180 Von Richthofen on the Porcelain rock of China. 



An-hwei and Che-Kiang, and descended the Tsien-tang river 

 to Hang-chan, whence I returned to Shanghai. This is proba- 

 bly one of the prettiest countries in China. The hills are over- 

 grown with that prolific vegetation of Azaleas, Ehododendrons. 

 Weigeha and numberless other kinds of low shrubbery wliich, 

 on account of their beautiful flowers, justify the appellation of 

 the "Flowery Kingdom," at least for this portion of China. 



Its geology is rather monotonous, but by no means devoid of 

 mterest Hardly anything is to be seen of the limestones other- 

 wise so prevalent in China. On the eastern slope, sandstones 

 occupy the field almost exclusively. They are folded up to 

 high mountain ranges. Next to them in bulk are porphyries 

 (both quartzose porphyry and porphyrite). The greater portion 

 of the sandstones was certainly, the rest probably, deposited 

 m and after the period of the eruption of the porphyric rocks. 

 I cannot undertake to make an estimate of their stupendous 

 aggregate thickness. Yet, they are surpassed in this respect 

 by a formation on which they are superposed in the neighbor- 

 hood of the watershed. It consists of clayslates, with sand- 

 stones occasionally imbedded ; the whole formation stands on 

 edge and preserves a W.S.W. to E.N. E. strike with remarkable 

 regularity, the strata dipping at angles of 70 to 80 degrees 

 alternately N.N. W and S.S.E. During a ioumey of about one 

 hundred and thirty miles, going from S.S.W. to N.N.E., or at 

 an angle of about 45 degrees with the strike of the rocks, 1 

 traversed no other formation but those same slates, standing on 

 edge. This was on the western slope of the range. I have to 

 record the unexpected fact, that the material from which the 

 procelam of King-te-chin is made is taken from certain strata 

 intercalated between these slates, and occurring at several places. 

 separated from each other laterally, that is, at angles with the 

 strike of the rocks. It is a rock of the hardness of feldspar 



(inferior kinds a 



3 hard), and of a green color, whi 



It m some measure the appearance of iade, to which the Chinese. 

 too, compare it. This rock is reduced, by stamping, to a white 

 powder, of which the finest portion is ingeniouslv and repeat^ 

 edly separated. This is then moulded into sm airbricks. Th 

 Chinese distinguish chiefly two kinds of this material. Bithe 

 ol them IS sold in King-te-chin in the shape of bricks, and ^ 

 eimer is a white earth, they off"er no visible differences, ■l^^'^j 

 Zl Ta ^* I^'?^"^^^ P^^^^^'^' in the manner described, by pojit^^ 

 ca?es Z'"'^' ^^^ ^Y "^P^^t^f t^^e r««k is nearly alike m^oth 

 W ;- vT """"f ^^ *^^'^ t^<^' kinds of material, the place K^ 



ng (''high ridge,") was in ancient times in high repute ; ^ 

 Ti^LZ ^^ Y ^*' P'^^^i^^ «i°ce centuries, the Chinese stiU 

 designate by the name "Kao-ling." the kind of earth wh^^ 

 p£^ T^ ^'T^ ^^^^ *^^^^' but is now prepared m otb^^ 

 places, ihe application of the name, by Berzelius, to por 



