intis
Modern
Geography.
N* of Tibet ^"aQd- 'iWA metropolis of Serici is spefhaps ;KerejA’ br'Kaila»
not ffir frbistbsefe mountains. ; It is probable that fmall branches fpread-
'mg-ifeoEQ.’ the Mu si Tag: towardsr.-theH* are' Qafihl, (perhaps ire the
neighbbnEhodd'ffithe town and lake of;Kas,) the Thagurus, and Afmi-
rei, of Ptolemy, But a more full ilitfftratron of this point would he
better adapted to ancient geography. Suffice it heres to obferve, that
■tiM the,le’arkteddaboars of D’Areville illuftrated the adfcual geography of
theffe regions, a fimilar obfenfity prevailed eTea^in’that ©fGreater Bm-
eharia; not a century having ye| expired finds-the rbal form of the
Cafpian fea, and even the exiftence of that of Aral, became kndwh in
Europe. Nay it is deeply to be-regretted that even now the geography
of thele regions is chiefly conjectural, and founded on the dubious lore-
gitudes and' latitudes of oriental geographers, unaccuftomed to the pre«*
cifton required in modem dbfervations. /
As few materials will arife for a deffcription ofthe pfef<r.ftate of Independent
Tatary, a country exceeding the German empire iq extent,' it
may not Be uinntereffing to offer femeobfervations on'the modern i
geography of this country, which, to the“ difgrace of fcience^ remains in
a wretched ftate o f imperfedi^n.* Tpe natural and unavoidable, cbh-
nedion between, the ancient Scythias on both fi^fes of > the Imaus, and
in later times between weffern and eaftem Turkiftan,'Great and Little
Bucharia, will authorize and demand fome previous acquaintance with
the latter country, though recently fubjugated’ by the Chinefe, and
briefly in chided in the defeription o f that empire.
The ndrth-weflem province of China, called Shetidi, preferxts a re*
markable diftrid, narrow,, but of cenfideraBle length, extending like a
promontory between the great defert on the N. E. and the Eluts of
Koko Nbr on the Si W. The great wall is “here low; and fudely dbn-
ftruded'of turf or hardened clay; At-the furtheft extremity, and juft.
' within the wall, Hands the town of Su-teiifh; followed by the eity of
Kant-cheou, which has been chofen by D? Anville for the capital of Se-
- • r * That o£ eaftem Tatary, or the country E. of Hami, may be confidercd as fufficiently authenticated',
not only by the Cbincfe atlas and Ruffian maps, but by numerous travels of tK'ejefuits.
publilhedby Du Halde.
rica.- Thefe- parts^formerly* belonged’ to the kingdom of Tangut, being Moot™ Ge.
a 'm b d b fn ’addiMon^ H |gj|RH | ,?•,)•! > >. oca aw**
'h Bbyond thefe parts, wjifeti1 are the firft approached'by the caravans,
feveral rivers, lakes, totcvhsf^aM'*Hatio’ns,‘ dife rafd-'d'own the mapS'by
tliejefuits, of which' thbre* iVrio 'account "‘in the voluminous' Work of
Du Halde.; as the river Elzioe, with the towns' 'o f Ouey-yuefi’and
Chho-mamg; and the I’akCs Sqlibd’ and Sflhhodc.' To the W. runs another'
confiderablc riven, -the Polonkir, near ^iilcA'is th!e city of Sha-
ehfebu, where the river ruhsiWa a lake1 dallbd« Hara hjor~!or rather Kara
Nor*,"the black lllke.
Itisfufficifentlyfihgiilar that’whiTfe" a'particular Account is-given of the
fegtpn 6f Hami or Chamil^yebtherfe'us/hy aeflripi&n^bf‘thefe’ intervening
countries; and though the geography1 and ‘maps of Chink ilfeff be
excellent; ftill the moft fkilful ehtertai^!gfeatr doubts concerning ih&fe of
Mongolia, as \yell as.of Tibet'.- Tn the\lhiPdFfon.^thdes* and iatitffd^
at the end of Du Halde, Hami is placed !in '4.2’0 Ibng'. ‘22° 23' W.
or Pekin; but“ ponehppears ofthe other, pames aobye’ mentioned, and
it is, probable they are only lsidrdown from aoumfufltineraries. Major
Rennell has exprefled a fufpicion that the maps are’erroneous concerning'tKe‘
countries Detween Great Bucharia and' China, which,he fup-
ppfes tpiecedein them too: much from Great Bucharia towards China ;’
but v^hen he infers, in the.precedihg page,, fHay the* city of Caffigar,, •
mould be removed feveral degrbeS to the N. W.^near Snaih, herorgefs'
ffie dijE^ultiejS. that will arilp in arranging feveral itineraries, ^n3 the,
do’uhtsv whether.Caffigar itfelf be not merely' another. nam&Yarcand^
dpriyed from the kingdom, as the city bf Caffimir jis oply^'arSathef nSmS
fbr .Sirinagui,^ However this h e,'it is prob^me-'thatj there is fome
- -confufiion
* Du Halde,,iv, 3 1 , .\S ^
* Betis de'-la g p n t, iutimtely r j lH uutSB '*
the hiftory of Timur, thagCaffigar is only another mame for Yei cand,’(which laft, alone is.meptioned
in recent accounts as the capital of X,ittle Bucharia. A^bulfe,darfays. tb.at.the, town of Carttgar is
alfo called Axdukand, which irnplies.that it;is the lave yith.yaicand. ,
.But.this.idea feemf completelypavertiirned by th e a t e r of itheGhfiiefe general,!whp conquered 4
Little Bucharia jn 1 ^ 9 , to the'Emperor, a* ifanllatnjn'qf tyhi^hi^pubhl^^hy thpjah.be Grpfier^
in his General Defeription of China; ^183,,''where he refers- tojthe H^ftoitx Geuer^e de layChjp^'
■ an account of this remarkable war. : From- this ’letteriit is evident that HaffiSr or
Calhgar _