ASIA. 



Map of Asia. 



chan and Kuen-lun, are the 

 countries of Little Bucharia, 

 or Kashgar, Zerkend, Kho- 

 tan, the great desert of Gobi, 

 or Ciiamo, Tourfan, Kha- 

 mil, and Tangout ; and, 

 lastly, between the Kuen- 

 lun and Himalaya, are East- 

 ern and Western Thibet. 



Tiie Altai system, prop- 

 erly so called, occupies a 

 space hardly extending sev- 

 en degrees in longitude, 

 though in its usual accepta- 

 tion, the term Altai desig- 

 nates the northern boundary 

 of a mountainous region, 

 stretching from the sources 

 of the Irtyche to the sea of 

 Okotsk. Its highest point 

 lies to the northwest of lake 

 Oubsa ; to the east of this 

 lake, the chain takes the 

 name of Tangnou, which it 

 retains till it reaches lake 

 Kossogol. From this place, 

 it is continued, under differ- 

 ent appellations, till it joins 

 the lablonnoi-Khrebet, or 

 " Chain of Apples," which 

 stretches away to the north- 

 east, or in a direction paral- 

 lel to the sea of Okotsk. 

 The mean latitude of the 

 chain is between 50° N. and 

 51° 30'. Its name, which 



in Chinese is said to signify " Mount of Gold," has probably been given to it on account of its great 

 metallic riches. At present, it produces, annually, 70,000 marks of silver, and 1,900 marks of 

 gold. Although its summit is said by the Chinese to reach the milky-way, yet no part of the 

 chain, probabl}^, attains a greater elevation than 1 1,500 feet. The second great chain of moun- 

 tains, called in Chinese Thian-chan, and in Turki Tengri-tugh, (both appellations signifying the 

 Celestial Mountains,) runs from west to east, nearly along the 42d parallel of north latitude. 

 The culminating point of the chain is probably to be found in the mass of mountains celebrated 

 under the name of Bokhda-Oola (Holy Mountain). 



The tliird great system of parallel mountains, is the Kuen-lun, which runs nearly along 35°. 

 A part of this range, under the meridian of 70° east, is called the Thsoung-ling, or Blue 

 Mountains, and forms the southern extremity of the Beloor, or Belut-tagh, a transverse chain, 

 which follows the direction of the meridian through nearly ten degrees of latitude. From the 

 Beloor the chain of the Kuen-lun extends in an easterly direction, towards the sources of the 

 Hoang-ho, and it penetrates even into the Chen-si, a province of China. That part of Asia, 

 however, which it traverses, is very little known, and we have as yet no observations, either 

 of the m^ean height of the chain, or of its principal summits. Between the Kuen-lun and 

 Thian-chan, and between the 90th and 100th degree of east longitude, there are two ranges 

 of mountains running in the same direction, the Nanchan, or Khilian-chan, a little to the north 

 of lake Khouk-hounor, and the Tangout, which forms the northern boundary of the desert 

 of Gobi. 



The last and best known of the four great chains, is the Himalaya. The general direction 

 of this system is from northwest to ?^o-utheast ; it is consequently inclined at a considerable 



