Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/209

 LADLAD Sarco-. Zn(C 3 H 5 3 ).2H 8 O. Soluble in 17 parts of cold water. (CH 3 )(CH) is called ethylidene, to distinguish it from &quot;etlivlene &quot; which is (CILXCIL). 2. Paraldctic or Sarcolactic Acid. This acid was dis covered by Berzelius in the juices of flesh. It is almost identical with ordinary lactic, but differs from it in this that it (and its salts) turn the plane of polarized light, and also in this that the sarcolactates in general are more readily soluble than ordinary lactates, and contain dif ferent proportions of crystal water from these. Thus, for instance, we have for the zinc salts Ordinary. Zu(C 3 H 5 3 )2-3H 2 O. Soluble in 60 parts of cold and in 6 parts of boiling water. The isomerism of the two acids used to be explained by assuming that the sarco-acid contained ethylene in lieu of the ethylidene of the ordinary acid, thus : (OH) (CIL) (CIL) COOH, i.e., that the OH and COOH were attached to different carbon atoms. But this has been proved by Erlenmeyer to be a mistake. The sarco-acid has precisely the same struc ture as ordinary lactic acid. It is a case of absolute (i.e., of unexplained) isomerism. 3. Hydracrylic Acid. From glyceric acid by the action of hydriodic acid we obtain /3-iodopropionic, which, when treated with water and oxide of silver, exchanges its iodine for OH : I. ILC CIL COOH gives (OH). ILC CIL COOH, which is hydracrylic, an ethylene-lactic acid. That this really is so was proved by Erlenmeyer, who obtained it by the action of water ( -f HC1) on undoubted ethylenc- oyanhydrine (OH) (C.,H 4 ) (ON). As suggested by the formula, it differs markedly in its reactions from the tw &amp;gt; more properly so-called lactic acids. All lactic acids, when heated with hydriodic acid in sealed- up tubes, pass ultimately into (the same) propionic acid, (CH 3 ) (CH 2 ) COOH. (w. D.) LADAK AND BA.LTF. The name Ladak (pronounced in Tibet in Lati) belongs primarily to the broad valley of the uppcM- Indus in West Tibet, but includes several sur rounding districts in political connexion with it; the present limits are between 75 40 and 80 30 E. long., and between 32 J 23 a-ul 36 X. lat. It is bounded X. by the Kuen- lun range and the slopes of the Karakorum, N.W. and W. by the Mussulman, state of Balti or Little Tibet, S.W. by Kashmir, 8. by British Himalayan territory, and E. by the Chinese Tibetan provinces of Ngari and Rudok. 1 The whole region lies very high, the valleys of Ilnkslm in the south-east being 15,000 feet, and the Indus near Le 11,000 feet, while the average height of the surrounding ranges is 19, 000 feet. The proportion of arable and even possible pasture land to barren rock and gravel is very small. The natural features of the country may be best explained by reference to two native terms, under one or other of which every part is included, viz., chanytany, i.e., &quot; northern, or high pl.iin,&quot; where the amount of level ground is considerable, and the hills proportionally further apart ; and rony, i.e., &quot; deep valley,&quot; where the contrary condition prevails. The former predominates in the east, diminishing gradually westwards. There, although the vast alluvial deposits which once filled the valley to a remarkably uniform height of about 15,000 feet have left their traces on the mountain sides, they have undergone immense denudation, and their debris now forms secondary 1 Geographically the east boundary is a mountain ridge some way within Chinese territory, which, running north, is the watershed between East and West Tibet, and from the north part of which the Indus, from the south the Sutlej, take their rise. 197 deposits, flat bottoms, or shelving slopes, the c-nly spots available for cultivation or pasture. These masses of alluvium are ofti n found either metamorphosed to a sub- crystalline rock still showing the composition of the strata, or simply consolidated by lime. Grand scenery is exceptional, for the valleys are confined, and from the higher points the view is generally of a con fused mass of brown or yellow absolutely barren hills, of no great apparent height. The parallelism characteristic of the Himalayan ranges continues here, the direction being north-west and south-east. A central range divides the Indus valley, here 4 to 8 miles wide, from that of its j valley of Xubra is again bounded on the north by the and north-east from it are found, successively, Silurian slates, Carboniferous shales, and Triassic limestones, the gneiss recurring at the Turkestan frontier. The Indus lies along the line which separates the crystalline rocks from the Eocene sandstones and shales of the lower range j them consisting of parallel bands of rocks from Silurian I to Cretaceous. 2 There are several lakes in the east districts at about 1 14,000 feet. They have evidently been of much greater extent, and connected with the river systems of the country, but they are now mostly without outlet, saline, and in process of desiccation. The climate is intensely dry, practically rainless, the little snow which falls soon disappearing : 3 above a certain height no dew is deposited. The alternations of tempera ture are great; the sun s direct rays are hotter than in the Indian plains, 4 while the afternoon winds are piercingly cold; except in summer it freezes every night, even in the lower districts, and nightly throughout the year at 15,000 feet. Vegetation therefore is confined to valleys and sheltered .spots, where a stunted growth of tamarisk and Myricaria, Hippophae and Elxaynus, furze, and the roots of lurtsi, a salsolaceous plant, supply the traveller with much-needed firewood. The trees are the pencil cedar (Junii-erus e.ccelsa), the poplar and willow (both extensively planted, the latter sometimes wild), apple, mulberry, apricot, and walnut. Agriculture depends on irrigation, which is skil fully managed, the principal products being wheat, common and naked barley (from which the returns are usually small), millet, buckwheat, pease, beans, and turnips. Lucerne and prangos (an umbelliferous plant) are used as fodder. Among domestic animals are the famous shawl goat, two kinds of sheep, of which the larger (hwiiya) is used for carrying burthens, and is a principal source of wealth, the yak, and the dso, a valuable hybrid between the yak and common cow. Among wild animals are the kyang or wild ass, ibex, markhor, antelope, Ocis Poli, marmot, hare, and other Tibetan fauna. The capital, Le (population 4000), lies 4 miles from the river on the right bank, 11,540 feet above the sea, at the southern base of a spur from the central range, a terraced slope, with scattered hamlets, extending thence to the Indus. It contains the palace of the old gyalpos, an imposing structure seven stories high, and a wide bazaar where polo is played. It is surrounded by poplar planta tions, with nianis 5 and ch hordtens beyond. The houses - Here, in the Zanskar, as the name implies, copper is found. 3 The average height of the snow-line is about 10,000 feet. 4 Gerard records 158 in Rup&amp;gt;hu. i.e., only 27 below boiling point at that altitude. 5 &quot;Mani,&quot; a long stone wall, several feet wide, running along tl .&amp;lt; roadside, covered with louse stones deposited by the passers-by, in scribed with the prayer or ejaculation, &quot; Om mani padine horn.&quot; 6 &quot; Ch hordten,&quot; &quot;tho monumental tomb of a lama.
 * north branch the Shayok, which with its fertile tributary
 * Karakorum. This central ridge is mostly syenitic gneiss,
 * of hills on the left bank, the lofty mountains behind