The Szechuan Vade Mecum 225 



Gorge. The general course of the river between Ichang 

 and Chung-king, a distance, following its windings, of nearly 

 500 miles, is east by north, Chung-king being in north 

 latitude 29° 33', and east longitude 107° 2'; Ichang is in 

 -north latitude 30° 41', and in east longitude 111° 53', there 

 being thus a difference of sixty-eight geographical miles in 

 latitude, and of 267 miles in longitude between the two places. 

 According to the "Hsing Chuan pieh yao" (in pigeon- 

 English, " Walkee Szechuan must want-jee "), or vade mecum 

 of Admiral Ho, the distance between Ichang and Pahsien 

 (Chung-king) is 1800 li. This, at three and a half li to 

 the mile, would give 514 statute miles, which probably 

 is not much in excess of the actual distance traversed ; the 

 true distance, of course, never will be known until an exact 

 chart, on the same scale as that of the Lower Yang-tse 

 drawn up by our naval surveyors, has been published. 

 Blakiston's, though admirable as far as it goes, and a 

 marvellous monument of rapid work executed under most 

 disadvantageous conditions, is on too small a scale to show 

 all the windings and abrupt twists that the river really makes. 

 The longer reaches run south-west and north-east, parallel to 

 the prevailing direction of the mountain ranges ; but where 

 these are cut through, as they are in the constantly recurring 

 gorges, it is always at right angles to their axes, and in these 

 the prevailing course of the river is consequently north-west 

 and south-east. Hence the succession of sharp, picturesque 

 turns, with their accompanying whirlpools and rapids. 



The Gong Gorge, so-named from the stone image of a 

 brass gong, said to be apparent on the right cliff, and from 

 a brass drum on the left, is cut, as usual, through a limestone 

 elevation, which has raised up the coal-measures, into which 

 tunnels run from the face of the cliff. The cliffs themselves 

 seem to rise in a succession of steep steps, which yield 



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