Middle Coarse.—The middle course of the river lies through a hilly country, and extends from Tung-tehuan-foo to King-tsheou-foo, at which place it enters the great Chinese plain. From Tung-tshuan-foo the Kin-cha-kiang flows northward about 180 miles, and then turns to the east, in which direction it runs about 100 miles, when it is joined from the north by the Min-kiang or Ta-kiang, and from this place it is called Kiang (the river), or Ta-kiang (the great river). The Kiang runs in a north-eastern direction about 360 miles, when it passes north of 31' N. lat., where its course is directed to the east by some offsets of the Tapa-ling range, and, flowing in that direction, it reaches King tsheou-foo, after a course of about 240 miles. Thus the middle course of the river amounts to 880 miles. Though the Kin-cha-kiang below Tung-tshuan-foo runs in a wide valley, it is still within the mountain region, and its course is interrupted by cataracts. It is ascended by large barges to the mouth of the Yan-min-kiang, or Ta-kiang. This tributary rises in the mountains of Sifan, a branch of the Bayan Khara range, and traverses in its southern course a rugged mountain tract, until it enters the plain of Tching-too-foo (so named from the capital of To-tchu-an), which is surrounded by high mountains, and which the river waters and fertilises by dividing into a great number of arms. These arms unite some distance south of the city, and flow through a depression of the mountains to Kia-ting-foo, where the river runs through a plain to its junction with the Kiang near Siu-tsheu. The Ta-kiang is navigable to Tching-too-foo, to which place it was ascended by the Portuguese missionary Magaillane, in the middle of the l'ith century. This author gives an account of the great number and extent of tho rafts of timber which he daily met with on the Kiang. They were only 10 feet wide, and of different lengths, the longest about a mile and a half in length: but their number was so great, that if all of them bad been put together, they would have covered a space of several days' journey. On tho rafts were placed other articles, drugs, parrots, monkeys, rhubarb, musk, and chowry tails. The hilly country, through which this part of the Great River lies, improves lower down. The country near the mouth of the Ta kiang is mostly covered with high hills, which at some distance rise into mountains, which are covered with extensive forests of pine, fir, cedar, and juniper; a part is overgrown with bamboos. The remainder is well cultivated, and the fields are interspersed with large planta tions of fruit-trees, among which orange, lemon, and citron are men tioned. The Kia-ling-kiang, which joins the river near the town of Tuug-kiog-foo, drains a rich agricultural valley and joins its principal stream, near which the country yields rico, cotton, sugar, silk, and fruits of every kind in abundance. Cultivation increases lower down the river to the still more important town of Kuei-teheou-foo, which staude on the northern banks of the Ta-kiang, in one of the richest parts of China, where hardly a spot is to be found which is not applied to some useful purpose, with the exception of the crest of the Tapa-ling range, which is about 35 or 40 miles distant from the town, and inhabited some mountaineers. But this range supplies great quantities of salt, which is sent from Kuei-sheou-foo to the lower country.
Lower Course.—From King-tsheou-foo the river runs about 100 miles south-east to the outlet of Lake Tung-ting, from that place north-east to the mouth of the Han-kiang about 160 miles, then again south-east about the same distance to Kieu-kiang, which is on the channel that unitea Lake Poyang with the Ta-kiang. At this place the name of the Ta-kiang ie changed into that of Yang-tee-kiang, which it preserves to its embouchure. From Kieu-kiang the river runs north-east about
220 miles to Nan-king, the ancient capital of the empire. From Nan king it flows mostly eastward, and after about 50 miles it reaches the Great Canal, and flowing about 130 miles more, it falls' into the Pacific. Iu all this extent the river does not offer any impediment to navigation : its current is as gentle as the large volume of water Permits. The width varies from one to three miles. The number of islauds is small, and most of them are rocky. The tides are perceptible as far as Kieu-kiang, 400 miles from its mouth ; and so tar upward several kinds of sea-fish ascend it in great numbers, as sturgeons, porpoises, dorades or gold-fish, &e.; and some, which seem peculiar to this river, as that called hongyu, or yellow fish. The river barges used in this part of the river are as large as coaating-vesscls; but the river is navigated also by the largest junks, and the largest men-of-war might ride in safety on its surface.
Between King-tsheou-foo and Poyang Lake the Ta-kiang passes through an extensive depression, which is filled with a deep alluvial soil, and distinguished by a great number of lakes. This depression lies nearly in the centre of China proper, and extends over the greater part of the province of Hupe and the northern districts of Hoo-can, and is considered the most fertile portion of the whole empire. This plain may be about 200 miles every way, and is called Yamichili. Nearly all the productions of China are here raised in the greatest abundance ; no spot is uncultivated, towns and villages cover the country on all sides, and several large towns are found on the banks of the Besides several smaller rivers, the Kiang receives from the south a great volume of water by the outlet of Lake Tung ting, which falls into it east of 130° E. long. This lake is more than 200 miles long, and surrounded by an extremely fertile country, which even in the driest seasons yields abundant crops, the means of irriga tion derived from the lake never failing. Two large rivers, originating on the northern declivity of the Nan-ling Mountains, and draining a country as extensive as the island of Great Britain, fall into this lake, the Thsing-shui-kiaog and the Heug-hiang, each running more than 400 miles. The largest river which from the north joins the Ta-kiang is the Han-kiang, which rises on the southern declivities of the Pa ling, drains the wide and fertile valley inclosed by the Pe-ling and Tapa-ling ranges, runs nearly parallel with the Ta-kiang, and falls into it after a course of about 500 miles at the town of Han-yang. There are several largo towns on its banks, and the river seems navigable nearly to its source. By means of the easy water-commuuication afforded by these rivers and several large lakes, the country contiguous to the banks of this portion of the Ta-kiang has become the centre of an immense traffic, and the towns built on them are very populous and industrious. King-tsheou-foo, situated where the river enters the plain of Yumichiti, is large, rich, and well fortified. Where the Han kiang joins the Ta-kiang there are two large towns, Han-yang on the northern, and Wan-tshang on the southern shores. Wan-tshang is compared by the Jesuits to Paris in extent, and Han-yang to the second town of France. The navigation in the neighbourhood of these two places is so active, that from 8000 to 10,000 large river barges, equal in size to small coasting-vessels, may always be seen either at anchor or plying between the two towns. About 30 miles farther down is the large commercial town of Hoang-tsheou-foo, sur rounded by a beautiful and fertile country.