Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-07-19
CENTRAL EUROPE AND ASIA.

into National Aggregation. general comparist
! between the great land continental surfaces of o
| globe would reveal contrasts of yery remarkab
character, and such as to explain and determir
much of the moving causes of former history, an
afford data of great value in our estimates of futur
ty. Hitherto, as cause and effect, too much cred
has been given to human design, and that Will
the exciting and controlling laws Of Nature in reverse pr
portion, have been overlooked regarded specifically.
would excite doubts of its accuracy the minds of
otherwise well informed persons when thew were first to
that there exists the earh surface in direction no, ver
materially deviang twenty degrees from mean latitude
N, and in continuity, space rather exceeding five thousan
miles having no oceanic discharge Such region has
nevertheless, positive, and, from time to time has had
fearful political existence, and, from its western extremit
in Europe to its eastern in sia, comprises every variety
SOIL from that of exuberant fertility to the most sterile desert
Within its limits originated, in comparative mordern times
revolutions which shook Asia and Europe to their umos
borders Karakum Holm, in Chinese Mongos, was tn
seat Of the Empire of Zengzs Khan and from whence, from
the latter part Of the twelfth century Of the christian era
the middle Of the thirteenth made Eastern and much of Cen
tra Asia fields Of blood and ruin.
The decline Of the House of Zenghis was attended and fol-
lowed by that Of Tameane. The latter early in the
fifteenth, and scourged Central and Western Asia through
the first ba Of that century The original seat Of this Power
was between the Caspian and Aal seas Faulty alone,
we may repeat Indifference to such sections Of the
earth as have produced much Of human history and
where, however great may be political national change the
intrinsic constitution of nature in the earth and in mAs
mains stable. Morally and intellectually it is probable that
the nations who nhab this immense region are Is far ad
vanced in the scale of improvement as were Europeans in
general five centuries past. What time has accomplished,
with the same element it is consonart to all experience to
regard recurrence probable. Faulty alone can overlook the
annually more and more apparent, that one
,ea,v. becom,. ----- -hch is % "giue
Of those mighty commissions are IN prus.~--
ne,o names to nations and netU divisions to courtsV
The changes, past embryo, and in acknowledged pro-
gress which in development in ASIA Europe, aid Anne
rca only form the Introductory chapters to modn his
tory In the great invasion from Central Asia, China and
Japan did not escape but though scouged they survived the
storms more .nan TWO centuries groaned under
the iron rule Of the Mongos but the tide Of power has aken
fearful reau1, has formed, is sormng still more
fearful whirlpool threatening deuge. tits ul in motion,
but constant in direction.
But, geographical review The extreme north
projection of this great inland region within
hundred miles of the Gulf Of Finland St. Peersbugh
and about like distance from Wytegra, Lake Ladoga
On the Eastern Pacific extreme reaches within three
hundred miles Of the Yellow Sea- and the eahs surface
extends in continuity through eghyegh degrees Of oDgi
tude, the latitude of foryfve Any line however,
drawn within its limits, from eastern extremity,
would exceed five thousand miles, On longitude sixty
of London this extends in breadth due north from
latitude 2so to 52o about sixteen hundred and sixty miles,
crossing Beoochistan, Cabu Great Buchaa Khokan and
Krguis. This line of greatest breadth does not materially
depart from midstance, from the Of the Wolgs in
Europe, to those Of the Amur, in ASIA thousand
hundred miles from EACH Within all its permete the falls
little under that may assume for each section least one
million Of square English miles, The part from the
Beoor Mountains comprising than half the whole
face, and including the Caspian and Ara Basins differs
senay in character from the eastern the former part
sterile DESERT sustsins considerable density Of population
the EASTERN except the Basin Of the Yakand in the far
greater part desert in the full extent of the term.
This very remarkable region, n all its extent, possessed
by three EmpreRussa west and north Persia in the mid
distance and most southern and China souheastwardhe
Beoor Mountains forming the separating boundary between
Russia and China. Persia, which as an
echo from the fahest Of history, still suans po
htcal existence and fills the space from the Caspian Sea
southwark to the Persian Gull, than half its surface
within the interior region under review
Taking the whole region under scope of vision it is
tance the earth would present very
bance to that Of the moon, thus viewed from the EARTH
With these general observations proceed to more spec
&c review.
Commencing the southern extreme at north latitude 2so
and longitude $50 of London and from thence not
teriay deyatng from due north, set out from Kerman
Southern Persia two hundred miles from the Persian
Gulf and thence passing between the Caspian and Aa Seas
and thence again along the Ura Mountains to north latitude
62o through $40 Of latitude and to within mmateral
fraction Of two thousand five hundred English miles,
stream OF any consequence passed. may not be out Of
place observe that this ne extended tothe Persian Gulf
would form far definite and natural boundary between
Europe and Asia than the vague adopted In gno
and pepeuated BY habit As standing on the face Of
nature, the supposed boundary pointed forms the
limit OF the Caspian region, in many essential respects the
most remarkable the surface of the earth Firstly, has
base Of twenty hundred miles from the Mountain Of La
rtan the SOUTH the northeastern fountains Of the Kama
river the north secondly, the surface Of the Caspian Sea
is by actual measurement upwards Of three hundred and
twenty feet below that Of the Black Sea, and Of the
most depressed water surface this planet Into this deep
water expanse poured from the north the streams OF the
Woga and Ura rivers from the westward those of the Arax
and others of less noe and from the southwark the drain Of
very border between the Eborus Mountains and
the southern shore Of the Caspian The shore Of the
Caspian receives no stream worthyof notice.
The Caspian Sea is from south north about hun
dred miles in length and from east west two hundred
width surface hundred and forty thousand square miles,
the whole Basin eight hundred thousand square miles
Eastwardy from the great base line of the Caspian Basin
extends another basin belonging the natural secon
and remarkably similar in the principles Of formation and
phSsica character The latter known as the Ara Basin
from the of Ara Sea Lake another Caspian
smaller scale The Ara having length Of about three hun
dred miles, with mean breadth little above hundred
miles mean latitude 44o north. Space between the two
seas, in most part sterile DESERT mean breadth Of about
three hundred miles longitude 800 east London passes
over the Aral