1890.] Geography and Travel. 653 
Shensi is in great parta vast wheat field, and is exceedingly rich in 
coal, iron, androck-salt. From Singan-Fu to Lan-Chau-Fu,the capital of 
Kan-Fu, the road traversesa hilly country, usually 6,000 or 7,000 feet 
above the sea, and sometimes rising to 8,000 or 10,000, for a distance 
of 449 miles. Kan-Fu is, asit were, a wedge of China driven to the 
northwest between Mongolia and Kashgaria, from which it is, however, 
separated by a portion of the desert of Gobi. Formerly it joined the 
best portion of Tangut, which was destroyed by Genghis or Chenghz- 
an. From that period until now it has formed an integral portion 
of the Chinese Empire, and its importance has been recognized by all 
Chinese dignasties. The great wall was carried northwards to Kia-Yu- 
Kwan, 500 miles to the north of the capital, Lan-Chau-Fu, with a view 
to its protection. Previous to the Mohammedan rebellion, during which 
Kashgaria was for awhile independent under the rule of Yakub Beg, 
the population of Kansu was about 1,500,000, but during the wars 
which ensued before that rebellion was finally squelched the inhabi- 
tants were reduced to some 200,000, and all settlements except a 
few of the largest walled towns were deserted. The Mohammedans in- 
spired the greatest fear in the Chinese settlers, who fled before them 
almost without resistance. It is acommon mistake to suppose that the 
rebellion was finally put down by the bravery of the Chinese troops, 
whereas the most potent weapons were really bribery, the starvations 
of the garrisons of the town, and the distributions of buttons of 
rank to traitorous leaders. The recovery of Kansu is at present but 
al. Only the richest oases are in cultivation. The pop- 
ulation is exceedingly degraded, opium-smoking is almost universal, 
young girlsare regularly sold. Sodomy is common, and during the 
rebellion cannibalism was resorted to. From Lan-Chau-Fu to 
Urumtsi, which the Chinese have made the strategic centre of their 
new province of Kashgaria, thirteen hundred miles have still to 
be traversed. The Wei, an important tributary of the Yellow River 
from the west, is crossed at Sien-Yang-Nsien, where it is one hundred 
and fifty yards wide. Oneof the chief graneries of Lan-Chau-Fu, 
which is a town of 40,000 inhabitants, has fine shops, and is in trade 
with Russia, is An-Ting-Nsien, at the junction of three valleys, and the 
others are the valleys of Ho- and Sing-Ning. Lan-Chau-Fu stands at an 
elevation of 5,500 feet, and the Yellow River is here 250 yards wide. 
Comparatively easy roads lead from Lan-Chau to Lhassa, the sacred cap- 
ital of Tibet. The hilly western districts of the kingdom of Tangut 
did not become subject to China until about 1718. The native Tan- 
guts much resemble the gypsies. To Su-Chau-Fu (482 miles) the road 
