Manchuria

Manchuria, the country of the Manchus, is that part of the Chinese Empire which lies between Mongolia and Corea, having the river Amur as its northern boundary. The total area is nearly 400,000 square miles, and it is divided into the provinces of Tsitsihar or Helung-tsian (the northern portion), Kirin or Central Manchuria, and Leaoutung or Moukden, the southern division. The last, however, appears on some maps to be divided, part only being assigned to Manchuria. With the exception of the district between Moukden and the Gulf of Leaou-tung, Manchuria is veiy mountainous. The chief ranges are the Shan-a-lin or "Long White Mountains," which extend from the Amur to the Gulf of Leaou-tung, and the Chingan Mountains in the north. They are interspersed with fertile valleys, and the scenery here is very beautiful. The three chief rivers are the Sungari, which rises in the Shan-a-lin, and, after joining the Nonni, flows in a north-westerly direction till it reaches the Amur; the Hurka, which joins the Sungari at San-tsing; and the Usuri, still farther towards the east. The Sungari is navigable as far as Kirin, but the Hurka is impeded by torrents. All the Manehurian rivers abound in salmon and other fish. In 1888 the floods did immense damage. The chief productions of the soil are millet, poppies, maize, beans, and rice; and large pine-woods clothe the hills. The not inconsiderable mineral resources of the country have not yet been taken advantage of to any large extent, though the gold-mines have begun to be worked. The chief exports are beans. silk, and fur; and the making of opium and furniture, with distilling and tanning, are the principal industries. The Manchurians long maintained a struggle with the Chinese, but in 1644 the grandson of their great chief, Narhac-chu, ascended the throne of China and founded the Chin dynasty.

Most of the inhabitants of Manchuria are now Chinese. The chief towns are Moukden (or Shing-yang), Kirin, Tsitsihar, and Niu-chwang or Ying-tzu, the chief port. [China.]