The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-24
EXPLORATION IN YARKAND.
Report from the British Expedition.

From the Lahore (Indid) Times, Aug. 80.
We have again received tidings from the
Yarkand expedition. They were, on the 3Oth
of last month, on the banks of the Kara Kash
river, within four days march from the Yark-
and frontier. Since passing the Chang Chen
mountains they had met with ''frightful in
convenience" being in many places unable
to get water, fodder, or fuel. The Yarkandis
who accompany them did not suffer inconve-
nience from want of fuel, which they are ac-
customed to provide against in the following
way:-When there was fuel they roasted
quantity of barley and ground it into meal,
which they carried with them, AT halt
where there was no fuel they made up this
roasted meal into paste, and then rolled the
paste into balls or small cakes, which they
managed to find palatable. The party were
all in good health at the date of last des-
patches, and all were pulling well together,
native and European.
The kind of country through which they
have made their way is best described in the
words of one of the party:-''For the last
fortnight We have been marching through the
most internal (that is the only name 1 can
think of as appropriately country Imagination
could picture. This is the.most favorable
season, too, and I shudder to think of the
return journey in October or November.
There is q scarcity of water and fuel at most
camps, and of grass at all, and at some camps
none of these exist. To give you an idea of
what an extraordinary country it is, may
tell you that the day before yesterday we
travelled for fourteen miles over plain COW
cred to many feet in depth with pure sulphate
of soda, on the surface an impalpable DOW
der, through which the feet sink many inches
at every step, and the wind raises it in
clouds so asalmost to blind and suffocate us,
and the glare of the pure white salt almost
blinded those who were not provided with
dark spectacles." Although all the party
were in good health and spirits
on arriving at the banks of the
Kara Kash, Mr. Forsyth had suffered
considerably at the higher elevations.
The conduct of the Wazir of Ladakh had
caused the party deep annoyance. 1t is only
what every explorer experiences. In the
heart of Africa, the wilds of Burmah, the
marts of China, the table lands of Thibet-
ay, truth to tell, even in our own compounds
at Lahore-the cunning deceitful, obstruc-
tive barbarian is the same everywhere. In
the case of Mr.. Forsyth's party the Wazir of
Ladakh, a creature of the Cashmere Govern
ment, overwhelmed them with offers of
assistance, obtained at last the acceptance of
certain quantity of fuel, upon which they
were to depend, and, in fact, only sent for
ward about a third of what was required
Did he hope to delay them, so that they
should be forced to return without crossing
those bare table lands, and so be unable to
proceed till next year? 1t is believed also
that Cashmere agents had preceded the party,
alarming the Yarkandis with the intelligence
that some English, with 200 Sepoys, were
about to enter Yarkand territory. This may
be foretaste of the intriguing they may
suffer from in Yarkand ITSELF Mr. Shaw is
doing the geography of the route, and DIR.
Hendersa is busy with the scientific part
His first collection of plants aud birds has
Just reached Lahore.