Cornelis Petrus Tiele

TIELE, CORNELIS PETRUS (183o-1902), Dutch theo logian and scholar, was born at Leiden on Dec. 16, 1830. He was educated at Amsterdam high school and afterwards at the semi nary of the Remonstrant Brotherhood. He was destined for the pastorate in his own brotherhood. Tiele certainly had liberal reli gious views himself, which he early enunciated from the pulpit, as Remonstrant pastor of Moordrecht (1853) and at Rotterdam (1856). Upon the removal of the seminary of the brotherhood from Amsterdam to Leiden in 1873, Tiele was appointed one of its leading professors. In 1877 followed his appointment at the university of Leiden as professor of the history of religions, a chair specially created for him. Of his many learned works, the Vergelijkende geschiedenis van de egyptische en mesopotamische Godsdiensten (1872), and the Geschiedenis van den Godsdienst (1876; new ed. 1891), have been translated into English, the former by James Ballingall (1878-1882), the latter by J. Estlin Carpenter (1877) under the title "Outlines of the History of Religion" (French translation, 1885; German translation, 1895). A French translation of the Comparative History was published in 1882. Other works by Tiele are: De Godsdienst van Zarathus tra, van het Ontstaan in Baktrie, tot den Val van het Oud-Per zische Rijk (1864) a work now embodied, but much enlarged and improved by the latest researches of the author, in the History of Religions (vol. ii. part ii., Amsterdam, 1901), a part which appeared only a short time before the author's death; De Vrucht der Assyriologie voor de vergelijkende geschiedenis der Godsdien sten (1877; German ed., 1878) ; Babylonisch-assyrische Geschichte (two parts, Leipzig, 1886-1888) ; Western Asia, according to the most Recent Discoveries (London, 1894). He was also the writer of the article "Religions" in the 9th edition of the Ency. Brit. He died on Jan. I1, 1902.

or CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS, one of the most extensive mountain systems of Central Asia. In the widest accep tation, the system extends from the Aral-Caspian depression (about 67° E.) to the great bend of the Hwang-ho (about 103° E.). Chinese geographers confine the term to that part between Khan-tengri (8o° 1' E. and 42° 13' N.) and the Barkul depres sion (92°-93° E.), where the northern ranges abut upon the Ek tagh Altai ; and this conception is accepted by some European geographers. P. P. Semenov applies the name to the ranges which lie immediately west of Khan-tengri, including Khan-tengri. The Tarbagatai and their north-western continuation, the Chinghis mountains, are sometimes considered to belong to the Altai sys tem ; but there are good reasons for regarding them as an inde pendent range. Excluding these, the northernmost member of the Tien-shan system is the Dzungarian Ala-tau N.), the south ernmost, the Trans-Alai, or rather its west prolongation, Peter the Great Mountains in Karateghin (Bukhara), though some geogra phers assign both the Alai and the Trans-Alai Mountains to the Pamirs.

Khan-tengri and the Central Tien-shan.

The peak of Khan-tengri (22,440 ft.) stands but on a spur which projects from the main watershed of the central Tien-shan, towards the south west. The loftiest summit on the actual watershed is named Nicholas Mikailovich (22,670 ft.). The general altitude of the crest of the watershed is about 16,500 ft., and it is overtopped by peaks rising 3,000-3,500 ft. higher. East of Khan-tengri is Khalyk-tau, and west three diverging lines of elevation, viz., the Terskei Ala tau ; the Kokshal-tau, continued in the Terez Mountains ; and, be tween these two, the successive ranges of the Sary-jas, Kulu-tau, and Ak-shiryak. The snowy chain of Khalyk-tau is highest in the west and sinks gradually towards the east. The highest parts of the range have generally an east-west strike and the range itself is continued east in the Kokteke (12,300 ft.), with the Kui-kuleh pass at 11,50o ft.

From Issyk-kul there is a sharp rise of 6,00o-9,000 ft. to the snow-capped ridge of the Terskei Ala-tau, the peaks of which ascend to 15,000-16,50o ft. and even 18,00o ft. At this part the system has a breadth of i5o m. The Terskei Ala-tau forms a sharp, continuous, snow-clad range. It is continued westwards in the Son-kul (alt. 9,500 ft.), the Kara-kol, and the Suzamir-tau, until it abuts upon the Talas-tau. There are broad shallow basins south of the Terskei Ala-tau and between them from five to seven ridges as broad as the basins. The ridges rise to 13,000-16,000 ft. by long gentle slopes, are flat topped and snow covered with a few individual peaks and high passes. Being an uplifted peneplain and little or no erosion having taken place since late Tertiary times, the result is that although highly mountainous, in external appear ance the district is that of a plateau. The passes over the Terskei Ala-tau and the country to the south lie at great altitudes Kulu-tau (13,560 ft.), Bedel (13,80o ft.), Kubergenty (12,40o ft.), Terekty (12,600 ft.) and Jan-art (14,44o ft.)—all in the Kokshal tau; Terek (12,80o ft.) and Turugurt (12,730 ft.), both in the Terek range; Barskaun (12,00o ft.), Suka (11,65o ft.), and Jauku (14,00o ft.) in the Terskei Ala-tau; and Tez (11,80o ft.) and Akbel ft.), both in the Sary-jas; and Muz-art (12,00o ft.) on the east shoulder of Khan-tengri. The snow-line on Terskei Ala-tau runs at 11,50o ft. The summits of the Kulu-tau reach 13,700 to 14,750 ft.; those of the Ak-skiryak 15,00o-16,00o ft. The Kokshal-tau consists of several parallel ranges, is truly alpine in character and bears large glaciers, which send out arms into U-shaped valleys, behind which the pyramidal mountain peaks tower up. The loftiest range is that to the north, which exceeds 16,000 ft., and the altitude increases generally from west to east as far as the Bedel pass in 78° 3o' E., where the road crosses from Ak-su and Uch-Turfan to the valley of the Naryn and Ferghana.