MANTCHTRIA, a territory in eastern Asia, under the dominion of the Chinese empire, extending between lat. 42° and 53° n., and bounded, according to its present limits, by the Amur on the n.; by the Usuri and the Sungacha on the e., separating it from the Russian maritime territory- of Orochi; by the Shan-Alin range on the s., separating it from Korea; and by a portion of the Khingan mountains, the river Sira 31uren, and the district of the upper Sungari, which separate it ou the NY. from. the desert of Gobi. Previously to the incursions of the Russians on the u. the area of this territory was about 682,000 sq.m.; it is now about 878,000 sq.m.; nearly one-half having passed into the possession of the Russians, who concluded a treaty with the Chinese, Nov. 14, 1860, finally making over to themselves all the territory e. of •the Usuri and n. and e. of the Amur. Pop. variously estimated at front 3,000,000 to 4,000,000. Man tchuria is divided into three provinces, Shing-King—fornierly Leaotong, which alone contains upwards of 2,100,000 inhabitants, aud the chief town of which, Mukden, is the seat of government for the three provinces—Girin or Kirin, and Tsi-tsi-har. The country is mountainous, densely wooded in the s., but consisting chiefly of prairies and grass land in the north. It is well watered aud fruitful in the valleys. The rivers are the Amur (the northern boundary), the Usuri (the eastern boundary), and the Sungari, which waters the two provinces of Girin and Tsi-tsi-har. The Sungari is about 1200 tn. in length; its banks, which fortn the most densely-peopled region of Mantchuria, are low and fertile, and its general course is n.e. to its junction with the Amur. About 200 m.
from its source, it passes the flourishing trading city of Girin, in lat. 43° 40' n., with a pop. variously estimated at from 150,000 to 160,000, and inhabited by Mantchus and Chinese, but by- the latter in far greater numbers. The city of Mukden, on the Sira Muren, is large and beautiful, surrounded by walls, and containing 200,000 inhabitants. In 1681 it was the seat of the government of the empire of Mantchu. 3111let, barley, tobacco, and oats are largely produced, and herds of cattle are fed on the prairies. Chinese form the great bulk of the population; the Mantchus are for the most part sol diers, and are dratted out of the country into China. For the history of Mantchuria, see CHINESE, EMPIRE.
The Mantchus are the present rulers of China, who gradually subjugated the country; the first emperor of the new dynasty, Shunche, succeeding to the last of the Mings in 1644. They are not a nomadic race like the Mongols, but are given to agriculture or hunting, according to the . part of their country they inhabit. They arp of a lighter complexion and slightly heavier build than the Chinese, have the same conformation of the eyelids, but rather more beard, and their countenances present greater intellectual capacity. Literary pursuits are more esteemed by them than by Mongolians, and they are less under the priesthood. The Mantchus, in short, may be regarded as the most improvable race in Central Asia, if not on the continent.—Williams, Middle Kingdom.