The weekly Butte record., 1863-02-14
An E. Dorado in Central Asia.

An E Dorado in Central Asia.
The work Of Father Hue, priest of the
Lazarite Order in France. on his travels in
Mongolia, Tartary, Thbet. etc, in ls44-5-6,
is one Of the most valuable on those countries.
The countries through which this zealeus priest
travelled accompanied only by his brother Pa
DIRE CADET and few servants. have not been
visited by any European traveller since the time
And the account which Hue gives of these
countries tthe names Of many Of which have
heretofore been entirely unknown to the rest Of
the world is exceedingly iuteresting-the most
Of it entirely new, and il every part highly Gu
rious The description is chiefly confined TO
The elevated lands of Central Asia which are
similar in almost every particular to California
and the countries between the Sierra Nevada
and the headwaterS Of the rivers flowing into
the Gulf Of California and the Gulf Of Mexico.
They have their bauudless plains, called The
Land Of Grass : kind of buffalo (the Yakl,
wild horses, asses. camels, goats, sheep; wild
men. thieyish as Blaekfeet and Pawnees
mines of silver. gold, coal. copper. lead i'm
mense salt lakes having no outlet to the ocean,
with their own systems of rivers. some as large
as the Missouri snow, capped mountains. the
highest in the world, and population unknown
to foreigners. Their nearest neighbors under
settled governments are the Russians Chinese
and English.
The extracts we insert below will show what
sort of country this California of Asia is,
which is now for the first time made known to
US From these Asiatic Steppes and Alturas
have issued hordes who have overun the rest
of Asia and the East and South of Europe
from time immemorial
"Thibet, poor in agricultural and manufac-
tured productions, is rich in metals and gold
and silver are so easily obtained that the hum
best shepherds are acquainted with the art of
purifying the preciouS metals They may be
seen sometimes at the bottoms Of the ravines
or in the iSsures of the mountains, crouched
over fire of goats dung, purifying in cruel
UiIS luc -ulu uuSt cituOAOu "hiiO tuNit
focks to pasture. The result of this abundance
of metals is, that specie is OF little value, ana
in consequence all commodities remain at
high price. The gold and silver collected by
the people are absorbed by the great, and es-
pecially by the Liam Colleges, in immense
reservoirs, into which flow, by thousand
channels. all the riches of these vast countries
The result of this accumulation of money in
the Golfers of the privileged classes and the
high price of the necessaries Of life, is. that
larger part of the population is continually
plunged in frightfu poverty.
The Kingdom of Gechekten is astonishing
ly rich in gold and silver, but these very trea-
sures have been the cause of its greatest cal
amities. Though there exists severe proh
bition against working the mines it often
happens that great troops of Chinese banditti
come and search for gold and it is said they
have a remarkable capacity for discovering it
from the shape Of the mountains and the kind
OF plants produced on them. But such a dis
covery does but bring desOlation on the coun-
try where it is made for it attracts toward it
thousands of vagabonds. some of whom employ
themselves in robbi1g the inhabitants. while
the rest dig for gold and silver. In 1871 the
Kingdom of Ouinot became the prey of null
titude of these rui1ians who continued in occu-
patton of it for two years. and were not reduced
till the king had assembled all his banners and
marched against them Being in such num-
bers, they made a desperate resistance; but at
length great number of them retreated into
the mine and the Mongos perceiving it, stop
ped up the entrance with great stones, where
every one of them perished.- Alexander S,
Taylor.