C H A P T E R IT.
Na t u r a l G e o g r a p h y
Climate and Seafons.— Fac'e of the Country.— Soil anctA^tcallure.— Bivefs.—
J^es^MoaniSns.^Fore^^Batam^— Zodlogy. — Mineralogy.-— Mineral
> Waters.— Natural Curioftties.
CtiMATE. t | 'HOUGH the parallel of central Afia corsèfpbrid with that of
France, and >part of Spain, yet the. height, and fnowsf#f the
mountainous.ridges oceafion a degree, and continuance of cold,;, little to
be .expe&ed from other circutnftances., In climate and productions *it
is however far fuperiorjto Siberia.
Countrytbe The Appearance of this extenfive region is diverfified withall the
grand features of nature, extenfive chains of mountains, large risers
and Iakes~ But the moft Angular feature is that vaft elevated plain, fup-
' ported like a table, by the mountains of Tibet in the foutb, and Altaian
chain in the north, frorn the mountains of Belur Tagjfo the,weft to
Tlain oFAfia. thofe that-bound the Kalkas in the eaft. This prodigious plain, ^ e
moft elevated continuous region on the globe, is interfered by forhe
|jg”° chains of mountains, and by the vaft defarts of Gobi and Shamo, by
others confidered as the fame, the former being the Mongul,; the latter
the Chinefe name. Deftitute of plants and water it-is dangerous for
horfes, but is fafely pafled with camels. Little has been added to our
knowledge of central Afia fince D’Anville drew up his maps, from
the materials furniflied by the Jefuits in China, in which it would
feem that this defart extends from about the 8o.th° of E. lohgitude from
Greenwich, to about the i ioth°, being 30° of longitude, which in the
latitude of .40°, may be 1380 geographical miles: but in this wide
extent are Oafes, or- fertile fpots, and even regions of confiderabfe
extent,
extent. €)n rhe-olher hand the main defart fends-forth feveral barren
Branches-Sli «^ibhs dire<a-iote •,J K g J „ Apiculture.
„ < Among the fouther® Ma^dftiUrs^ and'the people of Little Bucha^ • B
agriculture is not wbo3^^€gle£ted,; nor is Wheatf an unkrioWU harvefb
THfe foil ©f fo exten'ftve a pdiAbn-ol4hh;earth msfy feMippofed.to' be in*
finitely various'; but the fnred^inaripg'fubflanree is black ferid.^
feThe moft important river >is* that called .by-the Ruffians the Amur, Rivers?
by -thd’MMffim* Sagafian'-Gda. The Amur is; ddfer^hdly1;'claffed
affiong the largeft'■ riv&A; rifing heSaT the TablWoi1 mounta&s, where
it'fe fir# knowh bf the names of Rerlon and Argoott,* and pnrfuing an;
eafteriy courfe of about ^85^ Brififfi miles. The Amur isthe jrand.
receptacle- of the Mapd£hur;ftreams, among which the mdft^orfder-
aildfe-Hhe^ongari, which itfelf r^ aW tW la^ -'r iy e f Nonni. The
Ruffian- Waters of Selinga, and Irtifh alfo pervade a part of central Afia;
The river -if 'Yarkand, pdrhaps the Oechardes of Ptolemy, has a eon-
fiderable -courfe, before1 it enters the hie of? Lop. The Ili, which falls
mt&thekkc of Balkafh, is noted in Tataric'hiftory; . . .
-Sbme’Of the lakes are of great extent,- as thofe of Balkafb, dr Tengis, Lafcp,
an# ^aizan, about 15O' miles in Next- kthe Koko Nor,
by fom'e called Bobo Nsfe ©ri tfete-bfee lake^which gw^s name to a
tribe of -the Monguls, -Mr is-the Mongol term, for a-lake, which-by.
tbe.Mandihurs is.ftyled Omo. _ T.
. Thevaft rangesof mountains which-interfea central-Aft*have After Mounts
been.fcientifically deferibed, andfewof them have- eve« received,ex-
tenfive and appropriated appellations. It is highly probable that feme
of theft ranges far exceed tho ^ps :in height; as Fallas thinks that'
Elburz the fnmmit t d£! the; Gaucafian chain;*'#-. Higher. than| Mont
Blanc • arid probablythemauntafesof Afia arcon aS granda; fcafe asthfc •
rivers, and other features of nature. On the weft thp great chain called“
Imausby the ancients, the. Belur Tag, or Dark.Mountains of the natives,..
runs from N. to S» - . . . . c
& the eaftern. country of the Mandffiurs the ridges of mountains are
laid down in the fam&direaio®. „ _ Q &
The chief difficulties attend thofe 1® the centre. Thole on the
Ruffian frontier'have beenwell deferibed but of the northern moun-
Ir , ■' tarns»