438 Scientific Intelligence. 
— the center of the Province of Sz-tschwan, over 900 miles 
of eo and to the north, the borders of Mongolia, 
sacra of Pekin. During a portion of the years 1870, 1871 
(from August, 1870, to the spring of 1871), he was in Japan. 
The work, of which the Ist volume, out of the four to be pub- 
lished, has acenip been issued, will embrace the results of his 
observations and studies with reference to the t topography of 
China, its geography, climate, density of population in different 
parts of its histor y, its production ns and their mercantile importance, 
its geology a gy, etc. Besides the account of China, the 
work wi ntain a sketch of the author’s observations also in 
pan, sera Manilla, Java and Siam; and, in conclusion, a 
discussion of some pro roblems connected with the earth’s general 
arog" and history, as illustrated by the special facts observed. 
he fourth volume, on the Paleontology, will be prepared by 
2 specialists, among them, Dr. Kayser of Berlin, Prof. 
Schenk of Leipzic and Dr. Schwager of Munich. There will alse 
in the text. The atlas will contain twenty-eight special charts on 
the scale of 1: 750,000; a general chart of China, on that of 
1: 3,000,000; and other charts to illustrate the geology, — 
phy “of products, density and movements of population, etc., 1 
China; also, a general chart and several special charts of Japan. 
The volume issued is princely in its style of publication; and it 
manifests, bess dus; that the work will be thorough in its discussion 
of the subjects taken u up. 
‘he first yolume commences with a survey of the general 
topography of China and Central Asia. It next treats of the 
dss-formation of Northern China—its features, structure and ori- 
gin, and its relations to the salt ste pes of Central Asia and the 
léss-deposits of other countries. e mouutain-systems of Cen- 
oe Asia are then described, and with this subject Part I closes. 
rt II consists of a histor rs of geographical knowledge with 
dle to China, and treats of ancient Chinese geographies and 
ing the different periods of grr history, of the intercourse of 
the people with the people of Southern and Western Asia, and, 
after the arrival of the Pecaene in 1817, with the nations of 
urope. 
The account of the léssformation of Northern China is of 
special interest, because of its wide distribution and its connection 
with the social ‘condition and welfare of the people. Baron von 
Richthofen observes that west of the alluvial plain of the sea-border 
—which plain in the vicinity of Pekin extends 175 English miles 
west from the Petschili gulf—there is a terrace of léss thirty to 
eighty meters in height. Continuing west, there is, next, a moun- 
tainous region on the east border of the Provinee of Shansi, and 
then succeeds a plateau largely covered with léss, which is 600 to 
1,000 meters above the sea-level. Again, farther west, after pass- 
ing a mountain range, there is a second ‘plateau, 1 500 to 1,800 
