Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 1 (1876).djvu/257

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

THE HOANG-HO; ITS VARIATIONS.

185

tendency to flow to the north being checked by the obstructing Gobi and the In-shan mountains, the river makes another bend to the east, and near the town of Kai-fong-fu the principal channel disembogues in the Gulf of Pechihli, whilst another lesser branch flows into the Yellow Sea. The change in the lower course of the Hoang-ho occurred as recently as 1855, when, after forcing a passage through the embankments near Kai-fong-fu, the river took a new course towards the Gulf of Pechihli, where it now discharges at a distance of 270 miles to the north of its former mouth.^[1]

The capricious windings of the Hoang-ho, and the heavy rainfall in summer in the hilly districts on its upper course, occasion frequent and extensive inundations which sometimes cause disastrous losses to the inhabitants.

After crossing into Ordos, instead of taking the shortest diagonal route, followed by Huc and Gabet,

↑ In all our ordinary maps the Hoang-ho enters the sea in lat. 34°, south of the great peninsula of Shan-tung. This was its true course down to some twenty years ago, and for six centuries before that. But in the earliest times of which the Chinese have record the Hoang-ho discharged into the Gulf of Pechihli, i.e. north of Shan-tung and its mountains, and it continued to do so, though with sundry variations of precise course, till the thirteenth century A.D. Before the latter period the river had occasionally thrown off minor branches to the south of Shan-tung, but it then changed its course boldly to the latter direction, and so continued till our time. The tendency to break towards the old northern discharge had long existed, and was resisted by a vast and elaborate series of embankments. These gave way partially in 1851: following floods enlarged the breach, and in 1853 the river resumed its ancient course across the plains of Pechihli, and now enters the gulf of that name in lat. 38° (circa). A sketch map of these variations is given in 'Marco Polo,' 2nd ed., ii. 126, where references to the chief authorities will also be found. — Y.

[1] In all our ordinary maps the Hoang-ho enters the sea in lat. 34°, south of the great peninsula of Shan-tung. This was its true course down to some twenty years ago, and for six centuries before that. But in the earliest times of which the Chinese have record the Hoang-ho discharged into the Gulf of Pechihli, i.e. north of Shan-tung and its mountains, and it continued to do so, though with sundry variations of precise course, till the thirteenth century A.D. Before the latter period the river had occasionally thrown off minor branches to the south of Shan-tung, but it then changed its course boldly to the latter direction, and so continued till our time. The tendency to break towards the old northern discharge had long existed, and was resisted by a vast and elaborate series of embankments. These gave way partially in 1851: following floods enlarged the breach, and in 1853 the river resumed its ancient course across the plains of Pechihli, and now enters the gulf of that name in lat. 38° (circa). A sketch map of these variations is given in 'Marco Polo,' 2nd ed., ii. 126, where references to the chief authorities will also be found. — Y.

[1]