Trof. Milne — Across Eicrope and Asia. 67 



banks, and keeping pace with blocks and pans of ice wbicb were 

 being carried down towards the sea. At present, during flood-time, 

 the waters of this river must, I think, be above the level of the 

 surrounding country. In its old course its bed, which I subsequently 

 walked across, was above this level. In the course of years, by the 

 deposition of part of the sediment with which its waters are ever 

 densely charged, the bottom of the new course will be similarly 

 raised. As the bed is thus raised, the waters rise, and the inhabitants 

 have either to raise the banks or else suffer from inundation. The 

 case is analogous to portions of the River Po in Italy. Man 

 struggles against the vast accumulation of sediments by the waters 

 of these great rivers, but every now and then they break through 

 their bounds and show themselves victorious. Large numbers of 

 workmen are employed to maintain these banks, and should these 

 neglect their duty, or be withdrawn by a chief wishing to appro- 

 priate the funds entrusted to him for the carrying out of these 

 works, a calamity results, which, for the destruction of life and 

 property, is unparalleled. In times of war breaches have wilfully 

 been made in these banks, and conquests which were almost instan- 

 taneous have been effected. 



In this way, by accident or intention, the Hwang Ho has often 

 devastated the surrounding country with floods, and made great 

 changes in its courses. Mr. Pumpelly gives ten maps illustrating 

 the different channels this river has had since the year 602 b.c. 

 These changes appear to have been as follows, the table showing the 

 number of mouths entering into the Gulf of Pechihli and the number 

 entering the Yellow Sea. 





From the time of Yu do-wn to 602 b.c. 



YEiiLow Sea. 



Gulf op Pechihli. 



1. 



One 



Three 



2. 



Diu'ing the Chow Dynasty, 602 



B.C. 



None 



One or perhaps U\o 



3. 



Third century b.c. 





One 



Perhaps one 



4. 



About 132 B.C. 





None 



One or perhaps two 



5. 



About U B.C. 





None 



Two 



6. 



From A.D. 70 to a.d. 1048. 





None 



Two 



7. 



From A.D. 1048 to a.d. 1194. 





None 



Two 



8. 



Under the Kin Dynasty. 





One 



Two 



9. 



Under the Yuen (Mongol). 





One 



One 



10. 



At present. 





None 



One 



At each of these periods there is record of a great change having 

 taken place in the course of the river, the alterations not only as to 

 the sea into which it flowed, but also in the direction of its channel, 

 having been very great. When it flowed by one branch into the 

 Yellow Sea, and by one branch into the Gulf of Pechihli, its lower 

 course might be represented by the letter Y, between the forks of 

 which was situated the rocky province of Shantung, round the back 

 and along the sides of which these alluvial plains extend. The fact 

 that the Hwang Ho often changes its course, and in doing so floods 

 the country, and that but for the interference of human agency this 

 would be of more frequent and continuous occurrence, together 

 with the relation its branches hold to the province of Shantung, are 



