THIAN SHAN NANLU is the name of a Chinese government, situated nearly in the centre of Asia. European geographers generally call it Eastern or Chinese Turkistan, and also Little liucharia. The name of Turkistan is applied to it because the bulk of the inhabitants in that part of Asia is composed of Turkish tribes ; and as these tribes are frequently designated by the collective name of Buchariaus, from the town of Bokhara, Eastern Turkistan is also called Little Bueharia, or rather Bokharia, to distinguish it from Western or Proper Turkistan, which is called Bucharia without any epithet. Thian Shan Nanlu, in Chinese signifies the 'southern road of the Thian Shan Mountains,' and has been applied to the countries south of that mountain system, becanse they are traversed by the southern of the two great commercial roads which connect China Proper with the countries of Western Asia, whilst the countries north of the Than Shan are traversed by the northern commercial road, and on that account are called Than Shan Pelu, 'the northern road of Thian Shan.' The last-mentioned countries constitute the government of Ili, or SONGARIA.
This u Shau Ninth: lies between 36' and 44° N. lat., and extends from 71° to 96° E. long. From east to west it extends about. 1250 miles, and ita width from south to north varies between 550 and 300 miles. Its area probably exceeds 500,000 square miles. It is bounded N. by Songaria, or Thian Shan Pelu • E. by the province of Karig and South Tibet. On the south-west is Ladakh, on the west Kundnz, including Betel:alien and Bokbara, and on the north-west Khokan.
Thisn Shan 'Sank is a country entirely isolated from the rest of the world. On the north, west, and south it is inclosed by mountain ranges of such extent and elevation that the places which arc perma nently inhabited can only be reached by passing for several days over mountains, which are not inhabited except for two or three months in the year, when they are visited by a few families of wandering tribes of mountaineers. On the east of Thian Shan Nanlu is an extensive desert, which appears to be uninhabitable. The country inclosed by the three ranges and the desert receives an abundant supply of water from the mountains, a considerable portion of which is always covered with snow, and the numerous rivers which descend from them form a large river, called the Tarim, which is as large as the Danube, and terminates in an extensive lake situated on the western edge of the desert. The basin of the ricer Tarim is the largest closed river-basin
on the globe.
.11ountoias.—At the south-western angle of Thian Shan Nenlu stands an extensive mountain knot called Puebtikhur, which occupies the space between 36° and N. lat., and 74' E. long. From its western side issues that elevated chain which Is known in Afghanistan by the name of Hindu Knell ; from its northern edge another range, called the Tartashling, or Bolor-Tagh, which extends northward ; and in the eastern part begins a third range, which traverses the whole of Central Asia, and extends through China Proper to the shore. of the I'acific. This last-mentioned range is called by the Chinese Knenluen, but that portion of It which is contiguous to the mountain-knot of I'ushtikhur goes by the name of Thaungling.
The Theungling may be considered as that portion of the Kuenluen , range which extends from the Puehtikhur on the west (72' E. long.) to the mountain-pass of Karakorum on the east (between 76' and 77° E. long.), and occepies nearly the whole of the space between 35' and 37' N. lat. Little is known of this region, but it is stated that a maas of perpetual snow cover% thole mountains for more than 300 miles in length, and that on their northern declivity there Is a con tinuance of rain for three successive months. That portion of the Kuenluen range which is east of the Pass of Karakorum Is 'till lees known. Two roads traverse the Kuenluen range. The most western leads through the Karakorum Pass from Hindustan and Cashmir by the way of Leh in Ladakh, to Khoten in Titian Shan Nanlu. The highest part of the pass probably does not exceed 12,000 feet above the sea-leveL This road is much more frequented in winter than in summer, because the melting of the snow on the fountains adjacent to the road renders travelling in summer almost impossible. The eastern road connects the town of Lhassa In Tibet with Khoten, and traverses a very mountainous country of great extent, passing near the large lake of Tengri-Nor, and issuing from the mountains by the narrow valley in which the town of Kcriya is built.