TEEN-SHAN MOUNTAINS. 417 
a chain which, like the Andes, presents a long wall 
running north and south, with metallic mines on its 
eastern slope, but terminates abruptly in the meri- 
dian of Sverinogovloskoi. 
Here commences a remarkable region of lakes, 
comprising the group of Balek-koul (lat. 51° 30’), 
and that of Koumkoul (lat. 49° 45’), indicating 
an ancient communication of a mass of water with 
the Lake Ak-sakal, which receives the Tourgai and 
the Kamichloi Irghiz, as well as with the Lake Aral ; 
and which would seem from Chinese accounts to 
have formed part of a great plain extending to the 
borders of the Frozen Sea. 
2. System of Teen-shan.—The mean latitude 
of this system is the 42d degree. Its highest sum- 
mit is perhaps the mass of mountains covered with 
perpetual snow, and celebrated under the name of 
Bokhda-ovla, from which Pallas gave the designation 
of Bogdo to the whole chain. From Bokhda-ovla 
and Khatoun-bokhda, the Teen-shan mountains run 
eastward towards Bar-koul, where they are sudden- 
ly lowered so as to fall to the level of the elevated 
desert, called the Great Gobi or Cha-mo, which ex- 
tends from Koua-tcheou, a Chinese town, to the 
sources of the Argoun. If we now return to Bokh- 
da-ovla, we find the western prolongation of these 
mountains stretching to Goudja and Koutche, then 
between Lake Temoustou and Aksou to the north 
of Cashgar, and running towards Samarcand. The 
country comprehended between the Altaic chain and 
the Teen-shan mountains is shut up to the east, 
beyond the meridian of Pekin, by the Khingkhan- 
ovla, a lofty ridge, which runs from south-west 
to north-east ; but to the west it is entirely open. 
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