SONGA'RIA is the name of a country in Asia, which constitutes the north-western portion of tho Chinese empire. The name is derived from the Songares, one of the great divisions of the Kalmucks, or Oloth, who had taken possession of this country, and erected a powerful empire, which was destroyed by the Chinese after the middle of the 18th century. Sougaria lies between 42° and 49° N. lat., and extends from 76° to 95° E. long. In length it extends upwards of 900 miles; but the width varies so much that on an average it pro bably does not much exceed 300 miles. This gives an area of 270,000 square miles.
Songaria occupies a very remarkable position on the globe. It forms the most northern portion of an isthmus, which separates the two largest deserts on the surface of the globe, with the exception of the Sahara in Africa. On the east of this isthmus is the Gobi, which, according to a rough estimate, has a surface exceeding 1,200,000 square miles. [Glom) On the west of the isthmus extends the low desert system that spreads out round the Caspian Sea on the north and cast, and is even larger than the Oobi, covering an area of nearly 1,300,000 square miles. In this estimate the Deacht Kowar, between the Caspian and the lower course of the Oxus, is considered as the most southern, and the Earabinza Steppe in Siberia, between the rivers Irtish and Obi, as the most northcru portion ; and it is assumed that the Ealmuek steppe, between the lower Volga and the Black Sea, conetitatee Its most western part.
The lathmns which separates these two large deserts is connected on the tenth (near se N. 1st) with the range of the Hindu Koosh, and on the north (near 50' N. lat.) with the western extremity of the Altai Mountains South of 40' it lies north and south. and compre hends the countries known under the names of Badakshan and Bot tum. North of 40' It Ilea south-west and north-east, and comprehends the eountries called Kok and and Songaria. South of 40' N. lat. the descent from the elevated Gobi to the low Caspian Desert is formed by an elevated range, a great part of which Is always covered with snow, and the descent is rapid; but north of 40' N. lat., and especially In Songaria, It is formed by a nnmber of extensive terraces, which, taken together, extend from east to west over a space of 500 miles.
On the east Songaria opens to the Gobi, and on the west to the GaspIan Desert ; but on the north and south It is bounded by two elevated mountain-ranges, the Thian-shan and the Altai Mountains. The space between the two ranges is traversed by numerons minor ranges, which lie in every direction, and divide the surface into nume rous rivenbseins, which are entirely separated from one another, and each of which contain. a lake, the receptacle of its drainage.
TAina-sAas Meratoies.—This extensive range of mountains extends in its western prolongation far into the Caspian Desert The most western branch is known by the name of At-tegh, which occurs about 50 miles N. from Samarcand in Bothers, near 41' N. hit, 67° E. long. From this point it extends eastward to the east of the meridian cf the town of Hami In Chinese Tnrkiatan; and seems, as far as is known, to terminate near 95' E. long. The extent from west to east is about
1400 mile.. The Thian-shan do not greatly deviate from a circle of latitude, as their western extremity is near 41' N. lat., and their eastern between 43' and 4V N. lat.
The Ak-tagh rises boldly ont of the steppe, but not to a great elevation, nor does it occupy a great width. Where it approaches the descent from the high table-land to the lower country it decreases in elevation and width, and takes the name of the Asferah Mountains. At the road which traverses the chain between Kashgar in Chinese Turkistan, and Khokhand, the range is probably 100 miles across, and rises so high that it is covered with snow nearly the whole year round : some parts even seem to rise above the snow-line. East of this road the mounteins are called Mus-tagh, or Moossoor, and this name has been adopted to designate the range of the Thian-sban as far east as the great mass of the Bogdo Oohs Mountains, near 85' E. long. The western part of the Mus-tagh is etated to contain many high summits which are always covered with snow ; but south of the Lake of haiku), or Temurtoo, where it is crossed by two roads leading from Kuldaha, or Ili, to Ushi and Kashgar, the mountains are mach below the anow.line. About 60 miles farther east however, where the road between Kuldsha and Aksoo traverses the chain, the snow man.a occupy from 9 to 10 miles of the central *portion of the range, and thous melees are stated to extend to a great distance east and west of the road. The higher portion is said to occupy about 40 miles in width; and when the lower heights which are contiguous to it on both aides are added, the whole breadth of the Thien-shan at the road can hardly be less than 80 miles. East of 85' E. long. is the Bogdo Oola, which lies north of Kerashar, and seems to be the most elevated and most extensive mountain mass of the Thian-shan. According to the information of the natives, the masses of snow and ice, and the glaciers which cover its summit, occupy a great apace, and attain a considerable elevation above the snow-line. There is no road over this range between that which leads from Kuldsha to Kntche (83° E. long.), and another by which the range is traversed west of Turfan (89° E. long.), a distance of 300 miles. The most eastern part of the Thian-shan, or that which lies between 89° and 95°F long., is very little known. Along the road west of Turfan, which leads from this place northward to Urumtai, there are some snow-covered mountains; but farther east the range is considerably lower, and near 95° E. long. it terminates as abruptly in the eastern desert as the Aktagh rises in the western. It is indeed supposed that this mountain range continues through the Gobi until it unites, near 106' or 107' E. long., with the In-shan, which lies north of the great northern bend of the lloang-ho; but this supposition is not borne out by the scanty information that we poseur about this part of Asia.