The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-29
ON THE ROOFOF THE WORLD.
oHINEsE MAPS THE BxsIs OF our
MAPPING OF NUoH OF TIBET.


&sesns n'sesvsr'es s.s AttsUPt- e Eessh
ere Fsrbtdssp City Lhsss-A Priest-via-
As- Ls.a that Il Usfr,,-1iy 10 s,r,-r.r.
As T-,.r,.,. D,..o,.rx MA. n, s.,.
a.. r.. As.,c, .. u,-,..,.
-. ,..
Ihave before me Chinese map OF Tibet. re-
produced In Berlin last rear. with Roman let
terinR for the Chinese nomenclature. 1t may
surprise many to know that Chinese maps
still form, to q great extent. the basis OF our
maps OF Tibet. The inhabitants OF that vast
region, which, with it's north western bulvsrk,
the Pamirs. 10 the Hottest plateau in the world.
have nearly succeeded in the effort to keep
their doors closed against all men not OF their
own religion. To Chinese explorers. there
fore. some Of them trained. indeed. by Euro
pesn missionaries, we owe much OF the detail
OF our present maps. The Chinese we're old
mapmaksrs long before other races knew the
art Jesuit mission aries In the last and pres
emit centuries trained these mapmskers to
some extent In European methods OF car
Biography and surveying. So the Chinese are
not entitled to all the credit for their geo.
graphical work In Tibet.
Nearly everything the white races have
learned OF Tibet through our own explorers 10
the work OF the last twenty ysara We have
acquired really more inform alton through
Indian explorers who have been trained By the
British to do Trustworthy work. All sorts OF
expedients have been devised to acquire new
facts about Tibet without exciting the hostll-
ity and suspicion Of the natives. Nothing in
the history Of exploration is more admirable
than the devotion and zeal OF these Indian ex-
plorers. who have taken their lives In their
hands. vanishing on the heights OF Tibet to
rAa tvn ar lat VII n ric
store OF fresh geographical facta Much mys-
terry has surrou nded these enterprises. Even
the names Of the explorers have been
carefully guarded. The geographical
world has been informed merely that
the Pandit A. K, X. p, or NJ H., has
made such and such discoveries Geographi-
cal societies have awarded honors to these eI,
plorers without knowing who they are. All
have travelled in disguise. some as physicians
chants When all their resources have failed
=, ~ 800 a, =. ~. o".ns ,N' anu
IL necessary In the most menial capacities In
work The most famous Of than seemed 10
y. woi M, ne mus. famous Vi .nom soe"eu 70
said his prayer barrel was almost constantly
In use. IL was. for IL was the receptacle OF his
8. scientific instruments These men have y, Gov.
cred South and East Tibet with their routes.
Here 10 an example Of tho remarkable geo
A few weeks ago We heard that the Abor
tribe near the southeast edge OF Thibet had
British force that had come
among their mount.ln. The English Eng s news VS.,
believe they all failed to mention the inter-
80 ,r,h.. wh,oh nrsrantad 70. r,.nx ,on.r.0
wv u'o zoe "n,on po,'n'eu ,VI man, keh
The answer to this conundrum was
discovered in 1898 nv the Pandit K.P
The ssngpo River flows for a thousand
miles through the southern part OF Tibet.
Nobody knew where 1t reached the sea. 1. was
evidently the upper part OF great river. and
were divided in opinion rs to
ina Tse abons ana the @hns Ia
soSns Wien hs
<. +. was sent into Tibet he was told to map
m sa ossTn t s'e sanepd \, am tbs said NJ
however. that shall not get through the Abor |
country: II am stopped l will cut many logs
peculiar mark land he showed the gym Dol he |
lad designsdL Be on the lookout for logs in
Sure enough. late in 1879. several OF X. P's |
ogs were picked up in the Brahmaputra- At |
The Brahmaputra 10 settled" Many months |
'lapsed before 1t was known that X. p. had |
pushed down the Sangpo until he was within |
hirty-five miles Of tho Brahmaputra. where |
10 was stopped by the Abors. Thus II was left |
% this late day to discover that one OF the |
,lassic rivers OF India 10 Identical with the |
greatest river In Tibet
, 1t is easy to see why the Tibetans lock their |
ioors against the world II there is any priest
hidden part Of the globe II 10 Tibet. The ma
ority Of the better class OF young men enter
he Buddhist priesthood. Lhasa, the holy city
II Buddhism. contains only about 1900 In
labitants. but 20. 600 priests are said to crowd |
he iamaseries In its outskirts, These monas-
cries are very numerous In large part Of the |
country. and some OF them contain Thousands
II devoIees. And yet we know OF only four
owns In Tibet with population above ~ 600
md six others with from loo to 5000 inhab-
tants. The rest Of the people. tending their
,erds. are scattered thinly over the vast pla-
can and sometimes dsnsely IN the mountain
alleys The lamas or priests, believe their
supremacy would vanish were the outside
world admitted. They look upon a European
IS the certain precursor OF conquest, ane this
Q the basis OF Tibetan hostility.
But Buddhists are welcomed with open
rms. and lhasa. being tho homo OF the in
'arnate Buddha. or Grand Lama Is visited by
many pilgrims every year from all over East
,rn Asia. No white man mas set foot In Lhasa
ince lsl0. when Fathers Hue aud CADET, with
tanned skins and In tho garb OF Tibetan
Priests, spent many weeks there. One classic