Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-22

ont passing on LII asa territory, for in this L.
ter country l knew / should meet with insur-
mountable obstacles man raised barriers more
difficult to overcome than any snow-covered
mountain or wird-sTept desert"
Urged on automatically by his visitor, who
had become interested in the subject MIR.
Rockhill gave graphic description Of mis- ex-
perience in the land OF the Grand Lama.
Err. RoCKHILLs R MARKABLE JOURNEY.
Leaving Peking December l, 1891, he said he
Travelled to the frontier town Of KaIgan: then
entering Mongolia he passed through tine pas
ture lands of the Oh ahar Mongols After few
days spent at kuei-hua Ch'eng he continued
west and crossing the Yellow river-here 400
yards wide on the ice a. Ho-k'ou he crossed
the Ordos Mongols country and after ward
ALASKAN. Again entering China proper his
route led through Ning-hsia, Lanchou and
Hsi-ning, the westernmost town in China on
the high road to Thibet.
Near Hsi-ninS is the famous lamaslry of
kumbum. reached February IL, from which
place Mr.. Rockhi.l had started on his first
journey into Thibet, and here he again re-
paired to get the men he had then had with
MN ara MAKE up his caravan. The men re-
sponded at once to his call. and while his head
man was making the necessary purchases of
food, clothing. horses. mules. &c. he made a
trip OF a fortnight to the valley of the Yellow
river to visit the Turkish tribes called "Sa!ar'
Cor ''Salaris') and the agricultural Thibetan
tribes OF the same district. There are no ira
dlhons to indicate when they came to China
from Sanarcand. They now number about
40. 600 persons.
OVER AN UNEMPLOYED ROUTE
On March IA Mr.. Rockhill and party left for
Thibet by an UNEMPLOYED route. passing south
OF the Koko-nor and along the foot of the
mountains to the south side of the Ts'aidam.
making several excursions on the way. one OF
special importance from the Mongol village of
Shang to Lake Tosunor to determine by as
Economical observations the position of this
sheet OF water discovered by him in 1899. The
party with Mr.. Eockhill consisted originally
OF five Chinese. but one had to be inyalided
home few days after leaving Kumbum and
two others deserted him at Shang He was
able to hire at this place an old Chinese trader
With these three men, assisted for while bv
Mongol and then by TLibetan guide. he
Travelled until he reached China again in Octo-
Der, 1892.
Speaking of the credulity Of the Thibetans
Mr.. Rockhill said: 'More than one have
overheard saying that had battalion of SOL
diers concealed in the little camera carried
with me. My prismatic compass, others con-
tended, enabled me to detect treasures in the
earth end to gee the farther side OF mountains
and with my sextant l angled for the SUM-
On May "a the final start for Tkibet was
made from the Naichi-gol in western Ts'aidam
and general sou;hwesterly direction to west
OF where Prjevalsky and Carey crossed the
range was followed until July T. when a point
some thirty miles from the northwest corner OF
the great central Thibetan lake called Teugri-
nor by the MOnyois AID Dolma- Ham.s O by the
Ihibetans was reached.
Between the Naichi-gol ard the Ts'aidam the
party endured great hardshps, the high attitude
ranging from $4,000 to 1?.0Oo feet above SCI,
level. terrible daily SHOW and hail storms. fierce
winds, frequent absence OF fuel and toward the
end partial starvation. The route moreover. led
through vast salt marshes and boys and across
numerous rivers in which quicksands we're fire.
qpently found.
GEOGRAPHIC DISCOVERIES.
The geographical results of this portion of
the journey were important a. The determi-
nation OF the limits of the basins o; the Murus
(the great Ysng-Tze-Kiang OF China) and The
discovery OF the sources Of The main branch of
this river in the snow-coYered tanks OF the
great central Tribe tan range o. mountains,
known az the DaRGla. t2.) The discovery of
the eastern imi; o; the laia-cOTe-e6 central Asian
plateau which becomes. some GOO miles west of
tbs route followed by Mr.. Eockhill. the Pamir.
but is i'll the section he crossed call MAX ;sang''
and sometimes. though apparently erroneously.
Chang Tang" or Northern Steppe"
Game was scarce in the great Part of this
region ana SO wild that it could not be ap-
pfoacneu On july secondsthe last provisions
were eaten and from that date to the seventh
the party sUbsisted solely upon tea On the
latter day a small eacampment OF Tribe ians was
reached AMI Etss.e food purchased The next
day valley was entered dotted over with tents
IN THE LaAsA COUNTRY.
1t was the pasture lands of the Namru Tbibe-
tans and Lh'asa governed country. The head
man refused to give the party food unless Mr..
Rockhin agreed to await the arrival OF the head
chief. who would decide whether he should be
allowed 20 proceed south or be sent back to the
north. After six days discussion with the
chief and several officials from Lh'asa a COM
promise was effected and Mr. RocAhill and his
three Cinnamon. with an escort OF ten Thibs-
tan soldiers. started eastward to reach the from
tier post of Nsgcnuk'a the high road from
kosonor TO Lha asa.
After ten days hard riding through mud and
In the rain the high road was reached and the
escort turned back, but Mr.. Rockhii had not
gone many miles when he fell in with O large
caravan going to In asa from Kumbum and he
was recognized by some of the members Of it
who had seen him on his former visits to the
famous lamasery.
They were aghast at the meeting 90 near
Nagehuka. said Mr.. Rockhill. III we arrived
ut that place together they would be rafus ed
permission to continue on their journey, for
they would be undoubtedly suspected OF hav-
Ing guided me there and Of having otherwise
assisted me in evading the universally known
orders against foreigners. We talked the
matter over and "a it was really indifferent to
me whether my progress soath was arrested