Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 647

1812.

Topography of Shansi

625

XVI. The department of Sic lies on the eastern bank of the Yellow river, between Fanchau on the north, and Pingyáng on the south.

It is hilly, and well watered by several small branches of the Yellow river.

XVII. The department of Tsin is a narrow range of mountain- ous country, bounded on the north by Fanchau; on the east, by Liu; on the southeast, by Lú-án; on the south, by Pingyáng; and on the west, by Hôh.

XVIII. The department of Liáu is elevated and mountainous ; bounded on the north by Pingting; on the east and south, by Chilí and Honan provinces; on the southwest, by Tsin; and on the west, by Táiyuen.

XIX. The department of Hoh is a narrow portion of country lying on both sides of the river Fan, directly above the department of Pingyáng.

XX.

The department (or circuit táu) of Kweisui contains five districts, all situated north of the Great Wall, and comprising the whole of the northern portion of the province. The prefect has his residence in the city of Kweihwa, which is distant to the northwest 890 li from the provincial capital, and 1180 from Peking, nearly in lat. 40° 49′ N., long. 4° 45′ W. Southeast fram Kweihwá are the district of Hó-lin-ke-'rh and Tóh-ke-tóh. Further to the south and west is the district Tsingshui hó; and that of Sáh-láh-tsi on the west.

This province affords an instance of the changes that have taken place in the empire since the days of Du Halde. He makes only five cities (the heads of that number of departments) in the whole province these are, in his own orthography, Tay-ywen-fu, Ping- yáng-fu, Lu-ngan-fu, Fwen-chen-fu, and Tay-tong-fu. The depart- ment of Kweisui has been added since he wrote, and the others sub- divided so as to give nineteen where he found only five.

The natural features of the country have doubtless changed but little, if at all. The Hwáng hó "rolls down its golden sands," quite as it used to do under other dynasties, changing its bed a little here and there, but keeping well within its bounds, so far at least as Shánsí is concerned. The headwaters of the river Fan are near lat. 39° N., among the summits of the Kwantsin () tains; it flows nearly parallel with the Yellow river, till it reaches the chief city in the department of Kiáng, where it turns and flows to the west, and unites its waters with those of the Hwáng hó. The Sángkienor Sangkáu) is the next largest river. The branches of these are numerous. The next, in the order the Chi-

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