Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/448

 440 CHIMSEYANS CHINA fingers ; the foot is properly a hand, appended to the tarsus, with a thumb extremely long, powerful, and capable of great extension. The chimpanzee walks more frequently erect on its feet than the other species, but stands with the feet much wider apart than man, and goes with the knees much more bent ; and it cannot long maintain the erect position without support. It is a hideous caricature of the human race when alive ; its structural differences not being nearly so distinguishable when the skeleton is clothed with the muscular flesh and covered with the hairy skin, as when it is seen denuded. It is 4 to 6 ft. high when erect, and is covered with black hair ; the food is entirely vegetable ; its strength is very great. In captivity in cold climates, it usually soon dies of consumption. The habits of the adult chimpanzee are very imperfectly known; what is collected con- cerning them being little more than the re- ports of the negroes, who, always addicted to the marvellous, are further possessed by a dread of these animals, at once physical and superstitious. Whenever they succeed in kill- ing one of them they make a fetish of the cranium. Cuvier states that " the chimpanzees live in troops, construct themselves huts of leaves, arm themselves with sticks and stones, and employ these weapons to drive man and the elephant from their dwellings." He also repeats the story of their pursuit of the negress- es, and carrying them off into the woods, which is still credited in the country where they are found. No reliance whatever is to be placed on the accounts of the gentleness, do- cility, and aptitude at acquiring human habits, of these animals when in captivity. Such an- ecdotes always relate to animals taken ex- tremely young, and rendered timid and docile by the handling of the sailors, who make pets of them. As they become old they become sullen, savage, and ferocious ; and there is rea- son to believe that there is no animal more bru- tally and irreclaimably vicious than one of the old males of any of these large anthropomor- phous apes, whether they be orangs, gibbons, chimpanzees, or gorillas. (See QUADBUMANA.) CHIMSEYANS, a nation of Indians on the northwest coast of America, extending from Milbank sound to Observatory inlet (lat. 53 to 55 N.), and including the Sebassas, Neece- lowes, Nass, and other offsets. Their language is bold, sonorous, and emphatic. They are noted for the process of inserting a piece of hard wood or ivory in a slit in the lower lip. The Chimseyans communicate with the northern branches of the Tacully or Chippewyans. CHINA (Chinese, Tsin, or Tai-tsing). I. An immense empire of eastern Asia, comprising the eighteen provinces or China proper, Man- tchooria, Inner and Outer Mongolia, Hi or Chi- nese Turkistan, Koko-nor, and Thibet. Corea and the Loochoo islands are nominal depen- dencies. It is bounded N. and N. E. by Asiatic Russia, whose territory on the Pacific recently acquired from China touches the Corean fron- tier, E. and S. E. by Corea and the Yellow and China seas, S. by the gulf of Tonquin, Anam, Siam, and Burmah, and S. W. and W. by India and the states of Independent Tartary. Since the cession to Russia in 1858 of a region com- prising about 300,000 sq. m., the most northern point of the empire is the northern bend of the Amoor river, lat. 53 N., and the eastern limit is the junction of the Usuri and Amoor rivers in Ion. 136 E. The bay of Galong in Hainan, the southernmost point, is in about lat. 18 N., and Kara- tag, the westernmost, is in Ion. 72 E. The area, deducting the territory ceded to Russia and estimated above, is 5,000,000 sq. m. according to McCulloch, 5,126,000 according to Balbi, or 5,559,564 according to Berghaus, about a third part of the continent, and a tenth of the habitable globe. Next to Russia it is the largest state which has ever existed. The integrity of the empire has however been greatly threatened during recent years. Mo- hammedan insurgents are in possession of por- tions of the provinces of Yunnan, Shensi, and Kansuh, and an independent government ap- pears to exist in Chinese Turkistan, holding sway as far as Barkul. China is carrying on military operations in these several districts, and her former territory is likely to be reoc- cupied ; but Russia may forestall her in some portion of it. (See MANTCHOORIA, MONGOLIA, &c.) II. China Proper is by its inhabitants call- ed Chungkwoh (middle kingdom), or Chung- hwa (central flowery land) ; by the Russians and the inhabitants of northern Asia, Kitai, Ketan, or Ratal (whence the ancient name Ca- thay) ; by the Anamese, Sina ; by the Persians, Chin ; by the Thibetans, Yulbu. It extends from Ion. 98 to 123 E., and from lat. 18* to 43 N., and is bounded N. E. and N. by Mantchoo- ria and Mongolia, from which it is separated by the great wall ; E. by the ocean ; S. by the gulf of Tonquin, Anam, Siam, and Bunnah ; W. by Thibet and Chinese Tartary. Its area is es- timated by Sir George Staunton at 1,500,000 j sq. m., inclusive of the province of Liautung, i which lies beyond the great wall, and 1,297,- 999 sq. m. exclusive of it; by McCulloch at 1,348,870 sq. m. ; by Malte-Brun at 1,482,091 ; and by Williams at 2,000,000, if the full area of the provinces of Eansuh and Chihli is included. Thus China proper is about seven times the size of France, or nearly half as large as all Europe. The coast line from Hai- nan to Corea is about 1,750 m. long. From Hainan to the mouth of the Yangtse, espe- cially in the south, it is bold and rocky, and abounds with islands, headlands, and in- lets. From the Yangtse N. to the Shantung promontory it is low, and after passing the promontory again low until the highlands E. of the gulf of Liautung are met. The south- ern coast has a barren uninviting appearance, but the islands of the Chusan archipelago are covered with verdure and exceedingly beauti- ful. The Shantung promontory again is un- inviting. Near the Corean boundary great for-