YANG-TSE-KIANG, one of the largest rivers In the world, drains the north-eastern districts of Tibet and the central provinces of China proper. Its source is In the interior of Aaia, about 1850 miles from its mouth in • straight line; but the whole course of the river probably exceeds 3000 miles. The country watered by the Yang-tae kiang and its numerous tributaries Ls estimated to have an area of 710,000 square miles.
Upper Course.—According to Chinese statement, translated and published by Klaproth in his Mdmoires relatives k l'Asie,' the Yang ue-Kiang rues between 34° and 35' N. lat, 89' and 90° E. long., in the Bay= Khara Mountains, in three branches, all of which bear the Mongol name of Oolan muren; but to the most northern the name of Nan-uste Is prefixed; that in the middle is distinguished as Tektonzi, and thb southern river is called KUi-Ii. These three rivers run from west to east. The Katssi-oolan-muren is joined from the south by a small river called bferes-ussu, which comes from the south-east. The neitad stream preserves the name of the last-mentioned river, which indeed seems to be the denomination by which the Yang-tse-kiang, In Its upper course, is known. The Murns-tusu runs northward, and ..„.
is joined by the Toktonai-oolan-muren from the west; it then turns eastward and receives the waters of the Nam-tsi-tu-oolan-muren, which enters It from the north. The DI urus-ussu, after being joined by the Nam-tai-tu-oolan-muren, turns southward, being opposed in its eastern course by a branch of the Bayan Khara Mountains, but soon after wards it enters by a south-easteru course that extensive mountain region which divides the, table-lands of Central Asia from the lowlands of China. As the ranges composing this mountain region run mostly from north to south, the river soon takes a southern direction, and flows in a narrow valley inclosed by mountains, whose summits rise far above the snow-line. In these parts the river is called Pho-lai Win, which passes the town of Batang (29° N. lat,), and forms the boundary-line between Tibet on the west and China proper on the east. After passing 28° N. lat., the river begins to break through tho
several ranges of enow-covered mountains which oppose its eastern course. The valleys which its waters have scooped out across these chains is rather wide in the western raugee, so as to extend in some places into moderate plains; but iu the eastern ranges it Is a mere chum, which is entirely filled up by the great volume of water brought down by the river. In these parts the river is called Kin-cha-kiang, or the river of the golden sand, because small particles of gold aro found in it. In its course through the mountain region the Kin-cha klang I. joined by several tributaries, among which the largest is the l'a-lowg-kiasg, which rises in the Bayan Khara Mountains, south of the sources of the Hosing-he, and runs parallel to the course of the principal river, preserving a distance of about 130 or 140 miles from its banks. The course of this tributary of the Kio-oha-kiang exceeds 600 mile., and the whole of it lies in a narrow longitudinal valley between snow-coverod ranges. Near 102' E. long. the Kin-chaskiang attains its most southern point (26' N. lat.), and near 103' E. long. it turns northward. In the vicinity of the town of Tnng-tshnan-foo (26' 30' N. lat.) it cuter' a wider and more open valley, and here it begins its middle course. The upper course of the river is about 12S0 miles long. It runs about 460 miles eastward as far as the Murus-ussu, about the same distance southward as the Pho-lai-tshu, end about 360 miles eastward as the Kin-cha-kiang. It does not appear that the river is navigated in any part of its upper course, where in its passage through the mountains it forms many rapids and falls. But great quantities of timber are floated down. The large rafts of timber which are found in the middle parts of the course floating down to the provinces near the Pacific prove that this supply must be derived from a country covered with forests, and such a country is only found on the upper part of its course.