Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/454

 CHINA S. W. which characterizes the mountains of the southern region, they bear down to the southern bend of the Yellow river. Two great ranges, the continuations of the Kuenlun and Himalaya mountains, extend from W. to E. nearly across the empire in the middle and south. The northern range enters China in about lat. 34, and is generally termed the Pe- ling. The southern crosses the empire in about lat. 25, and is styled the Nan-ling. It is however the S. W. and N. E. ranges which chiefly determine the conformation of the sur- face of China, just as the Appalachians deter- mine that of the eastern part of North Amer- ica. These ranges are diversely named in dif- ferent localities. The most notable plain in China is the one already mentioned, which partly surrounds the mountains of Shantung, and is generally termed the great plain. It extends 600 m. from Peking in the north to Hangchow in the south, and has a breadth varying from 150 to 300 m. Its southern por- tion is the common delta plain of the Yang- tse and Yellow rivers, the northeastern that of the Pei-ho. It is crossed by these three rivers, and suffers from the floods which they bring down, notably those of the Yellow river. That portion of the plain which lies south of the Yangtse lias innumerable canals, and is protected along the Yangtse and other streams and the seashore by strong dikes and sea walls. In many places the surface has been raised so as to become fit for cultivation, by the excavation of canals and ponds. The Ta lake on its southern border appears not to have received the deposits of alluvial matter from the Yangtse which have rescued the neighboring plain from the waters of the ocean. That part of it which lies near the several courses which the Yellow river has pursued in different eras has been so fre- quently devastated by its floods that the great stream lias been called China's sorrow. In the northern portion the climate is dry, and the soil does not produce more than a frac- tion of the yield procured further south. The years 1871-"2 were signalized in this region by very destructive floods, which cov- ered a vast tract of territory between Pe- king and the gulf and further south. The people, having suffered for several generations in consequence of a too great diminution in the rainfall, are now driven from their homes by an excess of water. The next region of level country worthy of remark is that of cen- tral China. The general features of this dis- trict are the same as those of the great plain south of the Yangtse, and it is in these two districts that the system of canals is most extensive and perfect. The plains of Sze- chuen are higher, and may be compared with the rolling prairies of Iowa. The level por- tions of Kweichow and Yunnan are like the table lands of Mexico, but far less extensive, excepting the few alluvial districts which lie along the Yangtse and the Songtai or river of Tonquin. The country near the West, North, and East rivers and the seacoast, in Kwang- tung, is one of the most fertile portions of the empire. A great deal of level alluvial land is found here, and as the population is dense and industrious, the natural resources of the soil are improved to the utmost. In the northern part of Kiangsi lies the Poyang lake, which is sur- rounded by an extensive valley. Upon the streams running into the lake are found several large cities and innumerable towns and vil- lages. The basin of the Wei-ho in Shensi comprises an area of about 60,000 sq. m. It is one of the most populous and fertile in the empire. The valley of the Fan in Shensi is less extensive, but equally rich and populous. The rivers of China are worthy of the ex- tent of the empire. Of these the Yangtse and the Hoang or Yellow are the chief, and rank among the leading ones of the globe. "These two great streams, similar both in rise and destination, descend with rapidity from the great table lands of central Asia, and each of them meets a branch of mountains which forces it to describe an immense circuit, the Hoang to the north and the Yangtse to the south. Separated by an interval of 1,100 m., the one seems inclined to direct itself to the tropical seas, while the other wanders off among the icy deserts of Mongolia. Suddenly recalled, as if by a recollection of their early brotherhood, they approach one another like the Euphrates and Tigris in ancient Mesopo- tamia; where, being almost conjoined by lakes and canals, they terminate within a mutual distance of 110 m. their majestic and immense courses." (Malte-Brun.) The Yang- tse where it traverses the great plain is a broad, evenly flowing stream, admirably fit for navi- gation either by large or small steam or sail vessels. Beyond the plain it enters a broken country, then the low region of central China, beyond which steamers have penetrated to the foot of the gorges near Ichang in Ion. 111 30', 1,300 m. from the sea. The rapids and shal- lows of these gorges offer a bar to steam navi- gation, which Blakiston and the French ex- ploring expedition of 1868 say might be over- come by the use of towing appliances from the shore. The rapids occupy a distance of about 40 m. Above them the river is continuously navigable for junks of 100 tons as far as Soo- chow in the province of Szechuen, a distance of 300 m. This great river does not compare in the extent of its navigable course with the Mississippi or the Missouri. The Yellow river is usually represented upon our maps as de- bouching south of the promontory of Shantung. It now pours its waters into the gulf of Pe- chili, having lately changed its course and ta- ken a channel which is marked on the maps as that of the Tatsing river. Taking its rise at a point due west from its recent mouth upon the Yellow sea, and not more than 1,250 m. dis- tant, it flows in alternating courses N., E., S., then E. again, traversing a distance of 2,000