Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 393

18.12.

Topography of Kiangsi

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when standing at the entrance of the lake, on the one side you have an easy descent to the Yellow sea and the Pacific; and on the other there opens a wide amphitheatre-extending, directly before you, southward to the Mei ling (or Plum ridge) over more than five de- grees of latitude,-on your right, reaching nearly three degrees west- ward and southwestward,-and, on your left, more than two degrees eastward. Thus the province of Kiángsí is one spacious valley, com- prising an area of 72,176 square miles, with a population of more than twenty-three millions of souls, or about 319 persons upon a square mile. It is a little larger than all that part of the United States called New England, and about as large as the state of Virginia; and also twice that of Portugal, and thrice that of Denmark, but vastly exceeds all those countries in population.

The province is bounded, on the north and northeast by Húpe aud A'nhwui, on the east by Chekiáng and Fukien, on the south by Kwangtung, and on the west by Húnán. Its shape is irregular; its boundary, except on the north, being the summit of the hills, whose waters flow into the Póyáng. A line drawn from the point where the Great river leaves the province, lat. 30′ 5′ N., long, 10′ E. of Peking, to lat. 24° 30′ N., long. 2° W. of Peking, would show the greatest extent of the province, and divide it longitudinally into two nearly equal parts. Another line drawn at right angles to this, from one side of the province to the other, would show an average breadth of two and a half or three degrees.

The following is a complete list of the names of the departments and districts, in the order they are placed in the governmental books.

I.

Nánchúng fú; or the

Department of Náncháng, contains eight districts.

Its chief city is in lat. 28° 37′ 12′′ N., and longitude 0° 36′ 43′′ W.

of Peking, and 115° 48′

1 = Náncháng,

南昌

2 新建 Sinkien,

3進賢 Tsinhien,

4

Fungching,

11. MR

17′′ E. of Greenwich.

5 奉新 Fungsin,

6Tsing-án, 7 it Wúning,

8義寧州 Ining chau.

Jauchau fú; or the

Department of Jauchau, contains seven districts.

Its chief city is in fat. 28° 59′ 20′′ N., long. 0° 13′ 38′′ E. of Pe-

king, and 116° 38′ 38′′ E of Greenwich