398 BUN AX— THE CLOSED PROVINCE OF CHINA 



initial expense of ini[)rovin^- the stream, and its annual maintenance 

 and operation would not exceed the annual maintenance and opera- 

 tion of the river, and, of course, he a vastly more satisfactory means 

 of communication. 



The topogra[)hy of the Siang Valley at the northern end is similar 

 to that of the Yangtze Valle\', the hills heing low, somewhat hroken, 

 and set hack from the river. As one follows the Slang up its course 

 the nature of theahutting countr}' gradually changes; the hills be- 

 come more pronounced in their character and more continuous in 

 their formation, and gradually contract toward the stream. On 

 reaching the Leiho they rise directly from the river itself, leaving 

 but a narrow fringe of arable land along the river or along the small 

 tributaries flowing into it. The Yutan and the other small streams 

 which flow into the Siang take their rise in the Xanling Range, the 

 peaks of which have an elevation arlong the southern borders of 

 Hunan of from 5,000 to 7.000 feet above sea-level. 



The soutiiern half of the province is one vast coal-field, both an- 

 thracite and l)ituminou3, although Baron Richtofen stated in his 

 report that no bituminous coal was to be found. His error was due 

 to the fact that the Chinese would not allow him to land, and that 

 he was therefore compelled to judge the field l)y the appearance that 

 it i)resented along the river and from such information as he could 

 gather from the natives. 



The geological structure of the country is much disturbed, the 

 stratification having a dip of from 30° to 45° in some localities. This 

 disturbance has resulted in so breaking up the coal deposits as to 

 render them soft and friable. Tn other localities, however, the dis- 

 turl)ance has had less serious force, and coals are found of a hard, 

 firm texture, some of the anthracites 1)eing sufiiciently hard and of 

 such a chemical composition as to permit of their use in blast 

 furnaces. 



There are three well-known passes in the Nanling Range, across 

 which trade routes run between Canton and North China. The 

 most easterly is the Meling Pass, between Kuangtung and Kiangsi, 

 with an elevation said to be not over 1,000 feet and across which 

 traffic passes to and fro between Canton and the province of Kiangsi. 

 The westerl}' one is at the headwaters of the Siang itself and of the 

 Kai Kiang. Here a canal has been constructed, so that it is actuall}' 

 ])ossible to go from the China Sea into the Yangtze Valley by lioat. 

 The Kai Kiang flows through the province of Kwangsi into the West 



