The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-29

Be general that Father Hue would tell good
story even N the truth suffered. but recent ex-
co Polo, the first European to cross the Pamirs.
said smoSe many dlssredited things that
he bad travelled so high above the sea he
air 10 eoos ss oos IN n. Psra
to-day. are having the same difficulties with
fires that Polo described, and In many other
respects bic distrusted statements have stood
the test Of Investigation.
,, Several ss1pIorers haze recently cone home
Rockhill, the American; Capt, Bower and Miss
Annie Taylor. the English missionary. all OF
whom were inexGrsbis turned turned, aside as they
working there now--Russians who are eager
to be the first in the holy city. and the French
work on Central Asia that has yet been penned
ia the S viii be Sops thsn
than Roef6ili. who wsstyIce repulsad or than
reached G the s0 Scs only % see their h0Sss
blasted. Many Tibetsns. are kindly disnosed
bower was finally brought to a halt the ma.
tives told him: 1T would cost us our heads IL
ss to Ia you go ri Tor You p
cuted in Lhasa"
As a rule. the authorities of Lhasa sally forth
march from the capital. They are most cour.
teous and polite. and are willing to spend days
Via ABOUT G s posed nSy
on the last al they told him they could not
conceive that his expedition had anything else
In view than the ultimate conquest OF Tibet
They bado him farewell with the greatest
yeks to help him TO go anywhere away from
Lhasa. Bower told these dignitaries that he
d5eTpended upon the friendship between the
access To- the capital They replied that Tibet
was forbidden ground to all strangers and that
trudiOs upon one Snetbsr!s soil When the
brave EnRlishwoman. Miss Taylor approached
TSa.s ss sT Gys 81 e a cbSoS asS s
and gave heI the supplies che needed to carry
her many miles on her homeward Journey.
western buiwarS Of Tibet. the famirs Imam man
opposes fewer obstacles. but nature Ia more
The "v great plateau the Hsif way House to
Heaven. and Il is strange that the name Pa
mr. ~ Sssh pass that TC%
the time Marco Polo crossed this remarkable
region, more than 800 year: ago, hsrdIya
outer world until .1uite recently. We now
know that the lofty plain is covered with
hiGhcst SUBMITS; that winter reigns three
fourths Of the year. and that some OF the val
oys are sPSrs.yd psoPedh by W %SndsTIng herds;
the fruits Of the temperate zones The fact Is
illustrated here on n grand scale that climate
1t would he surprising II this summers cam
paign brings the Russians and the Fren ch any
nearer to Lhasa. But We may hope that they
will be well rewarded by discoveries. Rich
prizes have fallen to explorers in that field.
Nobody knew where the two greatest rivers OF
China hal their rise till Prejevalsky found the
headwaters OF the Hoang Ho tumblipg down
the eastern edge OF the plateau. and later he
and liockhill stood at the middle and upper
points OF the Yangtse. kiang's fountain stream.
In the very centre Of Tibet. It was Preievalsky
who mapped great mountain ranges never
collections Of the fauna and flora OF
the steppes have not yet been eIualled
By hia successors. Five years ago bon
valot found new mountain chains and volca-
noes in north Tibet that no white man had
seen: and In 1871 Bower. entering
western Tibet. was the first to see vast region
without drainage to the sea. thickly sprinkled
with big salt lakes. one OF which. at an eleva-
ton Of 1850 feet. 70 believed TO be the high.
est lake In the world. snowy mountains and
ranges were seen here and there. and torrents
poured down their sides to feed the blue salt
lakes There are large regions still untouched.
In west Tibet. and in spite OF the
discomtorts and dangers OF exploration there
the field will he the scene OF such enterprises
Tor many years to como G. T. ADAMS