EA5TEKX GLOGKAPHY. 



on III* 1 gulf, where tin- deep water i.-. separated from theplaiufl of Uiisi^kofc 

 by extensive mml-hanka stretching for 60 miles east ana west, and access- 

 ible to ]'u:ci' V.--- -U i>r:iv :il hi^h m :«ti-r. 



By far the longest river in the pminstila is the Mckhong, familiarly 

 known ;is thu Cttmb.jtt t which under the nnmci of the XtOftta^jfifema, or 

 JCinhntf-Kutntji has its noun* on the Tibetan tA.bleta.l]il almiit 34 1 N. 

 lat., 94* K. long. Throughout its upper oours* It flows in a narrow, deep 

 defile between the Salwin and YnngtiwvKlnug, through nn unexplored 

 region inhabited by thu Lyssti, Mos-io, Jim I other semi-civilised peoples on 

 the borderland between Tibet and China, Below the confluence of its 

 grcut atllnunl, the Senium from the west, the lower course of the Meklimig 

 is obstructed by the Khong rapid*, which .ire scarcely surpassed in extent 

 by those of any other river in the world. 



At i'li ui 11 -[infill nk'.nit ill-' In-sid •«!" the delta, mi mo ISO miles frr-in the 

 hoa, it W Mft tai the overflow of I he Tonle-sap, an extensive sweet-water 

 reservoir commonly known a* the "fiivat Lake of Camboja." During llio 

 Hoods between June Jitul Oetolx-r thi* lacustrine basin is nearly 70 mile* 

 long by 15 broad, with a depth nf over 40 feet, and an area of about 

 lii'io ^pnu'i' mifi'H. At this Litiii rin hike i.i fed by n backwittw frOfla to* 

 Mekhong ; but at low water thu current is reversed, and the lake dis- 

 uluir^i < L 1 1 1 -* ■ tin 1 ri\cr. lL C'-iii:-. wilh ti-L. «\ which about 10,000 tons 

 are ajiunally cured and exported to the surrounding hinds. 



lk'low f'nom-ptEih the main stream mtnillea into two channels, the 

 Han-giang, or " River of Bassae," in the mat, and tin? Tien-giaug in the 

 oast, which flow in a nearly parallel eourse for atiout 120 mite* throue:]i tin: 

 delta. The eastern river develops numerous secondary branches, of which 

 the most inipor tan t aro thu Donnai {Dong-uai) und the river of Sai^m ; 

 from the western river several channels are also tlirovrn off, some of which 

 now flow west to the Qotf of Kiatm Thus tbo greater iwtrt of Ijower 

 Co'dmi-Ohin 1 li-l oii,^ m 1 1 j ■ limitf delLL, whiuli hris 11 curat- line of MO 

 mikn, tieaides shallows and aandbanKs stretching for sumo 30 miles sea- 

 wards. It hrw a mean discharge of 420,000 cubic feet per set oud, fullitig 

 at low water to 50,000, ami rising during thu Hoods to upwards of 2,300,000. 



Thu basin of the Sang-fcoi (Song-kai, Soiiff-tluh nraparly Sh«<us hx[ t 

 thai U. thu "fSfiat BiTBf, tin' H "Bm Uivri '" of Kiln^K':ili MJilciH, .111- 

 prifti with itn tworhief tributaries the Song-bo or *' Black River, and thu 

 Mi-lei -ho T nearly the wholu of Tonkin, and a considerable part of south-oast 

 Ymnniri. On tin? Chiuoso frontier, 300 milen from the eonst, it id idroa^ly 

 about 1000 yards wide and navigable for boats ; but. both the main stream 

 ami the Song. bo, which joins it below Hung liao, jiIbo from Yunnan, iir»^ 

 much obstructed by rapids. M. d'Angis, who ascended the Blauk River 

 in 1851, counted fifty-four rapids up to Wan-(iioici, and at Thac-Keu 

 found all further ranee navigation nrrest-il by a chaos of nxiks and dubrLs 

 tUng 23 feet nltove the current. Tliuii the ex|wr:tittions of the French to 

 ma4;]i Yunnan and establish trading relations with Southern L'bina threii^li 

 this artery have Iwuu doomed to disappointment. 



Some 90 mil us from the coast the Red Itiver throws otr the two main 

 chanueh Qftlnj delta, both of whir-h again branch tttfinto a vast system of 

 intricate a trcamSr backwaters, and artificial canals, continually shifting their 

 beds. From the mn'tle'i'ii urin, ^lii' li retains the name of Song-koi, several 

 chiiii neln flow northwards to the at ill more intricata delt<i of the Tliai- 

 bifih, which detJ^-nd-s from Lake Ltahe in 11 Mtitl unexplcNreil frontier 'li-ti i'-t, 

 The joint delta has a coast-line of about 90 miles, and a total area of 

 probably not less than 6000 square miks of rich alluvial l&niL 



