have noted that while the prevailing 

 characteristics of our plateau are wildness, ruggedness, or deso- 

 lation, yet with'n it are the sources of several great rivers which 

 sustain the most teeming peoples on the face of the earth. The 

 monarch as it were of all these noble waters is the Yang-tse- 

 Kiang. Though its head streams have been but imperfectly 



